Steve Siebert
Every day, and in everything we do, we are faced with the decision to turn to Christ or to run away from Him. In this portion of Matthew, Jesus asks us to unburden ourselves from the perpetual sins of anger and bitterness by releasing us from the responsibility of retribution. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes, "Loving my enemies does not mean thinking them nice...we must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves--to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may...be cured...That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not."
In his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus has shown us full commitment to humanity and perfect forgiveness. In a world where so many things conspire to take our happiness away, our one true comfort is the knowledge that God made us, loves us, and forgives us completely. Jesus tells us to forgive and love others, because we need to release ourselves from sin to grow in his love.
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