“Hate your enemy.” Sounds logical to me. Why wouldn’t I hate my enemy? Do I really need someone to teach me to hate my enemies? I would think that would come naturally, yet people in Jesus’ time were actually teaching people to hate their enemies (Mathew 5:43). Maybe they offered classes on the best way to revenge yourself or classes on deception. Perhaps they taught how to run a sting operation to get all you could out of your enemies.
Jesus taught something that was completely contrary to our natural instincts, “love your enemies.”
How can you love your enemies? How can you love someone who is out to cause you harm? Jesus explained how to go about loving those who are against us. He told us to bless them, to do good to those who hate you.” (Mathew 5:44). We are to pray for people who use us. Ask God to reveal himself to them. Seek God to bless them. If they come to know God, chances are they will no longer be your enemies but will become your brother or sister.
Should we be doing this so that our enemies will stop persecuting us? No, though that may happen. Jesus tells us the correct motivation. “So that you may be like your father in heaven; for He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good.”
Our behavior must be consistently kind to both good men and evil men. This will definitely not come naturally. We can only do it as we rely on God.
