John Piper On What Jesus Demands From The WorldSýnishorn

Love Your Enemies 

“Enemies” are people who are against you, those who dislike you, oppose you, or want you to fail. American readers may think immediately of the Soviet Union during the Cold War or violent extremist groups such as the Taliban or Islamic State in recent years. Some may think of individuals who have caused immense pain or disappointment through betrayal, gossip, slander, injustice, or rivalry. The “enemies” for Jesus’ first hearers may have included the Romans who ruled over the Jews or the despised Samaritans. 

The natural response to enemies is to “hate” them, whether through active hostility or passive avoidance. However, Jesus commands us to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, and forgive those who do us wrong. And He profoundly illustrates such love by washing the feet of those who would betray, deny, and abandon Him. He also asked God to forgive those who crucified Him and offered His own life as a ransom. According to the apostle Paul, Jesus died to reconcile us to God while we were His “enemies” (see Rom. 5:10). 

It is impossible to obey Jesus’ commands to give to those who ask, to accept dishonor and inconvenience, and to lend without expecting repayment if we love money and find our security and satisfaction on earth. Jesus declares that we cannot serve God and money, and He summons us to find our true security, identity, and honor in knowing and being known by our Heavenly Father.

Consider Jesus’ logic in Matthew 5:44-45: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus does not mean that love for enemies makes you a child of God. No one can earn the right to be God’s child. You must be born of God. Rather, He means that you show that you are God’s child when you love your enemies and do what you see your Father doing. 

When we love our enemies, we show that we are God’s adopted children. We give mercy to the undeserving because we have received undeserved mercy from God. We can endure insults, injustices, or injuries because we have a Heavenly Father who takes care of us and has promised a reward far better than human praise and acceptance. The joy that sustains us in the midst of persecution, as we endeavor to love our enemies, is not based mainly on what this world can offer, but on what God will be for us as a Father and what Jesus will be for us as our King in the age to come.