Loving Our Enemies and Justice

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44).

The recent news concerning the death of Osama Bin Laden has me thinking. Just how should we respond to the news of his death? I mean, as Bible believing, followers of Christ, how should we view his death. Jesus gives us the guidelines for relating to our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. The ultimate goal is to be "perfect . . . as your heavenly Father is perfect." Many remind us that the term translated "perfect," might be better translated "complete" or "mature." Even is we were to translate it "mature" or "complete," it still leaves us with an impossible goal. Jesus is reminding us that we need him to make it a reality. Without his righteousness, we cannot be mature or complete or perfect like the Father.

But in Christ, we can become more like the Father. We can love our enemies. The biblical idea of love goes beyond what most Americans mean when they use the term. We often use the term to mean that we favor something. For example, I love a good steak. We also use it to mean that we have warm or affectionate feelings toward someone (or something). A person can be said to love their spouse, child, or pet. The biblical idea is more about doing good or showing kindness to another. Biblical love is about pursuing the other person's welfare ahead of our own.

We demonstrate this love by praying for those who persecute us. Persecution includes rejection, insults, abuse, imprisonment, and death. Jesus himself demonstrates this reality. Even as he is being nailed to the cross, Jesus prays for his tormentors. Jesus connects love and prayer. Our enemies need us to intercede on their behalf, because they don't know who to pray to or, as in some cases, that they should pray. They are blinded to the truth, and need God to open their eyes. To that end, we pray.

All of this is done, so that we can show ourselves to be the children of God. If we are to be like our heavenly Father, then we must do good to our enemies. Jesus stresses this with two examples. Both examples draw on images that had both positive and negative connotations. He used the sun rising and the rain falling. Jesus said that the sun rise on the righteous and the unrighteous. He also said that the rain fell on the righteous and the unrighteous. In a society that depended on farming, the natural (and normal) pattern of sun and rain was crucial to survival. If the sun was never accompanied by rain, drought would occur. If the rain was never accompanied by the sun, a flood would occur. The righteous and unrighteous share the blessing of a normal growing season. They both share the burden of a drought or flood. We need to recognize that God shows his love for his enemies the same way he shows his love for his people--through loving kindness.

We are called to love by a higher standard. The world loves those who love them. In this, Jesus warns that there are no higher rewards. What you give is what you get. All of humanity, even unbelievers show love to those close to them. God loves differently. The Father loves those who do not love him. He pursues them with that love, so that they might be transformed by it. Jesus calls us to love like that.

So what do we do when God judges our enemies? Here are some things we need to remember:

          1. God hates sin. (see Ps. 5:4-6; 11:5)

          2. God take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (see Ezk. 18:23)

          3. God is a righteous judge. (see Ps. 9:8; 75:7; 96:10)

          4. God's judgment of others isn't proof of our righteousness. (see Luke 13:1-5)

          5. We must approach the hardships faced by our enemies with gracious humility. (Pv. 24:17-18)

When we remember all of these things, it helps us to understand the mix of emotions we feel. We might feel relief, satisfaction, or joy in the face of justice. The rightness of justice resonates deep within the human heart. There is no reason to feel shame about recognizing the rightness of justice. At the same time, we may feel a profound sense of grief. The fate of unbelievers is clear: they are cut off from the mercies of God. They are left alone to face his holy indignation. The wicked suffer under the wrath of God for all eternity. God's holiness demands it. His judgments are right.

When our enemies receive justice here on earth, it reminds us of the judgment to come. However, we must also remember that these people aren't that much different from us. Were it not for the grace of God, we might be just as blind. In a case like Bin Laden's, one who was the cause of so much death, it is easy to demonize. But he, too, bore the image of God. He was a husband and father. He was also a sinner--a blinded sheep gone astray. A sheep that never met Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Tonight, he is in torment. He'll never find peace.

I feel a slight tinge of survivors guilt. I know that my own sin was deserving of death. For I, along with everyone else, have sinned and fall short of God's glory. My sin was an affront to a holy God. I should have been condemned and executed. But God had mercy on me. In Christ, I have found cleansing and renewal. It is nothing that I did, but rather something that has been done for me. I don't deserve to live under the blessing of God. But I do, and for that, I'm grateful.

What do we do when God judges our enemies? We praise him for his holy, just nature. The thank him for the reminder that none can escape judgment.We remind ourselves of cross of Christ, and the blood shed to purchase our freedom. We mourn the eternal loss of an image-bearer. We weep with those who are bereft of their family. Then we reach out to a lost and dying world, and boldly proclaim the gospel as only means of escaping the judgment of God. We respond by shining forth the glory of God.