“But
I say to you that listen, love your enemies, do good to those who hate
you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (Luke 6:27)
My wife and I have an Advent tradition. We regularly attend a community event near our home in South Jersey which features, among other things, a craft fair and a choral concert from one of the local high schools. At the craft stall we met this guy whom I’ll call “Ed.[i]” He’s a retired fellow who recently told us a remarkable story quite germane to the gospel lesson appointed for Epiphany 7, Year C in the RCL (Luke 6:27-38).
It seems that one day not too long ago Ed was crossing a busy street, just minding his own business. A motorist—who apparently was not minding her business—raced through the crosswalk and struck this venerable older gentleman, sending him to the pavement. The young female driver immediately stopped her car, got out, called 911, and sat with Ed until the police and ambulance arrived. All the while she apologized for running him down—which was, of course, the very least she could do under the circumstances.
Help arrived and Ed was loaded into the ambulance. When the police officer took his statement, Ed (who is Pentecostal and very devout) begged the officer not to charge the motorist who ran him over. “It was just an accident,” he said. The officer obliged, and, to my knowledge, the young lady was never charged.[ii]
A racist psycho named Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015 and ruthlessly gunned down nine innocent people during a Bible study. Among the nine was Ethel Lance, whose daughter, Nadine Collier, while offering her impact statement at Roof’s sentencing, said she forgave the murderer and prayed God would have mercy on him.
In 1998 Aaron McKinney and an accomplice lured a young gay man, Matthew Shepherd, out of a bar near Laramie, Wyoming, tied him to a fence, beat him, and left him to die. When McKinney faced the death penalty, Shepherd’s parents, Dennis and Judy, asked the judge to spare his life in their son’s name.
Ed, Nadine Collier, and Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd are stunning examples of forgiving the otherwise unforgiveable. They embody the teaching Jesus gives us in Luke chapter 6 about loving an enemy and praying for those who clearly wronged others.
Of all the admonishments Jesus gives us, this one might be the toughest to swallow. After all, people need to pay for their crimes, don’t they? Are we supposed to let the bad guys just get away with being bad? If we can’t strike back, do we choose to let ourselves be abused? And what about that jazz about giving to all who beg? Are we supposed to let dead-beats freeload off society? Why is God kind to the ungrateful and the wicked (v.35)? That’s not fair!
I think one of the hardest things for us to do as Christians is balance justice with God’s mercy. The truth is, it’s never going to be about who “deserves” mercy. All sin and all fall short. Of course we can’t let people go around cutting each other’s throats without trying to do something about it. But why does Jesus ask us to love enemies, ignore insults and abuse, pray for persecutors, give to beggars, and forgive the misdeeds of others?
It’s simple: because hate is poison to our souls. Martin Luther would maintain that the first reason God gave us the 10 Commandments is to restrain lawlessness and create good order so all could live in peace. Unfortunately, in a sinful world we trash these commands to love God and one another every chance we get, thereby jeopardizing peace and brotherhood. So, just as unfortunately, we have to have punishments as deterrents to our willful disobedience. Punishment, however, is not the opposite of forgiveness. Resentment is the opposite of forgiveness. Resentment has nothing to do with good order. It has to do with our personal relationship with God and ourselves.
Living with smoldering anger does nothing but alienate us from God, ourselves, and those around us. I’ve heard it said that resentment is like drinking poison in the hopes your enemy will die. There is nothing redemptive about violence or hatred. Force may be needed to end a war, prohibit further crimes, or protect the innocent, but I don’t imagine punishment ever produces a feeling of peace or well-being in the punisher. In fact, often the opposite is the case.
Maybe the hardest thing Jesus asks us to do is to look beyond the wounds inflicted by our enemies and see the wounds inflicted on our enemies. We are asked to go beyond grievance to compassion. I’ll admit, it’s not an easy ask.
Dylann Roof and Aaron McKinney will spend the rest of their lives in jail for their deeds, but Nadine Collier and the Shepherds have chosen not to be imprisoned by hate. The girl who ran over our friend Ed is probably paying a higher auto insurance premium these days, but Ed has a great story to tell and feels perfectly comfortable having obeyed the teaching of his Savior.
May we all know the freedom which comes from obedience to Jesus. Thanks for reading.
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