V. Love Your Enemies: Matthew 5:42-48 Scripture
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. 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 children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 42
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 and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Literary Context
This passage from Matthew’s gospel comes from a famous speech called the Sermon on the
Mount, which details how Jesus expects his followers to live. The themes in this section center on self-sacrifice and unconditional love for all. These statements conclude a section of the sermon known as the “antitheses” (5:21-48) in which Jesus explains that his followers have a responsibility to live a life of exceptional morality: in addition to not killing, they should not express anger; in addition to practicing a form of retribution equivalent to the harm suffered, they should exhibit gratuitousness. Moreover, it is not enough to love the people who show the same love to you: love even your enemies, an uncommon sentiment in the ancient world but one designed to have Christians look through the hate of their enemy and break the cycle of hatred and violence. The last statement of the passage encapsulates Matthew’s view of the Christian ethic: strive for the perfection found in God. Matthew’s Jesus thus establishes a new interpretation for key passages in the Jewish law. In this he see himself as an authority whose views represent a fulfillment of these scriptures (5:17), and followers who listen to and practice his commands should expect an eternal reward (7:24). Such ideas fit well with Matthew’s historical context, a time of great division and conflict between various forms of Judaism. Matthew seems to be saying, then, that his group’s ethic, grounded in Jesus’ authoritative words, is consistent with God’s will for his people; conversely, other forms of Judaism fall short of achieving God’s desire for people to demonstrate completely the virtues of
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