Cultivating Love for Enemies in Difficult Circumstances
Jesus' command to "love your enemies" is a central ethical teaching in the New Testament, appearing in both Matthew and Luke's Gospels [1, 2, 4]. This instruction challenges conventional ancient world ethics, which often encouraged love for family and friends but hatred for enemies [5]. Instead, Jesus calls for a radical ethic of overcoming evil through self-sacrificial love rather than violence or hatred [5].
The command in Matthew 5:44 states, "But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you" [1]. Luke 6:35 similarly urges, "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil" [2]. This "love" (Greek agape) is understood not as mere personal affection but as a moral love, a benevolent and compassionate desire for another's good [9]. It involves actively seeking the well-being of those who are hostile, even when it is costly to oneself [6].
This teaching was not entirely new with Jesus, as elements of it can be found in the Old Testament. The book of Proverbs, for instance, advises, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink" (Proverbs 25:21) [6]. Matthew Henry notes that this demonstrates the commandment to love enemies was an "Old Testament commandment," though Jesus gave it "new enforcement" through his own example [6]. John Gill interprets the Apostle Paul's words in Romans 12:20, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him drink," as an interpretation of Christ's command to love enemies, suggesting that outward expressions of kindness are integral to this love [8].
Cultivating love for enemies involves specific actions:
- Blessing those who curse you: This means speaking well of them or wishing them well, rather than retaliating with curses [1, 9].
- Doing good to those who hate you: This goes beyond passive non-retaliation to active benevolence [1, 2, 9].
- Praying for those who mistreat and persecute you: Interceding for one's adversaries is a profound expression of love and a means of seeking their good [1, 9].
The motivation for such radical love is rooted in God's character. Luke 6:35 highlights that by loving enemies, believers become "children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil" [2]. God's kindness extends even to those who do not deserve it, providing a divine model for human behavior [2].
The practice of loving enemies is also seen as a means by which God can change hearts. Matthew Henry suggests that God "can turn foes into friends when he pleases" and will do so for those who "make it our care to be reconciled to God, and to keep ourselves in his love" [7]. This implies that loving enemies is not merely an end in itself but can also be a catalyst for reconciliation, as God has the power to "change their minds, or force them into a feigned submission" [7].
The biblical injunction to love enemies stands in contrast to the idea of making enemies a "footstool for your feet" [3], which refers to God's ultimate triumph over all opposition, not a human directive for personal vengeance. Instead, the emphasis is on active benevolence and a desire for the enemy's good, mirroring God's own disposition towards humanity [2, 5].
Sources
- Matthew “But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, -- Matthew 5:44”
- Luke “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. -- Luke 6:35”
- Acts “Acts 2:35 (LEB) — until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’”
- Luke “Luke 6:27 (Tyndale) — But I saye vnto you which heare: Love youre enemyes. Do good to the which hate you.”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 6:27: 6:27 love your enemies! People were commonly taught in the ancient world to love their family and friends and hate their enemies. Jesus announced a radical new ethic of loving even one’s enemies and overcoming evil through self-sacrificial love for others, not through violence and hatred (cp. Rom 12:14-21).”
- Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 25:21: By this it appears that, however the scribes and Pharisees had corrupted the law, not only the commandment of loving our brethren, but even that of loving our enemies, was not only a new, but also an old commandment, an Old Testament commandment, though our Saviour has given it to us with the new enforcement of his own great example in loving us when we were enemies. Observe, 1. How we must express our love to our enemies by the real offices of kindness, even those that are expensive to ourselves and most acceptable to them: "If they be hungry and thirsty, inst”
- Proverbs (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:7: Note, 1. God can turn foes into friends when he pleases. He that has all hearts in his hand has access to men's spirits and power over them, working insensibly, but irresistibly upon them, can make a man's enemies to be at peace with him, can change their minds, or force them into a feigned submission. He can slay all enemies, and bring those together that were at the greatest distance from each other. 2. He will do it for us when we please him. If we make it our care to be reconciled to God, and to keep ourselves in his love, he will incline those that have bee”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 5:44: But I say unto you, love your enemies,.... That is, as the Apostle Paul may be thought to interpret the words of Christ, Rom 12:20. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him drink": unless our Lord should be supposed rather to regard the internal affection of the mind; since outward expressions of love, by words and works, are urged in the following exhortations: the actions of a man may be hated, and just indignation be expressed against them, and yet his person be loved, tenderness be used to him, and pity shown him: all men, even enemies, are to be ”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 5:44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies--The word here used denotes moral love, as distinguished from the other word, which expresses personal affection. Usually, the former denotes "complacency in the character" of the person loved; but here it denotes the benignant, compassionate outgoings of desire for another's good. bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you--The best commentary on these matchless counsels is the bright example of Him who gave them. (See Pe1 2:21-24; a”