Matthew 5:43-48 Love Your Enemies
Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
Intro:
In 2 Sam 16 we see an interesting story in the midst of a larger drama
Near the end of King David’s reign his son Absalom started an insurrection
Absalom gathered a mob and started toward the city
Everyone who hated David joined Absalom’s side
David abandoned Jerusalem and fled
On his journey out of Jerusalem they encountered relative of Saul, Shimei
He threw rocks and cursed David
A couple of David’s soldiers wanted to go and take him out
David’s reply was that if it was from the Lord they could not stop it
David chose not to retaliate
Even further, When David was restored to his throne he didn’t act with any malice towards Shimei even though he deserved death
Read Matthew 5:43-45
Read Matthew 5:43-45
Transition:
This is the final teaching in this section
Matt 5:20-48 presents Jesus’ teaching on the true meaning of the Law
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus defines this surpassing righteousness more in terms of motive than in terms of external deeds
Few teaching sin Scripture are more challenging than Love Your Enemies
Loving your friends and neighbors is hard enough
At least we have something in common with them
But love our enemies?
What could motivate that?
At best we try to be polite and stay out of their way
Why would we want to love those who strive to harm us
An enemy wants to harm us with malice, hoping t wound
Jesus says to Love that enemy
I. Are You Loving Your Neighbor? vs. 43
I. Are You Loving Your Neighbor? vs. 43
Five times Jesus has said “You have heard it said
Once he says “It has been said”
Each time Jesus quotes or summarizes the law before correcting the distortions the Pharisee’s have added
Love your enemy ands hate your neighbor is a half truth and a half distrotion
vs. 43a As Much as Yourself
vs. 43a As Much as Yourself
The Pharisees were good and widdling down the law and adding amendments to it
The real law says to love your neighbor as yourself
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The original in the OT is in Leviticus
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.
This command is the sum and fulfillment of the law
When Jesus was asked to sum up the law he quoted this
The Pharisees had dropped an important part of the law and narrowed the meaning of neighbor
The original meaning or neighbor meant any one in need, even foreigners
You were supposed to show them as much love as you spend on yourself
Don’t get me started on the self-love movement
You don’t have to put any effort into loving yourself, it is already innate
The Pharisees dropped as yourself because that was too much to ask
They would must leave it off when they taught the law and then they would spend time defining who your neighbor was
it could never be a tax collector because they were traitors
It could never be a gentile because they were considered human by God
Love your neighbor could be taken to mean “Love only your neighbor and don’t bother with the rest.”
vs. 43b Hate your Enemy?
vs. 43b Hate your Enemy?
The pharisees also added something to the law that wasn’t there
They taught you were to hate your enemy
Now if anyone had reason to hate their enemies it was Israel
They were at the crossroads of the nations
Their territory was a pawn in many rulers kingdoms for centuries
They had been mistreated and you could see why they harbored hateful feelings towards people like the Romans
This is what makes Christianity so revolutionary
God’s people are never to return evil for evil
Instead you are to love your enemies and pray for them
Stay with me because there is some genius in there
II. Proactive Love vs. 44-45
II. Proactive Love vs. 44-45
Instead of being reactive when we are hurt Jesus wants us to be proactive
He is trying to protect your heart and keep your motives pure
There is an escape when we enact these contradictory words
He is trying to help you escape bitterness and misery
Jesus says love your enemies
He doesn’t promise that love will turn enemies into friends
Results aren’t what Jesus is after
He is talking about agape love, which is not an emotion, but a will to perform sacrificial acts
Those sacrificial acts are to pray for them, do good to them, and greet them
vs. 44 Pray for Your Enemies
vs. 44 Pray for Your Enemies
The first contradiction is pray for those who persecute you
One cannot genuinely pray for someone without hoping for their good
When you pray for an enemy, animosity dwindles and compassion increases
Love is an act of a whole person reaching out to whole persons
Love doesn’t ask who, but how
Love doesn’t ask who, but how
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
There are blessings that come from praying for your enemies
vs. 45 Sons of the Father
vs. 45 Sons of the Father
Jesus doesn’t mean that acts of love are the instrument we use to gain the status of sons of God
Rather, we demonstrate that we are God’s children when we love as our Father loves
Jesus wants us to aspire to divine love
To love our enemies is to pursue a life patterned after God
It is our destiny and obligation to be conformed to the character of God
We should shower our enemies and neighbors with acts of loving-kindness
To return evil for good is devilish, to return good for good is human, to return good for evil is divine
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.
III. Raise the Bar vs. 46-48
III. Raise the Bar vs. 46-48
Next Jesus raises the bar or expectation
He wants us to know that He expects more from us
vs. 46-47 Better than Tax Collectors & Gentiles
Tax collectors and pagans we some of the most despised people in his day
Jesus uses these two groups to show his disciples that even they loved those who were like them and greeted them
vs. 48 Be Mature
vs. 48 Be Mature
The word perfect in Matthew 5:48 does not imply sinlessly perfect, for that is impossible in this life (though it is a good goal to strive for).
It suggests completeness, maturity, as the sons of God.
The Father loves His enemies and seeks to make them His children, and we should assist Him!
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.