Doing Good To Your Enemies
My wife and I watched the 1972 movie Sounder tonight on a local Public Television channel. It's a movie set during what looks to be the 20s or 30s in the south. The movie tells the story of a struggling black family who's father has been sent to a hard labor work camp for stealing food for his family.

As I watched the movie, I couldn't help but be angry at the harsh treatment this family receives from the "upstanding white folk" who are just "following the rules". I can't believe that these people actually thought they were doing right. Suddenly, Jesus' instruction to do good to your enemies becomes very pragmatic to me...maybe part of the point is that you never know when you might be on the side of wrong and your enemy might be on the side of right. We shouldn't be so presumptive to know such things, and should never let "sides" of issues keep us from acting in love towards anyone.

P.S.--the movie also had a great quote. One of the black men (played by Taj Mahal who also did the soundtrack for the movie) is telling a joke. His story goes something like this: "So there I was stuck in this white church. And I prayed to the good Lord, 'Please get me out of here.' The Lord said back to me, 'Get you out? You're in better shape than I am.' I said, 'How's that, Lord?' He said, 'I've been trying to get in there for 200 years and haven't been able to get in yet!'"
posted by Jimmy at 12:32 AM | |