Turn my cheek...right?

I swear I have tried to figure out how to love my enemies. It appears that I'm just not that good. I've met many of my enemies and I find nothing to love in them. Trust me, I've tried.

So, today's thoughts center around truth. I'm not talking about the truth of others, or even what I've been told was "God's Truth".  I'm talking about living, breathing, loving truth.

I confused intimacy, friendship and vulnerability with the meaning of love, Dear God, how much time have I wasted?

So, I've been looking at the Old Testament and the New Testament. I wanted to know what God thought  about his enemies, my enemies. In the Old Testament he pretty much told Israel to "Wipe them out!" Unless he had a reason. When the nation of Israel took the promised land God told them not to wipe out all of the enemies, just yet. He had a great reason. "If you wipe them all out the wild animals and weeds will take over the land. You don't have enough people to take care of the land, yet." Later he did tell them to "take them out", but they didn't and they suffered the consequences of their decision being led astray to worship other gods and partaking in ceremonies that were unholy, which ultimately lead to them being captured, once again.

Now, let's look at Jesus. Who were his enemies? Well, the Devil of course. Who else? The religious leaders...the ones that should have known who he was, but refused to see. I do believe that God kept the reality of Jesus hidden from them so he could easily say, "Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

How did he treat his enemies? Did he spew hate and tell them what to do to make it all better? Did he tell them how to behave? Hmmm.. Think about it. He told them to love. He gave them examples of love. But HE DID NOT pull them close to himself, lavish them with gifts to make them love him, accept their hypocrisy or bless them.

He recognized them and he had one plan "do no harm." He got angry, he rebuked, he got disgusted, but he didn't act in hatred, respond in purposeless violence or try to convince them. He actually worked within their knowledge to try to reveal himself to them.

What did Jesus do? He picked twelve men, twelve imperfect, but practical men. He chose Judas even though he knew Judas would betray him. But if you read the New Testament you may notice that when Jesus grieved over his friend Lazarus, or went to "The Garden" to face his fate, he did not take Judas with him. .

Do you see now? He didn't take his enemies to his "private place" to his place of purpose. He only took the few that he trusted, the few he knew loved him, even the few that would run when he was captured.  He  understood their humanity and he truly loved them.

Peter: he was a character. He cussed, drank, was hot headed and even violent at times. Jesus had to correct him often, but Jesus ultimately loved Peter. He absolutely accepted Peter the way he was. Now I've heard people say, "God loves you just as you are, but he loves you enough not to leave you that way." Hmm... Odd, since Peter never really changed his ways. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter did not turn into an angel, his heart stayed the same, it was his mechanics and delivery that changed.

He stood up to the crowd, in his shame at betraying Jesus and spoke boldly because he was forgiven. With that strength he that the Holy Spirit had come. He was convincing. He was honest and the people knew Peter. He wasn't a stranger that tried to re-acclimate them to his way of thinking or to shame them into submission. He did hold them accountable by saying things like "Jesus of Nazareth, who you crucified." He spoke the truth, he was bold and if you read later in the gospels he was pretty much set in his ways. He's not the one that Jesus sent to the Gentiles. No, Peter wanted them all to be circumcised.  Good luck with that...

God rose up a another man named, Saul; the worst enemy Christians had. God saddled his passion and turned him around. Saul, who became Paul fought for the Gentiles even though he himself was a full blooded Jew.  Saul was also a Greek Citizen, therefore his words echoed with the Gentiles. He spoke their language and taught them how to put God first in ways they never would have understood had he not sacrificed his ideology and submitted himself to "God's purpose" for him. We won't even go into how inconvenient and deadly it was for Saul to become Paul. Everybody was afraid of him, especially people who called themselves "Christians." I mean, seriously, he killed a great many of them before Jesus met him on the road. Why God didn't stop Saul before that moment is knowledge above my pay grade.

However, all of this information shows me an example of how God feels about his enemies. In the Old Testament he wiped them out. In the New Testament He rose up a standard and "did no harm". He was not a wimp, he did not jump when they said jump or change anything about himself to make him more acceptable, or to keep from making them angry. He was Jesus Christ to them every day.

Think about it. Who were Jesus' enemies in the New Testament? They were not the Samaritans, not even Roman Soldiers. His enemies were the religious people. The people who "knew better" but were not willing to walk in the knowledge they had.

With that knowledge, how do I love my enemies? My summation is that "loving your enemies" is the equivalent of "Do no harm." I will stand my ground, I will not adapt to their level of thinking and I will never draw them into my inner circle of friends. "Do no harm" applies to myself too. Turning the other cheek is a choice. Jesus didn't turn his cheek to the devil, he didn't turn his cheek to the "religious leaders" he turned his cheek to the Woman at the Well, the Roman Soldier who was losing his servant, the woman losing her son and another losing his daughter. He turned his cheek, not to be slapped, never to be slapped, other than the crucifixion. He turned his cheek, his way of thinking, his deity, his passion, his knowledge of good and evil and went to the hurting, the lost, the sick, the dying....you and me. He turned his cheek or I could say his entire face toward me when he had every right to denounce me or to label me or hate me because  I was not like him. No ...he turned his face toward me and he loved me.

He makes his face to shine upon me and to be gracious to me....he turned his cheek to me....