Loving our Enemies

45that you may be sons 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.

46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Leviticus 19:18 (NIV84)

18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Note in Matthew 5:43, that Jesus was addressing something that was said, not written. Jesus was addressing the tradition of the scribes and Pharisees and not Scripture itself.

What was said did not include the words as yourself. What was said was Rabbinic tradition, which omitted the words as yourself.

The Jewish teachers were guilty of twisting God’s original command.

They deliberately omitted as yourself from “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This limited the degree and intensity of the love to be accorded to others.

They limited the number of those to be regarded as neighbors to a small number of friends and close acquaintances.

Love your neighbor could be taken to mean, “Love only your neighbor and don’t bother with the rest.”

It is possible to interpret Love your neighbor in a way that removes our obligation to those who live at a distance.

Leviticus 19:9–18, 33-34 (NIV84)

9“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

10Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.

11“ ‘Do not steal. “ ‘Do not lie. “ ‘Do not deceive one another.

12“ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

13“ ‘Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. “ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

14“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

15“ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

16“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

17“ ‘Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

33“ ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.

34The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Verses 9-17 delineate how one is to love their neighbor.

If you violate any of these commands, you are not loving your neighbor as yourself.

Verses 33-34, expand loving someone as yourself to include strangers.

Matthew 22:34–40 (NIV84)

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.

35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

38This is the first and greatest commandment.

39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus said that loving your neighbor as yourself was the second greatest of all commandments.

Not just loving your neighbor, but loving your neighbor as you would love yourself.

How would you like to be loved, if you were that person?

Not a command to be taken lightly, nor one that could be obeyed only when we feel like it.

Mark 12:29–34 (NIV84)

29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.

33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Romans 13:8–10 (NIV84)

8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

9The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Galatians 5:13–15 (NIV84)

13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

14The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

James 2:8–9 (NIV84)

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

These Scriptures stress how important it is to love my neighbor as if he was me.

Loving your neighbor as yourself is a higher form of love than just loving your neighbor; it’s the royal law found in Scripture.

Matthew 7:12 (NIV84)

12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (The Golden Rule)

Charles Spurgeon: Put yourself in another’s place, and then act to him as you would wish him to act toward you under the same circumstances. This is a right royal rule, a precept always at hand, always applicable, always right.

Luke 10:25–37 (NIV84)

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.

35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor (proved to be a neighbor, esv) to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The thrust of the parable is not to answer the question:

“Who is my neighbor?” but this one:

“How do I show or prove myself a neighbor to others?”

Being a neighbor is more than just living in close proximity to someone; a neighbor is one who shows mercy and compassion to another person.

The good Samaritan “cared for the injured stranger the way most people care for themselves.”

Matthew 5:43 (NIV84)

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

This phrase does not appear in the law (or anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible), but Rabbinic tradition perverted the Old Testament teaching about love by adding something to it: hate your enemy.

“You have heard that it was said,”… not “it was written.” The scribes and Pharisees distorted the Scriptures by omitting as yourself and adding hate your enemy.

Matthew 5:44 (NIV84)

44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

The earliest available manuscripts have “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” but a few early manuscripts and related later witnesses have “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

You may be reading a translation of the Bible that includes the additional phrase (e.g., kjv, esv).

Love = ἀγαπάω agapaō = to have a warm regard for and interest in another.

The active pursuance of the enemies’ good, and that not grudgingly or only in an exterior manner but from the heart.

Agape love includes loving those who don’t deserve it.

Enemies = ἐχθρός echthros = an enemy, adversary; someone who opposes you; also used to describe both Satan and death.

a personal enemy. (Lexham Research Lexicon)

Luke 6:27–28, 32-36 (NIV84)

27“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.

33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that.

34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.

35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton: The Bible tells us to love our neighbours, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.

Love your enemies by doing good to them, blessing them, praying for them, and lending to them without expecting to get anything back.

In doing this, we show ourselves to be sons of the Most High.

Matthew 5:44 (NIV84)

44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Pray = προσεύχομαι proseuchomai = to petition deity; to speak to or to make requests of God.

When we pray, our eyes are on God, not on our enemies.

If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life.

This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to God, because only he can deliver people from natural selfishness.

We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love.

John Chrysostom: To pray for our enemies is ‘the very highest summit of self-control.’

It is impossible to pray for someone without loving him, and impossible to go on praying for him without discovering that our love for him grows and matures.

We must not, therefore, wait before praying for an enemy until we feel some love for him in our heart.

We must begin to pray for him before we are conscious of loving him, and we shall find our love break first into bud, then into blossom.

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (NIV84)

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—

2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

3This is good, and pleases God our Savior,

4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We can be tempted to pray that the Lord bring judgment down on our ungodly leaders and enemies.

What does Scripture say is the motive for praying for our government leaders?

We are to pray regularly for all government officials so that we’ll have a peaceful environment in which to worship God and to communicate the gospel.

Why not rather pray that they have the wisdom of God, and that God would grant them the gift of repentance and a heart to receive the Gospel and thereby be saved?

Paul was an enemy of God and His people. He terrorized and killed many of them until he was born again!

Matthew 5:45 (NIV84)

45that you may be sons 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 5:45 (NLT2)

45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Loving our enemies does not make us sons of our Father, it shows that we are His children.

Matthew 5:45 (NIV84)

45that you may be sons 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.

This is called Common Grace.

Many God’s love because of the “problem of evil.” They ask, “How could a good, loving, and powerful God allow evil to exist?”

But no one seems to have difficulty with the “problem of good.”

No one wakes up with this question on their mind: “How could a holy God allow sinful people to experience any of his goodness?”

We don’t ask that question because we have presumed upon God’s goodness.

We think we’re entitled to his goodness. We’re not!

We don’t deserve any of his grace.

We deserve judgment. So then, let’s not take his goodness for granted.

Psalm 145:8–9 (NIV84)

8The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

9The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

God lavishes his common grace on a world that in most cases is not fulfilling any of the conditions of faith or righteousness that God calls for from all people.

Acts 14:16–17 (NIV84)

16In the past, he let all nations go their own way.

17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are still a recipient of God’s common grace, whether you acknowledge it or not.

If you are alive and not in hell at this moment, it is because of God’s common grace.

If you are in good health and not wasting away in some ward of hopeless patients in a hospital, it is because of common grace.

If you have a home and are not wandering about on city streets, it is because of God’s common grace.

If you have clothes to wear and food to eat, it is because of God’s common grace.

The list could be endless. There is no one living who has not been the recipient of God’s common grace in countless ways.

So, if you think that it is not by grace but by your merits alone that you possess these blessings, you show your ignorance of spiritual matters and disclose how far you are from God’s kingdom.

Matthew 5:46–47 (NIV84)

46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

The key word here is more. What are you doing more than others?

Is there a “more” in my love?

Is there something about my love that cannot be explained in natural terms?

Is there something special and unique about my love to others that is not present in the life of the unbeliever?

If we love only those with whom we have something in common and who treat us well, if there is nothing more than that, we are perhaps not Christians at all.

Is there a reward for returning kindness for kindness?

No.

There is no reward for decency.

Matthew 5:48 (NIV84)

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when they fill out a job application form.

Perfect = τέλειος teleios = brought to completion; fully accomplished, fully developed; perfect in some point of character, without shortcoming in respect of a certain standard.

We are to be like our Father in loving our enemies.

Alfred Plummer (1841-1926): “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine. To love as God loves is moral perfection.”

To be perfect as God is perfect does not mean to be sinless; rather, it means to love others in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Loving your neighbor doesn’t require having warm and fuzzy feelings for him; it means seeking his well-being.

Philippians 3:7–16 (NIV84)

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature (perfect; kjv, nasb) should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

These verses summarize what we should be doing.

Let’s make it our goal to know Christ and to be like Him.

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