Matthew 5: 43-48 (CSB) - “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, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
I had a friend who jokingly said every time that he was mad at me – “I don’t have to like you, but I do have to love you.” He, of course, was referring to this passage.
Jesus started with the basic concept – (verse 43) – The Law says, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But, wait, where does the Old Testament Law teach us to hate our enemies? The Pharisees were teaching the people this concept apparently based upon the idea from God's command to wipe out inhabitants of land when they were coming into the Promised Land. Or perhaps from David's imprecatory Psalms. In both cases this was judicial, not a personal individual affair.
What did the Pharisees teach? "Love thy neighbor." The question then would arise, “Who is my neighbor?” They taught only the Jewish people were your neighbors. So, your duty then was to hate all who were not Jews.
Once again, we see Jesus develop the broadened concept – (verse 44 – 48) Jesus says, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus later will give the full illustration in the parable of the Good Samaritan. He shows them that there that all people are our neighbors. And, will bring us to see that the Old Testament commands us to show kindness and love toward stranger was being ignored by the Pharisees.
God's love sets an example. Consider that He makes the sun to rise on the evil and the good. He sends the rain on just and unjust. In Romans we are reminded, "But God commended His Love toward us... If when we were enemies of God….” (Romans 5:8, 10) Jesus wants us to remember that had God not loved this sinful, rebellious, hating world, where would we be?
God's perfection is to be our goal. "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect." When we see what the author of the Law meant when He gave it to Moses, it hits everyone very hard. In the Book of James 2:10 – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
You see – the breaking of one point establishes that we have the sin nature in us. Christ died to take away our sin nature – and it is only by His righteousness that we can enter into Heaven.
Our relationship with God is demonstrated by our relationship with others. What is my relationship with others saying about my relationship with God today?
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