Matthew 5:43-48: Love for Enemies
Thursday, July 24, 2025
You have heard that it was said, “Love your friends, hate your enemies.” But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven.
This is possibly the most difficult of all Jesus’ teachings to grasp.
For God makes the sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.
This is likely the most puzzling instruction for humans to take in.
Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!
This is perhaps the toughest schooling we experience when we respond to the Spirit’s call.
And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
This is conceivably the highest barrier, the widest chasm, the deepest gulf we traverse in our journey with Christ.
When we feel hatred rise, we turn to the Spirit. When we sense the burgeoning of our innate desire for revenge, we trust God alone. When we search for the wisdom we need to understand the beauty of these verses, we rely on our brother Jesus to teach us what we must know.
When we compare varying translations of these words, we school ourselves in the exquisitely unique promise and love of Christ. When we experience the love that calls mercy from harm, we experience the promises of Jesus.
For more posts on the concept of Revenge, enter the word into the blog search bar and explore.
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