Short Short Story: September 27, 2023

“Love your enemies?! You must be crazy," said the corrupt President.

The tortured, imprisoned woman replied, “I do love you, even though you are a billionaire by stealing countless properties of the poor; taxing the working poor to death and abolishing all taxes for the rich; and extending the death sentence to all religious organizations, environmentalists, and non-violent human rights advocates.”

Brief reflection on Luke 6:27-38

This teaching of Jesus to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” is the most difficult teaching to put into practice. The world is an imperfect place. Read, watch, listen to the newscasts every day, and you discover that sin and evil seem to be winning; and love, justice and peace are losing. 

Are we to take Jesus’s words here literally? Of course Jesus did, by setting the perfect example of praying for the forgiveness of those who crucified him. Stephen also prayed for the forgiveness of those who stoned him. Others have also taken Jesus literally, including Corrie Ten-Boom, Mahatma Gandhi, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then there is also the thought-provoking quotation attributed to the Rev. Martin Niemoeller, concentration camp prisoner: “It took me a long time to understand that God is not the enemy of my enemies. God is not even the enemy of God’s enemies.” 

So, in short, love conquers all. The antithesis teaching of Jesus to love one’s enemies is a sign of the in-breaking of God’s realm. 

Yet, many of us still have some rather “thorny” questions regarding Jesus’s teachings in this gospel pericope. For example, what about a husband who abuses his wife? Does she love her husband by allowing him to continuously strike her on both cheeks, and other parts of her body? By allowing her husband to beat her up, is she giving him the message that his abuse is acceptable? What about a minus thirty below zero winter and allowing a thief to take your coat and giving the thief your shirt as well? Is this what Jesus really would want us to do? I don’t think so! By a wife turning the other cheek to a violent husband; does that succeed in preventing the husband from being violent? By giving a thief your coat and shirt on a minus thirty below zero winter’s day; does that prevent the thief from being a thief or give them further encouragement to continue to be a thief? The person who gives their coat and shirt away on such a winter’s day may very well freeze to death! 

What Jesus is getting at, I think, is that extravagant love, love that exceeds “normal” tit-for-tat expectations has the power to change the world, and break the evil cycles of hatred and violence. In a perfect world, of course, this antithesis teaching would not be necessary, since everyone would love perfectly without it having to be commanded, and, of course, there would be no more enemies, no more wars, no more violence, no more hatred and evil, no more need for laws, police, judges, jails, and so on. Sounds like what we pray for in the Lord’s prayer, doesn’t it? “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.”

A short story

Joy was a missionary who had taught school in Iraq for seven years. True to her name, she spread the joy of Jesus’s love to whomever she met. Many of her Muslim students fell in love with Jesus through the beautiful songs Joy sang. Joy had the voice of an angel. Listening to her sing inspired the soul, melted the heart, and was like a drink of cold water in the hot desert sun.

   Then, one day without warning Islamic State fighters invaded Joy’s school. One fighter grabbed Joy and threatened to kill her on the spot if she resisted him.

   She was blindfolded, pushed into a truck with other prisoners, and driven to an Islamic State building. They locked her up in a room for two days with nothing to eat or drink.

   Then, on the third day, a man came in and started ordering Joy to take off her clothes. She refused. Instead she started singing the most beautiful rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” that she had ever sung.

   The man pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her if she refused to do his bidding.

   Joy continued to sing. The man then grabbed her, shook her and yelled at her as he brought the knife closer to her neck: “I told you to take off your clothes!”

   Joy ignored his order and continued to sing, she couldn’t stop singing. As she sang, the man began to listen, he soon dropped the knife and let go of Joy.

   A few moments later, he began to cry. He sobbed uncontrollably, and fell to his knees, and buried his head with his arms.

   Joy stopped singing and looked at him and prayed for him in silence. She prayed as she never had before, for an enemy, one who most likely hated her and everything that she loved and believed in.

   After a few minutes, the man looked up at Joy and said gently: “Forgive me. Please sing that song again, it is beautiful.”

   Shocked, and expecting the worst, Joy was surprised and began to sing again.   

   “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)

   “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Rant: The tragedy of living in a violent society

The police shooting of teenager Sammy Yatim in Toronto last week raises many questions about the police use of force/violence to maintain and/or enforce law and order in our nation. The popular video by an observer-citizen of the shooting does not help matters in terms of public confidence and trust in the police.

   Why did the police officer who shot Sammy pull the trigger so fast? There appeared to be no emergency-threat to anyone, even though Sammy had a knife, nonetheless no one was reportedly close to him or in danger at the time of the shooting. Moreover, the fact that way too many shots were fired leaves the public worried about the excessive use of violent force by the police in this shooting. Why could the police not keep peacefully negotiating with Sammy and why could they not call in trained crisis personnel to negotiate in order to do everything possible to end the incident peacefully? What kind of training did the police officer have in resolving conflict situations peacefully? Violent force should only be used by police as a last resort after they have tried and failed at using all other peaceful method of resolving the situation. These and other questions need to be explored by the authorities who monitor and police the police. 

   In addition to this shooting, over the past weekend there have also been shootings by police in Alberta that also are cause of concern for the public. 

   I think that the society in which we live has evolved into a more violent one. I know the counterpoint of view is that crime rates, including violent crimes are down in numbers over the past year or two, yet looking at the mass media one wonders what the future holds. So many T.V. programs and Hollywood movies are obsessed with violence. It is far too often glorified and glamorized as the way to resolve differences and conflicts. Furthermore, many if not most of these shows and movies almost never focus on the long-term consequences of violent acts upon the spouses, families, friends and neighbours of the deceased victims. 

   There is "a higher way," and "a better way," the way of Jesus who taught us: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12) However, he pressed the matter to the maximum for human beings in the pursuit of peace and non-violence by teaching us to: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven." 

   Such radical teaching and living can only lead to a more just, peaceful and non-violent society for everyone; and yes, to the fulfillment of what we pray in the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven." Believe it, practice it, and see what happens.