Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27-38) Sunday School Lesson

The Bible teaches us that we are to love everyone, even our enemies.  For young children, and really everyone, the natural response is to respond to anger with anger.  This lesson teaches children that they should do the opposite and love their enemies instead of hate them.
Lesson Title:  Love Your Enemies
Bible Reference: Luke 6:27-38
Learning Context: Children’s Church or Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 1 ½ hour
Learning Aim:  Jesus wants us to love your enemies.
Materials Needed:

1. 3 Buckets
2. Bean bags
3. Paper
4. Coffee Filters
5. Washable Markers
6. Spray Bottle full of Water
7. Poster Board

You say the Italicized words.  Non-italicized words are directions.

Lesson Opener: Opposites

Tell the class that you are going to say a series of words.  For each word you say they need to respond back with the opposite.  So if you say ‘happy,’ they say ‘sad.’ Other words you could use are: big and small, tall and short, up and down, close and open, stop and go, over and under, etc. End with love and hate.
Say, It is easy to love people who show love to us.  But what about people who show hate to us? Jesus wants us to love them too.  Jesus wants us to love everyone.  Let’s read a story about them from Luke 6:27-38.

Luke 6:27–38 (ESV)
Love Your Enemies
[27] “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. [29] To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. [30] Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. [31] And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
[32] “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. [33] And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. [34] And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. [35] But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. [36] Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Judging Others
[37] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; [38] give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (ESV)

Bible Story: Love Your Enemies
You say the Italicized words.  Non-italicized words are directions.
Say, Today we are going to learn about a lesson that Jesus taught us that is very hard to learn.  Jesus wants us to love everyone, even the people who are mean to us.  Just like in the game we just played, we have to do the opposite of what others expect us to do.  Now, I am going to say a situation and I want you to help me decide what you should do according to Jesus.
Go through each situation below and let the kids answer each question

1. Someone yells at you. Answer: Speak kindly to them anyway.
2. Someone hits you. Answer: Don’t hit back, just walk away and get a teacher to help you.
3. Someone takes something that is yours. Answer: Give when whatever they need. Don’t steal something from them.
4. Someone asks you for something. Answer: Give it to them.

Say, Now I know what you might be thinking: Why should I be nice to someone who is mean to me?  Well, here’s why: Have you ever done anything wrong before? Allow them to share a few times when they have messed up.  Even though you have made mistakes before I still love you, your family loves you, and Jesus still loves you.  So when someone makes a mistake we should still love them. 
What do you think? Can you love your enemies? How can you show love to those who are mean to you? 

Game about Love Your Enemies – Bean Bag Toss

Set up three bucket or baskets are increasing distances from a starting line. Label the first bucket ‘Family,’ the second bucket, ‘Friends,’ and the last bucket, ‘Enemies.’  Take turns throwing the bean bag into each bucket.  Explain that it’s easy to love our family and friends but a little bit harder to love our enemies.
Say: It was pretty easy to get the bean bag in the first two buckets but harder to get it in the last one.  It’s the same with loving people.  It’s easy for us to love our friends and family but a little harder to love our enemies but we can still do it. 

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Craft: Spread Love to Others

Give each child a coffee filter and a washable marker.  Let them decorate the coffee filter. (You might need to put paper on the table so the marker doesn’t bleed through.)  Then spray the coffee filters with water from a spray bottle and watch the colors spread.  Make sure you put a tray under the coffee filters so it doesn’t make a mess.
Say: Do you see how the colors are spreading out on the coffee filter?  That’s what love it like.  We need to spread it around to everyone, especially our enemies. 

Love One Another Coloring Craft

Cut a large heart out of poster board.  As a class work together to cover the poster board with color.  While you color say, This week when you are at home, school, or anywhere, I want you to remember to spread love to everyone.  Let’s help Jesus cover the world with love, just like you covered this heart with crayon.

Activity: Learning about Opposites

Place two buckets on the table and label one light and the other heavy.  Explain the difference in heavy and light and place a piece of paper in the light bucket and a block in the heavy bucket.  Give each child a chance to find an object from around the room and add it to the correct bucket.
Say, Jesus wants us to the do the opposite of what we want to do.  When someone is mean to us we want to be mean back but Jesus wants us to love others instead.   

Close the lesson

Give each child a heart shaped sticker to help them remember to love others this week.  Close in prayer asking God to help each child love their enemies.