Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 to love our enemies. Should that principle still apply to the Ukrainians as they fight against the Russians?

From The Stream. Recently, some Christians in Ukraine came under fire for putting up billboards in their city with verses from the Bible, one of which quoted the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount where He called us to love our enemies (see Matthew 5:43-48). As a result, these Christians have been branded separatists and traitors, with some calling for their church to be investigated….

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To be sure, these Ukrainian Christians (some of whom I know) were not calling for pacifism. They believe in defending their country, and they believe in the use of force to resist and repel the attack on their nation….

But can you love an enemy soldier while at the same time trying to kill him before he kills you?

Let’s first consider whom Jesus was talking to in the Sermon on the Mount, namely, first-century Jews under the occupation of Rome. They had personal enemies, religious enemies, and national enemies. And there were some Jewish groups who taught that it was absolutely right to hate their enemies.

Jesus says absolutely not. We are to love them, even the worst of them….

How Do You Love Your Enemy in Times of War?

It means that you would recognize his humanity, remembering that he has a loving wife and children (or parents) waiting for him at home.

That you would understand that, in all likelihood, he is simply following orders and has been fed lots of misinformation about you.

That you would want to see him rehabilitated after the war, truly repenting for his actions, truly coming to know God, and living a redemptive life. (In the case of someone who committed war crimes and would be sentenced to prison or death, even then, you would want him to repent and get right with God before he died.)..

That is how you can love your enemies even during a time of war, all while fighting with all your might to defeat that very enemy.

Seeing the Humanity of Our Enemy

Some might quip in facetious response, “So, it looks like this? Before the sniper shoots the enemy in the head, he mutters under his breath, ‘Jesus loves you, and so do I. Here’s a token of my love. Bang!’”

Obviously not.

But he might pray regularly for God to have mercy on those he has to take out. Or for God to help the widows and orphans left behind. Or for God to give them a change of heart and mind, resulting in a change of actions, so the sniper does not need to take them out….

So, by all legal means, let the Ukrainians fight against the Russian invaders, and may their triumph over the Russian army put a stop to this senseless shedding of blood. And may the Ukrainian Christians continue to love their enemies through it all….

How are you praying for the Ukrainians and the Russians? Share this article to encourage others to pray.

(Excerpt from The Stream. Photo Credit: Getty Images)