During the first world war, the allied power and central powers were exchanging gunshots, both hoping obviously to win. On December 24, a truce was made between these two powers, calling for a ceasefire. They put down their guns and went and talk with the other camp, their enemies. They shared meals, hot cocoa, stories, sang, and laughed. It was a joyous event as they celebrated Christmas. However, on December 26, the ceasefire ended. They went back to their stations and, unfortunately, started killing each other again with gunshots.
This story shows that war and conflicts can end if love and humility are present. Unfortunately, over the course of the century, humility and love have only been extended to those people care about. Countries invade other countries for their countries’ sake, and groups feel entitled to dominate others.
We see that peace is impossible as long as people only care about themselves or their own communities. Yes, it is loving to protect your loved ones, but could it be possible that if everyone loved one another, despite any differences, we could all stand together? The answer is that it is impossible for humans to accomplish and sustain such loving disposition. Why? Because of the power of sin that resides in our hearts. We will always unloved, reject, or be disappointed with someone in one way or another.
Jesus, in His famous sermon on the mount, flipped the common morality of the Jews and, essentially, the entire world. The people thought that as long as they did not physically and literally violate the commandments, they were morally upright. But Jesus elevated the commandments by exposing the heart condition of people. One example is the commandment, “You shall not kill.” Jesus elevated it by saying that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to hell (Matthew 5:22). By this standard, no one can actually enter heaven.
One of the most difficult commandments to apply, even for Christian, though doable, albeit imperfectly, is the expectation for someone who belongs to God’s kingdom to love their enemies. This is what Christ proceeded to teach, differentiating Christians from those outside the Lord’s kingdom: the operation of love.
This is what we will try to understand in the coming weeks. As people of the kingdom of Christ, we are expected to live according to the rule of our King, not out of obligation, but because we share the same heart as the King of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ.
