14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15
But what are the limits of forgiveness? How much must we forgive and how many times? Jesus said this; Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
70 times 7 represents infinity in 2nd Temple Jewish culture. So Christ is saying our forgiveness not just our love ought to be infinite.
How can we love our enemies if we continue to kill and torture them?
To have peace we must be at peace, to be forgiven we must forgive, to be respected one must be respectful and to recieve mercy one must be merciful.
The biggest step in ending war is to stop the killing. Giving food and medical care may win hearts and minds but it is crucial in moving away from war and toward peace.
Another step is trade for as shallow as that sounds. Doing business with a former enemy results in an exchange of culture and ideas. And learning about the people that were once our enemies helps humanize them which is crucial because the easiest way to turn people into your enemy is to dehumanize them.
So by putting a name and face to old foes helps us to see them as people and as equals.
Every enemy we have ever had is first and foremost a child of God. And it is important to move from the hurt, the pain and the struggles involved and let the past be past and move toward peace step by step. It's never easy especially the more seriously we've been hurt. But as disciples of Christ we would do well to implement the teachings of love and forgiveness.
