“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35-36)
In today’s politically woke environment, Jesus’ teaching about loving our enemies sounds strange and out of touch with reality. That is because people by and large want their so-called enemies, those who offend them, to be held accountable and punished. Forgiveness and love are reserved for themselves, of course, as well as for those they deem their friends or those who agree with their particular worldview of woke tolerance and open acceptance of sin as a valid lifestyle.
To be fair, Jesus’ teaching about loving enemies is probably one of the most difficult passages in the Bible, not difficult to understand, but difficult to put into action even for Christians. Many of us are so influenced by the culture around us through the media that we find it easy to ignore God’s Word when it comes to dealing with people we find unsympathetic. And yet Jesus calls us to love those who mistreat us, to do good to those who persecute us. This is exactly what Joseph did for his brethren even though he held a high political office in ancient Egypt and could have had them executed.
The love that Christ commands here is not merely an emotional feeling or a positive regard for someone. It is a radical action performed in response to oppression, abuse and malice. If we love those who insult or hurt us, we will choose not to retaliate, seek revenge, or say nasty things about them. We will not only choose to not take offense, but we will go out of our way to bless them. Blessing means we pray for those we consider our enemies or who considers us theirs. Blessing means that we pray they would be filled with the righteousness and wisdom of God. Blessing means we pray that person repent and come to faith in Christ.
So how we can bless people when traveling on the subways and highways during rush hour or shopping at our favorite store, or posting on social media? How can we bless people who antagonize us with words and deeds we find offensive? How can we bless those in hold political power but engage in corruption and promote injustice? The love Christ calls for us to have towards such people contradicts all that the world recommends. We would rather lash out, get even, gain the upper hand, not lose face. No one wants to get stepped on or viewed as weak but the weak are the very ones who get into the Kingdom of God. Only the weak know they are sinners and in need of a Savior. So we ourselves will be blessed as we love others as Christ loves us.