During our series 'A New Season Of Love', we have seen how loving God can change our lives, and how God wants us to receive His love so that we can love ourselves. We have understood how we can truly love our families, and what loving our neighbour really looks like in practice. This week we conclude our series by seeing what it means to love our enemies.
In the summer of 1946 in St Louis, Missouri, the wife of a 50 year old Lutheran minister received a letter sent by some of the most notorious criminals in the history of the world. When World War II ended, she had expected her husband home by Christmas 1945 but it was Summer 1946 and she received a letter asking if she would let him stay longer in Germany. Her husband, Reverend Gerecke, had volunteered to be chaplain to the Nazi war criminals on trial at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity. On choosing to take the assignment, Rev. Gerecke said “Slowly the men at Nuremberg became to me just lost souls whom I was being asked to help.” Because the Nazis were charged with crimes against humanity, they were everyone’s enemy. Rev. Gerecke's love for them, despite two of his own sons being wounded in the war, is an example for us of how to love our enemies. To love our enemies, we must:
1. Decide To Show Mercy (James 2:13)
2. See Their Humanity (Matthew 5:41; John 4:35)
3. Value Their Eternity (Matthew 16:26; Romans 5:9-10)
Apply
How easy do you find it to love your enemies? Do you have a heart of mercy towards them? James 2:13 says 'Mercy triumphs over judgement.' When mercy and judgement fight, mercy wins. Mercy triumphs because it is what God desires. When we are hurt by others, our first response is to react with an emotion-based 'eye for an eye' attitude. To love your enemy, you must make an intentional decision to show mercy. Mercy goes beyond justice and makes the decision to show the love of God to your enemies.
Can you see your enemies' humanity? Do you value their souls, wanting them to encounter the life-changing love of Jesus Christ so they can have eternal life? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls His followers to rise above the attitudes of their enemies by showing them unconditional love and going 'above and beyond' when serving them (Matthew 5:41). This verse is often used as an example of unconditional love and refers to the Roman soldier’s right to enlist a member of the subject population to forced labour. However, the soldier himself is often overlooked, yet he had been compelled into service and his life was under the control of Caesar. The soldier's humanity is invisible because he’s wearing a uniform. It can be difficult for us see the humanity of those we put a uniform on (e.g. those who wore the Nazi uniform). We can put uniforms on those who differ from us by their nationality, politics, race, status, etc. To love your enemies you have to see their humanity. As Rev. Gerecke ministered to the Nazi war criminals in prison, he led many to the Lord. As news of his work became known, he began to receive hate mail and was accused of treason and giving aid to the enemy. Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul” (Matthew 16:26). Loving your enemies means valuing their souls more than the approval of your friends. To love your enemy is to value their eternal soul above the hurt they have cost you.
Do you truly love your enemies? Today, pray and decide to show mercy to your enemies (Matthew 5:7). Choose to see their humanity, showing them empathy, and valuing their eternity and their souls (Romans 5:8-10).
