Jesus said a lot of things that were hard to understand. Sometimes He even said things that seemed impossible to do. One such example can be found in Jesus’ most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus said, “Love your enemies”, He was dropping a bomb on what the people of the day were being taught. In fact, the idea of loving your enemies runs counter to our very nature. The religious leaders of the day had missed the heart of God by teaching that we were to love our neighbors only. Jesus revealed in His statement the true heart of God…that we are to love our enemies, too. Thankfully, he tells us how to do it, and why we are to do it!
The world that we live in today is full of hate.
It is all over the television, and all over social media. Jesus, in Matthew chapter 5, drew a clear contrast in what the Kingdom of this world looks like and what His people ought to look like. In fact, He called us the “light of the world.” We are lights that shine in contrast to the darkness all around us. Then, He said that one of the ways that we shine the brightest is when we love our enemies.
So, how about you?
Are you harboring hate? Are you praying for those that may have hurt you or discouraged you? Do you do good to those that may have run over you? It doesn’t come naturally, but its exactly what Jesus did for you. He loved you when you were His enemy. How about you?
“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10