Monday, January 18, 2021
Nicole Benevenia
MLK—having enemies
How many of us carry around the idea that being Christian translates to “being nice to everyone and not making a fuss?” How many of us believe that being a person of faith is avoiding tension and “keeping the peace?”
As we celebrate the life, ministry, activism, and martyrdom of Martin Luther King Jr., I am struck by his complete clarity of vision. He did not shrink from drawing clear lines between right and wrong, between love and hatred or apathy. He accepted the reality that standing for justice would inevitably mean that individuals and institutions would stand against him. He made enemies. Looking at his remarkable life, my childhood definition of the term “Christian” totally fails.
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Often our focus in this passage is on the loving part of loving our enemies. But as we navigate a country where white supremacy and racial injustice continue to rear their ugly heads, perhaps we should meditate on having enemies in the first place. Maybe we need to sit with the possibility of being hated, cursed, and abused in the name of love and justice.
Jesus speaks plainly here and elsewhere in the gospels that being his disciple means we will have enemies. In many parts of our culture, having enemies is a taboo thing. It just doesn’t sound very “Christian!” Having enemies seems at odds with love - if your idea of love is equated with politeness, getting along with everyone, and staying far from conflict and tension. I don’t know about you, but I don’t associate any of those qualities with Jesus. Instead, I think of a powerful love that tells the truth, liberates, heals, and welcomes in those who have been cast aside.
In the Letter from a Birmingham jail, King famously criticizes “the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice;” the uncomfortable reality is: we will sometimes face opposition and make enemies when we follow our conscience and our calling. Avoiding tension, discomfort, or making enemies should never be the goal of the person of faith.
I want to offer a reflection challenge for the week ahead: who do you stand with? And what do you stand for? And on the flipside: What do you stand against? What values, philosophies, institutions, or even individuals might place themselves in opposition to you? How will you demonstrate love in the face of an enemy?