Loving Opposition

Jesus said, "You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48)." 

There's that word: perfect. In other places, it's translated mature. Mature Christians look like their heavenly father. Ufda (I love this word...I should have been Scandinavian!)... But, what a daunting thought.

It's even more daunting when you see it in context. So, let me print out the rest -

You've heard it said, "you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do to even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even gentiles do the same?" You therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Love your enemies.
Another piece of the maturity, "man-up," puzzle.

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus used it to explain who our "neighbor" is. No one asked him the question, "Who is my enemy?" They didn't have to ask that question; we all know who our enemies are. Even Jesus would have answered, "Duh!"  My enemy tends to be anyone who is spiteful towards me, right? Or, antagonistic...or, a "hater..." An enemy, even back in Jesus' time, would have been anyone who mentally opposed my belief-system...anyone whose values looked, well, different. Jesus mentioned a couple: tax collectors and gentiles.

No one was hated more than a tax collector (ask Zacchaeus) - they were even worse than "sinners..." No one was lower on the social scale than a gentile (those dogs!). Right in there with gentiles were Samaritans - I mean, you'd have to throw away a fork if a Samaritan dared to pick it up. The world in Jesus' day had some pretty rotten folks with whom a good religious person didn't dare to rub shoulders. That wasn't an exclusive era - we've had them down through the ages, all the way to you and me. You could write a list...I have my own mental record.

Needless to say, our world has become a Team Me, Team Them Society. If you don't think like me, or hold to the same values that I have, or even look like me, cross the line to Team Them. The only people welcome on Team Me is, really, if I'm honest here, ME! The rest of you are simply sinners...and there is enmity between us. If there was an appropriate hashtag here, it could be this one: #mylifematters.

That's why our world is so messy. We've forgotten that we are all part of the same team: humanity...and, no matter how I justify, excuse, or defend, I AM A SINNER. In reality, my heart isn't much different than the murderer on death row, the Muslim-extremist-terrorist who beheads the Coptic Christian on a deserted beach, the drug dealer selling to the teen behind the gas station, the politician out for self-empowerment, the sex trafficker who snatches children off the streets, or the member of the church that split off of mine just up the road. There's always a story behind the person we've become. The only difference is the road we've traveled to get where we are.

Recognizing this truth should give me a great deal more compassion for Team Them. That sentence, this fact, this is the starting point for moving toward maturity. When it comes to sinful, diseased hearts, there is no opposition. We've all got one. So, Jesus reminds us of it, then issues a challenge: earnestly pursue love. Love that reaches across the aisle to Team Them. Love that engages those who are nothing like me. Love that has eyes open, even for the opposers in our world, and hands that are ready to do something practically generous and sacrificial. I think the Lord's heart is that we each pay attention, looking for the "hater" who is in a "ditch" (literally or metaphorically) and in need of a little compassion, kindness, and, active philanthropy. That's what it looks like to be a son of God. That's what it looks like to be on the road to maturity.  To "man-up" means:

Love your enemy.
Love your opposer.
Love those who don't hold to the same values...or the same belief system...
Look like Jesus.
"...so that you will be sons of your Father in heaven..."