Luke 6:27-36
In this passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples, or followers, (in other words, to believers) regarding how they should act toward their enemies. Who are their enemies? Their enemies are the same enemies of believers everywhere: Non-believers; the lost, the unsaved, the self-reliant and self-righteous, the powerful and influential oppressors of God, His word, and His church.
Enemies are those who will oppose us, belitle us, make fun of us and jeer at our beliefs. They may leave us out of their parties, meetings, and other social or business events because of our Christian beliefs. They may try to take advantage of our Christian kindness, using us to serve their purposes. They call us names; they insult our character and intelligence, and even go so far as to put trials and temptations in our paths to try to make us stumble, so they can hold us up as examples of failed Christianity. Sometimes they can even be family members who criticize us for having "too much religion", or "being too involved", or "giving too much to the church".
Jesus understood that our natural, human reaction to our enemies is to retaliate in kind; to strike back. But He was very clear that believers are not to react according to our own human instincts and inclination. We are not held to human standards of behavior, but heavenly ones. We are to love our enemies, do good to those who spite us; to bless those who curse us, and pray for those who despitefully use us.
The Greek word for "love" used here is "agape", which is a holy, divine, all-encompassing concern for the well-being of others. It is more than mere emotion, it is the highest order of selfless love. Agape love recognizes that every person is valuable, regardless of their outward circumstances or actions. It is that kind of love that God demonstated toward us when He provided a plan of salvation for a wicked, uncaring and ungrateful creation. It is the kind of love Jesus showed when He accepted death on the cross to redeem us.
Jesus didn't say that we have to like our enemies, and we certainly don't have to like what they do. What He is teaching here is to decide, by a free act of our own will, to demonstrate a positive and loving concern for our enemies. We are to take the initiative: to love our enemies, to do good to those who spite us, to bless those who curse us and pray for those who despitefully use us.
It is important to understand that Christian love does not depend on the actions of others. They don't have to deserve it; it is something we are to do out of obedience to our Lord. We are to deny our natural instincts for retaliation, and demonstrate the love of Jesus.
The question here is why? Why does Jesus expect us to actively seek good for our enemies? Why does He want us to love even those who hurt or abuse us? Why?
And the answer is simple: to glorify God. To demonstrate the love of God to a lost and dying world. To point others to Jesus Christ as the standard to which we are held accountable, and to which we strive to live. To brings them to Jesus for the salvation they so desperately need. Christians act no differently than sinners if we love only those who love us. But when we love the unloved and unlovable, then the world sees that we are different; (and if Christians don't love these people, who will?) When we love our enemies, when we love the lost, when we love the unlovable, we are demonstrating the same love that God showed toward us!
Jesus said in Matt. 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give." We are to show the love of Jesus in our lives, not by following the world's standards, but by following God's standards. This is one way we show obedience to God's word, and how we demonstrate the love of God to a lost and dying world.
See also Matt. 9:2-8, and Luke 5:18-26.
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