Love Your Enemies


"Love your enemies"

What is Jesus asking us to do when he commands us to love our enemies? And why are we to love our enemies? What does loving our enemy show?

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
(Luke 6:27-28 ESV)

 First, let's look at the three things Jesus is asking us to do in order to show that we love our enemies.

1. "do good to those who hate you"

We are commanded not to respond with hate, but to do good to our enemy. Followers of Christ are to feed our hungry enemy and give water to our thirsty enemy (Proverbs 25: 21-22). We are called to take action, to do good to them. We are to repay no one evil for evil nor avenge ourselves. (Romans 12:17, 19)

2. "bless those who curse you"

Imagine for a moment the most hateful thing that anyone has ever said to you. Think about the vitriol behind their words, the malice in their comment. Often for me, it has been someone calling me fat, or seeking to shame me in some other way. What emotion comes over us! Even today as we recall the hateful thing that the one who "cursed" us has said, we are reminded of the flood of shame and hot anger from the incident.

Now, here Jesus is saying to overcome all of that emotion, that desire to respond, to defend yourself and strike back at the one who curses you. He commands that you bless the one who insults you, that no corrupting talk comes out of your mouth, but only gracious speech that seeks the benefit of it's enemy. What self-control and love possesses the one who can bless his malefactor!

3. "pray for those who abuse you"

As believers we are called to follow in the footsteps of our Master. Jesus calls us to pray and ask God to intercede and bless those who are abusing us. We are called not to revile but to bless, even when our body and mind are being abused, we are to get on our knees and ask God to show our abusers mercy, love, and kindness.

Secondly, why does Jesus call us to love our enemy?

Because he does! Jesus loves his enemies, does good to those who hate him, blesses those who curse him, and prays for those who abuse him. Consider Jesus, who was condemned yet guiltless, beaten and tortured and mocked, and was now strung up on the cross, ushering forth this prayer,

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
(Luke 23:34 ESV)

That is our Lord living out his commandment. For those who sought his death, those who mocked him, beat him, jeered at him, scorned him, shamed him, and ultimately killed him Jesus is interceding and asking God to not count that sin against them! That is love incomprehensible!

Loving your enemy creates in the Christ follower a serene calm while growing and strengthening our ability to forgive. Loving our enemy helps us to forgive like Christ.
**Corrie Ten Boom, famous heroine of the Resistance and a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps tells a great story of the power of forgiveness here.**

Lastly, loving our enemy shows we are sons of God.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Matthew 5:44-48 ESV)

When we love our enemies we are following Christ's example. We are following God's example who makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. We must show our enemies the perfect love of Christ. When we love like this, we show our sonship to God the Father. We show that God's love has set us apart, for the world does not and cannot love this way. We are showing perfection in love, as our heavenly Father is perfect.

How can we show our enemies the perfect love of Christ today?

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