How do you treat those who hate you? What do you say back to those who curse or insult you? What are your prayers like for those who abuse or mistreat you? How will you treat your enemies? Those questions are at the heart of our passage this morning.

The topic of loving our enemies flows naturally from what our Lord taught us last week at the beginning of his Sermon on the Plain. Last week, we learned that Jesus’ kingdom people are blessed; they’re divinely happy. Jesus’ kingdom people are those who have come to see that who they are before God is who they really are—nothing more or less. They’re divinely happy because their eyes have been opened to see that, before God, they are spiritually bankrupt and carry an infinite sin debt they cannot pay. And they’re divinely happy because, though poor, they’ve thrown themselves on the riches of God’s mercy in Christ.

Jesus’ kingdom people are divinely happy because, though they were once enemies of God, God so loved his enemies that He gave His only Son to die and rise for their sins, so that whoever receives and rests in Jesus Christ is no longer God’s enemy, but rather His adopted son or daughter. And since that is how God loved us, His enemies, it makes all the sense in the world that the Lord Jesus says, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies…Be merciful even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:27a, 36).

And that brings us to the simple big idea of our passage: Jesus’ kingdom people love their enemies. Jesus’ kingdom people love their enemies. This big idea raises three questions that our passage this morning answers one at a time:

1. Who are our enemies? (vv. 27–28)
2. How do we love our enemies? (vv. 27–31)
3. Why must we love our enemies? (vv. 32–36

WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES? (vv. 27–28)

Who does Jesus have in mind when he says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who persecute you, and pray for those who abuse you”? Before we can consider how to love our enemies, we have to know who our enemies are.

Context is king when it comes to discerning who our enemies are. Remember that Jesus’ command to love your enemies is found in the middle of his Sermon on the Plain. It’s not a standalone command; rather, it’s part of Jesus’ larger flow of thought in the sermon. Just a bit before Jesus commanded his disciples to love their enemies, he said, “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22–23).

The context teaches us that the primary “enemies” Jesus had in mind when he said, “love your enemies,” are those who mistreat you because you’re a Christian. When Jesus says, “love your enemies,” the enemies he has in mind are primarily those who hate you, exclude you, revile you, or slander your name because you belong to the Son of Man, follow the Son of Man by faith in all matters, and bear witness about the Son of Man. Your enemies are those who hate or mistreat you on account of the Son of Man.

We should also remember that Jesus is not merely talking to one of his disciples individually, but to the whole group of them. So, your enemies are also those who oppose the Son of Man’s church, oppose the advance of His kingdom in this world, and oppose the spread of His gospel here and to the ends of the earth. Those are our enemies.

Of course, there may be those who mistreat you simply because they’re evil, though not obviously because you’re a Christian. Though that’s not what Christ primarily had in mind in his sermon, the same rule of love applies. On the other hand, your enemies are not those who dislike you or correct you when you act like a distasteful person or employee. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler” (1 Peter 4:15).

So, who are your enemies? Your enemies are those who hate you, exclude you, revile you, and slander your name because you’re seeking to live for Christ in this world and advance the kingdom of Christ in this world.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “I don’t have any enemies—what should I do?” It’s a good question because, since the central ethical characteristic of Jesus’ kingdom people is love for their enemies, it stands to reason that Jesus Christ assumes that his followers will usually or often have enemies. Some people think that Christians should not have any enemies, but Jesus assumes that we will have enemies on account of the Son of Man.

What should you do if you don’t have enemies? Three things: believe, be bolder, and get older.

First, repent, believe, and be baptized in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. To suffer on account of His name, you have to first take His name, which we do publicly through baptism.

Second, live as a bold, outspoken witness for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the ethics of Jesus Christ wherever God calls you in life—whether at home, school, work, or to the ends of the earth.

Finally, get older. Live long enough for Christ, pouring out your heart for the sake of helping others follow Jesus, and you will be hated, excluded, slandered, or mistreated for it.

Who are our enemies? Your enemies are those who hate you, exclude you, revile you, and slander your name—whether individually or toward the church—because you’re seeking to live for Christ in this world and advance the kingdom of Christ in this world.

HOW DO WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES? (vv. 27–31)

Now that we know who our enemies are, the Lord Jesus provides three quick exhortations that explain how to love our enemies. How do we love our enemies?

First, do good to them. “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Let’s consider an example from the workplace. If someone at work hates or dislikes you because you don’t participate in office gossip, you won’t cut ethical corners, you always go the extra mile to honor God with your work, and you boldly seek opportunities to pray for people or share about Christ with them, don’t avoid them. Don’t quiet down about Christ. Instead, pray for God to give you wisdom about how to do good to them, and then go out of your way to do good to that person who really doesn’t like you.

Similarly, if another student at school teases you because you walk with Christ or tries to make your life miserable, make that person the one, above others, to whom you go out of your way to do good. Yes, the world says, “cut toxic people out of your life,” but Jesus says, “do good to toxic people.” By doing good to them, you are letting your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount.

Paul writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19–21). Love your enemies by doing good to those who hate you.

Second, bless them. “Bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28a). The second way to love your enemies is by blessing those who curse you. Blessing has to do with what you say to your enemies; prayer is what you say to God about your enemies.

One of the most beautiful examples of blessing those who curse you was the very first Christian martyr, Stephen. Stephen was a bold witness for Jesus Christ. The Bible says he was full of grace and power. Stephen was Jewish, but a believer in Jesus Christ. Some Jews who didn’t believe in Jesus stirred up false charges against Stephen and had him arrested by the high priest. Instead of cowering in fear or compromising, Stephen boldly proclaimed Jesus to the high priest and all who were present. Not only did they curse Stephen for it, they began to stone him as a form of execution.

How did Stephen respond to their cursing and murdering? Listen to his dying words: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Wow! Jesus’ kingdom people do not curse and say, “to hell with you”; rather, they bless those who curse them. One of the best ways to bless those who are enemies of God is by sharing the gospel with them.

Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and the final way to love your enemies…

Finally, pray for them. “Pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:28b). What’s your first instinct when someone abuses you and mistreats you on account of Christ?

Remember, Jesus’ kingdom people have God Almighty as their Father. We trust that He is working all things—even the abuse we receive—according to the counsel of His will. We trust that He can turn our abusers into our brothers in Christ. Therefore, when we are abused, prayer for those who mistreat us is our first response, not our last resort.

When someone teases you for not sleeping with your girlfriend, when someone calls you backward for upholding Jesus’ sexual ethics, when someone is put off by your devotion to or zeal for Christ—right away, pray for God’s transforming grace and blessing to rest on them.

Now, praying for those who abuse you often sounds nice until you’re actually abused or horribly mistreated. How should we pray for deeply wicked people? In line with the prayers in the book of Revelation and the imprecatory psalms, one biblical scholar advises, “Pray that God would either save those who destroy families and hurt little children or thwart all their efforts and keep them from doing further harm… Pray that God would either redeem people who are right now identifying with the seed of the serpent, or, if he is not going to redeem them, that he would crush them and all their evil designs.”

How do we love our enemies? Do good to them when they hate you, bless them when they curse you, and pray for them when they abuse you. Is that how you seek to treat your enemies?

Now, the Lord Jesus Christ was a great preacher and, therefore, he used four quick-hitting illustrations to show us what loving our enemies is like. These are not four commands that are literally applicable at all times. Rather, they are illustrations of what love for enemies looks like. We know they’re illustrations because if you literally gave away your tunic—equivalent to undergarments—you would be walking around without clothes on, and Jesus certainly doesn’t want that.

So, what is loving your enemies like?

First, it’s like offering the other cheek when someone gives you a disrespectful backhand. “To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” (Luke 6:29a). Now, remember that context is king, and the context is persecution on account of the Son of Man. One New Testament scholar clarifies the point: in the context of persecution, offering the cheek means continuing to minister at the risk of further persecution.

Second, loving your enemy looks like remaining vulnerable to further mistreatment for the sake of the gospel. “…and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either” (Luke 6:29b). The picture is of a robbery, and the point is that one should not seek revenge, but again remain potentially vulnerable to a second attack. Missionary travel was potentially dangerous, since robbers lingered on the highways; but one should not cease from gospel work simply because one might be attacked. Another possibility is that the social ostracism of persecution produced situations where belongings were taken or damaged. These factors should not stop one from loving and serving one’s neighbors.

Third, loving your enemies looks like being generous to a fault. “Give to everyone who begs from you” (Luke 6:30a). Loving your enemies looks like being generous to a fault and leaving yourself vulnerable to being taken advantage of, rather than standing rigidly on your rights.

Finally, loving your enemies looks like not taking vengeance. “…and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back” (Luke 6:30b). Jesus’ kingdom citizens are so loved and secure in their Father that they are willing to deny themselves and be generous to the point of even being wronged in order to win over their enemy to Christ.

The ultimate principle is this: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31).

Jesus’ kingdom people love their enemies. Who are our enemies? Those who mistreat us on account of the Son of Man. How do we love our enemies? Do good to them, bless them, and pray for them—which looks like being generous to a fault and vulnerable toward them, all in hopes of winning them to Christ.

Now, if you’re really listening to the Lord Jesus, then you probably feel the weight of this extraordinary command to love your enemies—and that weight leads to our final question:

WHY MUST WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES? (vv. 32–36)

There is one ultimate reason why Jesus’ kingdom people love their enemies: our Father in heaven loves His enemies. Notice what Jesus says at the end of Luke 6:35: “…for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” The ultimate reason why Jesus’ kingdom people must love their enemies is that they bear the family resemblance. “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

Look with me at Luke 6:32–35, and let’s consider how the Father has loved us so that we can see why we must love our enemies.

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32). Now, think of your Father’s love for you. Did He love you because you loved Him? Absolutely not! “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Friends, we did not love God. “…haters of God” (Romans 1:30). In this is the love of the Father: He loved us when we hated Him. When we hated the Father, He loved us and sent His Son to bear His righteous wrath on the cross—wrath which we deserved for hating Him. In this is love: not that we chose to love God, but that in love He chose us. “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4–5).

If God so loved us when we hated Him, then we must love our enemies. It’s the family resemblance. Since the Father has so loved us, we must love our enemies.

“And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (Luke 6:33). Now think of how the Father has done good to us. Has He done good to us because we’ve done good to Him? No—He did good to us when we were His enemies, objects of His wrath. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world…among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh… and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1–5).

If God did such good to us when we were so bad to Him, we must do good to those who hate us.

“And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount” (Luke 6:34). Think of the generosity of your Father. He did not lend you His grace, but gave it to you in full measure. He knows full well that even you, His adopted children in Christ, will abuse His grace by continuing to sin despite receiving so great a salvation. And still, He pours out grace upon grace on you every day. He knows full well how ungrateful you are, and yet He is kinder still and kinder still.

When you were evil, He gave you His Son, though you can never repay Him. Now that you are His child, He showers you with kindness and mercy every day, though you are not nearly as grateful as you should be. He gives more grace, though you can do nothing to repay Him, because all things are His.

And if God gives and gives to you, then you must love your enemies, and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. You will bear the family resemblance, and your Father will reward you in heaven.

So, why must we love our enemies? Because our Father loved us when we were His enemies. Why must we do good to our enemies? Because our Father so loved us when we were His enemies that He did the unthinkable and gave His Son to be crucified in the place of His enemies so that we can be forgiven. Why must we be generous to a fault toward our enemies? Because, though we are still inclined to all evil, our Father—through the merits of His Son counted to us—treats us as if we had never sinned and had accomplished all righteousness.

Why must we love our enemies? It’s the family resemblance.