Luke 6:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

NIV: "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

NASB: But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

CSB: "But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you,

NLT: But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.

KJV: But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

NKJV: “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

This is one of the most difficult and counter-cultural commands in the Bible. Understanding the various terms in context is helpful. An "enemy" is someone who does not like you and wants to harm you. "Love" is from agape and means to seek someone else's welfare, even if to do so requires a sacrifice. Likewise, "good" means to act for the advantage of another. "Good" is from the same root word as "well" in Luke 6:26. Sinful people will speak for the benefit of other sinful people who provide them with worldly advantage. Jesus-followers will act for the benefit of others, even those who mean harm (Luke 6:22).

It makes no human sense to work toward the best for someone who actively wants to cause hardship. This is only possible, in an emotionally healthy way, if our focus is not on our enemy but on our God and His promises. It is Jesus who died for the world while we were His enemies (Romans 5:10). Because of Jesus' sacrifice, God promises if we do love our enemies He will give us great reward, not least of which is being called His children (Luke 6:35).

Context is important, however. This passage comes after an explanation that God will bless those who suffer because they follow Christ. He will judge those who are praised by the world because they say what the world wants to hear (Luke 6:22, 26). The enemies, here, are those who hate those who love Christ. Likewise, the context of this command is in seeking the other person's good—not enabling, endorsing, or cooperating in their abuse or evil.

Luke 6:27–36 continues Jesus' teaching to a crowd about how His followers should live. He's explained how those who are burdened in this life due to faithfulness will find relief and those who are satisfied due to their unfaithfulness will find eternal hardship (Luke 6:20–26). Here, He commands His followers to love their enemies, a theme He will expound upon when He speaks about judging others (6:37–42). This is possible if the promises of Luke 6:22–23 are true. After explaining that our actions come from our hearts, Jesus will invite the crowd to base their identity in Him (Luke 6:43–49). Matthew 5:38–48 also speaks of loving one's enemies.

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.