If you’re like me, you will often read the moral teaching of Jesus in the Gospels and apply it to your personal circumstances, or your immediate social relationships. Occasionally, we might reflect on biblical teaching as it informs our democratic vote, as I suspect Pope Leo XIV did as he prepared to cast his vote in the U.S. midterm elections this week.
But what about the broader political implications of the teaching of Jesus? What does Jesus have to say about government policy? Next week, we will focus on economic policy in biblical perspective; today, I want us to focus our thoughts on foreign policy.
There are few teachings of Jesus more familiar, more admired, and more difficult to practise than his command to love our enemies. We encounter it in today’s Gospel reading: “Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27–28). These words challenge some of our deepest instincts about justice, loyalty, retaliation and self-preservation.
We may regard them as principles governing family relationships, personal disagreements or the life of the church, while assuming that they have little relevance to national political and social life.
But why should that be so? If love, mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation are characteristics of the inbreaking kingdom of God, they cannot simply cease to matter when we move from individual morality to the ethics of national and international politics. Jesus proclaimed these teachings within a society shaped by Roman imperial power, economic inequality and political tension. He addressed people who were all too familiar with injustice. And he called them to love their enemies.
A different understanding of power
At the heart of this teaching is a radical understanding of power. We commonly measure power by the ability to defend our interests, compel others to conform to our will, and prevail over opponents. We admire strength and assume that national security depends upon possessing more power than the enemy, whoever that might be.
Jesus challenges those assumptions. His kingdom is characterised not by domination but by service; not by retaliation but by mercy; not by indifference toward opponents but by active concern for their welfare. Jesus does not merely counsel his followers not to harm their enemies. He calls them to do good, to bless, to pray and to give.
Enemy-love is an active commitment to seek another person’s good without pretending that wrongdoing is acceptable. The apostle Paul develops this principle in Romans 12:17f: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil … If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
He concludes: “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (v. 21). Presumably, these sacred principles may be applied not only to interpersonal politics but also to international politics. Paul does not deny the reality of evil or suggest that injustice should be ignored. He insists that evil must not principally shape our response. We must resist becoming what we oppose.
When our neighbour is our adversary
We live in a world characterised by strategic competition, armed conflict and mistrust between nations. The primary purpose of government is not to collect taxes but to protect citizens, maintain national security, and defend sovereignty. Christian ethics does not ask governments to disregard those obligations, and the tasks to which governments are called are not identical with those of individuals.
But Jesus challenges us to ask how national interests are pursued; what limits should govern the exercise of state power; and to what extent God calls the state to treat its strategic enemies with dignity.
Consider Australia’s relationship with China. We have genuine disagreements on regional security, political freedoms and international conduct. At senior diplomatic talks in Beijing on 9 October 2026, Australian and Chinese representatives discussed trade, human rights, and foreign interference and regional security.
There was significant disagreement on key issues, and on priorities, along with a recognition of the usefulness of regular dialogue. Such disagreements do not imply that confrontation is inevitable, or that national self-interest should be the preeminent moral principle in such bilateral or multilateral dialogue.
I believe Jesus calls the nations of our world to pursue peace without abandoning justice, to resist wrongdoing without cultivating hatred and retribution. I believe Jesus calls every nation to recognise that even those who might wish its people harm ultimately remain “neighbours.”
The same principle raises important questions about the use of military force. Christians have long disagreed about warfare. Some of us understand the teaching of Jesus as a summons to principled nonviolence; others believe governments may use limited force to protect the innocent and resist aggression.
Australia’s defence commitments, including AUKUS, should be examined not only for the military capabilities they may provide but also for their contribution to preventing conflict. Deterrence has a crucial role in preserving the peace; it can also carry risks of escalation, miscalculation, and perpetual insecurity. Jesus gives us no detailed defence policy, but he challenges the assumption that greater power necessarily produces a better world.
The mercy of God and the needs of the world
Jesus grounds his command in the character of God: “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Lk 6:36). Christian love is not an impossible demand imposed upon us but a response to the grace and generosity of God.
God is kind even to the ungrateful and the wicked; likewise, those who have received mercy are called to practise mercy. That truth enlarges our understanding of who counts as our neighbour. Refugees seeking safety, families affected by conflict, and communities facing environmental threats are not simply policy problems or distant strangers. They are persons who possess intrinsic worth.
Consider the people of Tuvalu, whose low-lying islands face serious threats from climate change. Australia and Tuvalu have entered into the Falepili Union treaty, recognising Tuvalu’s continuing sovereignty despite sea-level rise and providing for climate cooperation, security assistance and a pathway for Tuvaluans to live, work and study in Australia.
What does it mean to be a good neighbour to a community confronting such risks? Is our concern determined chiefly by what Australia might gain, or also by what Tuvaluans themselves say they need? The simple command of Jesus to do good without expecting a return challenges conditional generosity driven by strategic advantage.
Governments need to make difficult decisions about budgets, public expenditure, migration, security and international assistance. But such complexities do not deny the moral obligation to consider the welfare of others. Our relative prosperity is not merely a possession to be guarded; it also creates opportunities to serve.
The neighbour whom Jesus asks us to love cannot be defined simply by national boundaries, economic usefulness or political allegiance.
Overcome evil with good
Christian discipleship begins with the mercy of God, not with our moral accomplishments. In Romans 12, Paul appeals to his readers, “by the mercies of God,” to offer themselves to God in worship. God has acted graciously towards us, and God invites us to embrace a radical and distinctive lifestyle—by wholeheartedly rejecting vengeance, practising hospitality, pursuing reconciliation, and extending compassion beyond those who already love us. None of this is weakness. Forgiveness requires courage; peacemaking may demand sacrifice; and the pursuit of justice sometimes requires confronting powerful interests.
Our calling is to bear witness to the moral vision of Jesus, reminding those who exercise authority that power is for the service of others. That gospel witness begins with us. It is difficult to speak credibly about reconciliation among nations if our congregations are characterised by quarrelling, bitterness, factionalism or resentment.
Paul’s qualifying phrase, “so far as it depends on you,” recognises that reconciliation cannot always be achieved by one party alone. We are responsible for our own conduct, but we cannot control how others respond. The same principle naturally applies between nations.
In a world where retaliation often appears more natural than reconciliation, we hear again the words of the apostle Paul: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” That is a holy calling for each of us, a holy challenge to every nation, and a holy witness to the coming kingdom of God.
Sermon 876 copyright © 2026 Rod Benson. Preached at North Rocks Community Church, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday 1 November 2026. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Christian Standard Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).
Rev Dr Rod Benson lives in Sydney and writes about a range of topics from books and local history to food, faith, philosophy, ethics, research skills, and everyday life. Away from the keyboard, he enjoys cooking for friends, walking in the Australian bush, exploring a beach, discovering new restaurants, and reading philosophy, fiction and poetry. He is married to Emma and is minister of North Rocks Community Church, a Uniting Church congregation.
Image source: JWire
Taking it further…
Reflection questions
- Why does the sermon argue that Jesus’ command to love our enemies applies to international relations as well as personal relationships?
- How does Jesus’ understanding of power challenge conventional ideas about national strength and security?
- What does Paul’s phrase “so far as it depends on you” help us understand about the possibilities and limits of reconciliation between people and nations?
Application questions
- When you think about a nation regarded as Australia’s adversary, what fears or assumptions shape your response? How might prayer for its people and leaders reshape your outlook?
- How could your church listen to and act on the priorities expressed by refugees or climate-threatened Pacific communities, including Tuvaluans?
- What specific action will you take this month—through advocacy, giving, hospitality or peacemaking—to “overcome evil with good”? How will you review what you have learned?
