One of the many challenging declarations Jesus made in the
Sermon on the Mount comes from Matthew 5:43-48. It’s the passage where He tells
His disciples & the crowds, “You’ve heard it said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor & hate your enemy. But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies, &
pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is
in Heaven.”
Love your enemies? Pray for people who persecute you? How?
Something that has helped me to understand & try to live
this out was discovering the Greek word for love that Jesus used in this
passage was “agape” – roughly translated, it would be “to welcome, to love dearly, & unconditionally.” Doesn’t
necessarily make it easier to DO, but
it sure gives a picture of what it looks like: extending love & care to all
people, without strings.
When we do this, we exhibit a primary Christ-like trait that comes from being in the family of God.
Loving like this reflects God’s own love, & points to Him as our own source
of love & life.
Plus, like Jesus said, if we only love our friends, people
that love us &/or those that are lovable, how Godly is that? Even people
who don’t know God & don’t have a clue about His ways do that. (Matthew
5:46,47).
This command wasn’t just talk for Jesus either – He lived it
out His whole life, culminating on the cross when He looked at the crowds
around Him, yelling, cursing, & spitting at Him. Calling Him names.
Blaspheming His Father. And Jesus’ response to this hatred & persecution, as
He hung dying on the cross? A prayer: “Father forgive them. They don’t know
what they are doing.”
That is loving your enemies, Jesus-style.
Blessings, grace, & peace to you
