Love Your Enemies Part 1

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. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

-Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV)

    This is one of the hardest commands of Jesus to follow. Did Jesus mean to say that as Christians, we have to be chummy with our opponents, critics, and detractors? How do we love people who don't like us?

   First, let's begin with what Jesus said. To "love your neighbor" is a command that is found in the Law ( see Leviticus 19:18) but to "love your neighbor and hate your enemy" is not found anywhere in the Old Testament cannon. DA Carson explains,

One cannot be absolutely certain how the slogan “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy” developed, but it is not difficult to make some reasonable guesses. If the text says, “Love your neighbor,” then surely, some might think, there is implicit sanction for not loving those who are not neighbors. That may not be logically sound, but it is understandable enough. And then it is only a small step to the conclusion that it is entirely appropriate to hate certain people, especially certain enemies.

-DA Carson, "Love in Hard Places"

    The social mores of that time allowed some forms of personal hatred as acceptable. It still holds true in today's society. Hatred along ethnic or racial differences is both an ancient and modern day evil. Some harbor hate on those who do not agree with their values or those who possess a different moral compass. Favorite targets of purportedly "Christian" indignation have been : homosexuals, atheists, abortionists, and evolutionists. A "Christian" extremist sect has threatened to hold a public burning of the Koran.

    Jesus, however, mandates something completely different, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." See how radical this is : not only should we love them but we should pray for them also! How very rare it is to find the names of our enemies in our prayer request list. This is not something that we naturally do.

    Why should we obey? Jesus pointed out that this is in keeping with our identity as children of the Father. In the ancient times, and even today to some extent, sons followed in their father's footsteps. For example, Jesus was a carpenter because his father was a carpenter. "Like father, like son,"is a familiar adage to us and this applies to the identity of a true Christian. DA Carson explains,

In a world where most sons ended up doing what their fathers did—bakers’ sons became bakers—the parallels between fathers and sons were often striking. One of the characteristics of the son in this sort of world is that he acts like his father. If you lie and want to kill, the reason must be that your father is the devil himself, for the devil was a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Conversely, since God is the supreme peacemaker, then if you make peace, it is entirely appropriate that you be called a son of God (Matt. 5:9). So also here: if you love your enemies, then you are acting like God, and in this respect you are rightly called a son of God.

-DA Carson, "Love in Hard Places"

    Jesus said that the Father shows his example by causing the "sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." In other words, God does not restrict his providence to good people only, he also gives this blessing to the unrighteous. This is God's common grace: blessings that are given to all people, whether they are good or bad, but not part of salvation. Jesus himself loved his enemies and prayed for them while nailed on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)."


    Jesus continues on to say,

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 5:46-48 (ESV)

    What makes true Christians different from this world is the way they live out the love of God in their lives. They don't love only those who are like them, they also love those who are different and those who don't agree with their views and value system. It's a way of loving that is so radical, it stands out in this twisted and broken world.

    It's the love of the Father that we are showing to our enemies. As sons of God, we must love likewise. In the kingdom of God, no other kind of love exists. Jesus said, "You therefore must be perfect as the your heavenly Father is perfect." The bottomline is that we must aim for perfection with regards to our morality because, as sons of God, we bear the name of the perfect heavenly Father.

    We learned from this passage that one practical way of loving our enemies is to pray for them. And there's more which I will explore in future posts.

    Have a nice day!