Matthew 5:43-48

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Love Your Enemies

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 makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This week we tackle the last of Jesus’ six teachings in which he sets out to correct many of the popular teachings of the religious leaders in Israel. This time Jesus corrects the popular Jewish understanding of the word ‘neighbor’.

Who is your neighbor?

When we read verse 43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” Jesus is paraphrasing both what is found in the OT as well as the erroneous conclusion the Jewish people had made concerning its teaching.

Turn with me to starting in verse 17,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

The Jewish people were well aware that they were commanded to love their neighbor, however, where they had gone wrong was their perceived scope of the term ‘neighbor’. They had wrongly believed that the command to ‘love their neighbor’ only extended to those within ethnic Israel, that this command was applicable only to their fellow Israelite. They believed that their neighbor was limited to their fellow Jewish-man.

The erroneous conclusion to hate their enemy

Moreover, this assumption lead to the erroneous conclusion that while they must love their Jewish neighbor that they were permitted to hate their enemy (or those who were outside the scope of God’s covenant people). And you can imagine the animosity and hostility this must have instilled within the Jewish people toward invading nations such as Rome at the time of Jesus, and it helps explain why the Jews were so hostile toward Samaritans, who were considered “half-breeds” (or people who weren’t purely Jewish).

Now to the credit of the Jewish rabbis the context of is primarily the Jewish people, so it’s not hard to argue that the word ‘neighbor’ here is only intended to extend in scope as far as their fellow Israelites, however, the context of also includes verses 33-34 which explicitly read,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

And this is exactly what Jesus is drawing out here in Matthew chapter 5 in verses 43 and 44.

Justifying ourselves

In fact, we see this very same issue of who’s my neighbor reflected in Luke chapter 10 starting in verse 25,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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 he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Central to this lawyer’s interaction with Jesus is the question, “who is my neighbor?” And more than that, at the beginning of verse 29 it says that because he desired to “justify himself, [he] said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” What the man is attempting to do, presumably, is justify himself and any of his actions that do not accord with love by restricting the scope of the word ‘neighbor’, and this is precisely the kind of teaching and thinking Jesus is talking about back in Matthew chapter 5.

It’s why Jesus continues in verse 44 of Matthew chapter 5 by saying,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Again, Jesus is clarifying and explaining the law of God to his disciples. He’s teaching what we might call sound doctrine, and it’s instances like these where we witness that, to Jesus, sound doctrine matters.

The importance of sound doctrine

Our own salvation rides on sound doctrine, and the health of God’s people depends on sound doctrine. And it’s sound doctrine that’s at the heart of why we started this local church. Now, we ought never to pursue right doctrine for the sake of being right, but we ought to pursue right doctrine because we love God and we love his people. Which is the very reason Jesus sees fit to correct the erroneous teachings of the religious leaders.

I have not come to bring peace, but a sword

Notice that Jesus never shies away from divisive topics. Why? Because it’s often the controversial topics that matter the most, that have the most riding on them. His intent obviously isn’t to be divisive for divisive sake, but he does tell us this in ,

English Standard Version Chapter 10

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus is fully aware of the divisive nature of truth, but he’s also aware that so much rides on it. It’s why Jesus was loved by so many and yet hated by so many others. Jesus was the very embodiment of truth in the flesh on the earth, and sinful people, people who seek to justify their actions by maligning God’s word are on a head on collision course with what Jesus is saying here in Matthew.

Love your enemy

What Jesus is demanding of us here in verse 44 is huge! He’s telling us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us. If I’m honest this is contrary to everything present within my sinful nature. When I’m confronted with this teaching my mind immediately runs to all of the reasons why I’m not obligated to love my enemy, to why I’m not obligated to treat the person on the other side of the phone with kindness. Whether I like it or not I can totally relate to the lawyer in Luke’s gospel.

Equity, justice, retaliation and vengeance

You see we’re made in the image of God and in one sense that means we usually have a natural tendency toward equity, or fairness, so when a wrong has been committed against us we immediately desire justice, but if it appears that justice won’t be carried out, or that it’s delayed or not sufficient then we are liable to take matters into our own hands, so we slander, and we gossip and we lash out in anger.

And the verses leading up the ones we’re looking at here today are all about equity and fairness, and Jesus tells his disciples that they are never to retaliate, that they are never to repay evil for evil, that vengeance is the Lord’s, but here in verse 44 Jesus tells his disciples to do something so far above and beyond, not only are they not to retaliate, not only are they to go the extra mile, they are commanded to love their enemy!

Look at what Jesus says in ,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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 abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Do good to those who hate you

So what does it look like to love your enemy? Jesus says, “do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” These are the ethics of God’s kingdom, and while God’s invisible kingdom resides here on earth through his Holy Spirit and the obedience of his people, our neighbors will inevitably always include more than just other Christians. Until Christ returns our neighbors will, more often than not, be our enemies. They will be people who are haters of God, they will be people in which we have nothing spiritually in common with, yet we’re instructed to love them, and not just to love them from afar, if there was ever such a thing, but to love them by doing good to them, by praying for them, by blessing them when they curse us.

The impact of loving our enemies

From a purely historical perspective "this teaching of Jesus” to love our enemies “formed one of the most distinctive traits of the early Christian movement”. (John Piper, Love) On the surface this distinctive characteristic may be the singular greatest reason the church exploded all over the world, even to this day.

Now we know the credit is wholly given to the Spirit of God who brings the dead to life, but it’s also God who uses means to accomplish his ends of salvation. So to say it another way, Christians loving their enemies out of obedience to Christ may be the single greatest means used by the Spirit of God to open the hearts of unbelievers to the Gospel.

So that you may be sons of your Father

Jesus continues in verse 45, but we’ll start again in 44,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

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 makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

If any of us thinks we’re a child of God loving our enemies is a necessary evidence of our profession of faith. In other words there’s no avoiding this verse, this command, for the Christian. We certainly will not attain perfect obedience until the age to come, but what Jesus’ is saying here is that we ought to be bearing fruit in keeping with this command. It ought to be our aim and it ought to be our desire as a child of God to obey our Lord in this way.

Be merciful as God is merciful

At the end of verse 45 Jesus says,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus reminds his disciples that God does good to both the Jew and the Gentile, that he’s merciful to both the just and unjust. That there’s a certain general benevolence that God has toward all of mankind, both believers and unbelievers alike. That the the sun rises on the evil and on the good, and that he sends the rain on the just and on the unjust. Jesus is telling them to be like their heavenly Father. If you look back at Luke chapter 6 in verses 35-36 we read,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

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 is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Loving your enemies means having mercy on them

Again, God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil, so be merciful even as your Father in heaven is merciful. Loving your enemies and doing good to those who hate you will require mercy on your part. And remember mercy is not earned, for if it were earned it would no longer be mercy. If you struggle to be merciful to others, remember how merciful God has been toward you. This is why the Gospel is central to our lives as Christians, not just when we’re saved for the first time but for the entirety of the Christian life, God’s mercy is new every morning (literally), and if we forget that, if we fail to see that we will find it impossible to be merciful toward our enemies.

If we do not love our enemies we no different than unbelievers

Jesus continues in verses 46 and 47,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

What Jesus is saying is that if we do not love our enemies we are no different than unbelievers. You see, when we love our enemies we’re doing something no other group of people are accustomed to doing. When you do good to those who hate you, when you lend, expecting nothing in return you’re showing love to them that is not of this world.

If we do not love our enemies we are no different than unbelievers. Do we not typically view those who oppose God as our enemies, do we not find their wicked deeds loathsome, are not those who advocate for the death of unborn children enemies of God? And if they are enemies of God, are they not also then enemies of his kingdom? And if enemies of his kingdom, then also are they not enemies of its citizens - enemies of God’s people? In a very real sense the answer is yes.

How do you get an unbeliever’s attention? Love them without expecting anything in return. How do you create space to talk about the Gospel with an unbeliever? Do good to them even after they’ve uttered all kinds of evil against you. If we do not love our enemies we’re no different than unbelievers.

Listen to Jesus again in verses 32-34,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

It isn’t that we ought not to do good to one another, that is, those within the church, but if that’s where our love ends then what makes us any different than those outside the church? If we only love one another and not those outside the church then what credit is that to us?

Conclusion

And finally Jesus concludes by saying in verse 48 of Matthew chapter 5,

English Standard Version Chapter 5

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Jesus reiterates that we ought to be like our heavenly Father, and if we are to be like him we must be merciful, as he is merciful. We must love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, to lend, expecting nothing in return, to be kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

If we do not love our enemies we are no different than unbelievers. Do we not typically view those who oppose God as our enemies, do we not find their wicked deeds loathsome, are not those who advocate for the death of unborn children enemies of God? And if they are enemies of God, are they not also then enemies of his kingdom? And if enemies of his kingdom, then also are they not enemies of its citizens - enemies of God’s people? In a very real sense the answer is yes.

Do we not typically view those who oppose God as our enemies, do we not find their wicked deeds loathsome, are not those who advocate for the death of unborn children enemies of God? And if they are enemies of God, are they not also then enemies of his kingdom? And if enemies of his kingdom, then also are they not enemies of its citizens - enemies of God’s people? In a very real sense the answer is yes.

Prayer

David even writes in verses 19-22 this,

Psalm 139 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

English Standard Version Psalm 139

19  Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O men of blood, depart from me!

20  They speak against you with malicious intent;

your enemies take your name in vain.

21  Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22  I hate them with complete hatred;

I count them my enemies.

In our culture, and even within the church, the idea that God hates anything is simply appalling to most. The love of God is preached and taught relentlessly, and rightfully so, because God’s love is at the heart of the Gospel. But do you know what else sits at the heart of the Gospel? God’s hatred for sin, and not only his hatred for sin but his hatred toward sinners. We have to be careful not divorce the sin from the sinner, because the sinner is the perpetrator of the sin.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

16  There are six things that the LORD hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

17  haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

18  a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil,

19  a false witness who breathes out lies,

and one who sows discord among brothers.

But Jesus is telling his disciples that they must go further, they must not only love one another but they must love their enemies.