Sermonette: Love for enemies

Something that God has been continuing to teach me lately is how to better love people. Simple, but far from easy. The other day, I read through Luke 6:27-36. This passage is quoted from one of Jesus’ sermons and is about love for enemies. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (27-28)

God knows that our natural, sinful desire is self-interest. We worry about people being unfair, treating us poorly, and saying terrible things about us. Yet, we are called to love these same people.

For a long time, I thought this passage didn’t apply to me. “Well, I don’t really have any enemies, so I’m good,” I thought. One of my pastors had the suggestion to think about, “what people are the most difficult for me to love?” Truthfully, I find it hardest to love the people who have said hurtful things about me and those I easily am annoyed by. My pastor suggested to picture what it looks like to actually love those people– to pray for them, get to know them, and share Christ with them (rather than just tolerating them).

Now this is not to say that it is good to become a human doormat. But, what Jesus’ instructions are to have a willingness to take a second hit and to go the extra mile to help those we don’t see eye to eye with. (29-30)

After all, even unbelievers do good to those who do good to them. This section of the text (32-35) is very convicting for me. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” Our motivation for loving people isn’t so they’ll treat us better. It should be an overflow; a reflection of the love we were first shown from God.

To end this topic, in verses 35-36, Jesus reminds us that the people who love in this way are showing themselves to be God’s sons and daughters. We are called to show others mercy in reflection of the immense mercy God has for us.

So, in the coming weeks, I want to challenge each of us to reflect on who is most difficult to love and pray about what it would look like to love them, aware that they are made in the image of the one who loves perfectly.