Love your enemy

Romans 12:20-21 But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Today’s verse answers the question we asked yesterday. How are we to love our enemies? The first part of the verse is very helpful. It’s straight-forward. Be kind to your enemy by meeting his or her physical need if possible. Paul had already hinted at this previously in his letter. In chapter two, Paul explained that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. In Romans 11:22, Paul encouraged them to continue in kindness. “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” Instead of taking revenge upon their enemies, believers are to show kindness. For those of us who are committed to living to love with Jesus, we receive clear encouragement again from Paul and the Holy Spirit to show kindness to our enemies. The second half of the verse is puzzling at first glance. The “for in so doing” is introducing an explanatory phrase. It’s the why behind being kind to our enemies. It doesn’t make sense if by heaping “burning coals on his head” he means you are making them angry or hurting them in some way. That would actually be taking revenge in a way. It doesn’t make sense that Paul suggested that when people hurt or antagonize you, be kind to them and hurt or cause them pain in return. In light of Paul’s statement in chapter 2 that God’s kindness leads to repentance, it seems most consistent with the context to interpret “heaping burning coals on his head” in a positive way. Consider the head as a figurative expression referring to the person’s mental processing center where actions are being evaluated and judged. The kindness shown fuels the thinking process that leads to repentance. Repentance begins with one having a change of mind on a matter. Our kindness is meant to fuel that change of mind. When we are kind to those who do us harm or evil, their thinking is fueled like burning coals on a fire. Their thinking is redirected by your kindness from an angry, hurtful direction to a peace-making attitude. The good you do them overcomes the evil. The kindness they experience from you hopefully will cause them to rethink what they have done and are doing. That’s repentance. Your kindness leads them to repentance, just as God’s kindness led us to repentance when we were His enemies. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com