To love an enemy

When the Ukraine-Russia war began, my heart sank. “The world doesn’t need another war!” I protested. I was distressed by the developing scenes of armed conflict, but even more by a ruler who seemed to wield massive influence over a large population of people, causing them to believe that war was necessary.

As I prayed for spiritual insight on how to be a healing influence, Jesus Christ’s admonition “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) came roaring to my attention. How to implement it practically, though, was a tough question. How do I love a person whose decisions cause thousands to suffer and die? Am I supposed to overlook the evil perpetrated and ignore its consequences? I wanted to know.

As I considered what I knew about how Jesus handled evil, it became apparent that his counsel to love our enemies was not an instruction to overlook evil acts. Jesus did not ignore evil. He faced it fearlessly and defeated it with his understanding of God’s power. He conquered enemies to life and health with Truth and Love. He saved multitudes of people from suffering by removing the influence of sin, disease, and death from their lives. He saved himself from those intent on destroying him. Love, according to Jesus, did not mean ignoring evil but annihilating it.