How to Love an Enemy  (Luke 6:27-36)

But before we dive into the teachings, let me share a story with you. Imagine a workplace where an individual is elected as the employee of the year, only to find himself facing resentment and hostility from a colleague. The other man became extremely resentful of him. Needless to say, there was some great tension that existed between them from that point. 

Then one day the lady who was elected the employee of the year was transferred to another department to be trained in another area of the business. The problem was her trainer was the wife friend of the man in the previous department that didn't like him at all. So, this new trainer took up the offence and she made life as hard as she could for our first guy. She didn't trainer him properly and to make training of difficult and to make it worse she lied about him to the boss which could have affected his entire career at that company.

In other words, to put it all very simply this talented young man who hadn’t done anything wrong except by being elected employee of the year had an enemy in the system.

Now let's suppose that he had come to you and said what, do I do what would you say to about how he should deal with someone who to all intent and purposes was acting like an enemy.

And while you're thinking about that let me ask you another question, do you have any enemies in your life maybe at work, or maybe you have an enemy that living next door . Maybe you even have someone in your family who is not well disposed to you. I have heard many stories about people in extended families or even immediate family that just didn’t like or accept them. People that frankly you could probably classify as an enemy. So, my question is how I deal with someone who is set against you on a personal level. 

There are many passages of scripture that speak to that but none in more detail that I'm aware of as the one in the sermon on the mount as recorded in Luke chapter six.

Today’s passage delves into the depth of that command, breaking it down into two distinct parts. In the initial segment, the Lord provides us with specific instructions, all of which can be encapsulated in the overarching command to love. The second part, beginning in verse 32, elucidates the reasons behind this directive. Thus, the message is clearly divided into these two parts.

Guess what the tile to this section is given as in my bible?

Love for enemies.

27: ‘But to you who are listening I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28: bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you. 29: If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30: Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31: Do to others as you would have them do to you.

(Luke 6: 27-31)

It should come as no surprise, especially if you are familiar with the Bible, that the solution to the question of how to deal with an enemy can be succinctly summarized in one word: Love. 

Let's commence with the first part that delineates what actions to take. 

In verse 27, the straightforward command is presented: "I say to you, love your enemies." To better understand who is considered an enemy, it is essential to look at the preceding verses. In verse 26, it is implied that people who do not speak well of you, as a believer and follower of the Lord could be categorized as enemies. 

Then in today’s opening verse, we see the Lord advising us to do good to those who hate you, those who curse you, and those who spitefully use you, all descriptions of an enemy. 

In verse 29, there is a mention of us even enduring physical abuse, and responding to being struck on one cheek by offering the other. Hence, the question arises: Do you have anyone in your life who does not speak well of you, curses you, or spitefully uses you? If so, you have an enemy, not that we should ow hate them in return, but instead  in recognising them as such we can then be prompted to respond in the correct way. The way to deal with such an enemy is clear, you are to love them.

When I first became a Christian, grappling with this concept was a challenge. How could I love someone I didn't even like, let alone love? It took some time for me to get the distinction between the biblical words for love, and the way most people think of it today. The four types of love mentioned in the bible  are called storgae, denoting family love; eros, associated with passionate, romantic love; philia or philos, representing the love of friendship and tender affection between close friends, and finally, agape, the word used here.

Somebody defined agape love as incomparable invincible goodwill. Let me repeat that agape love is not an emotion it's not something you feel, it's a choice you make to relate to another with an irreversible goodwill.

Individuals who exercise godly agape love are those who do not allow insult, injury, resentment, or bitterness to hinder them from seeking the highest good for the other person. This type of love is not based on the merit of the other person but stems from the deliberate choice of the individual to be a person who practices love towards them.

This distinction can be quite enlightening, especially when the Bible does not require us to like the person. It clarifies that you don't have to like them; you just have to love them. You don't necessarily have to be tender-hearted toward them, even if they have hurt you; you just have to just choose to do what is best for them. 

Let me be clear this can on some occasions even means participating in the legal process to see them punished if it's in their best interest. However, it explicitly excludes any sense of personal revenge.

According to a scholar on Greek words, agape describes an active feeling of benevolence toward the other person. It implies that regardless of what the person does to us, we never allow ourselves to desire anything but their highest good.

It involves a deliberate, purposeful effort to be good and kind to them. This interpretation suggests that we can love our enemies by ensuring that, irrespective of their actions towards us, even if insulting, mistreating, or injuring us, we focus on nothing but their highest good. 

When Jesus says, "love your enemies," he is referring to an act of the will where you do what is best for that person, even if they are doing what is worse for you.

The subsequent verses in this passage, starting from verse 27, outline a series of commands that illustrate what it means to love your enemies. It includes doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and giving honour to those who mistreat you. 

The overarching idea is to actively seek the well-being of the other person, praising them for anything praiseworthy, and demonstrating kindness even in the face of adversity.

If you can’t find something good to say about anybody then just bless them and pray for them. 

In Matthew chapter 5 it is mentioned that this even applies to those who are actively persecuting you.  So, the idea is that you are to pray for those who are hostile toward you in speech and in action. 

Which is, by the way, is exactly what Jesus did is it not father forgive them they don't know what they do, and they were crucifying him when he said that.

In the passage, by saying, "To anyone who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also." This does not advocate retaliation; rather, it suggests not responding to a physical offense. The term "cheek" here actually means "jaw," indicating more than a mere slap, possibly a punch. The idea is not to retaliate but absorb the blow. 

Similarly, in verse 29, when someone takes your cloak, which was the outer garment, offer your inner garment as well. This is more about the attitude of not seeking revenge than a literal action. Verse 30 also encourages us to be generous towards them, even when someone takes from you, without seeking retribution. The overarching message is to give, bless, and refrain from retaliating.

Furthermore, verse 31 encapsulates the principle: "Just as you would want someone treat you, you should also do likewise." If you want to know how to treat your enemy, figure out how you would want to be treated and act accordingly. The command is to love, do good, bless, pray, and treat others as you wish to be treated.

However, the text acknowledges that this response is not the most natural or intuitive, and one might wonder why anyone would choose to act this way. The subsequent verses provide some insight into the reasoning behind loving one's enemies.

 look at verse 32.

32: ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33: And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34: And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36: Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

(Luke 6: 32-36)

In these verses, it might seem surprising that the Lord is suggesting doing good without expecting credit or repayment. However, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that the point is not to seek credit from those you help but to instead be encouraged that the reward you will receive will be from the Lord. 

The repetition of the idea is clear: love your enemies, do good, and lend without expecting anything in return. The reward mentioned is not from people but from God. If you follow these commands, your reward will be great, and you feel like a child of God.

The first reason to love your enemies is to be rewarded by God. The second reason, that needs to be emphasized is found in verse 36, where it says by doing these things you are being like your Father in heaven. 

As children of God, imitating the kindness and mercy of the Father should be a natural response. The point is you do these things not to win over your enemies but to reflect the character of your heavenly Father and anticipate a reward from Him.

In essence, the simple message is that dealing with enemies involves loving them, mirroring the mercy of your Father, and expecting your reward from Him. The focus is not on winning people over but on aligning your actions with godly principles and receiving divine approval.

Turn to Matthew chapter 5 for a final perspective on this issue. 

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(Matthew 5: 11-12)

Here we see Jesus encourage his followers to rejoice and be exceedingly glad even when they face persecution, for great is their reward in heaven. In the first verse he specifically addresses those who are reviled, persecuted, and falsely accused for His sake, urging them to rejoice because of the promised heavenly reward.

Consider looking at this passage in this way. Having an enemy presents an opportunity that those without enemies don't have. Instead of viewing the situation negatively, see it as a chance to demonstrate godly character and to also be rewarded by your heavenly Father as a result of this opportunity. 

See it  as an opportunity, thinking, "I've got an enemy, and this is great because now I can show how much I'm like my Lord Jesus, and I will then be rewarded by my heavenly father for being like his own son"

I began by telling you about a guy who had an enemy at work, well let me say what he did was the nastier the trainer got, the nicer he got in return. But this didn't sit well with the trainers initially. However, one day he found out the trainer and her husband were moving home and had some packing to do and were struggling to get some larger items in their small car. Our friend the ex ‘employee of the year’ went to her said I have a large estate car; I could come over and help you pack. And that what he did, and they all became firm friends thereafter. 

I think that perfectly illustrates the kind of thing we ought to do in expressing agape love.

I think this is what this passage is talking about, it's not that you got to do some great supernatural thing. Expressing love, in and of itself is a supernatural thing. Especially when somebody doesn't like you and somebody lies about you when somebody even tries to hurt you. Like that Lady at work to him and in response he just figures out what good thing he can do for them.

And remember as a bonus he had an opportunity to be like his heavenly father and to be rewarded by him.