Love That Looks Like Jesus
You can only love like Jesus when you have first been loved by Jesus.
Most of us would describe ourselves as loving people. We love our families, our friends, and the people who encourage and support us. In Luke 6:20–36, however, Jesus asks a more searching question:
What makes your love different from everyone else’s love?
What happens when someone does not love you back? What happens when you are criticized, misunderstood, betrayed, rejected, or deeply wounded? That is where the true condition of our hearts is revealed. Anyone can love the lovable. Anyone can be kind to someone who is kind to them. Jesus calls His followers to a different kind of love—one that blesses those who curse us, prays for those who mistreat us, and extends mercy even when an apology never comes. These are not sentimental words meant for a decorative sign. Jesus is describing life under His rule. He is showing us what happens when ordinary people are transformed by extraordinary grace.
Jesus Changes What We Value
Jesus begins with a surprising description of the blessed life:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” —Luke 6:20–21 (ESV)
If we made our own list of people we consider blessed, we might include those with successful careers, healthy families, financial security, respected names, and comfortable lives. Those things can certainly be gifts from God, but Jesus shows us something deeper:
Blessing is not determined by our circumstances.
If blessing exists only when life is easy, our faith will collapse the moment life becomes difficult. If God is good only when the diagnosis is good, what happens when the diagnosis changes? If God is faithful only when a prayer is answered the way we hoped, what happens when heaven seems silent? Jesus is not saying poverty, hunger, grief, or persecution are good in themselves. We live in a world broken by sin, and suffering is real. What makes these people blessed is not the suffering itself—it is the Savior they find in the suffering.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,” Psalm 34:18 reminds us. Our pain does not push Jesus away. We do not have to pretend everything is fine or hide our honest prayers. We can tell God when we are hurt, afraid, angry, or confused. He is not intimidated by our honesty. Our pain may even become the place where we experience Him most deeply.
Paul discovered this when he pleaded with God to remove his “thorn.” God did not give Paul the explanation he wanted. He gave Paul His presence: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes we ask God for explanations while He offers us Himself.
Jesus follows His blessings with warnings for those who are rich, full, laughing, and praised. He is not condemning money, food, happiness, or a good reputation. He is warning us not to place our hope in temporary things. We can have enough success that we stop depending on God, enough comfort that we stop praying, and enough approval that we stop asking whether He approves of our lives. We can become so full of this world that we have no appetite left for God. The gospel begins where self-sufficiency ends. The kingdom belongs to people with empty hands because empty hands are ready to receive grace.
Jesus Changes Who We Love
Jesus then turns to one of the most difficult commands in Scripture:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” —Luke 6:27–28 (ESV)
Notice the four actions: love, do good, bless, and pray.
Jesus does not command a feeling. He commands faithful action. Biblical love is choosing the good of another person, even when our emotions have not caught up. Jesus is not merely talking about people who annoy us. He is talking about people who have genuinely wounded us. A former friend. A family member. A coworker. A neighbor. Perhaps even someone in the church.
When you read the word enemy, whose face comes to mind?
Do not ignore that face. The Holy Spirit may bring someone to mind because He intends to transform your heart toward that person. Jesus is not asking you to pretend the offense did not matter. He is asking whether His grace will become greater than your grievance. Loving an enemy may begin with refusing to rehearse the offense again. It may mean praying before retaliating, refusing to celebrate when that person fails, speaking truth without cruelty, or doing good for someone who can offer nothing in return.
If you are thinking, “I cannot do this,” you are right. You cannot do it on your own. This kind of love is supernatural. It is the fruit of a heart made new by Christ and a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. We must also be clear about what Jesus is not saying. Loving our enemies does not mean calling abuse acceptable, staying in danger, or allowing someone to continue causing harm without consequences. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing. Forgiveness can take place in one heart. Reconciliation requires repentance, truth, change, and rebuilt trust. You can forgive someone while maintaining wise and necessary boundaries. Biblical love never ignores evil. It simply refuses to be controlled by evil.
Paul writes, “Repay no one evil for evil” and “never avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:17, 19). Vengeance belongs to God. One of the quickest ways to lose our joy is to spend our lives trying to do His job. Bitterness never stays contained. It spreads into our marriages, families, friendships, conversations, and worship. The person who hurt us may no longer be thinking about the offense, while the offense continues to control us. The way forward is found in Ephesians 4:32: “Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” We forgive not because the offense was small, but because the mercy we received was great.
Jesus Changes Why We Love
Jesus asks what benefit there is in loving only those who love us, doing good only to those who do good to us, or lending only when we expect repayment. None of that requires the gospel. It is simply transactional love: I will love you if you love me. I will serve you if you appreciate me. I will give if I get something in return.
Gospel love is different: I can love because I have already been loved. I can forgive because I have already been forgiven. I can show mercy because mercy has already found me. There should be something about the love of a Christian that the world cannot explain. Our kindness should not depend on another person’s kindness. Our mercy should not depend on another person’s worthiness. Our obedience should not depend on another person’s behavior.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies because our Father “is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). Before thinking of anyone else, we should remember that this once described us. We were the ungrateful. We were the rebels. We did not earn God’s mercy or deserve His forgiveness. Nevertheless, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). That one verse explains the entire blog.
We love because He loved us. We forgive because He forgave us. We show mercy because He showed mercy to us.
Look at Jesus
Everything Jesus commanded, He perfectly lived.
He was betrayed, denied, abandoned, falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. While hanging there, He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” When He told us to love our enemies, He had already determined to love His. Jesus did not die merely to provide an example. He died as our substitute. He bore the judgment our sins deserved. At the cross, God’s justice and mercy met: our sin was judged, our debt was paid, and our forgiveness was secured.
Jesus loved His enemies—and by grace, we were among them.
When we trust in Christ, God does more than forgive our past. He gives us a new heart, adopts us into His family, and fills us with His Spirit. He begins to change what we value, who we love, and why we love. The Christian life is not lived by simply trying harder. It is lived by daily surrender to the Spirit who is making us more like Jesus.
Perhaps the best question is not, “Am I a loving person?” The better question is: Am I becoming a person who loves more like Jesus? Who in your life needs to experience the love of Jesus through you this week? Maybe obedience begins with a simple prayer:
Father, help me forgive. Help me release my bitterness and stop replaying the offense. Help me trust You with justice. Give me wisdom to establish healthy boundaries without hatred. Help me love like Jesus. Amen.
Forgiveness is often not a single moment. It is a rhythm of surrender. Every time the pain returns, we hand it back to God. Every time resentment rises, we surrender it again. Every time we want revenge, we remember the cross.
Obedience often comes before emotion. Take the first faithful step today.
Most of us would describe ourselves as loving people. We love our families, our friends, and the people who encourage and support us. In Luke 6:20–36, however, Jesus asks a more searching question:
What makes your love different from everyone else’s love?
What happens when someone does not love you back? What happens when you are criticized, misunderstood, betrayed, rejected, or deeply wounded? That is where the true condition of our hearts is revealed. Anyone can love the lovable. Anyone can be kind to someone who is kind to them. Jesus calls His followers to a different kind of love—one that blesses those who curse us, prays for those who mistreat us, and extends mercy even when an apology never comes. These are not sentimental words meant for a decorative sign. Jesus is describing life under His rule. He is showing us what happens when ordinary people are transformed by extraordinary grace.
Jesus Changes What We Value
Jesus begins with a surprising description of the blessed life:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” —Luke 6:20–21 (ESV)
If we made our own list of people we consider blessed, we might include those with successful careers, healthy families, financial security, respected names, and comfortable lives. Those things can certainly be gifts from God, but Jesus shows us something deeper:
Blessing is not determined by our circumstances.
If blessing exists only when life is easy, our faith will collapse the moment life becomes difficult. If God is good only when the diagnosis is good, what happens when the diagnosis changes? If God is faithful only when a prayer is answered the way we hoped, what happens when heaven seems silent? Jesus is not saying poverty, hunger, grief, or persecution are good in themselves. We live in a world broken by sin, and suffering is real. What makes these people blessed is not the suffering itself—it is the Savior they find in the suffering.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,” Psalm 34:18 reminds us. Our pain does not push Jesus away. We do not have to pretend everything is fine or hide our honest prayers. We can tell God when we are hurt, afraid, angry, or confused. He is not intimidated by our honesty. Our pain may even become the place where we experience Him most deeply.
Paul discovered this when he pleaded with God to remove his “thorn.” God did not give Paul the explanation he wanted. He gave Paul His presence: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes we ask God for explanations while He offers us Himself.
Jesus follows His blessings with warnings for those who are rich, full, laughing, and praised. He is not condemning money, food, happiness, or a good reputation. He is warning us not to place our hope in temporary things. We can have enough success that we stop depending on God, enough comfort that we stop praying, and enough approval that we stop asking whether He approves of our lives. We can become so full of this world that we have no appetite left for God. The gospel begins where self-sufficiency ends. The kingdom belongs to people with empty hands because empty hands are ready to receive grace.
Jesus Changes Who We Love
Jesus then turns to one of the most difficult commands in Scripture:
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” —Luke 6:27–28 (ESV)
Notice the four actions: love, do good, bless, and pray.
Jesus does not command a feeling. He commands faithful action. Biblical love is choosing the good of another person, even when our emotions have not caught up. Jesus is not merely talking about people who annoy us. He is talking about people who have genuinely wounded us. A former friend. A family member. A coworker. A neighbor. Perhaps even someone in the church.
When you read the word enemy, whose face comes to mind?
Do not ignore that face. The Holy Spirit may bring someone to mind because He intends to transform your heart toward that person. Jesus is not asking you to pretend the offense did not matter. He is asking whether His grace will become greater than your grievance. Loving an enemy may begin with refusing to rehearse the offense again. It may mean praying before retaliating, refusing to celebrate when that person fails, speaking truth without cruelty, or doing good for someone who can offer nothing in return.
If you are thinking, “I cannot do this,” you are right. You cannot do it on your own. This kind of love is supernatural. It is the fruit of a heart made new by Christ and a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit. We must also be clear about what Jesus is not saying. Loving our enemies does not mean calling abuse acceptable, staying in danger, or allowing someone to continue causing harm without consequences. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing. Forgiveness can take place in one heart. Reconciliation requires repentance, truth, change, and rebuilt trust. You can forgive someone while maintaining wise and necessary boundaries. Biblical love never ignores evil. It simply refuses to be controlled by evil.
Paul writes, “Repay no one evil for evil” and “never avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:17, 19). Vengeance belongs to God. One of the quickest ways to lose our joy is to spend our lives trying to do His job. Bitterness never stays contained. It spreads into our marriages, families, friendships, conversations, and worship. The person who hurt us may no longer be thinking about the offense, while the offense continues to control us. The way forward is found in Ephesians 4:32: “Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” We forgive not because the offense was small, but because the mercy we received was great.
Jesus Changes Why We Love
Jesus asks what benefit there is in loving only those who love us, doing good only to those who do good to us, or lending only when we expect repayment. None of that requires the gospel. It is simply transactional love: I will love you if you love me. I will serve you if you appreciate me. I will give if I get something in return.
Gospel love is different: I can love because I have already been loved. I can forgive because I have already been forgiven. I can show mercy because mercy has already found me. There should be something about the love of a Christian that the world cannot explain. Our kindness should not depend on another person’s kindness. Our mercy should not depend on another person’s worthiness. Our obedience should not depend on another person’s behavior.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies because our Father “is kind to the ungrateful and the evil” (Luke 6:35). Before thinking of anyone else, we should remember that this once described us. We were the ungrateful. We were the rebels. We did not earn God’s mercy or deserve His forgiveness. Nevertheless, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). That one verse explains the entire blog.
We love because He loved us. We forgive because He forgave us. We show mercy because He showed mercy to us.
Look at Jesus
Everything Jesus commanded, He perfectly lived.
He was betrayed, denied, abandoned, falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and nailed to a cross. While hanging there, He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” When He told us to love our enemies, He had already determined to love His. Jesus did not die merely to provide an example. He died as our substitute. He bore the judgment our sins deserved. At the cross, God’s justice and mercy met: our sin was judged, our debt was paid, and our forgiveness was secured.
Jesus loved His enemies—and by grace, we were among them.
When we trust in Christ, God does more than forgive our past. He gives us a new heart, adopts us into His family, and fills us with His Spirit. He begins to change what we value, who we love, and why we love. The Christian life is not lived by simply trying harder. It is lived by daily surrender to the Spirit who is making us more like Jesus.
Perhaps the best question is not, “Am I a loving person?” The better question is: Am I becoming a person who loves more like Jesus? Who in your life needs to experience the love of Jesus through you this week? Maybe obedience begins with a simple prayer:
Father, help me forgive. Help me release my bitterness and stop replaying the offense. Help me trust You with justice. Give me wisdom to establish healthy boundaries without hatred. Help me love like Jesus. Amen.
Forgiveness is often not a single moment. It is a rhythm of surrender. Every time the pain returns, we hand it back to God. Every time resentment rises, we surrender it again. Every time we want revenge, we remember the cross.
Obedience often comes before emotion. Take the first faithful step today.
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