Love Your Enemies

Feb 20

February 20, 2022

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~

I’ve mentioned recently in a homily or two that I have been having moments of anger. They usually pass within seconds but they seem to occur nearly every day. The almost daily part is new for me. Where is this coming from? The world. I’ve been spending too much time on the internet and not enough time applying myself to constructive things like my ministry and spiritual reading. When these feelings of anger come over me, they are always for some perceived injustice in the country, world, or the Church’s hierarchy (not you). What gets me is the momentary hatred I feel, as if for a couple of seconds a demon enters me. Its’ not me, and it hurts and frightens me. The answer? Love the very people that in my moment of anger I’m hating.

In our Gospel today Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This seems unjust, until we remember that in our sins, we are God’s enemies and he loves us just the same. Jesus would go so far as to suffer crucifixion for our sins; loving His enemies enough to die a horrible death for them. Okay, but Jesus is God and I’m not. In my humanity, how am I supposed to love my enemies?

Below is a great article by Danielle Bernock who does a great job addressing that question. I encourage you to read it.

Christ’s Peace and Love,

Christianity.com, Danielle Bernock Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer 2019 4 Oct

What Does it Mean to 'Love Your Enemies'?

Loving our enemies is a foreign concept. Love and enemies are words that seem mutually exclusive. Putting the two together raises questions. When the Bible tells us to love our enemies what does that mean? Who said it? Why? How?

We’ll look at what it means to love our enemies, why we would, and how it works, but first, we’ll start with who told us to do so.

Who Told Us to 'Love Our Enemies'?

In Proverbs 24:17 we’re told not to gloat when our enemy falls. In Proverbs 25:21 we’re told to feed our enemy when he’s hungry. But the blatant instruction to love our enemies came from Jesus in His sermon on the mount.

In Matthew chapter 5:

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies…

In Luke chapter 6:

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies…

God, who is love, has told us to love.

How To 'Love Our Enemies'

"How" is of the utmost importance. We aren’t able to love our enemies without the help of God. Hating an enemy is what comes naturally. We need supernatural help. If we try and love our enemies apart from the help of God it will not be true love.

It’s only by the grace of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, that we can love our enemies.

We can only love our enemies by trusting God to help us.

Why Should We Love Enemies?

There are two reasons for us to love our enemies. One is simply because God said to, but the other is because God loved us first.

It was when we were still God’s enemies (Colossians 1:21 and Romans 5:10) that He demonstrated His love for us. Through Jesus (Romans 5:8) God’s love brought salvation to us.

Love is what makes all the difference.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11

Loving others, even enemies, flows out of knowing love.

What Does it Mean to Love Our Enemies?

In the two portions of scripture where Jesus elaborates on what He means by loving our enemies, He draws it to a conclusion.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 NIV

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:27-36 NIV

The conclusion Jesus brings it to, is for us to be like our Heavenly Father who is perfect and merciful. That word perfect can make us cringe due to our humanity. Only God is perfect. But the word perfect in the original Greek means complete. It comes from a primary word meaning to set out for a definite point or goal. Jesus is saying for us to make it our goal to love like our Heavenly Father loves.

Jesus brought up the issue of mercy repeatedly. Everyone wants mercy. The Bible tells us that mercy triumphs over judgment. Of course, we want it. Giving mercy requires us to give up revenge and hand the judgment part to God. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean allowing them to continue to hurt us. That would be a failure of loving ourselves as God loves us. We can do what is in our control to protect ourselves while trusting God to step in.

We can always pray for our enemies. Praying is an act of mercy. Praying is loving like our Heavenly Father. Praying changes our hearts.

I remember when the Lord directed me to speak a blessing over an enemy who brought harm to a family member. With tears streaming down my face, and pain in my soul, I did. The person continued acting as an enemy, but it broke the chain off my heart. The love of God saved me from bitterness and unforgiveness.

Loving our enemies means seeing them as human beings in need of the Father’s love.