Christian Art | Love Your Enemies | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Luke 6: 27-38 – Week 23 Ordinary Time, Thursday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
27 ¶ But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
We learn so much about our true relationship with God and with other people in these Gospel verses. Perhaps we might say rather, we are reminded of so much, because these are Christian truths we have long been taught and have long known, but which often are neglected and forgotten. We are recalled in these Gospel verses to Christian truth.
Jesus presents us with the Golden Rule, to do to other people as we would have people do to us. There is a natural morality here, but with Christ it goes further: this is not a tit-for-tat morality, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours; rather, it is predicated upon the gift of love and our true, loving response to God, in which sense this teaching of Jesus is entirely radical. We are to love not merely pre-emptively but absolutely and regardless of how our love might be received. We are to display and to embody in our heart of hearts an attitude of complete humility. Here is obedience, fellowship, selflessness – a response to life which is to give love, or we might say, to reflect what precious little we can of God’s love, which precedes our own.
Through his teaching in these Bible verses, Jesus wishes to do more than to ask us to be just, in the sense of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or to be merely nice to and tolerant of our fellow human beings. Rather, the change Jesus calls for is systematic; Jesus intends us to change the entire system of understandings by which we live, such that our lives may become more fully in accord with God’s intentions. Should we achieve this, this would be the way of perfection.
We are compelled by Jesus to try to live in such a way, such that our lives be perfect. We will no doubt fail – we will sin. We will sin, we will fall, we will confess our sins, asking for God’s forgiveness, as we pick ourselves up again to continue our journey – to fail again and, with prayer and God’s Grace, hope we might fail better.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. How many times each day do we fail to abide by Jesus’ teachings, and so the truth of these words compels us once again and each day to ask God’s forgiveness?
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Almighty, ever-living God,
shed the light of your glory
on the peoples who are living in the shadow of death,
as you did long ago,
when our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice,
came among us from on high.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
Love Your Enemies
The Bible teaches us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. In the Old Testament, we see examples of loving one’s enemies in the story of David and Saul. Saul was pursuing David and trying to kill him, but David had the opportunity to kill Saul and refused, saying: ‘The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed.’ (1 Samuel 26:11) This act of mercy towards his enemy was an act of love, and it ultimately led to Saul’s repentance.
In Proverbs 25:21-22, it is said: ‘If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.’ This teaches us that when we show kindness to our enemies, it can lead to their repentance and bring glory to God.
In the New Testament, Jesus takes the idea of loving one’s enemies even further. He says in Matthew 5:44: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’ Jesus’ teaching challenges us to love not just our friends and family, but also those who have hurt us.
In Romans 12:20-21, it is said: ‘Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ This reminds us that even when we are wronged, we should not seek revenge, but rather respond with love and kindness.
‘What is truth?’ So asks Pontius Pilate at the show-trial of Jesus. Pilate’s question dismisses and inherently rejects categorical truth as value. Pilate throws the truth to the masses – who cry for the blood of Jesus. As Christians, we hope – we pray, we ask – to adhere to truth. This is our truth: that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died for our sins, and that through Jesus we can attain salvation. Yet, even as we seek to live in the truth, we are tested and tempted, just as Jesus was in the wilderness by Satan [ … ]
Jesus taught us to champion justice, love, and mercy. Jesus encouraged us to challenge injustice and to actively engage in acts of compassion. Jesus demonstrated that true fulfilment comes from living a life rooted in righteousness and fighting for what is right [ … ]
King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version King Herod There were several individuals named Herod who played significant roles in ancient history, particularly in the history of the Roman Empire and the region of Palestine. Here is a brief overview of the most notable Herods: Herod the Great: Also known as Herod I, he was a Roman client king of Judea, ruling from 37 BC to 4 BC. He is perhaps most famous for his role in the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Herod Antipas: Also known as Herod II, he was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him beheaded. Herod Agrippa I: Also known as Herod III, he was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned the apostle Paul. Herod Agrippa II: Also known as Herod IV, he was the great-grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over parts of Palestine and Syria from 50 to 100 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who heard Paul’s defence before the Roman governor Festus. These rulers, who were known as the Herodian dynasty, were not Jewish but rather descended from a Greek family that had converted to Judaism. Despite this, they were appointed as rulers by the Roman Empire and were generally unpopular among the Jewish population due to their collaboration with the Roman occupation and their often brutal methods of rule. Herod The Great Herod the Great, also known as Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was born in 73 BC in Idumea, a region in southern Palestine, and was the son of Antipater the Idumean, an Edomite who had been appointed as a governor of Judea by the Roman general Pompey. Herod rose to power after the Roman general Julius Caesar appointed him as king of Judea in 40 BC. He consolidated his power over the next few years by defeating his rivals and establishing himself as the undisputed ruler of the region. As king, Herod embarked on a massive building program that included the expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, the construction of the port city of Caesarea Maritima, and the fortification of several cities in Judea. He also commissioned the construction of a number of palaces and other buildings, including the famous Herodium, a palace-fortress located south of Jerusalem. Despite his many accomplishments, Herod was a controversial figure who was known for his harsh rule and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. He was married several times and had a large number of children, several of whom he had executed when they posed a threat to his rule. One of the most famous stories associated with Herod is the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was saved by his parents, who fled to Egypt, and later returned to Palestine after Herod’s death. Herod died in 4 BC at the age of 70, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant rulers in the history of ancient Palestine. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas, also known as Herod II, was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He was born in 20 BC and was named after his father’s patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. Like his father, Herod Antipas was known for his ambitious building projects, including the construction of the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and the expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was also known for his political cunning and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist, a prominent religious figure who criticized Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias. According to the New Testament, John was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias’ daughter, Salome, who danced for Herod and his guests at a banquet. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who oversaw the trial and execution of Jesus. Although he initially wanted to release Jesus, he ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod Antipas’ rule came to an end in 39 AD when the Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul, modern-day France. He died in exile a few years later. Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I, also known as Herod III, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was born in 10 BC and was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, two of Herod the Great’s children. Herod Agrippa I was well-educated and fluent in both Greek and Hebrew, and he was highly regarded by the Roman authorities for his loyalty and his ability to maintain order in Judea. He was appointed as king of Judea in 41 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius, who was impressed by his abilities and saw him as a reliable ally in the region. As king, Herod Agrippa I continued the building projects of his grandfather and expanded the Temple in Jerusalem. He also implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the lives of the […]
