Heav’n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn’d,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn’d.

William Congreve, 1697 The Mourning Bride

To hate is easy.

It takes no evaluation, no empathy, no energy. To hate is easy, even natural. The path of least resistance.

To love is grueling. It takes gratitude, grief, grace. To love is grueling, unnatural. The path of greatest resistance.

And our world has gone mad with hate.

To blame the others gives our hatred justice. And justice becomes our revenge, our vengeance to soothe our burning anger.

To extend grace is unthinkable, unconscionable, unbelievable.

Hurting the hated pacifies the pain in our seething soul. Or so we think. And so, we hate.

To hate is easy, to love is grueling.

In a desert country many moons ago, a wife raged with hatred and men raged with hatred and a naked woman raged with hatred. All because of one act. And this law-abiding wise man was thrust into a dilemma.

What to do with this naked woman caught in a sexual act with another woman’s husband?

The naked woman knew the consequence, but that never stopped her from destroying a marriage. The angry men, excited for justice of the law, appearing pious, were more excited to stymie this law-abiding wise man. The wife had fury in her heart and hatred permeated her being and fell in tears from her eyes.

Then this law-abiding wise man who spoke for hours, debated for fun, and preached to the ignorant, gave only one question and bent down to the ground. Silently, he scribbled in the sand waiting for the person who had no sin to cast the first stone.

To hate is easy, to love is grueling. To hate takes no evaluation, to love takes gratitude.

These angry men from oldest to youngest felt the conviction of living life.

The oldest was a thief, stole from his friend. He left to make amends.

The next confronted his lies to hide his drunkenness. He walked home to throw away his wine.

Another was an adulterer. He stared at the naked woman, thought of his wife. The stone fell from his hand and he ran with the fury he knew his wife felt.

Though he looked the peacemaker, this man held a grudge against his brother. The offence occurred so long ago and it ruined their relationship. Turning away, he decided to buy a lamb to make a dinner for reconciliation.

The youngest had killed. No one knew, he hid it well. It was a sojourner who was of a questionable background, contemptuous culture. But looking at the scribbling man, it was like He knew. The rock fell on his foot and he tried to outrun his guilt. He found himself at the temple.

The naked woman, overcome with the bare shame she felt and the naked guilt she carried, could do nothing more than cry, ugly cry, whole body cry. Looking up from His drawing, the law-abiding wise man queried about who condemned her.

“No one,” she replied anxiously awaiting his condemnation. He didn’t, but he added this crazy command. “Go and sin no more.” Her nakedness exposed to all the world, gratitude entered her soul, she rushed home and made her bed.

The scorned wife witnessed the whole scene. Her anger could not comprehend why the men didn’t judge and how that horrible woman received forgiveness. Her hatred could not allow that justice doesn’t look like revenge. That justice, in fact, takes on grace. Her tears stung, she rushed home, yelled at her children, and destroyed her bed.

To hate is easy, to love is grueling. To hate takes no empathy, to love takes grief.

And our world has gone mad with hate. There is plenty of grief for those who watch men and children killed because of the hatred within the heart of the killer.

And that grief has a choice – vengeance or mercy.

To hate is easy. Kill the killer whose friends will kill the killer whose friends will kill the killer whose friends will kill the killer for vengeance is what the hate desires.

The blood becomes the salve to soothe the hurting soul. Or so we think. And so, we hate.

That law-abiding wise man who scribbles in sand brought judgement in the form of loving your enemies. He executed judgement in the form of mercy towards the ones who hate you.

He forced the men to show mercy by exposing their own sin deserving of death.

He forced the naked woman to release her guilt and accept forgiveness.

He forced the wife to a choice – vengeance or mercy. She chose vengeance.

He commanded his confused listeners to do a difficult thing.

Love your enemy.

Love those who hate you.

He showed that a true friend lays his own life down.

To hate is easy, to love is grueling. To hate takes no energy, to love takes grace.

Love is energy. Energy expended to know, to understand, to suffer with, to be benevolent with your enemies.

If your enemy hurts, heal them.

If your enemy hungers, feed them.

If your enemy thirsts, give them drink.

If your enemy is lost, help them find their way.

If your enemy is mean, be mercifully kind to them.

If your enemy hates, love your enemy.

To hate takes no evaluation of person or situation.

To hate takes no empathy of person or situation.

History is filled with people hating others. Hate made conquests and political change possible. Hate made slavery and injustice possible.

Hate is good for this evil world.

Yet, this law-abiding wise man is not of this world. And so, He says, Love.

Love changes the future. Love restores broken families. Love reconciles bitter foes. Love makes freedom and justice conceivable.

And to love looks and acts a lot like mercy.

To love is grace.

I took extreme artistic interpretation with the Biblical account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery with absolutely no disrespect to my Lord or the Word.