Counter Intuitive

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them”. Luke 6:27-32

Let me be honest. I have trouble with these verses. I see the horrific images on TV of innocents being butchered in the name of Islam and their god (small ‘g’) and I have a natural reaction to do the same to them. Especially when those innocents are children, or people from my own nation who take Muslims readily and try to assimilate them into our society with all the benefits we can give. What do some of them do? They head off to Syria to join and help ISIS! Now that is counter to all we give them.

But Jesus gives us a command which is even more counter intuitive. Jesus tells us to love them. Really? How are we supposed to do that? I know I forget that this kind of terrorism is not new. Jesus was familiar with it too, and in spite of his own country being overrun by the Romans and their own brand of terrorism, and even knowing that His own journey would lead to a cruel death at the insistence of His own church people, He tells His disciples and us to love our enemies! That’s all well and good, but does it work?

It didn’t take long after Jesus death, resurrection, ascension and pentecost for that same band of timid and afraid disciples to take to the streets and enthusiastically preach the new Gospel Message of Love, the Gospel of Peace, the Gospel of Jesus the Christ! It works. Over 2,000 years later, we still celebrate Christmas, Pentecost, Whitsun and Easter and all because of the counter intuitive message of love in the face of abuse, injury and even death. Amen for that simple, working, Gospel Message.