Readings for today: 1 Samuel 25-27, Psalms 17, 73
The Sermon on the Mount is the litmus test for authentic Christian faith. Filled with challenging words that confront us on issues like anger, anxiety, lust, and greed; Jesus forces us to come to grips with the depths of our sin. Perhaps his most challenging words come from Luke 6:27-28 where He says, “Love your enemies!” Jesus says. “Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who persecute you.” Frankly, that sounds crazy. Mixed up. Naive. Until I read about David. And I watch him spare Saul’s life over and over again. I watch him refuse to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed. I watch him restrain his anger. His desire for revenge. David had every right to strike Saul down when he caught him in the cave. Had every right to pin Saul to the ground with his own spear when he infiltrated the camp. But over and over again, David refrained. Why?
I believe David understood on some level what Jesus would later teach. God’s great desire is for everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) This includes a man like Saul. Evil. Paranoid. Drunk with power. This includes a man like Nabal. Proud. Arrogant. Hard-hearted. This includes a man like David who will succumb to the temptations to use his power for his own purposes. It includes a man like Doug Resler who wrestles everyday with pride and ego and selfishness. The reality that David saw. The reality that Jesus taught is that we are all enemies and yet God in His infinite mercy loved us. God in His infinite grace embraced us while we were yet sinners. While we were yet broken. While we were yet weak and wounded and dead in our sin. God came to us. God loved us. God did good to us. God blessed us. God prayed for us. So we should do for others including those who seek our harm.
Some have asked if we run the risk of further traumatizing victims of abuse. Empowering perpetrators. Turning a blind eye to would-be tyrants. These are very important questions. My response is that God’s love is not passive. It doesn’t make one a doormat. I do not believe Jesus is teaching women to stay with the men who beat them. I do not believe Jesus is teaching us to seek out situations where we would suffer. I do not believe Jesus is teaching us to simply bow our heads before injustice. I do not believe is teaching us to passively bow before tyranny. David didn’t stay in Saul’s palace! David left. He escaped. He found his way to safety. And then he resisted. Fiercely. Faithfully. With the hope that his persecutor. His abuser. His enemy would eventually see the light. I love what Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” King pursued a path of non-violent resistance always with the hope that white racists would become his brothers. This was his dream. And I believe deep down it was David’s dream for Saul as well.
Times of crisis seem to exacerbate division. The current pandemic is exposing cracks across the foundations of our society. As much as my heart has been warmed by the support our healthcare workers have received, I’ve been so disappointed in the way our political leaders have attempted to turn this season to their own advantage. As much as I’ve admired the way health experts like Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx have led us through this crisis, I’ve been frustrated by the ways different media outlets spin information to feed their own false narratives. As much as I’ve been inspired by the response of ordinary people to serve those in need, I cannot believe the selfish greed of those who would hoard needed supplies or price gouge. And I find myself getting more and more angry at those who make a living off of winding up the “outrage machine” that passes for discourse on cable news or Twitter these days. In short, God is teaching me to love my enemies. Those with whom I disagree. Those whose character and integrity I cannot respect. Those who seem hell-bent to assume the worst. The only way I can ever learn to love my enemies is to fix my eyes on Christ. Remember that while I was still His enemy, He died for me. The only chance I have at following the Sermon on the Mount is to make Christ the filter for my life. To see the world as He sees it. To see others as He sees them. And to love them as He loves them.
Readings for tomorrow: Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18