Loving Our Enemies
by Dan Jones, M.D.
Matthew 8:5-13
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6"Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
We continue to follow the steps of Jesus in the moments after he concluded his great Sermon on the Mount and came down into the valley. After he encounters, touches, and heals a man with leprosy, his next encounter is with another “enemy” of that day’s society. His encounter was with an officer of the Roman army. The event takes place in a region of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people for hundreds of years. The Romans were invaders and this centurion was an officer of the occupying army. The tradition was that good Jewish people had nothing to do with the barbaric invaders.
After teaching with his words in the sermon, Jesus now walks the walk about loving enemies. Rather than rebuffing this man, Jesus stops to engage in conversation. The conversation could not have been easy for the soldier, either. But he had a need in his life and based on what he had seen and heard, had faith that Jesus could help. Jesus showed love for this “enemy” and healed the servant of this Roman centurion.
As we work our way through our busy lives as health professionals, we often encounter potential “enemies”. One of the struggles for many in medical training is the constant encounter with those who have contributed to their own difficulties through abuse of drug or alcohol or through a lifestyle of avoiding work. Medical training often takes place in settings where there are many poor and self-abusing patients. Some learners in this environment become cynical and calloused. After entering the healing profession with a heart of concern and compassion, after time, resentment creeps in.
Serving as attending physician in our medical school’s residency continuity clinics allowed me to see the lives of many residents over the years. It was amazing to observe the different responses to this clinic population of mainly poor patients. Some residents couldn’t get through quickly enough to escape. Others could be observed walking the walk of Jesus’ words to love those difficult to love. To watch a young physician engage in a loving and compassionate way with patients in this tough environment was a constant encouragement to me.
Lord, teach me to love my enemies – to walk the walk.
Dan Jones, M.D., MACP, FAHA, a board-certified Internist, a former medical missionary to Korea, professor of medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Chancellor of the University of Mississippi until 2015. Dr. Dan Jones is a member of CMDA.
Dr. Jones welcomes any comments or questions about what he has written and can be reached at - djones@umc.edu
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