Matthew 12:15-21; Mark 3:7-19; Luke 6:12-19;
Matthew 5:1-48; Luke 6:20-36
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:43-44
But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Luke 6:27-29
Who is not challenged by these words of Jesus? When we as individuals are hurt, offended, or abused by another, our natural reaction is not to love. Even when we manage to let some offense go and to turn the other cheek, we have a hard time really forgiving one who continues to do us harm. We have an even harder time actively loving such a person. But as challenging as these words are, we know that we cannot just ignore them. This is, after all, Jesus speaking. So we (hopefully) try to live accordingly in our interpersonal relationships.
But how do these words apply when there is real violence involved? Or what about larger conflicts that go beyond personal, one-on-one relationships? Some would argue that Jesus is here advocating full-bore pacifism, that forceful resistance to aggression is never appropriate, but is that really what He is saying? Let’s imagine “turning the other cheek” in a school shooting. Is Jesus saying that schools should adopt an “anti-lockdown” policy when there is an active shooter on campus — just open the doors and line the kids up as targets? (Probably not…) Or how about the very real scenario playing out right now in Israel? Are the Jews supposed to simply let Hamas kill every last one of them, which is Hamas’ stated objective? (Probably not…)
If we reason through such scenarios and consider the broader context of Scripture (including, for example, exhortations to seek justice and to defend the weak), it becomes clear that Jesus cannot mean complete pacifism. But neither can we simply toss His words aside as naïve idealism. We must wrestle with these words. We must reckon with the challenges they pose. We must see that Jesus calls us to do what He does. (If God didn’t love His enemies, we would all be lost…)
So take some time and meditate on what these words of Jesus mean, not just theoretically “out there”, but for you personally. Who is your enemy? How might you love that person? How might you pray for them? Are you going to listen to Jesus or ignore Him?
See also: