What Did Jesus Say About Loving Your Enemies?
by Chris Richards, Founder Antiha.org. Published March 31, 2026
We live in an age of curated outrage. Our social feeds are battlegrounds where "the other side" is consistently dehumanized, reduced to a set of talking points or a profile picture we’ve been conditioned to despise. In this climate, the word "enemy" doesn't just apply to distant combatants in a war zone; it applies to the neighbor with the wrong lawn sign, the family member with the "toxic" political take, and the stranger who just posted something inflammatory online.
You know the feeling. It starts as a tightness in the chest, a sudden heat rising in the neck. Maybe it’s a notification on your phone: a comment from someone you used to respect that feels like a personal betrayal. Maybe it’s a news segment featuring a politician or activist whose very voice seems to grate against your sense of justice. Or perhaps it’s closer to home: a neighbor who intentionally ignores your greeting, or a former friend who slandered your name.
In these moments, our biological and cultural instincts align perfectly. Everything in our DNA screams for retaliation, or at the very least, a cold, hard wall of exclusion. We call it "standing up for ourselves," "protecting our peace," or "fighting for what’s right." We justify our bitterness as a form of moral clarity. After all, if they are "the enemy," shouldn't we treat them as such?
Then we encounter the Galilean. In the middle of his most famous discourse, Jesus of Nazareth drops a command that doesn't just challenge our preferences, it attacks our very nature. He doesn't offer a suggestion for better social cohesion; he issues a mandate that defines what it means to follow him. The instructions regarding our enemies are not a suggestion or a metaphor. They are a direct, radical command that stands in total opposition to our natural survival instincts.
The question is: In an age where outrage is an industry and "canceling" is a sport, what did Jesus say about loving your enemies, and is it actually possible to live it out?
The Command: What Jesus Actually Said
In the first century, the prevailing mindset was survival of the tribe. The common interpretation of the law at the time was "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." It was practical. It was safe. It was human.
Then Jesus stepped onto the scene and completely dismantled the status quo. In Matthew 5:43-45 (WEBUS), He says:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus wasn't just offering a nice moral sentiment. He was issuing a field order for a new kind of kingdom. To understand the weight of this, we have to look at the words He used. The Greek word for love here is Agapaō (ἀγαπάω), which refers to a deliberate, sacrificial choice of the will to seek the highest good of another.
Even deeper, in the Aramaic context in which Jesus likely spoke, the word for mercy or love often stems from the root Rakhma (ܪܚܡܐ). This is a visceral term: it’s related to the word for "womb." It implies a deep, protective, and life-giving compassion that isn't earned by the recipient. It is a love that chooses to see the "enemy" as a human being first.
Why This Teaching Feels Impossible
If you feel a sense of internal resistance to this teaching, you’re in good company. Our brains are biologically wired for "us vs. them" dynamics. When we perceive an enemy, our amygdala kicks into gear: fight, flight, or freeze. Loving an enemy feels like a betrayal of our own safety, our own "side," and our own sense of justice.
Jesus acknowledged this difficulty. He pointed out that even "tax collectors" and "unbelievers" love those who love them back. There is no spiritual weight in reciprocal affection. Anyone can be kind to a friend. The mark of Radical Love is found in how we treat the person who has the power to hurt us, the person who has already offended us, or the person whose worldview we find repulsive.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the "Sun and Rain" analogy Jesus used in Matthew 5 was a direct challenge to the religious elitism of the day? By noting that God “makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,” Jesus was teaching that God’s grace isn't a reward for being "right": it is a universal gift.
The Logic of the Kingdom
Why would Jesus demand something so counter-intuitive? He gives us the reason: “that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven.”
The goal isn't just "being nice." The goal is becoming like the Creator. If God demonstrates Radical Forgiveness and Radical Peace toward a world that often ignores or opposes Him, then His followers must do the same. This is the core of the Anti-Hate posture. We are not called to be Left or Right; we are called to be like the Father.
From Outrage to Presence
In the digital world, "enemy-making" is easy because there is no physical presence. It is much easier to hate a screen than it is to hate a person whose breath you can hear and whose eyes you can see. Jesus’ teaching almost always moved toward physical presence. He ate with sinners and tax collectors who were the social and political enemies of His time.
Radical Love requires us to move from online outrage to physical presence. This doesn't mean we agree with everything our "enemy" says or does. Loving someone is not the same as endorsing their behavior. In fact, you can only truly love an enemy if you acknowledge that they are an enemy and that there is real pain, real disagreement, and real conflict between you.
Radical Forgiveness as a Weapon for Peace
When Jesus hung on the cross, He modeled the ultimate application of His teaching. He didn't call down fire; He didn't demand a political revolution. Instead, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Forgiveness is the only thing powerful enough to break the cycle of hate. When we refuse to retaliate, we stop the momentum of evil. This is the essence of Radical Forgiveness. It is a refusal to let the hate of another dictate our own character.
At Antiha, we believe that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of a different kind of power, the power of the Cross. This is why our stance is firm: Not Left. Not Right. Anti-Hate. We refuse to be drafted into the wars of polarization because we have been drafted into the Way of Jesus.
How to Love Your Enemies: The Practical Field Guide
If we are going to move this from a theological concept to a practical reality, we need a plan of action. Here is how we begin to walk the way of Radical Love:
- Humanize through Prayer: It is incredibly difficult to maintain pure, unadulterated hate for someone you are consistently bringing before God in prayer. Pray for their well-being, their family, and their heart: not just that they would "see the light" and agree with you.
- Practice Restraint: The next time you feel the "hit" of dopamine that comes from a clever, biting retort or a harsh comment online, stop. Radical Peace often looks like silence in the face of provocation.
- Seek the Image of God: Every person you disagree with carries the Imago Dei (Image of God). Make it a discipline to look for that image before you look for their political or social labels.
- Do Good in Secret: Jesus told us to "do good to those who hate you." This might mean helping a neighbor you don't get along with or showing kindness to a coworker who has undermined you. These small, physical acts of service are the front lines of Anti-Hate.
Before you think about 'the world,' think about one person:
It Starts With Me
The world will tell you that loving your enemies is a sign of weakness or a betrayal of your cause. But there is nothing weak about the Way of Jesus. It takes far more strength to restrain anger than to vent it. It takes far more courage to forgive than to seek revenge.
If we want to see a world characterized by Radical Peace, we cannot wait for the "other side" to change first. We cannot wait for a political savior to fix the culture of outrage.
The transformation of our communities doesn't happen through legislation or social media debates. It happens through the quiet, difficult, and radical choice of individuals to treat their enemies with the same mercy they have received from God.
It isn't about being Left. It isn't about being Right. It's about being Anti-Hate.
And it starts with me.
Antiha: Radical Love. Radical Peace. Radical Forgiveness.
Not Left. Not Right. Anti-Hate.
Not Left. Not Right. Anti-Hate.