Blessing and Cursing

I am doing research for an article on rejection, its effects, and its ethical considerations for Christians. To date my research shows that it has major ethical considerations for Christians seeking to live their lives in accordance with Jesus’s teaching and example and those seeking to create a welcoming, affirming environment in their church.

It also has major ethical considerations for Methodists seeking to follow John Wesley’s “simple rules”: First, do no harm, avoid evil of every kind, in particular the evil most often seen in the world; second, do good, be merciful after our own power, as we have opportunity, doing good of every sort, and as far as possible, to all people; third, attend upon all the ordinances of God, the means of grace which God has given us to enable us to grow in our love of God, our love of Jesus, his Son, and our love of others.

Rejection can be very damaging to the individual who was rejected. At the same time, it also can be damaging to the individual or individuals who rejected them. In my own life I have experienced the pain of rejection both as a child and an adult. When someone rejects us, they do not accept us for who we are. Instead, they push us away.

For a child rejection is a very painful experience. It damages their sense of self-worth, their sense of belonging. For an adult it can be very painful experience too. It can cause anxiety, depression, grief, and sadness.

In this reflection I am going to look at blessing and cursing. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus says—

“But I say to all of you who will listen to me: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you badly.” (Luke 6: 27-28 Phillips)

In this passage Jesus instructs his disciples to bless those who curse them. When we bless someone, we wish them well. A blessing is an expression of goodwill toward them. We ask God to show his divine favor to them. We ask God to look favorably on them.

When we curse someone, however, we wish them ill. A curse is an expression of ill-will and malice toward them. We may use an angry exclamation or obscene epithet. We may invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm on them.

Essentially Jesus is saying in the face of ill-will and malice, we should respond with goodwill, “return good for evil.” We may be thinking, “Payback time!!” Our minds are buzzing with ways of getting even. Jesus says “No, forgive them and ask God to show them his divine favor, his grace.”

If that is how Jesus expects us to act if someone has genuinely wished us ill and even acted on their desire to do harm to us, how do we think Jesus expects us to act when we read into someone’s words and actions motives of an unsavory or unwholesome character out of irritation or annoyance with them. The words they said and the actions they took were not meant to be disrespectful of us nor did they represent unwanted or unwelcome intentions toward us. We had misinterpreted them.

I do not believe that Jesus expects us to stubbornly cling to our misunderstanding of their words and actions, to insist that we are in the right and they are in the wrong. If Jesus expects us to forgive and show goodwill toward those who genuinely wish us ill, toward those who curse us, he expects us even more to forgive and show goodwill toward those whose words and actions were innocent in their intent.

Jesus teaches us to bless, not to curse; to forgive, not to hang onto ill-feelings toward others. This is something that I keep reminding myself. I also keep reminding myself to keep on loving others, and not become discouraged in the face of adversity.