Afflictions of Love
“But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”Mt. 5:44-45a
True love isn’t easy, and perhaps you’ve experienced this yourself. Loving someone takes a lot of time and energy, but it shouldn’t be a chore or should it be pressured. Love is a choice that takes one’s entire being. Maybe it is a easy choice to love someone who you like or who loves you back, but what about someone who does not? That is our invitation and challenge from the Lord: to love our enemies.
Why? Why should we love our enemies? Just because we are told to? It may be difficult to accept that, but we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us because Jesus did while here on earth and does now at the right hand of the Father. Moreover, because of this, it is the right thing to do, it is the Christian thing to do. It is what Jesus would do. Jesus tells us that by doing so — loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors — we will truly become the children of God.
Just verses before we hear Jesus telling His disciples to go the extra mile, to be extra generous, and to be extra patient. This was to set the foundation for today’s dramatic and countercultural command. Loving is not easy. Sometimes loving hurts (and this when we love those who we care about). Imagine the pain or affliction it must cost to love those who dislike us, despise us, or hate us. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He loved those who persecuted Him and put Him to death, and He really hurt. He was truly afflicted. Look at the Cross. Despite the hurt and affliction, He did not lose hope and He did not stop loving. Jesus loved in His hurt and affliction. We too are invited to do the same. People hurt us and afflict us because deep down they too have been hurt and are wounded. They hurt us in their woundedness and brokenness. As Christians, we must not hurt, but rather love in our woundedness and brokenness. That is what Jesus did. Again, look at the Cross. That is the affliction of love. And to Jesus, it was all worth it.
There will be people who will disrespect us for the things we do and say and those who will laugh at us and ridicule us for our beliefs. But the question is how will you choose to respond? Will you follow the old law, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” or will you follow the fulfillment of the Law, loving your enemies and praying for your persecutors?
