Scripture: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 ESV
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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, Jesus’ fifth antithesis reforms the Levitical law that addresses retaliatory justice: lex talionis. Here, Christ transforms his disciples’ understanding of God-ordained justice from the letter of the law to matters of the heart (as he does with anger, lust, oaths, and divorce). So, his followers are not to resist evil people but to overwhelm those who perpetrate it with generosity.
For today’s reading, the above pericope is the last of the six antitheses passages that transform the Levitical law from outward behavior to the heart (authenticity of character). Here, Jesus calls his disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (v.44) as evidence that they are children of God (v.45a). Hence, theologian Michael Wilkins contends that our spiritual “family relationship includes the obligation to act like a son or daughter, which means loving as the Father loves” (NIV Application Commentary: Matthew, p. 253).
Jesus follows with two examples of God’s loving “common grace” given to all people: sunshine and rain (v.45b)—the two most essential elements for growing food and flourishing. He then sets the baseline that while everyone (believers and unbelievers) has an innate desire to look after their kin and friends, his disciples must step outside their comfort zone and love the unlovable, yielding a greater reward in God’s economy (vv.46-47). Lastly, Jesus urges his disciples to pursue perfection. Striving for perfection may seem contradictory to Jesus’ Gospel of Grace, but, as Wilkins notes, “perfect” in the future tense and the indicative mood implies an “emphatic goal that is to shape the disciples’ entire life” (p.253).
Takeaway: While Leviticus 19:18 carries a similar theme of loving your neighbor, no Old Testament laws direct Israel to hate their enemies. What Jesus may have had in mind is a teaching of his contemporary sect, the Qumran covenanters, who commanded love within their fellowship and hatred toward outsiders (1QS 1:4, 10; 2:4–9; 1QM 4:1–2; 15:6; 1QH 5:4). Regardless, the biblical authors repeatedly communicated God’s hatred of evil. And David went as far as to say that Yahweh hates all evildoers: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers” (Psalm 5:4-5 ESV). So, this saying to “hate your enemies” likely persisted in Jewish thought based on God’s position toward evil and its perpetrators.
Our takeaway? Indeed, as “love” is the focus of this passage, one of our goals as followers of Jesus should be to pursue loving even our enemies as channels of his unsullied love that flows through us. Easier said than done? Absolutely! So, how do we go about doing it? The Greek word teleios, translated as “perfect” in our text, appears in its Hebrew form (tamim) in Deuteronomy 18:13, “You shall be blameless [prefect] before the Lord your God” (ESV). Wilkins argues that “perfect” connotes wholeness or completeness. In the context of this passage and other uses in the New Testament, it carries the same meaning and points to spiritual maturity—a worthy goal for any disciple of Christ. And there is no better stepping stone than loving our enemies, beginning with acts of kindness. Indeed, Paul exhorts the Roman church to overcome evil with good deeds (Romans 12:21).
Our part? So, how do we move beyond our hurt and instead love our enemies? We don’t, outside the sanctifying work of our Holy Spirit, who, over our lifetime, incrementally matures us into images of God (imago dei). He exposes our hearts’ repressed thoughts and feelings (selfishness, fears, anger, and roots of bitterness). He then shines Christ’s light of truth and grace into these dark recesses of our souls and imparts a deeper understanding of his grace. It is a process that entails counting the cost, forgiving, and seeking to get the best of our enemies. And while not all will be receptive to our overtures of godly love and kindness, some will discover the joy of their salvation.
Finally, when we love our enemies, God willing, we turn them into allies. As Paul reminds the church, God turned us, his enemies, into friends by reconciling our sins through the sacrifice of his Son (Romans 5:10). The same applies to us as Christ’s ambassadors. A story from Abraham Lincoln’s presidency illustrates this point. Lincoln sacrificially loved his enemies when he appointed three political opponents (William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates) to cabinet positions. Persevering their initial contentious behavior with loving patience and kindness, Lincoln eventually won them over as allies to help him guide our nation through a civil war and the emancipation of slaves. And when we do the same, we might also see a transformation that turns God’s enemies into his and our allies.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who perfectly loved us when we were still his enemies. So, please help us pay it forward and love our enemies with your sacrificial love, which turns enemies into allies. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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