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Luke 6:27-28 meaning
The parallel Gospel account for Luke 6:27-28 is Matthew 5:43-45.
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (v 27).
After Jesus concludes His “Woe” statements, He continues to teach His disciples and call them into a kingdom way of life.
Jews in Jesus’s day were, like most of us, keenly aware of who was on “their side” and who was “against them.” The disciples were familiar with the command from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”
But the natural emphasis for Jews and Gentiles alike was narrowing its application to those they defined as “your people” or your neighbor. Everyone is quick to justify their behavior and define their neighbor in a manner that narrows neighbor to only being those on their “side” (Luke 10:29).
According to the world’s system, anyone who is not our neighbor is naturally our enemy and is not deserving of our love, but our hate. This was reinforced by the Jews who could point to passages such as Deuteronomy 23:3-6 to find examples of those they should not love. From this list it would be natural and easy to add other people to the list of enemies to hate, such as the Romans if you were a Zealot, a Sadducee if you were a Pharisee, a Pharisee if you were a Herodian, and so on.
But Jesus did not come to teach the natural social law of the world. He came to teach His supernatural law of love. And loving people is essential to living the Good Life.
One does not attain the Good Life from exploiting as much as they can from others, but through serving other people and seeking their best. This includes one’s enemies. It is generally difficult to remain enemies with someone you are loving and praying for. Perhaps the one who loves the most, least regards others as enemies—therefore such a person is blessed.
Once again, speaking in His own divine name and authority, Jesus begins His teaching with the increasingly familiar phrase, But I say to you. Astonishingly, Jesus commands His disciples to love your enemies. This radical concept goes against human nature, and everything the world teaches.
Jesus, who was the perfect Man emulated this principle by sacrificing Himself and giving His life on the cross so that those who crucified Him might be forgiven and live (Luke 23:34, Romans 5:8). We too can follow Jesus’s example and love our enemies.
The term used for love is not among the Greek words commonly used throughout classical literature. It is not “philos” which means mutual friendship. It is not “eros” which means “strong desire,” and frequently used to describe sexual desire. It is a form of “agape” (G25 - ἀγαπάω), pronounced “ag-ah'-pay.” Agape is used to describe the Christlike brand of love. Agape love is based on choices rooted in values, irrespective of emotions, appetites, or affections. Jesus admonishes His disciples to make a choice that goes against affections.
Before the New Testament was written, agape was a rarely used word and was a generic term for affection. But the writers of the New Testament (following the translators of the Greek Septuagint of the Old Testament) made it their own and employed it to describe the kind of love God has for us and the kind of love He desires us to have for other people—neighbor and enemy alike.
Paul gives the fullest definition and description for agape in 1 Corinthians 13. To agape someone is to seek their best, patiently, kindly, and sacrificially. Agape is seeking the best for others rather than seeking an opportunity to brag or elevate self. Agape love is also given unconditionally, without demand for reciprocity. Agape love trusts God for His reward. None of these actions are natural, or feel good. Patience is choosing not to react to irritants, which is difficult. Kindness is experiencing trouble on behalf of someone who you don’t expect can return the favor. Sacrificing for others without hope of tangible and immediate return is hard. But a disciple is to look beyond what can be seen.
Agape is the lifestyle of a true and happy servant. It is the characteristic of a Christ-follower (John 13:35). Jesus’s disciples are able to have agape for others because Christ first had agape for us (1 John 4:19). In each case, the motivation for agape is because this sort of sacrificial behavior is in our long-term interest, because God will reward us. The Apostle Paul stated that agape love of others is necessary for our actions to yield profit (1 Corinthians 13:3).
Jesus commands His disciples to agape (love) your enemies and do good to those who hate you. Instead of wishing enemies harm and judgment, we are to actively do good to them. This is epitomized in what Jesus did when He was nailed to the cross on behalf of those who mocked and scorned Him (Luke 23:35-39). When we agape (love) our enemies we become like Jesus who loved us while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:7-10). And as we love and do good for our enemies, we become more like Jesus the Son, which leads us to become sons of our Father who is in heaven.
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (v 28).
This is a practical way to love your enemies: bless them and pray for them.
Jesus continues to transform the common earthly thinking of His disciples and commands them to bless those who curse you. This teaching follows the same vein of the previous verse to do good to those who hate you.
As Christ-followers, we are to live by a different standard that the world does not understand. To bless those who curse you is to do the opposite of what our flesh and sin nature wants to do. The Greek word translated as bless is εὐλογέω (G2127—pronounced “yoo-log-eh'-o”). It means “to praise,” “invoke blessings,” or “consecrate a thing with solemn prayers.” There is a remarkable parallel between this command and Jesus’s “Makarios” (blessed, fulfilled) statement in Luke 6:22-23:
“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”
We are only able to bless others when they curse us if we trust Jesus’s “Makarios” promise. We must also trust that our future reward in heaven is more valuable than the instant gratification of retaliating out of our sinful pride. We are only able to fulfill this teaching by living out the agape love that Jesus modelled for us on the cross.
Finally, Jesus calls His disciples to pray for those who mistreat you. We are to intercede on their behalf to God, that He will show them mercy. This is what Jesus did when He was nailed to the cross, asking His Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). When we do this, our enemies cease to be viewed as enemies. It frees us from hate. We can see them as fellow travelers in need of mercy.
Immediately following this Sermon, we will encounter Jesus interacting with a Roman centurion, and not only greeting him, but heaping praise upon him, and calling him great because of his faith. Jesus is a living example for His disciples (and us) of what it looks like to love someone who is supposed to be their enemy.