Matthew 5:43-48, 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.

Comments

Enemies are those outside of and opposed to the people of God. One might think that Jesus would like to take them out, but instead he loved them and died for them on the cross. He wants us to display the undiscriminating love of the Father, the kind of love we find in the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus desires the love of the father to be seen in the sons.

Jesus demands that his disciples be perfect. How can we be perfect? Perfection is greater than moral perfection. It points to completeness and wholeheartedness, which we can have we Jesus dwells in us and we in him.

Application/Reflection

I have seen morally perfect people, or at least they appear to be that way! But they do not tend to be wholehearted people because they are driven by moral perfect and not love. Love of God and love of neighbor are the drivers of moral perfection. That is how Jesus led a morally perfect life.

Prayer

O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love

our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:

deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in

your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.