Loving your enemy is possibly Jesus most difficult teaching in the entire Sermon on The Mount. Over history this teaching has often been misunderstood as “be a doormat”, or disregarded and allowed for people to retaliate. Instead Jesus is calling us to fight evil but with new weapons of love, prayer, and hospitality. Jesus calls us to find a creative third way to resolve conflict nonviolently marked by Christ’s love.
READ:
Matthew 5:38-48 ∙ Luke 6:27-36 ∙ Romans 12 ∙ 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 ∙ Luke 10:25-37 ∙
DISCUSS:
● Who are some of the people or groups that you consider an enemy?
● What are some creative third options?
● Do we often think of Jesus as a particularly smart person?
● What for you personally makes this teaching difficult?
● Share a time when responding in love made a difference in a tough situation.
PRAY:
Pray for someone who you consider to be one of your enemies.
RESPOND:
Create a list of personal enemies or groups of people and commit to pray for them this week.
Think and pray about creative third ways to resolve difficult conflicts.