Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” – Matt 5:43-45

  The of Retaliation

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I say to you, do not show opposition against an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” – Matt 5:38-41

  Turn the cheek

But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other toward him also. – Matt 5:39b

  Even if you’re and they’re wrong

And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. – Matt 5:40

If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. – Ex 22:26-27a

  Even if you’re being

“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” – Matt 5:41

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven” – Matt 5:43-45a

  Justice and vengeance belong to

He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously – 1Pe 2:22

  Respond in a way that

While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son – Rom 5:10b

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? – Matt 5:46-47

  It takes a work of Jesus on the of us

All scripture is from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted