Why are we commanded to pray for our enemies?
Why are we commanded to pray for our enemies? It confounds our enemies and changes our hearts toward them as well. This concept had profound implications, not just for Jesus’ time, but for our time as well. Matthew 5:43-44 pretty well sums it up, according to Jesus as part of his dissertation on why there was a need to break with human/religious traditions that put the Jews of His time and us in all kinds of physical, emotional and spiritual binds.
In Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus states, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so you may be like sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Jesus wants us to see and respond to life the way our heavenly Father does. I’m not saying that what Jesus is asking of us is easy by any stretch of the imagination. But what Jesus is asking us to do offers us the only way to experience meaningful change in our personal lives, relationships, and for humanity as a whole. Vengeance, as a model for justice, better known as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, only leads to a bunch of toothless blind people wandering around bumping into each other in the dark. That’s not living the kind of abundant life Jesus came to share with us.
Prayer is one of the few activities that slows us down and can keep us from making “knee-jerk” reactions to the thoughtless, painful and wounding acts of others --both beloved friend and despised enemy. We’re all inflicted with sin, and part of the consequence of sin is darkness and ignorance that is so great that we can’t overcome it without divine insight and assistance. Much of human/family tradition is good, but it can sometimes get twisted and perverted. The roots for our actions can get lost in the mist of time.
Prayer slows down our reactivity to the present moment and gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to enter into our situation. Prayer gives space and time for God to intervene with alternate ways for us to see, understand and react. Jesus refused to be drawn into making quick, off-the-cuff responses to life’s situations that get us into deeper trouble or make situations worse than they need be. Friends and enemies, mobs and disciples alike wanted Him to make snap decisions and He just wouldn’t do it. From a psychological and spiritual perspective, prayer gives us an opportunity to hear God telling us our enemy’s story and life experience as a child created by God just like you and me. Prayer is one of the few activities that can provide alternatives that lead to peace and, even better, to godly reconciliation. Why do you think Jesus chose such a diverse group of disciples that included sworn enemies?
If we’re not attempting to approach our relationships with our enemies any differently than any other sinner, then there’s no hope for real change and peace, and the cycle of violence will not be broken. Jesus wants us to join Him in breaking the cycle of spiritual hate and of emotional and physical terrorism. There is an old saying--one cannot truly pray for someone and remain their enemy. So let peace and reconciliation begin with us.
- Rev. Charles Ryser
