Jesus Lived His Teaching: Love Your Enemies
Daily Scripture
Luke 6:27-28, 23:33-34, 47
Luke 6
27 “But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 23
33 When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” They drew lots as a way of dividing up his clothing.
47 When the centurion saw what happened, he praised God, saying, “It’s really true: this man was righteous.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
The Sermon on the Mount included Jesus’ regular emphasis on mercy as a key blessing shaping the lives of citizens of his kingdom. Today’s reading from Luke 6 showed he knew that accepting his teaching required a willingness to hear and think differently about how to respond to opposition and abuse. When Jesus acted out his teaching by praying for the soldiers crucifying him, his example changed even the Roman officer overseeing his execution.
- Scholar Michael Wilcock noted that Luke 6:27-28 called Jesus’ followers to God-like action: “They are to see as God sees; and they are, secondly, to act as God acts. They will therefore follow not merely the call of duty, but the call of love. They will seek to do not simply what is right, but what is good. And they will act in this way not only towards those who deserve it but also towards those who do not.” * What makes loving enemies and praying for those who mistreat you so difficult?
- Pastor Hamilton wrote that Christianity’s central focus is “not guilt, but grace, redemption, healing, forgiveness, and mercy.” ** Jesus embodied this on the cross, refusing to curse his executioners and instead praying for their forgiveness. The centurion saw Jesus forgiving his executioners and recognized his righteousness. What does this tell us about the power of actually living out enemy love? What enemy, opponent, or person who has hurt you is Jesus calling you to pray for?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, you gave your all to forgive, accept, and love even those who crucified you. Help me grow in my capacity to love my enemies and pray for those who mistreat me. Let my life gratefully reflect what you’ve done for me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Leah Swank-Miller
Leah Swank-Miller, who serves as Pastor of Care and Director of Student Ministries at Resurrection Overland Park, wrote today's Insights. A Kansas native, she has been a professional actress for nearly two decades, and she loves to see the vastness of God’s creation through theatre and the arts. Leah graduated with an M. Div. from Saint Paul School of Theology. Leah, Brian, and their two children love to play tennis, golf, soccer, and board games.
If I’m honest, most of the time I prefer to close my world off to those I completely disagree with, and yet Jesus never did that. He chose to make his world wider, even to those who would betray him. Even in suffering, he never let hatred win. He embodied the love he preached. That’s what makes it… unsettling? Is that the word? My pride sure finds it unsettling, and also, so powerful.
Contrary to what we tend to hear, loving our enemies isn’t soft or passive. It’s one of the most defiant acts we can choose to do. When we pray for someone who hurt us, refuse to reduce them to a single mistake, and let go of revenge, we break the cycle of pain. It doesn’t excuse harm or erase boundaries; instead, it keeps bitterness from defining us.
It’s powerful but not in the way we are used to. This power is different. It looks like staying human in the face of dehumanization, staying open when closing off seems easier, and trusting God’s work even when we struggle to forgive or understand people.
Sometimes, the “enemy” isn’t just out there. It’s the voice inside that replays our failures, the version of ourselves we’re ashamed of, the part we’d rather hide than heal.
I can recall myself admitting to friends in a somewhat joking manner that it’s totally ok if they mess up because I’ve got enough grace for their mistakes. But if I mess up, well, no way! I don’t have enough grace for myself. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why the double standard?
Jesus’ love reaches outward to those who’ve hurt us and inward to the parts of ourselves we reject. The real question isn’t just who hurt me; it’s where am I withholding compassion, from others or myself?
And, guess what? You don’t need to feel ready. Loving our enemies usually doesn’t start with an emotional shift; it’s not like in the movies. It often begins with intention. Simply being willing to practice it. Prayer might be the best way to start. Author Kate Bowler (and soon-to-be guest preacher for Resurrection) laments about this lack of desire and shares a simple prayer from her book The Lives We Actually Have, 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days: God, I don’t want to, but help me see what I need to see, so I can do what I know I’m supposed to do. (Bowler, 2021)
She continues, “Blessed are we who say, Oh God, please do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Give us the desire to speak the truth in love, to listen to each other, and hear the humanity underneath the hurt. Give us the wisdom and skills to communicate well and the patience to bear up when things get difficult. And where we ourselves fall short, stand in the gap for us, Lord, just as you did at the cross.”
When we live this way, even imperfectly, we show that love is stronger than resentment, fear, or what tries to break us. This is the power Jesus trusted and invites us to practice, one honest prayer and attempt at a time.
© 2026 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Michael Wilcock, The Message of Luke. InterVarsity Press, 1979, p. 86.
** Hamilton, Adam, Forgiveness (p. 17). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
