Love thy enemies…
We watch as two enemies meet… Their rivalry precedes them. The rules of engagement are etched into their culture and politics. Some choose a side, but most are just born into their place on one side of the aisle or the other. Their family narrative justifies one as ‘right’ and the other as ‘wrong’… the division woven into the fabric of their identity so long ago that most have forgotten their origins… the battle lines drawn before they ever hold the pen.
Long ago, before this meeting, they were one people. Their ancestors fought side by side for freedom and family. The land was a promise to both from a God who called them all to be a blessing to the nations. But power and greed divided, and wars caused a chasm. Brother stood against brother, both so sure they were right. Their hatred, justified by reasons long lost, caused the fall of one and then the fall of the other. Now they meet as enemies, they are caught in definitions that would bind them to hate.
One is a Samaritan, the other a Jew. They share an ancestry, but now their people know only hate- a hate they justify with tales from their history. There have been times when the rift was on the verge of healing- in 500 BCE Samaritans offered to help rebuild the Temple after the exile, but the Jews would not allow unclean Samaritan hands to touch even one stone of their sacred space. Back and forth across an arbitrary border, one strike after another. Before the birth of Jesus, the Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple followed by a band of Samaritans who profaned the temple in Jerusalem with the bones of the dead. Hate begets hate until emotion colors all reason, and the path to healing seems all but lost.
This meeting of enemies is unlikely. A Jew should never step foot on Samaritan soil. To travel from Judah in the south to Galilee in the north, a good Jew would travel days out and around Samaria, crossing the Jordan River not once, but twice, to avoid putting even one toe on Samaritan land. But this Jew breaks all convention. His travelling companions are not happy as he insists on a path straight through Samaria. They keep their distance as best they can, but this Jew walks right into the center of town. He sits at the well where the Samaritans draw their water, and he waits for the encounter he knows is coming. The rules of engagement have been set for them, but when the two meet, they forge a different path. The conversation is not accusative but inquisitive. One question after the next, each sharing a bit of themselves. Respect, even common concern defines their interchange. By the end, they are no longer bound by a code of hate, but united in a greater cause to save both of their peoples.
Tonight, September 10, 2024, two enemies will meet at the Constitution Center in the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’ They will stand to debate one another where our democracy was founded, a nation forged through hours of debate. By all reports, the discussions of our founders were long and heated, shaped by the emotion of those who sought to create ‘a more perfect union.’ Note, their goal was ‘union’, not division, so they stayed in the discussion, respecting each other even in disagreement. They could not afford the luxury of giving into hate, because the stakes were too high- a nation held in the balance. But tonight, I fear that hate will rule the meeting of the two political rivals who will stand to debate. And I wonder if true debate will even happen.
These two have already given their campaigns over to our baser human nature. They have both forgotten the lessons of our mothers. “Don’t lie.” “Don’t call people names.” “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” Those lessons have long been abandoned for behavior that would have sent me to my room for a time-out, jettisoned for an ‘ends justify the means’ approach. Mark Twain popularized the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” As we watch these two enemies battle tonight, we ought to remember that caution. They use the same playbook, shading their truth and their rival’s so that it is hard to see through the haze of lies to know anything. They would encourage us to see the world in binaries: us-them, right-left, conservative-progressive, Democrat-Republican, right-wrong. They sell division to win a battle that is tearing our nation apart, but in the winning our nation becomes the loser.
Both tell us the stakes in this election are high. They are not wrong. The outcome of this election could impact our nation and our world for generations to come. They each sell themselves as the savior of our republic. But there is only one Savior, and He is not bound by their rules of engagement. The Savior is calling all those who follow Him to reject their rules of engagement. He calls us to love over hate. When He taught: “Love your enemies,” it was not a suggestion, but a command. Our politicians might not be listening, but we must. I yearn for a meeting at the well, where two can question and listen and find a way forward to save a nation. Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well give us a good playbook for a divided time. May we follow in His footsteps.
With you choosing His love over hate,
Anita
Long ago, before this meeting, they were one people. Their ancestors fought side by side for freedom and family. The land was a promise to both from a God who called them all to be a blessing to the nations. But power and greed divided, and wars caused a chasm. Brother stood against brother, both so sure they were right. Their hatred, justified by reasons long lost, caused the fall of one and then the fall of the other. Now they meet as enemies, they are caught in definitions that would bind them to hate.
One is a Samaritan, the other a Jew. They share an ancestry, but now their people know only hate- a hate they justify with tales from their history. There have been times when the rift was on the verge of healing- in 500 BCE Samaritans offered to help rebuild the Temple after the exile, but the Jews would not allow unclean Samaritan hands to touch even one stone of their sacred space. Back and forth across an arbitrary border, one strike after another. Before the birth of Jesus, the Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple followed by a band of Samaritans who profaned the temple in Jerusalem with the bones of the dead. Hate begets hate until emotion colors all reason, and the path to healing seems all but lost.
This meeting of enemies is unlikely. A Jew should never step foot on Samaritan soil. To travel from Judah in the south to Galilee in the north, a good Jew would travel days out and around Samaria, crossing the Jordan River not once, but twice, to avoid putting even one toe on Samaritan land. But this Jew breaks all convention. His travelling companions are not happy as he insists on a path straight through Samaria. They keep their distance as best they can, but this Jew walks right into the center of town. He sits at the well where the Samaritans draw their water, and he waits for the encounter he knows is coming. The rules of engagement have been set for them, but when the two meet, they forge a different path. The conversation is not accusative but inquisitive. One question after the next, each sharing a bit of themselves. Respect, even common concern defines their interchange. By the end, they are no longer bound by a code of hate, but united in a greater cause to save both of their peoples.
Tonight, September 10, 2024, two enemies will meet at the Constitution Center in the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’ They will stand to debate one another where our democracy was founded, a nation forged through hours of debate. By all reports, the discussions of our founders were long and heated, shaped by the emotion of those who sought to create ‘a more perfect union.’ Note, their goal was ‘union’, not division, so they stayed in the discussion, respecting each other even in disagreement. They could not afford the luxury of giving into hate, because the stakes were too high- a nation held in the balance. But tonight, I fear that hate will rule the meeting of the two political rivals who will stand to debate. And I wonder if true debate will even happen.
These two have already given their campaigns over to our baser human nature. They have both forgotten the lessons of our mothers. “Don’t lie.” “Don’t call people names.” “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” Those lessons have long been abandoned for behavior that would have sent me to my room for a time-out, jettisoned for an ‘ends justify the means’ approach. Mark Twain popularized the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” As we watch these two enemies battle tonight, we ought to remember that caution. They use the same playbook, shading their truth and their rival’s so that it is hard to see through the haze of lies to know anything. They would encourage us to see the world in binaries: us-them, right-left, conservative-progressive, Democrat-Republican, right-wrong. They sell division to win a battle that is tearing our nation apart, but in the winning our nation becomes the loser.
Both tell us the stakes in this election are high. They are not wrong. The outcome of this election could impact our nation and our world for generations to come. They each sell themselves as the savior of our republic. But there is only one Savior, and He is not bound by their rules of engagement. The Savior is calling all those who follow Him to reject their rules of engagement. He calls us to love over hate. When He taught: “Love your enemies,” it was not a suggestion, but a command. Our politicians might not be listening, but we must. I yearn for a meeting at the well, where two can question and listen and find a way forward to save a nation. Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well give us a good playbook for a divided time. May we follow in His footsteps.
With you choosing His love over hate,
Anita
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2 Comments
It was a beautiful day like today as I recall. I was on the bridge of USS Austin LPD 4. When reports of what was going on in NYC World Trade the Pentagon and a Pa farmer s fields came in. New orders and 2 days later we were in NY harbor and Ground Zero. 23 years ago today. In some ways seems like last week.
n
nAs I worked at Ground Zero for 3 weeks what I was told time after time were of course those who witnessed people on fire jumping 102 stories and the dull thuds of impact but also of those who ran into the inferno while
nOthers ran away. NYPD NYFD who ran into the towers knowing full well they would likely die in that decision but duty calling faith dictated otherwise.
n
nElection cycles come every 2 and 4 years. Evil evil doers acts of evil will always be with us. Those who checked in that day for duty at Ladder company 49 accepted that reality but also knew you ran into the inferno while others ran away. You took an oath to
nThat effect. I did as any who have worn the Uniform
n
nAs Christians we take certain oaths pledges and make promises too. When evil comes when evil is at the door or next door what do we do? WWJD? We run towards that danger or evil. But we do not go alone. He is with us and He will carry us through. For the 340 of the NYPD NYFD who did not come home 23 years ago today. They were never alone in the fire. God in Christ was in the fire as well. As he is always with us. God bless them all and God bless this nation. Never forget
n
n
Only one side is sowing hate and division, one side is blatantly telling lies, one side is spreading intense fear and hatred of immigrants, one side is twisting Christianity for their own purpose.