You want me to WHAT?

 

We often look at Jesus as being pretty radical. I mean who in their right mind loves their ENEMIES? 

"You have heard the laws that says, 'Love your neighbor and hate you enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!'" (Matthew 5:43,44)

I am sure people looked at Jesus like he was crazy. But, in the Old Testament there is an often overlooked story that does exactly as Jesus is suggesting.

Here is another great story from Elisha:

"Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. 'Why should we sit here waiting to die?' they asked each other. 'We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.'

So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. 'The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and the Egyptians to attack us!' they cried to one another. So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.

When the men with leprosy arrived at the dge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. Finally, they said to each oterh, 'This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren't sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let's go back and tell the people at the palace.

SO they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. 'We went out to the Aramean camp,' they said, 'and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn't a single person around!' Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people of the palace." (2 Kings 7:3-11)

How amazing is that? These lepers were outcasts in their town. They were NOT treated properly and they were abused, probably beaten, and in the famine, they were left to die. No one would disagree that these men owed nothing to the people of their town. YET, as they discovered what had happened they first thought about their "enemy." They showed and exceptional love for the very people who gave them no choice but to face death at the hands of the enemy.

How would you have acted?

Yes, we need to love our enemies, pray for those that persecute us, and help ALL PEOPLE as if they are our closest relatives. Jesus commanded it and we often ignore this command. Love your enemies, go out of your way to serve them and love them. God has called upon us to rise above and show the world how to live like Jesus!