The Journey

“How, teacher, can we love the Romans after all they do to us?”

“We have always been raided and invaded by foreigners,” Yeshua said, “from our ancestors’ times. If we had loved our enemies and treated them as we treated each other, we may have had peace. But now is not the time of peace. Now is the time we are divided by which way we will follow. The mother you love, you may have to leave. The brothers you would fight alongside, you may have to lay down your sword. The sister whose honor you may have avenged, you may have to care for all her life and forgive those who brought her to shame.” Yeshua thought of his sisters.

“What do you mean by ‘forgive,’ teacher? This is a hard teaching. Between the Romans and the religious leaders, some of us eat resentment for breakfast.” The man who said this was in the middle of the crowd, and Yeshua noticed the looks he received from the Pharisees especially. The Romans, of course, were not allowed in the Temple. Since their culture was one of religious tolerance, they kept their distance from the Jews’ holy place. That didn’t stop them from making demands that weren’t considered reasonable but were also tolerated. But this question was clearly intended for the Religious Council to hear.

Yeshua looked at the man, then at the Pharisees and Sadducees waiting to see what he would say.

“We must obey the leaders both of Caesar and of the Council. But what you do for them, stop doing for them and start doing for God. The love you have for God, you can demonstrate by obeying the authorities he has seen fit to put in place over you. When you love, you can forgive.” Yeshua used the Greek word agape for love, a love that is summoned from one’s reserves and does not come naturally but from God. Agape love gave its rights, in this case, for another, regardless of the treatment one received.

“This is hard to hear,” the man grumbled.

“Yes. But with God, your ears can be opened.”