Radical Love

Sermon on Luke 6:27–38

Title: “Radical Love: Loving Like Jesus” Key Verse: Romans 12:20—"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

A Message That Shocked the Hills of Galilee

The sun was just beginning to break over the hills of Galilee, casting warm light over the gathered crowd. The air was cool, but there was tension beneath the quiet murmurs. These were not just curious bystanders. They were people who had suffered—deeply. Farmers, fishermen, mothers holding their little ones close, and scattered among them, a few Roman soldiers standing stiff, their hands resting on their swords.

Most of the crowd carried more than the weight of their bodies up that hill—they carried the weight of injustice, bitterness, and pain. Some had seen their fathers beaten in the streets for not paying enough tax. Others had watched Roman soldiers raid their homes, taking their grain—their children crying as their food was snatched away. A few had brothers, uncles—crucified, left to hang as a warning to others.

These were an oppressed people. And they had heard of this man—Jesus of Nazareth. A healer. A miracle worker. But more than that—a man who spoke of a Kingdom.

Could it finally be? Could He be the one to overthrow Rome? Would this be the day they would finally be free?

The crowd leaned in. Mothers hushed their children. Fishermen wiped their hands on their tunics, ready to hear the call to arms.

But what came from Jesus’ mouth… was not what they expected. It was not what they wanted.

“Love your enemies…” “Do good to those who hate you…” “Bless those who curse you…” “Pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

The crowd froze. People glanced at one another—was this a joke? Love the Romans? Love the tax collectors who stole our food? Love the very men who killed our sons?

This was not the revolution they had hoped for. This was something… else. Something harder. Something deeper.

Jesus was not offering them a way to overthrow their enemies. He was offering them a way to overthrow hatred itself.

Because the real chains—the ones that bound their hearts—were not held by Rome. They were forged by anger, bitterness, and revenge.

And Jesus had come to break those chains. But He would do it not by taking life— but by giving His own.

That day, on that Galilean hillside, Jesus announced a revolution unlike any other—a revolution of grace. And for those who had ears to hear, it would change everything.

What Was Jesus Really Saying?

The people on that Galilean hillside had lived their whole lives under a different set of rules—rules that made sense to a world broken by sin:

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” That was the standard of justice.

“Love your neighbor, hate your enemy.” That was the standard of survival.

It was how the world worked. You protected your own. You got even. You made sure no one took advantage of you. In their minds, this was not cruelty—it was common sense.

But then Jesus spoke—and He turned their world upside down.

“Love your enemies… do good to those who hate you… bless those who curse you… pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

These were not just poetic ideals; they were offensive. They felt impossible. Why?

Because the people listening knew their enemies by name.

They had seen their neighbors crucified along the roadside by Roman soldiers—left to die as a warning. They had felt the sting of the tax collector’s corruption—taking the last bit of their harvest, leaving their families hungry. They had endured insults from Gentiles who mocked their faith, their customs, their very identity.

These were the real faces of their enemies. And Jesus was saying, Love them. Bless them. Pray for them.

Why? Because Jesus was revealing the heart of God.

The Heart of the Father

The kind of love Jesus was talking about was not based on human strength or fairness. It was rooted in the character of God Himself:

A God who is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (Luke 6:35)

A God who sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45)

A God whose mercy knows no bounds.

This was not weakness. This was strength under grace.

Forgiving your enemy was not surrender. It was victory over hate.

Jesus was showing them: This is what your Father is like. This is what His kingdom looks like.

But the crowd had another question—the same question we often ask:

But Why? Why Love Like This?

Because that is exactly how God had loved them.

And it’s exactly how God has loved us.

Jesus was not asking the crowd—or us—to do something He was unwilling to do Himself. No, He was walking that road ahead of us. Every step He took toward Jerusalem was leading Him to a cross.

There, He would be cursed. There, He would be mistreated. There, He would be struck on the cheek. There, He would be stripped of His robe. There, He would be nailed to a cross.

And from that cross—what did He say?

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus didn’t just teach about love; He embodied it.

He showed us a love that forgives when forgiveness feels impossible. A love that absorbs the cost of sin. A love that covers enemies and makes them sons and daughters.

And that’s the love that met you and me.

But How Does That Help Us Today?

Let’s be honest—Jesus’ words still shock us today.

Love the ex-spouse who betrayed you? Forgive the parent who abandoned you? Pray for the coworker who sabotaged you?

It feels impossible.

Because on our own—it is.

But here’s the gospel: The same Jesus who commanded this love is the Jesus who empowers it.

When Christ moves into our hearts, He brings His love with Him. We don’t manufacture this kind of love—we reflect it.

When we remember that we were once enemies of God, yet He loved us, it starts to change the way we see those who hurt us.

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

He didn’t wait for us to apologize. He didn’t wait for us to get better. He loved us at our worst.

That’s the kind of love we are called to show—because that’s the love we have received.

But What If They Don’t Deserve It?

That’s the point.

None of us deserve grace.

Loving your enemy doesn’t mean pretending the hurt didn’t happen. Forgiving doesn’t mean you excuse the offense. It doesn’t mean you trust blindly or stay in harmful situations.

It means you release the desire for revenge. It means you entrust justice to God.

Paul put it this way:

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

Forgiveness is not letting them win. Forgiveness is letting God win—in you.

But What Does This Look Like?

Let me tell you about Ruth.

She sat in her living room, staring at the picture of her daughter. Her daughter was gone—killed by a drunk driver named Jeff. That was ten years ago, but the pain was still fresh. Every court hearing brought it all back.

One Sunday, Ruth heard this same passage from Luke. “Love your enemies… Pray for those who mistreat you.”

She slammed her Bible shut. “God, I can’t do that!”

But God wouldn’t let go.

One night, with tears streaming down her face, she whispered through clenched teeth: “God… bless Jeff. Somehow.”

It didn’t change overnight. But something cracked in her heart. Hatred began to lift. Grace began to grow.

Years later—the impossible happened. Ruth visited Jeff in prison.

Through tears, she told him: “I forgive you.”

Jeff broke down. That moment set them both free.

That’s what the power of the cross can do. That’s what the love of Jesus can do.

So, Who Is Your Enemy?

Jesus’ words were not theoretical—they were personal. They still are.

Who is it for you?

The friend who betrayed you. The father who abandoned you. The person whose name still makes your chest tighten.

Jesus is inviting you: Love them. Pray for them. Forgive them.

Not because they deserve it— But because you’ve been loved by the One who hung on a cross for you.

What Does That Look Like Today?

Maybe it’s a prayer for someone you haven’t spoken to in years. Maybe it’s choosing not to speak poorly about them anymore. Maybe it’s a conversation—not to fix everything, but to choose grace. Maybe it’s simply laying down the bitterness at the foot of the cross.

It won’t be easy. But you won’t walk this road alone.

Jesus is with you. And He knows what it means to love when it hurts. He knows what it means to forgive the unforgivable.

Because He did it—for you.

The Final Word: A Cross-Shaped Love

As the crowd listened that day, many shook their heads and walked away. But some stayed. And they followed Him—all the way to the cross.

There, they saw what love beyond reason really looked like.

So do we.

Look to the cross. See how you have been loved. And with that love—go and love others.

Because in God’s Kingdom, mercy always wins.

Amen.