The Commandment We Hate

The scriptures referred to are Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 and Luke 6:27-38.

In the film Star Trek: Generations one subplot involves Data, the android who wishes to be human. He has a computer chip, made by the scientist who created him, that will allow Data to feel emotions. He has it installed but finds it hard to control his new emotions. It does lead to a very funny moment. The crew of the Enterprise is fighting to survive a very damaging battle with a Klingon ship. Eventually they manage to blow up the Klingons. The camera pans over the solemn Enterprise crew who feel no joy at the deaths of their enemies. Until we get to Data. He thrusts his fist in the air triumphantly, with a gleeful “Yes!” It got a big laugh in the theater where I first saw the film because, ironically, Data's reaction was the most human.

In her book Jesus and John Wayne, Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez chronicles how from the early 20^th century Evangelicals have been trying to maintain an extremely masculine version of Christianity. In the early part of this century, especially after 9/11, they started to justify violence. John Eldredge argued that God made men to be dangerous. He dismissed Jesus' command to “Turn the other cheek.” Douglas Wilson called for a “theology of fist fighting.” Steve Farrar felt that by emphasizing “feminine” virtues like compassion and gentleness, the church was neglecting masculine traits like aggressiveness. One Evangelical book was actually called No More Christian Nice Guy. Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Church in Seattle for 18 years until he was forced to resign, said Revelation 19 shows Jesus to be “an Ultimate Fighter warrior king with a tattoo down his leg who rides into battle against Satan, sin and death on a trusty horse.” (It also says he has a sword coming out of his mouth, so it is obvious this image is meant to be taken symbolically and not literally.) Driscoll holds that God will only be a pacifist at the end of time after he has killed all his enemies. And apparently he feels we Christians should act the same way.

I just want to draw your attention to the fact that in all the apocalyptic passages God fights his own battles. Only his angels fight alongside him. Christians are depicted solely as witnesses and, if necessary, martyrs. We are not called to fight and kill evildoers, not even at the end of the world, no matter how many so-called “Christian” novels and movies show that and no matter how much our natural bloodlust desires it.

In today's passage from the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus announces, “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.” This, and its parallel passage in the Sermon on the Mount are probably the most ignored and, as we've seen, despised commandments in the Bible. Even Christians try to diminish or dismiss the idea that we are to love our enemies. We hate this commandment. Why can't we use holy violence on evildoers?

You can find passages in the Old Testament that appear to justify war. But these are almost all about the establishment and defense of Israel, a tiny kingdom surrounded by empires who wanted its land for its strategic position on the crossroads between Africa, Arabia, Asia, Asia Minor and Europe. We, however, belong to the kingdom of God which has no borders. Christianity is the predominant religion in Europe, Russia, North, Central and South America, the Philippines, East Timor, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. You will find Christians in every country, even where they are considered illegal. 2.3 billion people, 31% of the world's population, call themselves Christian.

I don't have time to detail the Just War Ethic that St. Augustine and others have developed using Christian principles. But the Bible is clear in condemning interpersonal violence. The first murder in the Bible is one brother killing another. The reason for the flood is, according to Genesis 6:11, “The earth was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence.” (Cf. Genesis 6:13) That's why God decides to reboot creation, returning it first to chaotic waters and then repopulating it with Noah' descendants. And the first covenant God makes is with Noah. God hangs up his bow and promises not to flood the earth; our part is not kill each other. Why? Because not only are we all brothers and sisters but humans were created in God's image. (Genesis 9:5-6) Murder is symbolic deicide.

Violence is condemned more than 60 times in the Bible. God tells his people that he didn't want innocent blood shed in the land he was giving them or else he would hold them guilty. (Deuteronomy 19:10) God considers the shedding of innocent human blood an abomination. (Proverbs 6:16-19) Psalm 11:5 tells us, “The Lord approves of the godly, but he hates the wicked and those who love to do violence.”

Contrary to the idea that God wants us to be warriors, Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better to be slow to anger than to be a mighty warrior, and one who controls his temper is better than one who captures a city.” And in today's psalm it says, “Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong...Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone, do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:1, 8-9) James tells us to be slow to anger “For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness.” (James 1:20)

There is a meme going around social media that goes, “If someone asks 'What would Jesus do?' remind them that turning over tables and breaking out whips is a possibility.” The only mention of a whip is in John's account of Jesus cleansing the temple where it says, “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle...” (John 2:14-15) The whips were not for the people but to get the animals to move. He did scatter the coins of the money changers and overturn the tables of those selling sacrificial animals in the only place in the temple where Gentiles could pray. He never laid a hand on humans, except to heal them.

When Jesus told us to “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” that implies being forgiving. Don't we wish people would forgive us when we mess up? Of course. And so we should forgive others as well. Furthermore Jesus tells us, “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” We repeat this principle whenever we say the Lord's Prayer: “Forgive us our sins for we ourselves also forgive all who sin against us.” (Luke 11:4) We are to “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

In fact this is how we are to imitate God, not by harming others but, as Jesus says, “But love your enemies, do good, lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” People do not drop down dead the second they do something wrong. God is merciful. He gives us all many chances to change our lives, to turn from our destructive and self-destructive ways and turn to God. In Ezekiel 33:11 God says, “Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live.'”

Obeying the command for us to love our enemies is an essential way we imitate God. After all, we have acted as God's enemies, breaking his laws, doing violence to some people and ignoring the needs of others. And how did God react to our rebellion against his ways? As Paul points out, “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his unique son so that whoever trusts in him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Jesus gave his life to save us rebellious sinners; in fact, he gives us his life, eternal life. As Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) If God did not love his enemies, he would not have sent Jesus. And considering what we did to Jesus, it is amazing that he still loves us and still is willing to save us. Every second of life he gives us is a second chance to turn to him.

As C.S. Lewis said, there are people who say to God, “Not my will but your will be done.” And there are those to whom God will ultimately say, “Very well, your will be done. You don't want me. So be it! But in turning away from me you are turning away from the only source of love and joy and justice and mercy.” That is the essence of the last judgment.

There will come a time when no one else will be willing to turn to God and no more people will allow him to change them and restore them to the image of God we see so clearly in Jesus. Only God will know when that will be and only he can decide the time has come to give everyone what they have chosen. And that is reserved for God alone, because he created us and he sent his son to redeem us. In fact Jesus says, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son.” (John 5:22) Jesus will be the judge before whom we must stand. (2 Corinthians 5:10) And thank God for that! For only he is good enough and just enough and merciful enough to judge us fairly.

But because that is not our job, Jesus tells us, “Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned.” That is, we are not to pass verdicts on people. We can judge whether thoughts and words and actions are spiritually healthy or spiritually unhealthy, but only Jesus can decide the ultimate state of a person's spirit. So we are not to fret or get jealous or to give way to anger and rage over those who do evil. We are to love everyone, friend or foe, neighbor or stranger, with the same love that Jesus loves us. That is his command. And the whole kingdom of the God who is love is built on it.