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Matthew 5:43-48 (Love your enemies)

INTRODUCTION: Today we come to one of the most difficult passages in the whole Sermon on the Mount – not difficult to understand, but difficult to put into practice and obey. Last week we looked at the four radical love commands – turn the other cheek, give your cloak as well, go the second mile, give to him who asks you. Now in today’s passage Jesus gives the most radical love command of all – love your enemies. (Read Matthew 5:43-48 and pray.)

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. If Jesus hadn’t lost anyone in the Sermon on the Mount yet, he surely must have at this point. This was a radical command that went far beyond anything they had ever heard before, far beyond anything anyone had ever heard before. How are you supposed to love your enemies? It goes completely against the grain.

Jim Elliot was one of five missionaries to Ecuador who were killed by the tribe of Indians they were trying to reach with the gospel. The Auca Indians were a violent tribe who speared all five men to death even though they had made friendly contact with the tribe earlier. Later on Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, along with Rachel Saint, the sister of one of the other men, went and lived with the Aucas and shared the gospel with them. They brought a message of love and salvation to the very men who had killed their loved ones. Many of the Aucas accepted Christ because of their bold and loving witness. Elisabeth and Rachel truly understood Jesus’ words in this passage – love your enemies.

I. The Pharisees taught: “Hate your enemy.” (43)

Well, the Pharisees taught it differently than Jesus did. Look at Matthew 5:43 where Jesus says:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (Matthew 5:43)

   A. Terrible misreading of Scripture:

We have seen throughout this section how Jesus was correcting the misinterpretations of the people when it came to the Old Testament law. And we have seen some pretty bad misinterpretations before, but this one is a terrible misreading of Scripture. The command to “hate your enemy” does not even appear in the Bible, so where did the Pharisees get this teaching? Well, they made two pretty big Scriptural leaps to get there. First of all, they limited the term “neighbor” to their fellow Israelites. And then secondly, they used God’s hatred for evil to allow personal animosity against people.

      1) Limited the term “neighbor” to their fellow Israelites
         – Luke 10:30-37

Let’s take a look at their first mistake. They limited the term “neighbor” to their fellow Israelites. The Bible said “Love your neighbor,” which is a good command, but they misinterpreted it to say, “Love only your neighbor.” Sure, you had to love your neighbor, but if someone wasn’t your neighbor, then the command no longer applied. And so the command to love your neighbor actually became a permission to hate anyone who was not your neighbor.

This was a big deal in Jesus’ time, and the Pharisees would even debate about who was and who was not your neighbor. That’s why in Luke 10 when Jesus affirmed that loving your neighbor was at the heart of the law, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Luke tells us the Pharisee was trying to justify himself. He was trying to limit the definition of neighbor so he could limit his love for others. Basically, he was trying to get off on a technicality.

How did Jesus answer him? He told the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The Pharisees had limited the term neighbor to their fellow Israelites, but Jesus showed them that your neighbor was anyone within your circle of influence, anyone you are in a position to help. It doesn’t matter their race or religion. It doesn’t matter if they have hurt you in the past. If you can help them, they are your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor as yourself.

      2) Used God’s hatred for evil to allow personal animosity
         – Deuteronomy 7:2; Psalm 139:21-22

The second mistake the Pharisees made is they used God’s hatred for evil to allow personal animosity against people. For example, they looked at passages in the Old Testament like Deuteronomy 7:2 which commanded the Israelites concerning the Canaanite nations: “You must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.” (Deuteronomy 7:2) You read a verse like that and it certainly doesn’t sound like, “Love your enemies.”

These particular commands had to do with the Old Testament wars against Canaan. We often call these “holy wars” because they were a special instance of God’s judgment against the nations. These were unique commands given at a unique time in history. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: “The wars of Israel were the only ‘holy wars’ in history, for they were the wars of God against the world of idols.”

But even during these wars of judgment against the nations, the Israelites were never commanded to hate their enemies. The Bible says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. And so these were special commands on a national level, and they were not to be used as an excuse to hate your enemy on a personal level.

The Pharisees also looked at various Psalms that spoke in the strongest terms against God’s enemies. For example, Psalm 139 where David writes: “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? … I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.” (Psalm 139:21-22) These are often called the imprecatory Psalms because they even call down curses on God’s enemies.

So what are we to make of these Psalms? They don’t sound very loving to your enemies either. First of all, none of these Psalms talk about hating your personal enemies. In fact they have nothing to do with your enemies and everything to do with God’s enemies. It’s not that someone hates me, so I count them my enemy. No, it’s that someone hates God, so I count them my enemy. I don’t hate those who hate me; I hate those who hate God. Some Bible versions even translate this as a “perfect hatred.” As John Stott comments: “There is such a thing as perfect hatred, just as there is such a thing as righteous anger. But it is a hatred for God’s enemies, not our own enemies.” (John Stott)

And then secondly, we don’t know if a person is God’s enemy for all of eternity or God’s enemy who will come to Christ through the gospel. So we love all our enemies, and we pray for people to come to know Jesus.

   B. The Old Testament actually taught:

The Pharisees taught, “Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy,” which was a terrible misreading of Scripture. What did the Old Testament actually teach?

      1) Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:17-18)

Two things: First of all, love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19: “Do not hate your brother in your heart … Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:17-18) Notice the emphasis here was not on “Who is my neighbor?” – that’s where the Pharisees put all the emphasis – but rather, “How am I to love my neighbor?” And the Scripture says you are to love your neighbor as yourself.

      2) Do good to your enemy (Exodus 23:4-5; Proverbs 25:21)

The Old Testament also taught that you were to do good to your enemy. For example, we read in Exodus 23: “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it.” (Exodus 23:4-5) Or again in Proverbs 25:21: “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” (Proverbs 25:21)

You’ve heard the phrase: “With friends like these who needs enemies?” Well, “with enemies like these, who needs friends?” These may not have been commands to love your enemy from your heart, but they were certainly a far cry from the Pharisees’ teaching that you could hate your enemy.

II. Jesus taught: “Love your enemies.” (44-48)

The Pharisees taught: “Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.” The Old Testament taught: “Love your neighbor as yourself, and do good to your enemy.” So what did Jesus teach? Matthew 5:44: “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Jesus commands you not only to do good to your enemies, but actually to love them. Remember, God looks at the heart, not just our outward actions.

This was an unprecedented teaching in the ancient world. Nobody except Jesus taught you to love your enemies. The command is in the present tense which means this is to be a continuous or habitual action on your part. This command goes far beyond the radical love commands of the previous section. You are no longer simply refusing to take revenge on your enemies. But now you are actively pursuing their goodwill and loving them from your heart. The enemy becomes your neighbor, and you love him as a friend. Haters gonna hate, but Christians gonna love.

So how are we to love our enemies? Jesus gives us four examples here.

   A. Pray for those who persecute you (44)
      – Luke 23:34

First of all you should pray for those who persecute you. Verse 44 again: “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

R. E. Nixon notes: “Persecutors are the most difficult enemies to love.” If you can learn to love your persecutors, you can love any of your enemies. Like the command “love” in this passage, the verb “persecute” is also in the present tense implying continual action. And so Jesus is saying that even as your enemies are persecuting you, you are to be actively loving them and praying for them.

Notice you are to pray for them, not against them. This is obviously a prayer for blessing here, not cursing! This is different from the imprecatory Psalms we looked at earlier in the Old Testament. Remember in the imprecatory Psalms you did not hate people because they were your enemies. You declared them your enemies because they hated God. Jesus is talking about your personal enemies here, and he says you are to love them and pray for them. You may be cut off from all other forms of communication with your enemy, but you can always pray for them.

Prayer is essential because it is impossible to pray for someone without loving them. Jesus is our perfect example here. When Jesus hung in agony on the cross, he prayed for his persecutors: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

Persecution will only grow for us as Christians. So you need to be ready to stand firm, be ready to pray, be ready to love.

   B. Live as children of your heavenly Father (45)

Secondly Jesus says you should live as children of your heavenly Father. Look at verse 45: “… that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

This is the reason Jesus gives for loving your enemies. It’s not just to win them over as friends. That may or may not happen. But when you love your enemies you show yourself to be God’s children by acting like your heavenly Father. And how does your heavenly Father act? He gives his blessings to all regardless of their personal allegiance to him. This is the way God is. He showers his love and kindness on all people without distinction.

Sun and rain were both considered blessings in those days. When you had crops to grow, nobody cared if it rained on their picnic. Jesus speaks of God’s providence here. Notice God makes the sun rise, and the sun is his. The whole created order belongs to God because he created it. These are expressions of God’s common grace, blessings that he gives to all people everywhere. God’s saving grace is only for those who put their trust in Jesus Christ. But God gives his everyday blessings to all people, even to his enemies.

Notice that although God loves his enemies, he does not sugarcoat their sin. He still calls them the evil and the unrighteous here. He still calls them to personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In the same way we can love our enemies without calling them or their actions good. When we love our enemies and pray for them, we are living as children of our heavenly Father.

   C. As Christians we should do more than others (46-47)

And then thirdly, as Christians we should do more than others. Look at verses 46-47: “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:47)

Everyone is capable of love. That doesn’t mean everyone is saved. It is part of being created in God’s image. A mother loves her child. A husband loves his wife. A friend loves a friend. But Christian love should be so much more than natural human love. As Christians we are supposed to show God’s love. How can you be the light of the world if you’re the same as everyone else?

If you only love those who love you, Jesus says there is no reward for that. He says even the tax collectors do that! Nobody ever loved a tax collector, but they were especially despised in Jesus’ day. Jesus is saying to the people, are you going to make the tax collector your standard for love? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Don’t even the pagans do that? Are you going to make the pagans your standard for love?

As Christians we should do more than others. This goes all the way back to the beginning of this section in Matthew 5:17 where Jesus said: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17) The word translated “surpass” back in Matthew 5:17 is a form of the same word translated “more” here in verse 47.

As a Christian you should demonstrate a greater love, an extraordinary love that distinguishes you from non-Christians. Any human being can show human love. But as Christians we need to be showing God’s love. As Christians we should do more than others.

   D. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (48)

And then finally in verse 48 Jesus says: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) This verse concludes not only this section on loving your enemies but also the whole section we have been studying on surpassing righteousness.

How good do you need to be to go to heaven? You need to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect – a complete, total, moral perfection that even loves the way God loves. As Alfred Plummer writes: “To return evil for good is devilish; to return good for good is human; to return good for evil is divine. To love as God loves is moral perfection.”

Of course we will never be perfect in this life. That’s why Jesus said in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit … Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” (Matthew 5:3,6) Jesus knows we will sin. In fact in the very next chapter in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus will teach us to pray for forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12)

We will never be perfect in this life. But God calls us to perfection. That means as Christians there is always room to grow. We keep striving towards the goal of perfect holiness, perfect righteousness, perfect love. Jesus said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

CONCLUSION: Let me close with three applications from this section on loving your enemies.

1) Only God can give you the surpassing righteousness you need to enter heaven (2 Cor 5:21)

Number one: only God can give you the surpassing righteousness you need to enter heaven. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) We can never attain this righteousness on our own. It is the free gift of God that comes by faith in Christ to all who believe.

2) Only God can help you love your enemies (Romans 5:5)

Secondly, only God can help you love your enemies. Romans 5:5 says: “God has poured out his love into our hearts.” (Romans 5:5) You can’t fulfill this command of Jesus to love your enemies on your own. You don’t have that kind of love. But if you are a Christian, God has poured out his love into your heart. Loving your enemies is not a normal, human love. It is a divine love that comes from God and points to God. The only way you can love others like Jesus is to let Jesus love others through you.

3) While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8,10)

And then finally, remember that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Look at Romans 5:8: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Remember the missionary wives who went and shared the gospel with the men who had killed their husbands? You might still be wondering, how did they do that? How do you show that kind of love? The answer is simple. They knew Jesus. They knew Jesus who died for them when they were still sinners, and so they reached out in love and forgiveness to those who had sinned against them.

God doesn’t ask you to do anything he did not first do himself. God loved us when we were his enemies. And now he calls you to love your enemies as well. Let us pray.

© Ray Fowler

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