"If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?" (Matthew 5:47)
It would not be anything extraordinary for Jesus to tell us to be kind to our friends and family. Most people will naturally do that. What Jesus does with this statement pushes us past the extreme boundary of normal human behavior. When we have enemies our natural inclinations lean us toward avoidance at the least and sheer violence at the most. The kind of love that Jesus calls for us to have with the world encompasses all people. We cannot lean into the loving arms of God with out extending our love to others . . . even others we would not normally love. As disciples of Christ we are called to live differently. We are called to live as Christ would, loving all people - friend and enemy alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment