DEVOTIONAL
04.01.19
by Christian Gonzalez Ho
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing in return: and your reward will be great; and you shall be
the children of the Highest: for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.
- Luke 6: 35Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
As a child growing up in church, I found it
somewhat embarrassing the way the Old Testament referred to the “enemies” of
God. In Exodus, for example, God commands the Israelites to wipe out their
enemies, and in the Psalms, David prays that God would “break the teeth in
their mouths” (Psalm 58). In a “civilized” society such as ours, I thought
it was antiquated at best and barbaric at worst to speak of anyone with such
vitriol and rage. But as I grew older and learned about American
slavery, the genocide of the native Americans and of human trafficking, I began
to understand both the desire and need for retribution.
For a long time in the West, the idea of “enemies” was somewhat theoretical. Enemies were ideologies, dictators in other countries, psychopaths on the loose somewhere “out there.” Now, at the end of 2019, as story after viral story of mass shootings, terrorism, police brutality, and rampant sexual abuse in every societal institution including the Church has shattered our delusions of insulation from evil, and after Trump era politics has transmogrified political discourse into a battlefield, we in the West must reckon with the terrifying realization that our enemies are not “out there”—they are among us.
Ironically, in this moment, it isn’t the scriptures petitioning the decimation of our enemies that feel archaic and out of touch, but the New Testament’s mandate to love them. Yet, Jesus is unwavering in His teachings about enemies: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
It should go without saying that the Gospel never teaches Christians to ignore, condone, or underwrite evil. Followers of Christ ought never to tolerate works of darkness. But what scripture seems to be referring to is the position of our hearts toward our enemies—a genuine desire for their well-being and transformation. This desire is impossible outside of exchanging our legitimate claim to vengeance for the forgiveness and healing found in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In fact, it is absurd unless we meditate upon the Incarnation.
The nativity is the paragon of God’s mercy, grace, and love. In it, God offers to all of humanity the undeserved gift of reconciliation in the form of a baby—His only son. Often, we skim over the most profound detail of this story: that God offered this perfect gift of love to His enemies—to those who would reject, humiliate, torture, and execute Jesus. To most of us, myself included, the idea of offering redemption to a corrupt politician, a terrorist, or even a person whose politics we can’t stand, is horrific enough. Such an act makes us vulnerable. It seems to fly in the face of justice. Yet, to become disciples of Christ is to commit ourselves to doing exactly that. God offered Jesus freely to a world of sinners. If that is how He treats His enemies, how can we withhold mercy and forgiveness from ours?
For a long time in the West, the idea of “enemies” was somewhat theoretical. Enemies were ideologies, dictators in other countries, psychopaths on the loose somewhere “out there.” Now, at the end of 2019, as story after viral story of mass shootings, terrorism, police brutality, and rampant sexual abuse in every societal institution including the Church has shattered our delusions of insulation from evil, and after Trump era politics has transmogrified political discourse into a battlefield, we in the West must reckon with the terrifying realization that our enemies are not “out there”—they are among us.
Ironically, in this moment, it isn’t the scriptures petitioning the decimation of our enemies that feel archaic and out of touch, but the New Testament’s mandate to love them. Yet, Jesus is unwavering in His teachings about enemies: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
It should go without saying that the Gospel never teaches Christians to ignore, condone, or underwrite evil. Followers of Christ ought never to tolerate works of darkness. But what scripture seems to be referring to is the position of our hearts toward our enemies—a genuine desire for their well-being and transformation. This desire is impossible outside of exchanging our legitimate claim to vengeance for the forgiveness and healing found in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In fact, it is absurd unless we meditate upon the Incarnation.
The nativity is the paragon of God’s mercy, grace, and love. In it, God offers to all of humanity the undeserved gift of reconciliation in the form of a baby—His only son. Often, we skim over the most profound detail of this story: that God offered this perfect gift of love to His enemies—to those who would reject, humiliate, torture, and execute Jesus. To most of us, myself included, the idea of offering redemption to a corrupt politician, a terrorist, or even a person whose politics we can’t stand, is horrific enough. Such an act makes us vulnerable. It seems to fly in the face of justice. Yet, to become disciples of Christ is to commit ourselves to doing exactly that. God offered Jesus freely to a world of sinners. If that is how He treats His enemies, how can we withhold mercy and forgiveness from ours?
This reflection was originally published on January 5, 2020 as part of Biola
University’s 2019 Advent Project.
Read more at: http://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2019/#day-jan-5
Read more at: http://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2019/#day-jan-5
CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ HO
Christian Gonzalez Ho holds an M.A. in Architecture from Harvard University and a B.A. in American Studies from Fordham University. Christian's work focuses primarily on the dialogical relationships among philosophy, art, and culture.
From 2004 to 2009, Christian worked in New York City as an off-Broadway playwright, director, and actor. In 2010, he began graduate work at Yale, but left after a semester to intern at the International house of Prayer in Kansas City. During his time in Kansas City, he became the Director of Design at Exodus Cry, an anti human trafficking organization. He currently works as a cultural researcher in Los Angeles, CA. Christian loves to surf, snowboard, play basketball, and drink really, really, good coffee. He is the co-creator and co-director of Estuaries.