"The Law and Love"
Notes
Transcript
I am pretty sure that it is safe to say everyone here has or had an enemy, or at least someone they would rather not sit next to. It might be a family member who wounded you, a former business partner, or a church member who gossiped. Jesus does not ask us to pretend these kind of people don't exist. In fact He assumes they do, and then He tells His followers what to do about them.
Proposition - God's children are to love as God the Father loves, because we are unable to do this perfectly, it is crucial that we are driven to the One who does love perfectly.
Interrogative question - In what ways do we sometimes add exceptions to God's commands, similar to the scribes and Pharisees?
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus is preaching this message on a hillside in Galilee, to a people under Roman occupation. Many in His audience had good reason to hate someone: Roman soldiers who could conscript them to carry a pack (Matt 5:41), tax collectors who profited from Rome, and Gentiles generally. Hope for a Messiah who would crush Israel's enemies ran high.
Notice what Jesus quotes in verse 43: "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." The first half is Leviticus 19:18. The second half is not in the Old Testament. It is a rabbinic gloss that narrowed "neighbor" to fellow Jews and then drew the conclusion that everyone else could be hated. A similar attitude appears in the Qumran Community Rule, which told its members to "hate all the sons of darkness" (1QS 1:9-10). The Old Testament in fact commands kindness to an enemy's ox and donkey (Ex 23:4-5) and food for a hungry foe (Prov 25:21-22).
Remember that false doctrines always starts with some form of truth.
So Jesus is not correcting Moses. He is correcting the scribes and Pharisees, who had reduced God's holy law to a manageable one (Matt 5:20). This passage is the sixth and last of the "You have heard... but I say to you" contrasts, and Jesus speaks as the divine Lawgiver who fulfills the Law (5:17).
1. Jesus Restores The Distorted - vs. 43
1. Jesus Restores The Distorted - vs. 43
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Sinful hearts always look for loopholes in God's law. The teachers had kept the words of Leviticus and added an exception that let them keep their hatred. Every generation does the same, adding a footnote that essentially lets us off the hook.
17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 “And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 “Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 “But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 “On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ ”
Illustration: A man once bragged that he kept the speed limit, while his speedometer read ten miles over. "Close enough," he said. When we edit the standard to fit our behavior, we are no longer obeying the law, only our own version of it. The antidote is to submit to what God actually said, not what we have heard it said.
Application: Are there people you have quietly classed as outside your obligation to love?
2. Jesus Commands Active Love - vs. 44
2. Jesus Commands Active Love - vs. 44
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew, Vols. 1–4: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Love Your Enemies)
The Greek language has four different terms that are usually translated “love.” Philia is brotherly love and the love of friendship; storgē is the love of family; and erōs is desiring, romantic, sexual love. But the love of which Jesus speaks here, and which is most spoken of in the New Testament, is agapē, the love that seeks and works to meet another’s highest welfare.
The Sermon on the Mount: (Matthew 5–7): An Expositional Commentary (Divine Love)
There is a fourth word for love, however, and it is divine love—agapē. It is the word that Christ used the first two times that he put his question to Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”—and, of course, it is the word which Jesus uses here in the Sermon on the Mount. This love is one that loves without variableness. It loves even when the object of the love is hateful or unlovely. You might say that it is love for no reason at all, or love even when there are ample reasons to discourage it. It is godlike love. The point is that such love, not erotic or family or even affectionate love, is to characterize our lives as God’s children.
This word for love, agapaō, is not warm feeling. It is a settled determination to seek another's good. It is shown in what we do (Rom 12:20-21) and especially in what we pray. Prayer comes first because it changes the one praying. It is hard to curse someone in your heart while asking God to bless them.
Two guardrails keep this faithful to Scripture. First, loving an enemy does not mean approving of sin or excusing evil; Jesus Himself called sin what it was (Matt 23). Second, this is a command to individual disciples about personal wrongs. God has still given government the sword to restrain evildoers (Rom 13:1-4), so this text does not abolish just courts or lawful defense of the innocent.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 22 For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you.
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30 “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. 31 “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.
Illustration: In 2006, a gunman killed five Amish schoolgirls at Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Within hours, Amish neighbors visited the shooter's widow and family to offer comfort and forgiveness, and some attended his burial. The watching world was stunned. They were not denying that a terrible evil had been done. They were obeying Matthew 5:44 in a place where it cost them dearly.
Application: Name your "enemy" before the Lord this week and pray for their good, by name, every day.
3. Jesus’ Grounds For This Love - vs. 45
3. Jesus’ Grounds For This Love - vs. 45
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Here Jesus is not teaching that we earn sonship by loving enemies. Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9). He is saying that this is how sons resemble their Father. Children bear the family likeness, and loving enemies is evidence of a transformed life.
God's kindness to the undeserving human race is called common grace. Every breath, every harvest, and every sunrise comes from the hand of a God whom the wicked daily offend. His patience is meant to lead sinners to repentance (Rom 2:4).
9 The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.”
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Illustration: Picture a farmer in western Colorado in a good irrigation year. The same water that nourishes his field also flows through the ditch to the neighbor who cheated him, and he does not get to withhold the rain. God sends the rain on everyone, including the people who curse His name. If He refuses to hold back His kindness from rebels, how can we hold back ours?
Application: Remember that you were once God's enemy too (Rom 5:10). Let that humble you before you harden your heart toward anyone.
4. Jesus Demands a Distinguishing Love - vs. 46-47
4. Jesus Demands a Distinguishing Love - vs. 46-47
46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Loving people who love us is the natural, easy thing. Even people with no knowledge of God do it. Jesus calls His disciples to a supernatural love that cannot be explained apart from grace. When a Christian blesses someone who has cursed him, the watching world sees something it cannot account for.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Illustration: Matthew himself was a tax collector (Matt 9:9). He knew exactly what Jesus meant, because he had spent years loving only those who paid him, and then Jesus called him. The man writing this sermon down had been shown the kind of love he was describing: a Savior who sought out the despised and the hated.
Application: Whom do you greet, and whom do you avoid? Ask whether your love is any different from that of your unbelieving neighbors.
5. Jesus Sets the Standard - vs. 48
5. Jesus Sets the Standard - vs. 48
48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Greek word teleios means complete, whole, or fully mature. In context, it means undivided love like the Father's, extended even to enemies. Echoing Leviticus 19:2 ("You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy"), Jesus sets the bar not at "better than the Pharisees" but at God Himself.
We cannot reach that standard. That is the point. The Law shows us what we are (Rom 3:20), and Jesus closes every escape route so we stop trusting in ourselves. He then does what we could not: He lived the perfect life, loved His enemies all the way to a cross, and prayed "Father, forgive them" over those who nailed Him there. Because of that, His righteousness is credited to all who trust Him (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 5:8). Then, and only then, the Spirit begins to make us what the standard describes (Phil 3:12-15; 1 Pet 1:15-16).
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
13 “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;
Loving enemies means working toward their redemption while simultaneously protecting the vulnerable and maintaining clear moral standards—not tolerating ongoing harm.
Illustration: A mirror can show you the dirt on your face, but it cannot wash it off. The Law of God, held up in this passage, is that mirror. It shows us honestly where we stand, and the only thing that can wash us clean is the blood of Christ. Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who survived the Ravensbrück concentration camp, faced a former guard after a Munich service in 1947. He held out his hand and asked her forgiveness. She later wrote that she could not do it, and that she cried out for help. As she took his hand, she felt the love of God come through her. She said that forgiveness is not an emotion but an act of the will, and that God supplies the power for it. That is the standard and the gospel together.
Application: If you see your inability here, don't despair or lower the standard. Run to Christ for mercy, and ask Him for the Spirit's power to obey.
SO WHAT?
The world says to love your friends and hate your enemies. The Pharisees said to love your own kind and keep a safe distance from the rest. Jesus says to love as the Father loves, with a love that begins at the cross. If you have never trusted Christ, you are in the category of enemy that He loved enough to die for. If you are His, then go and love the one you find hardest, and trust the Father who makes the sun rise on both of you.
How can we actively demonstrate love to someone we would typically consider an enemy?
What specific prayers can we offer for those who have wronged us or whom we struggle to love?
In what ways can acknowledging our own status as former enemies of God influence how we treat others?
How does understanding God's common grace toward all humanity change our perspective on loving our enemies?
What biblical principles can guide us when we encounter the temptation to exclude certain individuals from our love?
What steps can we take this week to reach out to someone we have distanced ourselves from?
How do our everyday interactions reflect or contradict the love that Jesus teaches us to have for our enemies?
Can you identify a specific instance where you added exceptions to God's command to love? How can you address that?
How can we equip ourselves to show love to those we assume do not deserve it or appreciate it?
In what ways can we cultivate a culture of love in our church that extends beyond our comfort zones?
The Sermon on the Mount: (Matthew 5–7): An Expositional Commentary (Christ in You)
Some time ago I read a story in one of the books of Dr. H. A. Ironside that illustrates this graphically. Once when Ironside was in Ganado, Arizona, at a Presbyterian Mission Hospital there, he met a poor Navajo woman who had been nursed back to health through the consecrated work of a Christian doctor and the Navajo nurses. She had been cast out by her own people when they thought she was going to die, and was found after three or four days of exposure. After nine weeks in the hospital she recovered enough to begin to wonder about the unexpected care she had received. She said to one of the nurses, “I can’t understand it. Why did the doctor do all that for me? He is a white man, and I am an Indian. I never heard of anything like this before.”
The Navajo nurse, a Christian, said to her, “You know, it is the love of Christ that made him do that.” She said, “Who is this Christ? Tell me more about him.” The nurse called a missionary to explain the gospel. The staff began to pray. Several weeks passed. Then a day came when she was asked, “Can’t you trust this Savior, turn from the idols you have worshiped, and trust him as the Son of the living God?” As the Navajo woman pondered her answer, the door opened and the doctor stepped in. The face of the old woman lit up. She said, “If Jesus is anything like the doctor, I can trust him forever.” She came to the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted him as her Savior.
Do you see what it was that reached her? It was love. But it was not man’s love. It was God’s love manifest in a man. God’s love! That is what you and I are to show forth to an ungodly and rebellious world, and we are to do it as sons of our Father so that many may come to faith in his unique Son.
