Love Who?

"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." - Jesus

Jesus' demands on his disciples were radical. We have enough trouble loving our brothers, our neighbors, our spouses, our parents...but toss enemies into the mix and it calls for special grace.

One of my favorite Old Testament moments is when Daniel, a Jewish exile in Babylon, receives from God the key to unlock King Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream. Nebuchadnezzar had been so troubled by a dream that he ordered all the wise men of the realm to be executed if they failed to both tell him the dream and interpret the dream. He was temperamental that way.

Now, keep in mind that the "wise men" were defined in Babylon as "magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans" (Daniel 2:2). These were not natural friends of Daniel, who worshiped of the one true God of Israel. Yet when Daniel alone receives the ability to tell the king the dream and its interpretation, the first thing he does is this:

"Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him, 'Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.'" (Daniel 2:24)

Daniel halted the execution of magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans! He could have easily gloated that he had the "right" religion and watched as all these religious left-wingers were executed. He perhaps had it in his power to politically exalt his God, the true God, above all the others in the realm. But he didn't.

Perhaps that's where loving our enemies can begin... with not wishing them dead!