Are there people around you whom you honestly dislike, and who dislike you in return? This sermon wrestles with one of Jesus’ most radical demands from the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5). It turns out that love is not a feeling beyond our control but a decision, a power revealed in the moving story of a former camp prisoner who, years later, came face to face with her guard. Listen and ask yourself whether there is someone on your list whom God is inviting you to love today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus contrasts his words with what "was said" about hating your enemy. How did the Pharisees understand the word "neighbour", and what would have surprised Jesus' first listeners?
- What does the picture of the sun rising on the evil and the good, and rain falling on the righteous and the unrighteous, tell us about God's character and how we should treat others?
- The sermon stresses that love is more a decision and action than a feeling, and that Jesus does not require us to like everyone. How do you understand the difference between liking someone and loving them?
- Jesus says that tax collectors and pagans also love those who love them. What in your life could show that your love goes beyond the ordinary?
- Corrie ten Boom shook the hand of a former camp guard, saying: "If God has forgiven me, how could I not forgive you?" How does experiencing God's forgiveness help you forgive others?
- The woman in the testimony began praying every day for the parents and brother who had hurt her. Who is a difficult person you can start praying for this week, and what concrete kind step can you take toward them?
