My Own Worst Enemy

Today's readings: Psalms 19; 150, Isaiah 43:14-44:5, Hebrews 6:17-7:10, John 4:27-42

The Gospels contain two prominent stories about Samaritans. The more famous is the parable of the good Samaritan, but today's reading from John is about a Samaritan woman Jesus met at a well, and the results of her witness to her people. Religiously and ethnically the Samaritans were an offshoot of Judaism -- though they would tell you it was the other way around. One primary difference was that Jews considered Jerusalem the center of the faith, while Samaritans claimed it was Mount Gerizim. This and a few other differences made them enemies. As with many feuds, both tribal and personal, their common past seemed more to divide than unite them.

It would have been shocking to Jesus' contemporaries that he interacted with a Samaritan (let alone a woman). Her witness to her people would have been equally scandalous, yet it was so powerful they sought Jesus out and invited him to teach them. He spent two days with them, but we learn no details of this exchange other than they recognized him as the Messiah.

Inclusion of this passage may have been political, but it illustrates the inclusive nature of Christ's faith and politics. Throughout history, Christian denominations have split bitterly over ideas that most lay people never understand. Political parties are increasingly polarized, most of that division driven by extreme elements not representing the vast middle. Family members nurse grudges for years or even decades after an argument has no more relevance to their lives. Maintaining such rifts causes much more damage and fallout than the original source of tension ever could. Christ showed us we need to transcend these differences and heal these wounds face to face.

Evening readings: Psalms 81; 113

Win/Win

Today's readings: Psalms 63, 149; Genesis 24:28-38, 49-51; Hebrews 12:12-29; John 7:14-36

Psalm 63 speaks passionately of the psalmist's longing for God's presence: "my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you" (v 1). It celebrates the fulfillment he finds in the Lord: "My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast" (v 5). It expresses his glad and utter dependence on God: "in the shadows of your wings I sing for you [...] ; your right hand upholds me (vv 7,8). Roughly two thirds of the way through, starting at verse 11, it turns in a completely different direction. The psalmist begins cursing his enemies, calling them "prey for jackals" who "shall go down into the depths of the earth" (vv 10, 9). This pattern of longing, praise, and gratitude followed by curses cast upon one's enemies is common to many psalms. Why might this be?

Sometimes we have trouble understanding the difference between rejoicing in our own triumphs and reveling in the misfortune of our enemies. "Enemies" is a concept we can apply in many ways. Sometimes it's as seemingly innocent as a rival team. Many a pre-game prayer has been for victory - and by extension for loss by the opposing team. There are no heroes or villains in this situation, yet such a prayer presumes God will favor one side over the other. On a larger scale, we hear much rhetoric about America being a nation enjoying special favor from God. This belief in our own righteousness can cloud our perception of the morality of our actions as a nation. At its ugliest, it encourages us to think of our enemies as God's enemies.

When Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, it isn't only to change them - it's also to change our hearts toward them. Competition can be good, and global conflicts can be unavoidable, but our attitudes about them can change. Jesus famously interacted with Samaritans and other "enemies" of his people because his vision was not limited by the tribalism which afflicts so many of us. When we follow his example and understand God's love includes our enemies, we can break free from the false win/lose thinking that creates nothing but division. Praying for the welfare of our enemies makes them our neighbors.

Evening readings: Psalms 125, 90

Loving Our Enemies

Today's readings: Ps 107:33-43, 108; Hos 11:1-9; Acts 22:17-29; Luke 6:27-38

When Christ tell us to love our enemies, the underlying assumption is that we will have enemies. None of us gets through this life without having at least a few. How are we to love them? As usual, Jesus doesn’t tell us how to feel but how to behave: “Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27b-28). This sounds like the epitome of selflessness, but the truth is we engage in these actions to transform ourselves and our relationships with the world.

Unless we are engaged in a war, referring to someone as an “enemy” can seem melodramatic. To put Christ’s words into action, we can think of our enemies as anyone we don’t feel like blessing, praying or doing good for. Maybe our enemies are social – the people who challenge us at work, school or other social groups. Maybe our enemies are political; few things can set us against each other so quickly, even when we share common goals. Maybe our enemies are inherited through longstanding cultural grudges, and we don’t have any firsthand reason to clash. In all these cases, society teaches us to distrust, outmaneuver or outright harm our enemies. The television reality show turns strangers into enemies for entertainment. Our hands may not be at war, but our hearts certainly are.

If we love our enemies only in an attempt to change them, we are missing the point. While we never want to discourage a move from enemy to friend, having any purpose for love other than love itself will eventually frustrate and disappoint us – and short-circuit the power of love to change our own hearts. How should we pray for our enemies, if not to change them? Just like we would pray for our loved ones. Make no mistake – such prayer sometimes takes an immense effort when we have been wronged or hurt. We can’t wait until we feel like praying for them, for that day may never come. Prayer for those who anger us isn’t hypocritical, it is a discipline crucial to re-shaping our hearts to better resemble Christ's heart.

Loving those who love us is nothing to brag about (v. 32), but loving those who despise us – while expecting nothing in return! – changes both our hearts and the world.

Comfort: Loving our enemies gets easier with practice.

Challenge: Pray for your enemies – and mean it.

Prayer: Teach me, Lord, to love my enemies as Christ loves me.

Evening readings: Ps 33

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 118; Hos 13:4-14; 1 Cor 2:6-16; Matt 14:1-12