Often, people seek vengeance and revenge for the injustices and wrongs committed against them by others, yet they desire mercy when they wrong others. If you are not willing to show mercy, then you should not expect mercy in your life (Lev 19:18, Matt 6:14-15, Col 3:13). True justice is given out by God (Deut 32:35, Prov 20:22, Prov 24:29), so believers should only respond in love, their enemies can be humbled into shame for how they treated others and repent. If they refuse, then God will condemn them. In the meantime, we must love our enemies (Prov 25:21-22, Matt 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-28, Rom 12:14-21).

Christians are supposed to represent our God on earth as ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20-21), so when an enemy falls, we are to lift them, even if they still hate us afterward. It misrepresents God to want the destruction of others or to want vengeance. Vengeance is God’s job; ours is to show love and mercy by forgiving people of their sins.

Matthew 5:43 (NLT) “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[Lev 19:18] and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus says to love even our enemies in Matthew 5:44-48 and Luke 6:27-36. Right before he says to love your enemies, in Matt 5:43, Jesus says, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.” The law doesn’t actually say “hate your enemy”,  the 1st century Jews acted like it did to justify hating others like the Samaritans and Gentiles. Furthermore, notice Jeuss doesn’t just tell his disciples what to do but explains why they should do it. He says doing so to emulate the Father in heaven, who shows mercy to the wicked and the righteous. Loving our friends is easy, even evil people do that. However, his disciples are children of God and should act like God by emulating His mercy.

When asked by the Pharisees which is the greatest commandment, in Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus replied that the greatest is loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength, which is the “Shema” from Deuteronomy 6:4-5. The second greatest commandment, he said, is to love your neighbor as yourself, which is from Leviticus 19:18. The command to love your neighbor as yourself applies to your enemies as well. Jesus explains this in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. 

The Good Samaritan parable, found in Luke 10:25-37, was presented by Jesus to explain to the Pharisees that loving one’s neighbor includes loving people one does not like. This was after they asked him what to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked them what the law of Moses commands and they replied, “to love God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength (the Shema from Deut 6:5) and loving your neighbor” (Lev 19:18). Then in Luke 10:29, the Pharisee followed up with, “who is my neighbor”, because he wanted to justify his hatred towards his enemies. The Jews and Samaritans had cultural and social conflicts over religious views and ethnic heritage. So, Jesus responds with the Good Samaritan parable to expose the spiritual leader’s hypocrisy. This parable is an illustration of a Samaritan (an enemy) who treats Jews better than Jewish leaders treat their own, and in that scenario, he would be counted as righteous for keeping the Torah, not the Jewish leaders who think they are better than everyone else.

Luke 10:30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

We also find this in Proverbs 20:22, which advises against repaying evil with good, but rather to let God fight your battles. Proverbs 24:17 says not to rejoice when your enemy falls. Finally, Proverbs 25:21-22 says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat; if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. And in doing so, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and God will reward you.” This is similar to what Jesus says about how we treat people in Matthew 25:31-46.

In addition, there is an example of a command to love one’s enemies in the Torah, in Exodus 23:4, which instructs us to return or help an enemy’s ox. Surely if the Torah requires one to help an enemy’s livestock, then they are expected to help an enemy’s servant, child, or spouse in need, and even the enemy themselves, and return anything living or not living to an enemy when lost. This is an act of love towards the enemy.

Paul sums this all up in Romans 12:9-21. He says not to pretend to love others but actually show that you care. Hate what is evil and hold tightly to what is good (v9-10). Don’t be lazy, but serve God enthusiastically. He says to rejoice in confident hope, being patient and prayerful in times of trouble (v11-12). Be eager to show hospitality to God’s people in need (v. 13). Bless your enemies rather than curse them and love others no matter who they are by being caring and compassionate (v. 14- 15). Live in harmony with people, rather than being too proud to associate with them, and avoid condescension (v16). Don’t pay back evil with evil, do things honorably, and make peace with everyone (v17-18). In Romans 12:19-20, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, which says, “Vengeance is the Lord’s.” He also quotes Prov 25:21-22. Then in verse 21, Paul wrote, “Do not let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” This is similar to what the psalmist wrote in Psalms 109:1-5.

Romans 12:9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”[Deut 32:35] says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”[Prov 25:21-22] 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.