Matthew 5:43-48

Love your enemies

Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes – Antisthenes

Jesus went further: love your enemies Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou

shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Love your neighbor, Lv.19:18

Jews (43)…

Added:Hate your enemy

Personal

Asserted:Enemy = Gentile

Pro.24:17

Omitted:As yourself

Mt.19:19; 22:39

Changed:Neighbor = Jew

Lv.19:33-34

Who is my neighbor?

Pro.25:21-22 Lk.10:25-37

4If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it –Ex.23:4-5

1. Answers “who is my neighbor?”2. Shows how to be a neighbor3. Illustrates Mt.7:12 (Lk.6:31)

How to treat our enemies? (44)

Lk.6:27-28 LoveLove: more than a feeling Do good toDo good to: active good will BlessBless: they call down curses on us… Pray forPray for: prayer kills bitterness

Children resemble their Father, 45

2 Pt.1:4 Don’t do what comes naturally

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been recon-ciled, we shall be saved by His life –Ro.5:10

Does our righteousness exceed?

46-47, if we love only those who love us, we do no better than tax collectors

MoreMore (v.20)

PhariseesTax collectors

GentilesSinners (Lk.6:32)

Does our loveextend to theunlovable?

“One handwashes another”

Therefore you . . . be perfect (48)

PerfectPerfect: “pert. to being fully developed in a moral sense…God is a role model for unlimited display of beneficence …the goal is attainment of likeness to God” (BDAG, 996) Ex.12:5, lamb Ph.3:12, 15

Be like your FatherLv.19:2, holy

Lk.6:36, mercy

Our pattern: Lk.23:34

Albert Plumber

“If a person does evil to those who do him good, that’s devilish”.

“Do good to someone that does you good, that’s human.”

“If you do good to one that does you evil, that’s divine.”

I. The Passage (What?)

II. The Practice (So What?)

Love always costs

John 3:16 Enemy: can’t get even…

My rights Gospel?

Hate costs us even more

1 Sm.25:…26…32-35

We can avoid grudges, hatred, and

retaliation (Ph.4:13)

Avoiding hatred

The WordMt.4:1-11

PrayerMt.6:12, 14-15

Our destinyMt.18:21-35

Jesus’ exampleLk.23:34

Our exampleRo.2:24

Self-controlRo.12:17

MemoryEp.2:11-12; 4:1-2

TimeJa.1:19-20

God will judge our . . .

WordsWords (Mt.12:36-37) DeedsDeeds (Jd.15) ThoughtsThoughts (Ac.8:20, 22; 1 Jn.3:15)