The recent kerfuffle about President Trump’s comments at the National Prayer Breakfast have prompted me to want to explore more deeply what Jesus meant when he said love your enemies. The following blog captures a small part of what Jesus intended. Books have been written about what it means to love our enemies. This blog is only 1610 words.
Jesus taught this phrase in two places in the Bible—in passages called the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain. The full reading of those passages is at the end of this blog. I’m going to focus primarily on the Sermon on the Mount passage.
For those interested, President’s comments at the National Prayer Breakfast can be found here:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/02/06/trump_at_national_prayer_breakfast_corrupt_people_put_me_through_terrible_ordeal.html
Arthur Brooks made comments at the National Prayer Breakfast that are worth viewing. They can be found at the 55 minute mark of the video on this web site:
https://stream.org/harvard-professor-arthur-brooks-powerful-speech-about-division/
By the way I just purchased his book called, “Love your enemies” and plan on writing a review of it.
Stephanie Anthony, a friend of mine and a Presbyterian pastor, attended the National Prayer Breakfast and wrote a blog about her experience. Her blog can be found here:
If anyone interprets this particular blog as a rant against President Trump, I have miscommunicated. His comments did spur me to write this blog; however my motivation in writing is to communicate what Jesus meant when he said, “love your enemies.” This statement by Jesus has been a primary motivation for me in my own ministry and offers a vision of the world towards which I’ve committed my life.
I first read the Sermon on the Mount in a Bible Study when I attended Carleton college. As a freshman I gathered with about four other guys in a home of the local Intervarsity leader. We read and discussed the Sermon on the Mount. In reading these three chapters I became devoted to the vision of the world that Jesus communicated. I want to live in a world where blessings happen for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and those who are reviled on the account of Jesus. I want to live in a world where anger and adultery and divorce and disavowal of oaths, and retaliation hardly happen. I want to live in a world where the Lord’s Prayer is a reality, where people do not worry about being able to eat, where people do not judge, where the Golden Rule is lived out. And I want to live in a world where people love their enemies.
What a vision Jesus communicated!!
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” in the context of six antithesis statements. Jesus first shared a statement from the Law or the Torah that was probably taught in the synagogues. Then Jesus changed the teaching to make it even more stringent. Jesus went to the root of the ancient teaching and expressed a vision of that ancient teaching.
Jesus said these words in a time of great conflict. Romans were occupying the land of Israel and Judah; Jews and Samaritans nursed grievances that went back for centuries. Gentiles and Jews had large differences. The hate that we see between groups of people (Democrats and Republicans) today is not any greater than the hate that existed between groups when Jesus lives.
What did Jesus mean when he said taught his followers to love their enemies. Specifically the passage reads “you have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’” but I say to you Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
First, it’s important to know that nowhere in the Old Testament does the phrase “hate your enemy” occur.
Second, love is an attitude and not an emotion. A person can feel anger or hostility in their inner spirit towards someone and still love the person. When Jesus said “love your enemies” he was talking about the actions towards a person who we would describe as an enemy.
Third, many people today might say that they don’t have enemies. And they probably don’t. The word “enemy” comes from the Greek word transliterated as “echtros.” It means someone towards whom a person has a high amount of hate. However every human has people who push their inner buttons. All humans at some level have lashed out within their heart at someone. So even if you and I might not think we have enemies, this teaching of Jesus relates to all of us as each of us has people who push our buttons.
Fourth, the English word for love comes from the Greek form of agape. Put briefly agape is a self-sacrificing form of love that goes the extra mile to care for a person. In his stories and example Jesus illustrated this extra mile of care. He encouraged people to help a Samaritan, he forgave the people who killed him while Jesus was dying on the cross, he shared a parable of a father forgiving his prodigal son when the son did not deserve his forgiveness. Jesus demonstrated in his teaching and his actions this agape love.
Fifth, loving our enemies does not mean that we tolerate cruelty or hate or violence. For example, Jesus didn’t intend for a woman to stay in a marriage of abuse because the woman was supposed to love her enemy. A child would not continue to put him or herself in an abusive situation because of love. Love and justice (creating a situation that is right) must go hand-in-hand.
Sixth, when we love our enemies we reflect how God treats all people. God does not ignore the act or someone who does something terrible, but God does not stop loving that person. Jesus said in verse 48, “be perfect (or complete) therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (or complete.) When we love someone who strongly pushes our own buttons or someone who actively opposes justice and righteousness, we are treating the person as God treats the person. Instead of choosing retribution, we are choosing love. We don’t give away our right to name injustice or work towards justice, but we still choose to love.
Seventh, loving our enemies is one of the hardest acts of Christian discipleship. I can’t imagine loving an enemy without the help of God through prayer or the help of a community of people who encourage me to love.
Eight, one of the ways I try to love someone who is my enemy (or who is pushing my buttons) is to imagine the person as a baby. I imagine the smiles and joy that this person as a baby brought to his or her family. I reflect on how I might have held the person as a baby in my arms and felt a great deal of affection for the person. I even think of how I felt towards the person is I held the person in my own arms and baptized him or her. This exercise helps me lower my own strong emotions towards the person.
I believe that the call to love our enemies is a foundational teaching of Jesus. It is one of the hardest teachings of the faith. One never masters the teaching, but at times a person can achieve it. I will continue to pray and work to create a world where people can frequently reach this place of loving our enemies. I encourage you to do the same.
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so 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 righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those you love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your bothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
“But I say to you that listen Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the check, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you, and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:27-36
