“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45, NIV)

This is the point in the Sermon on the Mount where we encounter for the first time the word which summarizes everything in it: LOVE. Immediately it is put into clear-cut context of love for our enemies. Loving one’s kindred is a commandment that could be misunderstood. Loving enemies makes unmistakably clear what Jesus intends. — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Discipleship