Reflection on Romans 12:9-21

Do not let your enemies control you.

Last week we talked about God’s unconditional love for us, and how that love is then spread by us.

We imagined that our life is a gallery in which are hung paintings of our life. In one corner we find a painting of the day we took in an abandoned kitten and gave it a home. But, in another darker corner, we see a painting of the time someone needed help and we injured them further by stating, “God helps those who help themselves,” and then walked away.

We heard the Apostle Paul’s desire for us: that when we look upon our gallery of life, we might see more paintings of love than anything else.

In today’s reading, Paul goes on to instruct us as to how we might create those paintings of love. There are many small suggestions that would each warrant a sermon of their own, such as making lifting up other people’s lives (showing them honor) a competition with our friends. Which one of us can serve their neighbor more?

There is also the suggestion that we be patient when we suffer and having no clue what the future may hold. God has it all taken care of, so pray for patience to see how God will make it all come out in the end.

There are more suggestions on how to fill your life’s gallery with images of faith and love, and I suggest that you use this bible passage as a devotion in the weeks to come, reading a sentence per day and thinking deeply on each.

But, for the purpose of this reflection, we are going to focus on one particular aspect of the artistry of love. I mentioned it at the very outset of the sermon: “Do not let your enemies control you.”

During my internship year of becoming a pastor, I counseled a couple who were getting married very soon. I was going to aid in officiating at their wedding.

As the couple sat in my office talking about their lives together, I soon realized that there was someone else silently present in the room. That person was the soon-to-be bride’s former husband.

The young woman's anger at her former husband kept spilling out into our conversations. Each time it did, I saw the look of helplessness and even abandonment on the face of the groom-to-be.

The poor woman was pouring so much anger and emotional energy into her former marriage that she was neglecting the guy who was sitting right in front of her…the guy who desired to make her life happy. The woman was allowing her enemy to control who she was and how she was acting, even when that enemy no longer needed to be in her gallery of paintings.

Do not let your enemies control you. Do not let your enemies control who you are and what you do.

Paul desires that our personal galleries be filled with paintings of love, forgiveness, and service to others. He wants to see paintings of us welcoming strangers into our communities and into our homes. He desires to see images of us giving them welcome meals, showing them where the grocery store is located, and aiding in any way possible. He wants to see acts of love in those brush strokes. And, he does not want to see anything deter us from creating those images.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil,” Paul encourages, “but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:9-21, NRSV).

Jesus once said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:38-42, NRSV).

In others words, just because your enemy is evil does not mean that you must become evil. Do not become the very thing that you despise.

Here is the reality: God created your enemy also. They are works of God’s hand. They may have strayed from God’s intentions for their lives and they may have filled their galleries with paintings of horror, but that does not mean they are loved any less. God would still love to see them return from their lost ways and would offer them a hug and a party the very instant their silhouettes might be seen cresting the horizon.

May your own galleries be filled only with images of love toward your enemy. If they are hungry, give them food. I'm not saying that you have to feed them Filet Mignon, but do care to their needs.

The fact that they do not care about other people’s lives has nothing to do with how you treat people.

If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. Bring a little something for yourself to drink also, you are probably going to need it.

All joking aside, if you are a caring and giving person, with images of caring and giving usually hanging in your gallery, their paintings of evil should have no affect on your own works of art.

Do not let your enemy control who you are and what you do. Let all bitterness and anger depart, and strive only to create paintings of forgiveness and love.

Oh, there is that word: "forgiveness." A neglect of forgiveness is what vengeance is about, is it not?

After-all, if we refuse to forgive, then maybe our enemy will feel the same pain that they have caused. Maybe, ripping out their eye will somehow bring ours back.

It will not of course. It will only leave two blind people.

Doing an act of evil in retribution for an act of evil only fills galleries with evil paintings. I would hope that children would be able to walk through our galleries without fear of what they might see.

Leave the avenging to God. Remember that patience thing that I mentioned earlier? Give God time to work it out properly. God does not need your help in avenging evil; God really does not.

What God does need help doing is showing unconditional love, because, let us face it, there is not enough of that going around in our world.

Forgive your enemy. Give them the same kindness that you would a stranger or someone down on their luck. Lift them up from the grave, because Jesus did that for you through the cross and resurrection. You have been lifted up from the depths by your savior, so do not hesitate to lift others from their dark depths.

So, there is this big, black man, and he has made it his life’s work to befriend KKK leaders. It does not seem likely, but he is not your typical guy.

He is nice to them. He eats with them. He pays for their meals. He plays games with their children when invited into their homes. In other words, he does for KKK leaders what he would do for his family or friends.

Their evil in no way changes who he is.

And, one by one, these KKK leaders have all slowly become former KKK leaders. He treats them as friends at the outset, and they all, one by one, eventually become real friends.

Love can win. In fact, love does win. The evil of the cross is not the end of the story. The resurrection is the end of the story. Forgiveness is the end of the story. Love is the end of the story. Love always wins.

Therefore, do not let your enemies control you. Instead, let love control everything you do.