Loving those who do not deserve it

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”Matthew 5:44

Reflection

This is probably the hardest command of Jesus. Loving those who love us is easy and natural — even the worst human beings do that. Jesus Himself observed: "if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" (v. 46). What distinguishes the disciple of Christ is not loving the lovable, but loving ENEMIES — the people who wounded us, who root against us, who mistreat us. This goes against every human instinct, which cries out for revenge, for distance, for "an eye for an eye". Jesus proposes something radically different and supernatural.

But it is important to understand what Jesus means by "loving" here — because it is not a warm feeling He is demanding. He did not command us to FEEL affection for the enemy; He commanded us to ACT: "bless", "do good", "pray". They are verbs, decisions, concrete acts. You do not have to like your enemy to love him in the biblical sense; you need to choose to desire his good, treat him with dignity and pray for him. Love for enemies does not begin in the heart and flow to the actions — often it begins in the actions (especially in prayer) and, over time, reaches the heart.

Notice the specific power of the last instruction: "PRAY for them which persecute you". This is perhaps the most transforming weapon against hatred — and the target of that transformation is first YOU. It is almost impossible to keep hating someone you sincerely pray for. Praying for the enemy breaks the cycle of resentment from within, frees the heart from the poison of bitterness and, little by little, changes how you see that person. When you pray for the one who wounded you, you stop being a prisoner of what he did to you. Forgiveness and love of enemies free the victim before touching the offender.

And note the reason Jesus gives right after: "that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good" (v. 45). God makes the sun shine and the rain fall even on those who reject Him. God’s love is like that: it reaches those who do not deserve it — and we were reached by that love when we were His enemies (Romans 5:10). To love enemies, therefore, is not merely to obey a hard command; it is to IMITATE the Father and reflect the love we ourselves received without deserving. Is there someone who fits the word "enemy" in your life? Begin today through the door Jesus opened: pray for that person. Not for their transformation first, but for yours. It is the most improbable — and most liberating — path for the heart.

Bible text: King James Version (public domain).