“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good.”
Matthew 5:44-45
Why would Jesus command this in the Sermon on the Mount? And why would Paul command us to bless those who persecute us (Romans 12:14)? Because our enemies are people who need a saving relationship with Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23). By praying for our enemies and not just those who love us and think like us (Matthew 5:46-47), our own hearts soften. Without harboring anger or malice toward our enemies, we are free to follow Jesus for His glory, to the amazement of a watching world.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who stood up to the Nazis, was imprisoned, and was executed in a concentration camp at the end of World War 2. He understood well the challenge it was in his heart to love his enemies. He said, “The enemy was no mere abstraction for the disciples. They knew him too well. … They were those who hated them for leaving all they had for Jesus’ sake” (1937).
Jesus didn’t just present these commands to us. He lived them out and even prayed while on the cross for those who were crucifying Him (Luke 23:34).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who stood up to the Nazis, was imprisoned, and was executed in a concentration camp at the end of World War 2. He understood well the challenge it was in his heart to love his enemies. He said, “The enemy was no mere abstraction for the disciples. They knew him too well. … They were those who hated them for leaving all they had for Jesus’ sake” (1937).
Jesus didn’t just present these commands to us. He lived them out and even prayed while on the cross for those who were crucifying Him (Luke 23:34).
Scripture Focus
Matthew 5:38-48
Insight
“It is possible to move men through God, by prayer alone.” (Hudson Taylor, 1832-1905)
Bible In A Year
- Deuteronomy 11-12
- Psalm 85
- Acts 8
