That’s the theme of numerous songs, movies, books, podcasts, sermons, and, of course, articles—including this one! And rightfully so. People feel intuitively that love is a powerful thing. We yearn for it and feel its lack intensely when we think we don’t have it. We hear of heroic efforts and sacrifices people make out of love for others—sometimes for those they don’t even know.

So why, when faced with an enemy, do we so often push love aside as a solution, believing aggression or violence to be the only option for overcoming a challenge to our or others’ well-being, safety, or rights—even though thinkers throughout history have insisted that love is the only thing that can actually save us?

Almost two thousand years ago, Christ Jesus said in his monumental Sermon on the Mount: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:43–45). Centuries later, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his sermon titled “Loving Your Enemies,” cited Jesus’ admonition and added, “It is love that will save our world and our civilization, love even for enemies.”

Dr. King, who was so intimately and personally acquainted with one of mankind’s greatest evils, racism, was nevertheless convinced that love, lived through loving even one’s enemies, was an actual power able to overcome bigotry in individuals and unjust laws in government. And his conviction was based on the life and teachings of the man he called “our Lord and Master,” Jesus.

We have no record of Jesus seeking power through either political alliances or material strength and weaponry. In fact, the Bible records that Jesus more than once rejected opportunities to take political power. And when one of his disciples tried to prevent Jesus’ arrest by injuring one of those who had come to seize him, Jesus healed the man and told the disciple to put away his sword. As the Son of the one, omnipotent God, who is Love itself, he didn’t need weapons or political power to give him dominion over storms, conflict, sin, disease, or even death. In fact, after his resurrection from death, he said to his disciples, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). Not some power—all. 

Jesus’ faithful obedience to his own command shines through his life. We have no record of him ever returning evil for evil, even when efforts were made to kill him, yet he and his followers were safe from those efforts (see, for example, Luke 4:28–30). 

But how do we obey Jesus’ command when what confronts us appears to be an aggressive and powerful enemy? It can feel hard to discipline our thought to stand with God in seeing such individuals (or groups) as His children, the offspring of divine Love. But the benefits of doing just that have been attested to not just by Bible accounts but by the lives of countless followers of Jesus today.

For example, a Christian Scientist saw a stranger beating a woman on a deserted street and began running toward them. Although not sure what he could do to help physically, he demanded of himself that he deny the evidence of violence before him and replace it with the understanding that every one of God’s children is truly spiritual—the image and likeness of God, Spirit—and reflects God’s kindness, harmony, and safety. As he got to them, he firmly said, “Stop.” The attacker let the woman go and turned aggressively toward him. With a conviction that came from genuine love, the Christian Scientist said, “This isn’t who you are.” The man’s face changed. “Sorry,” he said. “I forgot myself.” The woman had already run away, but the Christian Scientist spent a few moments with the man, quietly explaining how God’s love could help him be better. The man thanked him and left. The Christian Scientist never heard any more of either the attacker or the woman—but both the woman and the Christian Scientist were safe, and the attacker had been blessed as well.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, wrote, “Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus’ teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit,—the law of divine Love” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 19). Nothing in this statement asks us to ignore wrongdoing. Rather, it calls for just the opposite: that we recognize the power of Love, God—and of our acknowledgment and expression of that Love—to correct whatever needs correcting. 

As we celebrate Dr. King in the United States this week, remembering the tremendous good he accomplished, we rejoice in his proof of the power of genuine love to bring healing and redemption to individuals and to society in general. We remember that he gained that love through his deep Christianity and faithfulness to the teachings of Christ Jesus. He said of Jesus’ command to love our enemies, “The words of this text glitter in our eyes with a new urgency.” They still do. Let’s let that command enrich our thought, our actions, and our lives. We have so many examples of the power of loving our enemies to change things for the good. Our world needs the blessings that obedience to Jesus’ command must bring.

Lisa Rennie Sytsma, Associate Editor