Great post. I appreciate how you bring out the implications of Jesus’ words.

I hear folks say that churches are letting the world in. They’ll say something like, “That’s all well and good that those from the world should come in, but the church is becoming worldly; they’re letting it become worldly as a result.” Of course other problems are involved in this, but what is hit at here is one of the chief problems, surely.
Yes, we must have church discipline as in Mt 18. But the clincher for me is Jesus’ own activities in welcoming “sinners”.
Thanks Scot, for this post, which helps us understand this point better.

Scot: do you have any practical advice on how to love our enemies? Is the first step to stop thinking of others as “Others?” Obviously, imitating Christ is the goal but the Romans haven’t persecuted me in awhile so would you have any advice on how to do this in today’s world?
Thanks,
Mike

Funny. I think most of us would point out what Ted just did. And it is a great point. The first thing I thought of was though was the emergent movement vs traditional modern church and and how these groups have BOTH become so good at other-ing groups of brothers and sisters.
I posted just today something that this fit very well with over at my blog.

Rich and Ted,
“Othering” has to do with placing someone outside the camp; differences remain when we are not “othering.” But, when we realize all made as Eikons of God, we grow in respect for everyone — even when they differ from us dramatically. But, Eikonic perception prohibits us from othering.
Michael,
Respond to those we meet; work at breaking down “other” boundaries. The most important for me is neighborhood stuff.

Scot,
I have heard some use this passage as justification or a rationale for pacifism. The dominate question being “How can I love my enemy while I have a gun pointed at him? The implication is that it is impossible to do. It seems difficult at best to follow through what Jesus calls his disciples to be if one holds to the thought of securing a stable society through violent means if neccessary, or as a last resort.
Can you comment on whether or not in this passage one can appropriately apply the context of war to what Jesus was teaching? If so, why is it so? And if not, why not?

This is a first class post, Scot. It calls me to allow some spiritual formation to take place in me right now, and helps me look outward with different eyes. Gonna print it.
Dana

Dino,
The pacifist passage is the previous one (“eye for an eye”); the “love your enemy” only puts the issue of pacifism as a latent possibility. Not using violence, the previous passage, though is along that line.

Scot,
The Sweaty Palm Sisters will begin a manuscript study of the Sermon on the Mount in a few weeks, and we are opening it up to the women of Zion. I plan to go back and review your posts and will hopefully share some insights with the group.
Barb

Barb,
Who are the Sweaty Palm Sisters? The Women of Zion seem formidable to face.

Those are all great posts and I agree with Dana that they all make me reconsider myself. I get the impression that all of Jesus’ related verses have to do with turning violence and hatred directed against us into something else (love, mercy, non-violence, or whatever). I think I’ve told you this before Scot, but for everyone else’s sake, I’d like to share a little exercise I do while driving.
First, I am committed to ending road rage within myself. That is hard enough. I no longer (or try not to) respond to things like cutting me off, tailgating, or other aggressive behaviors on the part of other drivers as a personal assault. I ask God for patience and understanding which He graciously provides and I justify that these are busy people trying as hard and as fast as they can to get where they are going to.
Then, I started getting the idea to HELP them get to where they are going to in such a hurry. A servant’s mind if you will. I will slow down to let cars merge off of ramps, change lanes for people to pass, etc. Try these exercises yourself and see what happens. The transformation God provides when you approach Him and others like this is something wonderful. I have more to say on this but don’t want to get too laborious right now.
Blessings,
Mike

it’s interesting how the truth of this “love even those others” resonnates so strongly with people in this world. you don’t have to be a christian to see that agape is a higher way. it’s so profound and so connected to the heart of God.
i’m reminded yet again of irving greenbergs famous statement, “make no statement, theological or otherwise, that cannot be made in the presence of burning children.”
so the difficulty here is actually answering this question: how does a teenager love her dad that hits her and not her brothers? how can she show love to him?
i’m convinced absolutely that ‘love will never fall’, it’s totally true that if you throw your love at someone, even the one who hurts you, it will not fall, it will penetrate and true love thrown in such a way will not expect anything in return but will trust itself to the depths of their being. true love might make no apparent difference. it’s true. and this is the complicated nature of working this out practically.
but if he’s beating her, what then? Scott, what would her loving response look like?

Stu,
Very good question, but (to get to the heart of the issue) not germane to this text. This text is about loving enemies instead of hating them; the “enemy” is the Roman or the Greek (roughly, Gentiles) qua Romans or Greeks. It is the “fact” of categorizing such people into the “unloved ones” that Jesus is addressing.
The teenager’s dad who abuses her is the “enemy” but a violater of God’s will, and that means a different sort of category altogether.
The daughter loves, so far as she is able, and we would pray she would have the courage to find help — for herself in such a way that her father’s behavior becomes visible to the right people.

thanks for your reply scott, but just for my own clarification here:
i take it that you’re suggesting we can only correlate this text with political enemies?
in new zealand we don’t have any political enemies…but i suppose it could be that the right wing christians stop demonising the left-wing government and vice versa. but that’s not quite the same as the roman/greek vs jews in the 1st century.
And, i feel that this text ought to speak to the girl too, so my gut says that categorical differences of defining the enemy aren’t quite enough. i’d love to believe that love can win here. and if that is so, i still don’t know what that would act like.

Stu,
Thanks for this (there’s only one “t” in that name).
Well, for me you may be asking a statement with a fairly ltd aim do more than it is doing.
So, here’s my take: justice is an extension of love. Justice is boundaries and realm where love takes place. The young woman would be acting in a loving way for her father by seeking justice.

“Well, for me you may be asking a statement with a fairly ltd aim do more than it is doing.”
if you get a chance sometime to unpack this, i would appreciate it. meanwhile, justice as an extension of love is something i had not considered, though it makes sense. i shall have to chew on this some more…i love it when that happens!
thanks mate.

Stu, or however you spell it, what I mean is this: the statement is Matt 5:43-48 and I think it is love of enemy in the sense of gentile/Roman. So, it applies in that direction. To spread across other issues is tricky.

Guys: I think I missed getting aboard this train of thought here. Aren’t “Others” only those we label as such and then can define as enemies? Or are our enemies “Others” because they hate and persecute us first? Is justice a mechanism of spreading love across a larger social spectrum? In other words, I may not be able to individually love the oppressed and needy (such as that hypothetical girl) but I may be able to express my love by seeking social justice for her and others. I don’t know the answers but I’m glad for the opportunity to think about these issues and hear from other disciples of Christ.
Mike

Scot,
The Sweaty Palm Sisters is my small group. The name comes from our first meeting, when someone asked, “What does God ask of you that makes your palms sweat?” Since we began, each of us has been specifically challenged by our answer to that question. Maybe we’ll make you our second honorary member… Bob Hoey was our first.
Barb

mike,
for the record, the girl is not hypothetical.
scot,
thanks for putting me onto the justice as an extension of love idea. it makes sense and gives me good avenue for counsel.
cheers