Loving My Enemies – Extreme Condition Three

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yes there is a third extreme condition.   Jesus also insists that I pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.  Prayer for others is simple enough.  It is asking the Father to work on behalf of others.  It is the kind of person he wishes for us pray that is challenging.

We need to unpack “despitefully use” and “persecute” if we want to understand the extremity of the condition.  It is in this that we find the need to be truly loving to obey the command.

Despitefully Use:

We translate this Greek word into two words in order to get is sense.  The meanings are complex:

1) to insult

2) to treat abusively, use despitefully

3) to revile

4) in a forensic sense, to accuse falsely

5) to threaten

Persecute:

The assumption of hostility is included in this definition.

1) to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away

2) to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after, to press on: figuratively of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal, to pursue (in a hostile manner)

3) in any way whatever to harass, trouble, molest one, to persecute, to be mistreated, suffer persecution on account of something

So Jesus is asking us to pray for, in a loving way, those who insult, revile, threaten, and falsely accuse us.  Furthermore, we are to do the same for those who actively persecute us.  We have enemies who wish to destroy us.  They are both internal and external.  They wish to harass, harm, and even kill us because of our faith.  

Many Christ followers do not understand what persecution is.  Sadly some do.  When Jesus was speaking he addressed people under Roman rule.  They did understand and knew the extreme nature of what he asks.

It is in this command that we find the necessity to forgive moment by moment so that we can pray for our enemies.  We must live in a constant state of grace toward them.  If Jesus is asking us to pray for those who would destroy us, and he is, how can we not do the same for those who persecute us politically or socially?

We must respond to every insult, accusation, and attack in the same way.  We must pray for those who revile us.  We must ask the Father to care for those who would destroy us.  I must infer from this that I must receive every form of negative engagement with love for those engaging me.  

In a world where following Christ is unpopular I must prove that I will love those who are my enemies no matter what the cost.  How about you Dear Reader?  Are you asking the Father to work in the lives of your enemies?   In pondering this extreme I realize that I must up my game here.  I must more actively pursue the Father on behalf of others who have rejected and even mock him.  I have commands yet to keep and prayers to make before I sleep.

As always I treasure your thoughts.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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