"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Mt5.44
Once I had a student raise his hand and ask if this verse meant that we should love the Devil, since he also is our enemy. Young people ask questions like this all the time. Not to be dismissed, the question directs us to consider exactly what Christ means. Christ is not telling us to have good feelings toward our enemies. The love described here refers more to actions than to emotions. We may love our enemies and at the same time hate what they do. To love our enemy is not to feel good about them but to do good to them. We are told that God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." In that since, we could say that God loves even the Devil, because as God sustains the life of every living thing, so He is sustaining the life even of his Archenemy. We can be sure that every breath we take is processed into life by His hand. Were God, for a microcosmic moment, cease to uphold the simplest processes of life, all would pass away into nothingness. This of course is as true of the Devil, as it is angels and men.
Now I am not sure how I could do some real good to the Devil but I do have a good sense of how I might do real good to my neighbor who happens to be my enemy. I am also sure that by helping some enemies we perhaps have helped the devil in disguise if you catch my meaning. I believe Hitler was once saved from drowning by a priest.
The point is this, when we do good to those who would harm us we are acting like our Father in heaven. We evidence ourselves His sons and daughters. All the good we render to others is a good we render not only to ourselves but to His Kingdom. Is it not beautiful to behold our soldiers distributing food and medical supplies to our enemies. We conquer our enemies by loving them with such actions. Doesn’t history bear this out. 2/8/07 ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
