Luke 6:28 Commentary: Blessing and Prayer for Enemies

Luke 6:28 sits within Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain (6:17, 49), addressed to a mixed crowd of disciples and onlookers. The setting is first-century Palestine under Roman occupation, where insults, curses and false accusations were common experiences, especially for those who followed a controversial teacher. The Greek word for “mistreat” (epēreazō) carries a range of meanings: to insult, to abuse, to revile, even to accuse falsely in a forensic setting (Thayer). This suggests the mistreatment was often verbal and public, not merely physical. Jewish law prescribed cursing as a serious offence (Exodus 22:28), and synagogues could pronounce anathemas (Gill notes this). Jesus’ command to “bless” those who curse subverts the natural cycle of retaliation, a radical departure from the “eye for an eye” principle that was sometimes used to justify private revenge. The literary context intensifies this: verses 27, 36 form a sustained call to love enemies and show mercy, climaxing in the example of God, who “is kind toward the unthankful and evil” (v.35). Jesus himself would face the ultimate false accusation leading to his crucifixion, and from the cross he prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). The early church recalled this command as they endured persecution (Acts 14:5; 1 Peter 3:16). For original hearers, this teaching would have felt deeply countercultural: the world’s wisdom demanded honour and retaliation; Jesus demanded blessing and intercession. And he did not ask his followers to do anything he would not do first.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Luke 6:28. The verse is stable across the major manuscripts, with only minor differences in word order (e.g., the omission of “and” in some witnesses, as noted in Lange’s commentary apparatus). The core command is uniformly preserved.

Luke 6:28 has been central to Christian teaching on non-retaliation from the earliest centuries. Stephen’s dying prayer (Acts 7:60) directly echoes this verse and established a pattern for martyrdom. Polycarp and other early martyrs are recorded as praying for their persecutors. In the patristic period, both Tertullian and Augustine cited this command to argue against Christians serving as soldiers or judges in capital cases. Monastic communities made it part of daily discipline, blessing those who slandered them. During the Reformation, the verse was used to challenge both Catholic and Protestant persecutors to examine their treatment of opponents. In modern contexts, it has been a foundational text for Christian peacemaking and for reconciliation movements in divided societies. Its consistent application across traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, shows a broad consensus that Jesus’ command is binding and that his own example is the necessary key to obeying it.

Three-point outline

1. The command is concrete, not vague. Jesus specifies two actions: bless (speak well of, invoke God’s favour) and pray (intercede for). The present imperatives make this a daily discipline, not a heroic one-time gesture.
2. The command matches the Master’s example. Jesus blessed his enemies from the cross and prayed for them. Stephen repeated this pattern (Acts 7:60). The command is not theoretical, it is modelled by Christ and his first martyr.
3. The command transforms the relationship. Blessing and prayer break the cycle of curse and counter-curse. They release the disciple from the poison of resentment and position the enemy as someone for whom Christ died.

Five-point outline

1. Identify the curse. Who in your life speaks against you, misrepresents you, or threatens you? Name the specific mistreatment (verbal insult, false accusation, hostile gossip).
2. Choose blessing over bitterness. “Eulogeite” implies speaking good, perhaps aloud, perhaps in private prayer. This is a deliberate act of the will, not a feeling.
3. Pray for the one who mistreats. Intercede for their good, their repentance, their blessing. This aligns your heart with God’s mercy.
4. Remember Jesus’ own path. He prayed for those who drove the nails. Your prayers are not wasted; they follow the pattern of your Lord.
5. Expect transformation of your own heart. The command changes you long before it changes your enemy. You become more like the Father who is kind to the unthankful (v.35).

Illustration hooks

• A parent whose teenage child constantly speaks disrespectfully chooses, after a tense argument, to pray aloud for that child’s future and well-being, breaking the cycle of anger.
• A worker passed over for promotion overhears a colleague spreading a false rumour. Instead of retaliating, he spends time each morning praying for that colleague’s success and family.
• A church member receives an anonymous, hurtful note. She takes it to her prayer time and, with effort, blesses the writer and asks God to meet their needs.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “Does this mean I stay in an abusive relationship or job? Where is the line between blessing and self-preservation?”
• “How can I truly bless someone who has harmed me deeply? Doesn’t that feel fake or dishonest?”
• “What if I can’t pray for them sincerely? Does God accept a half-hearted prayer?”

Jesus’ command to bless and pray for those who curse and mistreat us stands at the heart of his kingdom ethic. It is not a suggestion but a marker of what it means to be a child of the Most High (v.35). As you discuss, remember that Jesus himself lived this out in his final hours. Let this truth shape your conversation: the grace that saved you is the same grace you are called to extend.

Discussion questions

1. Read Luke 6:27, 36. What patterns do you see in Jesus’ commands? How do they build on each other?
2. What kinds of “cursing” or “mistreatment” have you experienced? How did you naturally respond?
3. The Greek word for “mistreat” (epēreazō) can mean insult, revile, or falsely accuse. Why do you think Jesus singles out this kind of wrong rather than physical harm?
4. Jesus tells us to “bless” our enemies. What might that look like in practical terms, in words, in actions, in private?
5. How does Jesus’ own prayer from the cross (Luke 23:34) and Stephen’s prayer (Acts 7:60) shape your understanding of this command?
6. What is the hardest part of obeying this verse for you personally, the blessing, the praying, or both? What makes it difficult?
7. If this command is the mark of a “child of the Most High” (v.35), what does it tell us about God’s character? How does that encourage you?