As she recalls in her book called The Hiding Place, Dutch Christian Corrie ten Boom was confined in a concentration camp at Ravensbruck, Germany for her part in sheltering Jews from their Nazi oppressors during World War II. Her father died in another camp, and in the dehumanizing conditions of Ravensbruck, she was not only humiliated and degraded, but she watched the life of her sister Betsy ebb away. Yet God’s grace was real in her life in the midst of all the suffering, and after the war she actually went back to Germany to preach God’s forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.
Following one service, a man came forward whom she recognized immediately. This man was one of the SS Guards from Ravensbruck, a man who had been one of the cruelest, especially to her sister. Now he stood in front of her with his outstretched hand and said, “It’s wonderful that Jesus forgives all our sins, just as you say.” Corrie froze as all the memories flooded back, but the man carried on.
“You mentioned Ravensbruck. I was a guard there, but since then I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me, but I would like to hear it from you as well. Fraulein, he said, “Will you forgive me?”
Corrie stood there paralyzed. She couldn’t forgive. She had been humiliated, and her sister had been killed. At the same time she was ashamed that she could preach about forgiveness but couldn’t or wouldn’t forgive. In her heart she cried, “Lord, forgive me. I can’t forgive.” As she prayed, she felt not only forgiven but set free. The glacier of hate melted inside her and her hand unfroze. As she reached out her hand and spoke her forgiveness, she felt another burden of the past fall away.
As challenging as Corrie ten Boom’s struggle to forgive a repentant brother in the Lord for past pain inflicted upon her own flesh and blood, how much more God’s call on her life to not only forgive, but also to love. That command to love extended even to the unlovable, the unrepentant, and even her enemies!
You see, the challenge Corrie faced in following the Lord, while her emotions and mind screamed “NO”, is a challenge we either are facing, or will face. For the words of Jesus to love our enemies confront us and jolt us if we’re honest, because in our humanity we want justice administered to our enemies, and we want it now. But the way of the Lord is not the way of the world. For Jesus calls us to confront our enemies not with a closed fist, but with open arms!
The Lord uttered these powerful and potentially transformative words in Matthew 5:43-38:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
At least five times in Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said…but I say to you.” This is because the Pharisees were adding to the clear teaching of the Old Testament law. Jesus had to set the record straight. You see, Leviticus 19:18 did state “Love your neighbor.” But the Pharisees had interpreted that scripture and added the application – “hate your enemies.” Jesus taught just the opposite!
And not only did Jesus teach us to love our enemies, He exemplified the love of one’s enemies:
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-8, 10).
Additionally, if you remember, when Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Humanly speaking, this teaching of Jesus is daunting. What? Love my enemies, bless those who curse me, do good to those who hate me, and pray for those who spitefully use me and persecute me? How?
Only through the power of God’s Spirit – “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
There’s a story of an Islamic State jihadi who confessed not only to killing Christians but “that he had actually enjoyed doing so.” The fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said, “I know you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.” The Christian was killed, and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. At the same time, he began having dreams of a man in white who came to him and said, “You are killing my people.” He started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing. Soon after, the jihadi laid down his arms and became a follower of Christ. That precious martyr overcame evil with good by giving his murderer the Word of Truth. Wow!
I don’t know about you, but in my life, enemies seem to be more distant than personal. For you, enemies may be more in your face and in your daily life. No matter our circumstance, prayer is something we all can do, for there are undoubtedly people that, in our natural state, we despise. Yet, in our supernatural, spiritual state, looking through the lens of Scripture, they are the same precious people we’re called to pray for and, given the opportunity, do good to!
When we do love our enemies, pray for them, and do good to them – we glorify our Heavenly Father and demonstrate a better way – the way of love!
“If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.” – Proverbs 25:21-22
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