As we dive into the Scripture for this week, bring to mind two groups of people. The first are your friends—those you find easy to love and who love you; those you protect and who are protective of you; those to whom you are generous and who are generous to you. You have joyful, reciprocal relationships and you generally see things the same way. The second group are your enemies—those who have hurt or embarrassed you, stolen from you, those you find exhausting and you try to avoid them. You may not necessarily use the word “enemy,” but we all have people we’d rather stay away from.
Love and Hate
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’” (v. 43).
The command to love your neighbor appears first in Leviticus 19:18. Although “hate your enemy” was not actually written in Scripture, it was common practice and assumed to be acceptable. It is natural for us to love those who are the most like us and to dislike those who are different in their beliefs, lifestyles, or customs. It may be natural, but it is not God’s kingdom culture.
Love Your Enemies
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44).
Biblical love is not an affectionate feeling, but a determination to bless someone. Feelings can come and go, but the choice to love should remain constant. Affection will often grow as it follows loving actions. Here’s how the Apostle Paul described biblical love:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
However, Jesus didn’t just apply this to those we like to spend time with. He extends it even to our enemies and persecutors. In our American culture, we don’t really experience much persecution. True persecutors are those who choose aggressive, purposeful harm to others. Christians in other cultures are often persecuted in terrible ways. (Check out Open Door USA.) If we were being beaten, imprisoned, and separated from our families, would we willingly love and pray for our persecutors?
Why Should We?
“So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (v. 45).
Forgiveness is part of our Father’s character, and so it should also be ours. God gives the common grace of sun, rain, and the basic necessities of life to all kinds of people, not just to those who are good and kind people.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1).
When Jesus was dying on the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Like Him, we can extend grace and love to others. Hatred is not an option for us, regardless of how others hurt us, disagree with us, or push our buttons.
Everyone Loves Their Friends
“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (vv. 46-47).
The tax collectors were traitors to their own people, extorting money for their own benefit and for the use of the Roman kingdom. Gentiles were considered by the Jews to be godless people. Even these “infidels” love their own people.
Be Perfect
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48).
We’ve reached the end of a section of the Sermon on the Mount that started with verses 17-20 where Jesus told His disciples that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Perfect righteousness in every situation and every part of life is God’s standard, but is impossible in our own power. Nobody is perfect, and that’s why Jesus had to come and die the death that we deserved. Our failures made us enemies of God, but He loved us anyway.
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:6-10).
We have received God’s lavish love even while we were His enemies. We can extend love to others through the Holy Spirit at work in and through us.
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).
Discussion Questions
1) Read 1 John 3:11-18. Are there people to whom you have been tempted to close your heart? How can we be sure to love “in deed and in truth”?
2) In what ways are relationships within the church different from those with non-Christians? Consider these verses: Matt. 18:15-20, Gal. 6:10, Eph. 4:1-6, 2 Thess. 3:13-15, James 4:4, etc.
3) Look back over Matthew 5:17-48. Does one of these topics seem more difficult than the others for you? Why is that?
