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URBAN ENEMIES  (LUKE 6:32-36) 

Jesus teaches one the hardest virtues, forgiving and being merciful to enemies. 

REFLECTION 

‘Urban enemies’ is the theme for our reflection. Urban enemies are people who make cities unsafe. They are a threat to society. One of the places you may find urban enemies is the prisons. This is the place you will find thieves, murderers, rapists and all manner of criminals including those who have innocently and mistakenly been imprisoned for crimes they have not committed. The perception some people have in our society is that anyone caught in a criminal act should be killed instantly, this is what is called instant justice. There are many instances where some young men have met their untimely death because they stole items such as mobile phones, purses or some valuables. Those who are lucky are rescued by the police but are left to live for the rest of their lives with life-threatening injuries or deformities. 

The unfortunate and sad truth is that some of the people who engage directly and indirectly in mob justice in the urban areas against urban enemies are Christians. It should be noted that most of these urban enemies are the victims of poverty, unemployment and the harsh realities of an unstable economy. I remember I was on a bus travelling to Takoradi, a young man suspected to be a thief was being beaten mercilessly by the station boys and some passengers who had come to board the bus, some ladies in the bus were shouting, “Kill him, set him ablaze, these thieves are disturbing our peace in the city of Accra!” When the bus set off, I eavesdropped on their conversation and I realised that they were actually travelling to Takoradi for a church programme. These ladies were Christians and I believe they had Bibles in their bags except that they never read or came across Luke 6: 35-36 which says that “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” It should be noted that in the scenario above, being merciful means respecting the human dignity of the thief and allowing him to be properly arrested and taken to a police station for the proper legal remedy to be taken. Criminals are urban enemies and they make society unsafe but mob and instant justice is not a Christian response to dealing with urban enemies, for Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, do good to them and be merciful to them just as our father is merciful to us. 

Forgiveness and showing mercy to those we cherish is easier for we expect the same response from them when we also offend them. This is the point Jesus made when He said that “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. (Luke 6:32-34). In other words, it is easier to forgive and show mercy to our family members and close friends who have ever supported us or have been of help to us. What about people who offend you but are not your friends or family members? Will you forgive and have mercy upon them or you will treat them differently? Forgiving and showing mercy to people we may never benefit from in life is a hard thing to do. Forgiving and showing mercy to a friend who has become an enemy because of betrayal is a hard thing to do. Forgiving and being merciful to a person you trusted but he or she has now become the very person joining forces with your avowed enemies to destroy your reputation and integrity is a hard thing to do. Forgiving and showing mercy to your enemies in my view is the hardest teachings of Christianity but with Jesus, it is possible because He demonstrated it on the cross when after all that his enemies did to Him, He taught us to say on the cross that “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). 

My dear friend, Paul admonishes us that I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20). If you are a believer and Christ indeed lives in you then I need you to forgive and show mercy to those who have hurt you in the past, to those who are still trying their best to hurt you and have caused you so much pain to the extent that you have stopped attending your church, you are considering divorce, you are thinking of leaving your current employment or even thinking of revenge against your enemies. Jesus says if truly you are His disciple then live by His example on the cross and His Father in heaven will reward you. Forgiveness and mercy make the world a peaceful place to stay, however, it should be noted that forgiveness and mercy do not mean that a person will not face the law or punishment when he or she commits a crime, forgiveness and mercy means that we do not move about in the spirit of revenge and in pain and anger against our enemies. Forgiveness and mercy show that we do not live our daily lives as believers with people caged in our hearts with bitterness. May the Lord strengthen us to forgive and show mercy to urban enemies and enemies closer to us in our families, churches and workplaces. Shalom. 

PRAYER