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A gang member pumped 13 bullets into the body of a young man. It filled the man’s brother with rage and hatred for years. Only after accepting Christ did his rage begin to subside. One day, by chance, he met his brother’s killer, after the killer had served his time. The brother walked up to him, told him he had forgiven him, had prayed for him, and had longed to meet him. This chance meeting began a lasting friendship. This man did what Jesus said we all should do: love our enemies. Loving those who mistreat us is just one of the values Jesus urged upon those who follow Him. Even though Christ’s radical values often seem out of place in our society, they are unimpeachable—they come from a Master teacher. In Luke Chapter 6, we find 7 principles Jesus said would reduce violence in our society: Love your enemies; Do good to those who hate you; Bless those who curse you; Pray for those who mistreat you; Do not retaliate; Give to those in need; Treat others the way you want to be treated. Jesus said these values reflect the traits of our heavenly Father. He said judging others only leads to others judging us. Condemning others will cause others to condemn us. Yet giving generously to those in need will cause God to give back to us far more than we give. We ought to adopt Jesus’ code of ethics—even though we often fall short without His Spirit to help us do it.
