There are teachings of Jesus I am completely prepared to support. Welcome the stranger. Care for the poor. Don’t obsess over money. Feed the hungry. Judge less. Forgive more. Excellent. Beautiful stuff. Put it on a mug.
Then Jesus keeps talking.
“Love your enemies.”
Jesus, respectfully, no.
I wish he hadn’t said this. I have looked for loopholes.
Maybe “enemy” meant something different in the first century. Maybe Jesus meant love them from a healthy distance while occasionally hoping they get diarrhea.
Apparently not.
The frustrating thing is, I believe Jesus is right.
I think loving our enemies really is the better way to live. Hatred is exhausting. Resentment requires an absurd amount of maintenance and engagement. You have to keep remembering what they did, replaying conversations, preparing imaginary speeches while doing dishes. It’s practically a part time job with terrible benefits.
Still, I don’t want to love my enemy.
I want justice. I want an apology. I want them to understand exactly what they did and then feel appropriately terrible about it for an unreasonable amount of time.
Love feels like asking too much.
And maybe that’s my lament.
Jesus doesn’t seem particularly concerned with whether his ideas are enjoyable.
Sometimes the better way is harder. Sometimes forgiveness feels worse before it feels better. Sometimes loving your enemy feels suspiciously like letting them get away with something.
I don’t have a beautiful conclusion.
I know Jesus is right.
Which, frankly, is part of the problem.
