Radical Love

Loving your enemies sounds simple until someone actually wounds you.

We open Luke 6:27–36 and sit with Jesus’ plain commands: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, and lend without expecting anything back. That’s not a personality test or a vague spiritual ideal. It’s a concrete picture of Christian discipleship that runs against every instinct for payback, self-protection, and keeping score.

We read the passage in both the King James Version and the NIV, then slow down to ask the honest questions: Why does this teaching feel impossible? What does it mean that Jesus is speaking first to His disciples, people who have already chosen to follow Him? And how do we move from “I know what I should do” to actually doing it when the conflict is personal, especially when the pain comes from family or close friends?

Along the way, we talk about prayer as a turning point, forgiveness as an imitation of God’s mercy, and the surprising power of small choices like a kind word, a calm response, or an anonymous act of help.

We also explore the line that makes many of us nervous: “lend, expecting nothing in return.” We’re not chasing reckless giving or trying to test God. We’re aiming for a heart that wants what the Father wants, even when it costs us in the short run. If you’ve been looking for a Christian podcast that connects Scripture to real life with practical steps, this reflection gives you a clear place to start.

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Luke 6:27-36  -  King James Version
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 cloak 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.

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Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Welcome to the Christquarter Podcast. Thank you for taking a quarter of an hour out of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today let's read a section of Scripture, discuss what it means and also how it applies to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through my words and more importantly through his scriptures and will bring you closer to Him. I am blessed and thankful to have this time to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. By the way, the Christ Quarter is available in Amazon Music. Just ask your Amazon Smart Speaker or app to play the Christ Quarter Podcast. I'm also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Reading Luke 6 In KJV

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Today's scripture selection is Luke chapter 6, verses 27 through 36. The King James Version reads as follows. But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. As you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

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.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Be ye therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful.

Reading Luke 6 In NIV

SPEAKER_01 2:10

The NIV says it this way. But to you who are listening I say, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the most high, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. The merciful just as your father is merciful.

Opening Prayer For Understanding

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you will bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. That each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word. That each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The

Why Loving Enemies Feels Impossible

SPEAKER_01 3:54

verses for today are counterintuitive. We are told to love our enemies and to do good to the people that hate us. We are to bless the ones that curse at us and pray for those that use us. Now I understand praying for those that use us. If we pray for them and they get into a better place in their lives, they'll be better to us. Or at least they might move away and leave us alone. That makes sense to me because it benefits me. The fact that it benefits me by helping someone who doesn't like me and is using me doesn't matter at all. But according to our scripture today, it should. I should be happy for that person because their life has gotten better, period. That's a tough one. Is it even possible? So that's our topic today. Let's get right to it.

Jesus Speaks To Committed Disciples

SPEAKER_01 4:40

In Luke chapter 6, verse 20, Jesus focused on his disciples. They were his primary audience. In the verses we have today, we're listening to what Jesus told his disciples. That does not let us off the hook, but it does point out, in my opinion, that Jesus was talking to a committed group who had already chosen to follow him. Jesus was giving them a higher level of commitment and a deeper level of love for the fellow man. It would be unrealistic to expect the world at large to behave in the way that Jesus is describing in the verses here today. It is difficult enough for Christians to do that. Christians have committed to follow Jesus and to work to be more like him, and it is still difficult. Our human nature just does not want us to react to hatred and mistreatment with love. But this is exactly what Jesus is showing his disciples and us what we should do, how we should react. None of us can do this with perfection, but all of us can move towards this and do better at it day by day. Unfortunately, we can all look forward to plenty of opportunities to practice showing love to those that are wrong us. In this fallen world there are plenty of people who will hurt us and give us an opportunity to react in anger and hate. Usually the people closest to us are the ones that cause the greatest reactions in us, not because they are worse than the world, but because they mean more to us and their actions more significant to us. Only a trusted friend can betray you. But given that this is often the case, that the people who wrong us are often our own families and friends, then we can see that Jesus' teachings are all the more important.

Practicing Love Through Quiet Actions

SPEAKER_01 6:19

We want to give and receive love from those people we love. What better way to have that than to be quick to forgive and quick to show love? Often a kind word will turn away anger. A smile and a face of anger will change the situation. Take a few minutes to do something in love for someone who has harmed you. Maybe you feel that they wouldn't accept it from you. You do it anonymously. Helping others anonymously is often a good practice anyway, because it takes away any expectation of getting something in return. None of us are perfect and we won't always want to do these things, but the more we do them, the easier they will become. These actions will soften our hearts and hopefully soften the hearts of those we love, those we love in action as well as in word. Verse thirty five says in part, love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. This is difficult to do, but what I try to do in my own life is to remind myself that everyone is one of God's children, and that he wants the best for them. The fact that they may be doing bad things does not change that. It also may be the case that I am mistaken in my view of them. After all, I don't have all the facts, and I do not know what they are maybe going through. To be a follower of Jesus and a child of God is to want what the Father wants. It is also to work for what the Father wants, regardless of how it affects us in the short run. This

Lending Without Expecting Repayment

SPEAKER_01 7:52

may take more faith in the lend area. In my opinion, Jesus is not asking us to give away all that we have, but we are to lend when we are given the opportunity to help someone. I know of someone who gave away their full paycheck for two pay periods. During that time, God provided for him and he did not suffer financially at all. Of course, his faith was strengthened. I do not advise doing this on your own as some sort of a test of God or of your own faith. In the case of this man, God put this on his heart, and he obeyed. God is kind and merciful. We are to strive to be more like him each day. That should be our motivation and our reward. Finally, I would like to stress that as we forgive others and love them and do good things for them, we are imitating how our heavenly Father forgives us, loves us, and does good things for us. What a few people in our lives have done to us cannot compare to what we do to God every day when we sin and fall short of what he wants for us. Let's give to others what God already gives us. Let's improve our lives each day by imitating Jesus and doing as He has commanded us.

Final Takeaways And The Lord’s Prayer

SPEAKER_01 9:06

That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.