Love My Enemies: What Do You Mean Lord? 

In Matthew, Chapter 5, Jesus gives a very clear example of what it means to be the light of the world:

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

This passage is a clear indication of how disciples of Christ are supposed to treat those who persecute them. However, some background on this passage is in order. One of the images that Matthew paints of Jesus is that of the New Moses.

Old Testament Background

When one reads the accounts of Moses in the Pentateuch, one cannot help but notice the similarities to the life of Christ. Moses wandered through the desert for forty years while Jesus went into the desert for forty days to be tempted by Satan.

Likewise, Moses climbed Mt. Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments; Jesus climbed the mountain and delivered the ten beatitudes. This latter parallel was no accident as Moses was the supreme law giver in the Old Testament.  That law would be fulfilled perfectly by the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

In Deuteronomy 19:21 Moses writes, “Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. Why mention an “eye for an eye” when it isn’t even mentioned in Matthew 5:43-48? It is mentioned because passages such as Deuteronomy 19:21 evolved through tradition as permission to hate one’s enemy, and that is not was intended.

When Jesus alludes to this passage in the Sermon on the Mount, He is telling us to love our enemies. On the surface this seems like a contradiction, but that is not the case. The verse in Deuteronomy is meant to convey the need for the punishment to fit the crime. In other words, it was not meant as a way to exact personal vengeance but was a guideline for authorities to sentence offenders. Jesus purified and perfected the commandment.

We Are Held To a Higher Standard

Christ calls His disciples to a much higher standard of conduct over their Jewish counterparts. In layman’s terms, Jesus was setting the record straight.

Indeed, Moses was the supreme law giver, but Jesus is greater than Moses and came to fulfill the law. Jesus would ultimately show us how do this by asking forgiveness for His own executioners, but here He elaborates on how to live it.

He wants His disciples to walk the talk. Those we think are our enemies are those who need the most love. They need the light, love, and mercy that only Christ can give.

The Greek word used by Christ in this passage is agape. It is a term of benevolence, affection, or love, and is used in two basic ways. One way is denoting love between people, and another way refers to the love of God.

Christ is telling His followers to shun the status quo. For too long people were following the letter of the law and not its spirit. As a result, a law that was meant for just punishment became a guise for personal vengeance.

This is clearly not what God intended, and Jesus goes directly to the point. If His disciples treat others the way that they are treated, then they are no different than non-believers. Telling one’s followers to love their enemies, however, was the very epitome of being counter-cultural.

Jesus Was Counter-cultural

The Lord was also counter-cultural in regard to His definition of neighbor in Matthew 5:43. This is not something unique to Matthew’s Gospel as it can be seen in the other Gospels as well. The most famous instance of this is the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke, Chapter 10.

Just as the correct sentencing of a criminal morphed over time, so did the meaning of neighbor. During the time of Christ, the Israelites thought of their neighbor as another Israelite. Jesus, as He did in the story of the Good Samaritan, tells His listeners that everyone is their neighbor.

This was another counter-cultural ideal that would set Jesus’ followers apart from society because it shows that His message is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike. This even meant the much-hated occupying Roman Empire.

How Will You React?

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that to be a disciple of Christ is to be a passivist. If needed, self-defense can be a moral obligation, which is why these verses are about a moral view of the world.

Jesus calls His disciples to remove hate from their hearts and to love in a way that shows the love of Christ to all mankind. Jesus asks His disciples to overcome their sinful tendencies to condemn others and points them in a whole new direction.

This is seen clearly in Matthew 5:48 where Jesus says that they must be “perfect” as their heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus calls His disciples to higher standard than that found in the Old Covenant. The Greek word we translate as “perfect” is teleios, which means “to be complete” or to put into effect everything that God intends. Thus, Jesus summarizes what it means to truly love your neighbor as a disciple.

As disciples of Jesus, we must be constantly live out of a moral view of the world based on the beatitudes This is especially important as we get closer to a federal election. We must do a deep examination of conscience and ask ourselves: How are we treating those whom we may not get along with?