Friday of Lent 3

DAY 21: March 12, 20210 Friday of Lent 3- Matthew 5:43-45

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. - Matthew 5:43-45   [1]

Love your enemies. That’s a pretty tall order. Jesus goes even further. Pray for those who persecute you. When there is a wedge that divides what action ought we to take? The Savior directs us, “take it to the Lord in prayer.” 

The place to start in praying for our enemies is the prayer that the Lord taught us to pray. Luther explains in the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.”

We can get confused by the second phrase of this petition, “as we forgive…”, and think that God’s forgiveness is in response to a good deed of forgiveness. Consider the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18). How does Luther show a right understanding of that when he concludes, “So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us”?

God commands us to forgive one another so we can avoid the bitter trap of pain and holding on to grudges.

God’s word reminds us, how we should act toward those who sin against us. Ephesians 4:32 “Forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Colossians 3:12–13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Know the difference. The devil tempts someone to get them to sin. God tests a person to help them grow in faith.

Grant us, O Lord our Strength, to have a True Love of Your Holy Name; so that, trusting in Your grace, we may fear no earthly evil, nor fix our hearts on earthly goods, but may rejoice in Your full salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. [2]

Merciful Father, fill our hearts with your love and keep us faithful to the gospel of Christ. Give us the grace to rise above our human weakness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  [3]

[1]Go into all the world copyright © Ed Riojas Higher Things

[2] Collect for Friday of Lent 3,   http://www.liturgies.net/Lent/LentenCollects.htm

[3] Collect for Friday of Lent 3, For All the Saints  A Prayer Book For and by the Church Vol.1 copyright © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau Delhi, NY