Loving Those who Hate and are Hated

Mat 5:44 But I tell you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who revile you, and persecute you;

Jesus is the ultimate contrarian and that is part of his power. Again, the word used for "enemies" here is echthros, which also means the hated and hating. So, we give love to the despised and despising. Eulogeo is the word used for "bless," but it more accurately means "praise." We get the word "eulogy" from it. So we praise those who call down curses on us. We do excellent things for those who hate us. We offer prayers for those who abuse, threaten, harass us.

This statement works on many levels. First, it is a prediction for the future about how the Christians would be treated. From its beginning to the present day, dedicated Christians, like Jews, have been a target for persecution. When people choose to become Christians, they must choose to become a member of a group that will be reviled by others.

How are Christians suppose to react to this hatred? They are suppose to absorb it, take it in and transform it into its opposite. Christians are the natural cures for the hatred the permeates and proliferates the world.

In thinking about hatred in the physical world, I am reminded of a nuclear reaction. A person gives off a nucleus of hate. That hate strikes those nearby. They respond by throwing off more hate. In a reactor, given enough proximity, the reaction builds to an explosion. In the physical world, hate generates more hate, which builds to an explosion. This is the nature of a chain reaction.

In an increasingly more heavily populated world, every thoughtless, frustrated, or hostile act becomes a trigger creating a chain reaction with terrible consequences.

In a nuclear reactor, rods of carbon are used to dampen the reaction. Inserted between the fissionable material, the carbon absorbs the nuclei, preventing the chain reaction. In the real world, this is the role played by Christians. Not perfectly, but enough to transform a deadly environment to a benign one. Enough to prove the power of spirit over the physical.

This brings us back to the role that Christ played personally in history. He accepted suffering willingly to demonstrate this principle. In returning love for hate, he served as an transforming example of the power of spirit. He was the ultimate catalyst, transform the world from one type of place to another. In accepting death, he transformed it to life, not only for himself in resurrection but for the whole world.

This transforming power of Christ's sacrifice continues to have a real affect on the world, not matter what your personal philosophy. The entire world is heir to its benefits, whether they realize it or not.

"Pray" is from proseuchomai, which means "to pray for," "to offer vows for," and "to worship."