I’m cringing at this growing dump
of insults, hurled in public spaces
or in texts or face-to-face.
Grudges fondled and fermented
could ignite a searing blaze.
Our natural response is fear
and hatred of this “enemy”
whose words and push-back
feed distress, a tangled mess
that leads us toward catastrophe.
But, Yahweh, You have told us this:
“You can walk on waves so high
they crash with stormy energy
on the unwary passerby!”
--if on you we’ve fixed our eyes.
But can we do this? You said we
must shock a cruel enemy
by answering insults with love!
We need you in our hearts and minds,
empowering us to be this kind!
May eyes be opened, hearts swept clean
as Spirit-wind blows hate away,
and unexpected love reveals
a different world, a Kingdom come
where harsh rejoinders have no sway!
Yesterday I was walking, just after sunrise, down Woodward Avenue here in Detroit with my walking partners. There is a huge metal dumpster parked beside an abandoned building that has been for sale for years. Suddenly I was stunned as I noticed for the first time the words written in bright green on the lower left corner of the dumpster’s back. There it was: “Real Christians LOVE their enemy Matthew 5:44″. Did you see that on the photo above?
I’ve been contemplating that very truth lately and working at applying it in my own life.
When Jesus was preaching his sermon on the Mount, he underlined that doing what he said, what God’s Word says to do, is essential:
17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:17-19 CSB)
He then went on to list some of those laws and their application, every word shocking to his listeners then and to most of us today as well. Do we even try to live them out? How about this one?
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:43-47 CSB)
We can only be “perfect” through transformation! And Jesus said that we must love our enemies and pray for those who oppose us in order to be our Father’s children, reflecting him! This requires obedience, doing what goes against our natural grain.
Another section of the Bible that is incredibly difficult to actually obey is chapter 12 of Romans. Why? Because it also contradicts our natural responses and requires us to actually live out that commandment from Leviticus:
“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Lev. 19:18 NIV)
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Rom. 12:1 NIV)
Jesus himself had explained the radical implications of this counter-cultural, counter-natural command. Here the “neighbor” includes even someone you resent and would love to see paid back for what they have said or done. The Old Testament text referenced says we are not to even hold a grudge against them, much less seek revenge. But can we do this?
Paul, understanding the critical importance of this radical love, teaches on it in great depth in chapters 12 and 13 of this letter. First of all he recognizes that loving your neighbor, and also the one who is against you, requires completely giving yourself to God and to his purpose:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God– this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:1,2 NIV)
Because our God is full of mercy he will empower us to be transformed, completely renewed. It means total surrender to him and his plan, becoming “a living sacrifice.” This is how we become “holy,” sanctified, set apart for him. Our bodily actions are done in surrender to him, and our thinking has entirely different objectives and can discern what God wants.
After discussing many ways in which this can be applied, Paul comes to what is, for many of us, excruciatingly hard. All vengeance must be left to God. We are to do good to the one opposing us, and this results in “burning coals” to be heaped on them!
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:17-21 NIV)
But it is clear: we are not to try to get even! When someone judges us wrongly and hurls an insult at us, we are not to respond similarly. No! Instead, we must meet their need, whatever it is: for nourishment, encouragement, acceptance, hope. If we respond lovingly, the need can be met, like food for the hungry and water for the thirsty.
But what about that person who leaps to an assumption and judges you wrongly? What about those biased words thrown at you that demean your spirituality, ethnicity, your gender, or your social status? How can one respond with “good”?
I recently went through a hailstorm, a few days of being judged as siding with wickedness, all due to a misunderstanding about a point I was trying to make. This is not the first time it has happened—I’m sure you’ve been there too. I felt like those opposing me needed to be put in their place, shown to be the ones who are doing the opposite of building harmony and mutual understanding. These verses in Romans 12 came to mind, and my instinct was to smirk. Hey, if I am kind in return, I can “heap burning coals on their head.” Revenge!
And then I felt that gut-punch from the Holy Spirit that brought remorse. Didn’t the Scripture also say to “not take revenge”? My desire to heap burning coals on them was definitely reeking of revenge. So how does all of this fit together?
I did some digging, and it was worth it. Others have taken time to think this through too. Self-sacrifice (Romans 12:1) is the foundation for being able to live as we should:
“All these commands are rooted in freedom from self-preoccupation and self-infatuation and self-exaltation. And, much more than that—though that is crucial—they are rooted in Christ-preoccupation and Christ-infatuation and Christ-exaltation. “[1]
Living completely devoted to Jesus changes how we view these people who are against us. We see them through his eyes, the eyes of the one who loves them as much as he loves us. We can long for them to be blessed by him, to experience change too, the way we have experienced it. The only way we can get to this goal of wanting the good of that person is to quit focusing on our own need and be totally willing to do what the Spirit guides us to do!
In this case, I knew that I needed to approach a person physically, reach out to them with some gesture of acceptance, acknowledge that my words had not been clearly communicated and try to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15), then find a way to express personal commitment to caring about their welfare. This time, the Lord actually put me unexpectedly in their presence and empowered me to do it. The result was way better than I had even hoped for: acknowledgement of our need to pursue harmony in the Body of Christ. John Piper again points out how our heart position matters:
“Notice how radical this behavior is. It does not just say: Don’t retaliate. You might use your willpower to do that. You might have all kinds of hateful and resentful and vengeful and prudential motives for not striking back. But the point is not only behavior. The point is your heart, and you can see it in the words, “Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them.” This is a partial quotation of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:28 where Jesus says, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” The word “pray” shows that behavior is not the only issue. Prayer is the expression to God of what you long for. So blessing someone is not just the way you treat him. It includes the longings that you have for someone. And Jesus says they are to be longings for good, not longings for a curse. That’s what “bless” means. Bless them and pray for them. Pray for what? Their good—now and forever. And the greatest good is seeing and savoring and showing Christ without end.[2]
It was another learning curve for me, and I left the encounter relieved. I had wanted a positive curve in the ending. I wanted that other person to be relieved that I had not been “on the side of evil.” But how did that have anything to do with “burning coals?”
One possible understanding of the imagery is that showing love to an enemy highlights a contrast to what that person expects. It can be a bit shocking, like “burning coals,” something that puts their own antagonistic words or actions in a different light.
“Nothing pricks the conscience of a hateful person like a soft, forgiving spirit in the one he has wronged (Proverbs 15:1). The “burning coals” that are heaped on his head could be a reference to the burning shame he will feel as his conscience works upon him.”[3]
As these words reveal, the gentle answer is the good that can be the response with a good consequence.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Prov. 15:1 NIV)
On the other hand, one huge thing we do when we return good for cruelty is that we leave the outcome in God’s hands. That is underlined by Paul when he wrote:
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Rom. 12:1 NIV)
He is the judge, the one with the right to decide what the consequences might be for this person. If they belong to him, he is always in the business of transforming them too, teaching them his way. That is not my job! Here is an example of burning coals used in purification:
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” (Isa. 6:6-7 NIV)
Yes, burning coals could indicate purification of the wrong that is lurking in the one opposing us. These truths bring us comfort in our growth process. When we do not seek revenge, but the welfare of that person, we are living out the love of our neighbor that is required of us rather than taking revenge or coddling a grudge. This makes our Lord’s heart happy: we are acknowledging him as the one sovereign judge and healer, healing our hurt hearts and also working change in that “enemy.” We may not see it, but faith in him empowers us to let go. And the Spirit empowers us to respond in this unordinary way, and to become transformed too. I am a witness to this process!
But can we do this? You said we
must shock a cruel enemy
by answering insults with love!
We need you in our hearts and minds,
empowering us to be this kind!
May eyes be opened, hearts swept clean
as Spirit-wind blows hate away,
and unexpected love reveals
a different world, a Kingdom come
where harsh rejoinders have no sway!
[1] John Piper https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/bless-those-who-persecute-you
[2] Ibid..”
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