Loving Your Enemies
Love your enemies... As we look around our country right now, it is difficult for us to see instances where Jesus' admonition is being put into practice. In my home State of Michigan, there was even a plot this week, by a radical militia group, to kidnap the sitting Governor because they disagreed with her pandemic quarantine policies. Our leaders keep escalating the rhetoric and dividing people, creating extreme positions and hatred toward each other. In our lesson this week (Luke 6:27-36), we see the wisdom of Jesus' teaching about how we must change the dynamic in our environment by loving even our enemies. May God bless you abundantly with His love, and may it completely shift the atmosphere in your life.
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:27-31) Love your enemies... That is not something we have been conditioned by this world to do. It even goes against our desire to protect ourselves from misuse and abuse by others who might mean us harm. Even further, it goes against our desire in some cases to get revenge for wrongs done to us. Jesus summarizes His teaching on this subject in the above verses with this overarching principle...His followers must do to others what we want them to do to us.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36) We have this higher calling, to be different than the world in how we treat one another. We are called to go beyond what the world views as "good". This admonition goes further than v. 31, doing to others as we would have them do to us. The model we are to follow for our actions is God's treatment even to those who are evil. As His children, we are once again told to love our enemies, and to be kind and merciful to them also. Our example of the love, kindness and mercy we are to have for our enemies is God's love, kindness and mercy toward us!
We were at enmity with God. But He still sent His Son to die on a cross for our us while we were yet sinners. What would cause Him to do such a thing? Only agape love, a self sacrificing love could do that. When Jesus calls us to love our enemies, that is the kind of love that He is referring to. For it was only that kind of love that could transform us from being enemies with God so that now we can say... I am a friend of God!
