Love your enemies Matt 5:43-48

Introduction

From verses 23 down through the end of chapter 5 Jesus is reteaching the Law that was given in Exodus and Leviticus. Remember he isn’t adding to the law, but rather he was expounding on the actual meaning of the commandments that he has given.

He has covered murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and now he is going to cover loving our neighbor.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate your enemy vs. 43

Here Jesus is referencing Leviticus 19:18 which says “18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”

Again the religious leaders had added and taken away from this commandment that they shouldn’t just love their neighbor, but they should hate their enemy.

No where in the Old Testament is this practice taught in fact in Exodus 20 and Exodus 22, the person getting sued was referred to as their neighbor, and the same concept is also taught in Proverbs 24 and 25.

Notice they also took away the teaching that we should not only love our neighbors but, we should love them as ourselves.

If we treated everyone the way we wanted to be treated the world would be a much better place.

The New Testament continues this theme

Matt. 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8.

Who is our neighbor?

Luke 10:30–37 KJV 1900

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Jesus explains love your neighbor as yourself vs. 44

Love your enemies.

Jesus immediately tells them they shouldn’t hate their enemies but rather love them.

Remember Jesus said His disciples would be known by their love.

Jesus was the greatest example of loving his enemies. Before we were saved we were at enmity with God, meaning we were the enemy of God. But God loved us so much that he sent His son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins.

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 5:8–10 “8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Jesus doesn’t love what his enemy does, but he does love his enemy.

We as Christians ought to love the same way, We can hate sin and love the sinner.

Romans 12:17–18 “17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

Bless them that curse you

Sometimes our immediate reaction is to lash out at those who spread falsehoods, but here Jesus tells us to meet them with blessing.

Again the sermon on the mount taught things that go against all human nature.

Remember what the Apostle Paul taught in Romans 12:21 “21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Another great example of this is when they were cursing at Jesus, He cried from the cross father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Do good to them that hate you

Its easy to meet hate with hate, in fact its human nature, but here Jesus tells us to good to those who hate us.

Again this goes against anything the world will teach us, but through the power of Christ we can do good to them that hate us.

Kill them with kindness, not in a sarcastic way, but in a way that honours Christ.

Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you

It’s hard to despise someone when your’e praying for them, its counterproductive.

When you get angry at someone pray for them, when someone uses you, instead of getting angry, pray for them, when someone persecutes you pray for them.

William Tyndales last words as he was being burned at the stake, were Lord open the eyes of the king

Stephens final words were “Lord do not hold these sins against them”

Again some of Christ’s final words were father forgive them.

Our example from Christ vs 45-48

We show our love for Christ by the way we show our love for others.

Notice God causes the sun to shine on the evil and on the good

He also causes it to rain on the just and the unjust.

God doesn’t show partiality and neither should we.

Jesus Contrasts what he means

If you only love them that love you what is your reward?

If you only salute your brethren what do you do that others don’t?

Even the publicans (some of the most hated people by the Jews) do the bare minimum.

Be like Christ

Philippians 3:12 “12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”

John Phillips said this “From the moment of our new birth we are accounted as perfect as to our standing. God puts us in Christ and thereafter sees us as perfect and as righteous as he is. As to our state there is still much land to be possessed. We struggle to achieve our goal of perfection until we get to glory and receive our resurrected bodies.”

When we get to heaven we will be prefect

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

But until then we should strive to be more like Christ every day.