Concrete Love
When we speak of "loving our neighbor" in broad or abstract terms, we risk transforming the gritty work of love into an overly romanticized, detached ideal.
It is easy to commit ourselves to loving others in theory. Yet the daily practice of loving those around us—especially those we are tempted to regard as enemies—demands sacrifice, humility, and a willingness to embrace discomfort.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refuses to speak of love in vague generalities. He describes, in concrete terms, the kind of love His disciples are called to embody: love that endures hardship, forgives generously, refuses retaliation, and prays blessings over enemies.
READ
Let's take a moment to read Matthew 5:31–32, 38–42, and 43–44, pausing to consider the concrete application of each section:
"You have heard the law that says, 'A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.' But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery."
In Christ's day, men held sole legal authority to initiate divorce—a reality that often left women economically and socially vulnerable. Against this backdrop, Jesus condemns divorce that is careless, self-serving, or undertaken without just cause. Such actions did more than dissolve a legal contract; they left women vulnerable and fractured relationships that God intended to be marked by faithfulness and mutual care.
Jesus spoke boldly against divorce—but not because He wants anyone to remain in an unsafe or abusive relationship. Rather, Christ's words reveal His desire for our relationships to be characterized by steadfast, covenantal love: love that is unselfish, forgiving, and willing to persevere through hardship.
As followers of Christ, we are called to resist unnecessary relational estrangement and to pursue reconciliation whenever it is safe, healthy, and possible. We are invited to love others with the same faithful determination Christ has shown us.
Pause and REFLECT: Have you ever given up on a relationship too quickly? Is there a relationship in your life that you're tempted to walk away from, but that God may be inviting you to pursue with greater patience, forgiveness, or perseverance?
"You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow."
In these verses, Jesus gets remarkably specific about what it means to love our enemies. For His first-century audience, being struck across the face, sued for one's clothing, or commanded to carry a Roman soldier's pack were not hypothetical scenarios—they were familiar realities. Living under Roman occupation, many of His listeners regularly faced situations in which they had to choose between retaliation and submission.
Yet rather than endorsing vengeance or passive resignation, Christ instructs His disciples to respond to mistreatment with courageous, creative, non-violent resistance.
Instead of taking revenge into our own hands, Christ calls us to expose the absurdity of evil by practicing peace. When those who seek to harm us are met with a measured, generous response rather than retaliation, they are forced to confront the irrationality and selfishness of their own behavior. By responding to hostility with unexpected generosity, poise, and self-control, we make God's disarming love visible in a violent world.
Pause and REFLECT: In what area of your life are you most tempted to respond to harm with unkindness or retaliation? What is one small step you can take this week to answer cruelty with compassion?
"You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"
Very rarely in Scripture does Christ give such a direct, concrete command. In these verses, Christ asks us to do something our hearts are poised to resist: to pray for those who harm us. This is not an instruction we can easily avoid through abstraction. This divine directive asks us to share in God's heart by interceding for the good of all people—even those who've allowed sin, vindictiveness, and self-interest to drive their actions toward us and the most vulnerable.
Pause and TAKE ACTION: Set a 3-minute timer. Choose someone you've been struggling to love or forgive. Use this time to pray for them, and ask that God would soften your heart toward them.
REST
Take a moment to rest in God's presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading. Then close your devotional experience with this prayer:
God of perfect, enduring, faithful love! Thank You for calling me to extend love to those around me in gritty, concrete ways. Thank You for being patient with me as I learn how to love others the way You call me to. Forgive me for approaching neighbor-love as a fluffy feeling or lofty sentiment, rather than an embodied practice. In Your power, help me to love my enemies as You have loved me—with real, sacrificial, committed action. God, remind me that I am not alone in my efforts to practice Your kind of love. I am enabled to treat those who harm me with grace, patience, and compassion, because Your Spirit lives within me. In Your mercy, direct my responses to those I find difficult to love. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.