Dealing with the 'bad guys'

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. – Luke 6.27-31

I don’t think anyone could doubt that we live in a tribalist, sectarian, divided, disunified world where debate and discussion is riddled with hatred and rancour and vitriol and where everyone if ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

Sadly Christians are right there in the middle of it. We can hate with the best of them. We can fight and scrap and insult our way to victorious ‘debate.’

But what does Jesus say about these kind of things?

Love your enemies?

Do good to people who hate you?

Bless people when they curse you?

Pray for those who spitefully use you?

If someone slaps you on the cheek turn the other?

If your enemy ask for you cloak give him your shirt as well?

Give to those who ask of you?

If someone takes your stuff don’t ask for it back?

Treat them the way you want to be treated?

What?? Is that any way to win a fight? If I do that they are going to take advantage of me. Nobody can expect me to act like that.

I look at that and it really goes against my fleshly grain. If I am insulted I want to insult. If somebody does me wrong I want to get them back. I don’t want to pray for people who use me. I certainly don’t want to help people who are my enemies.

But how can I get by ‘love your enemies?’ There is it is black and white (or red and white depending on your Bible J ).

In these days of social media fuelled hatred and antagonism we surely needed reminded of God’s word.