Radical Ethic of “Love Your Enemy”

In this latest round of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict/war (July-August 2014) there is a disturbing new development of a disproportionate response. What we are witnessing now is far worse than the ethic of an eye for an eye. How are we to consider a disproportionate response in war? What is the alternative, especially as followers of Christ. From history, we can learn both disproportionate response and peaceful response. There are examples of both, but peaceful response is the road less traveled. If we are followers of Jesus we must remember that Jesus called us away from the ethic of an “eye for an eye” toward a radical ethic of “love your enemy.” This was lived in Jesus’ life and so we must live it in our lives … this must be imagined so that we are ready to offer a loving response rather than revert to a failed ethic of an eye for an eye. If just the ethic of the “golden rule” was lived out we might not ever have to implement the ethic of “love your enemy.”