We are working our way through Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7. His words have been challenging. Today, we will find they are even more challenging. Today, Jesus commands His flowers, “Love your enemies.”
Matthew 5:43-44
43 “You have heard the law
that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But
I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Throughout His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows He is the fulfilment of the Law. In fact, He specifically said in Matthew 5:17, “I did not come to abolish the law… No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”
The Old Testament Law is quite clear that we are to love our neighbors. Leviticus 19:18 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But nowhere
in the Old Testament does it say to: “Hate your enemy.” However, the Jews of Jesus day lived under tha hostile occupation of the Roman empire. They had many enemies and they resented and resisted their Roman oppressors. Many Jewish leaders therefore misinterpreted the Scriptures to say: “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
It’s human nature
to love people who are good to you and hate your enemies, but God’s Holy Law in the Old Testament holds human nature in check. We find several places where the Old Testament teaches people to do good to their enemies. Such as
So we see, Jesus upholds
the spirit of God’s Law in the Old Testament while challenging the Jewish
religious leaders misinterpretation of it.
Notice how the Old Testament teaches to do good to your enemies (and the emphasis
is on doing good rather than on a loving feeling).
44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.
It’s troubling to
think God gives sunlight and rain to both the evil and the good. In other words, God gives the same good
things to evil people that He gives to good people. Why, if God were fair, wouldn’t He reserve
good things for good people and give wicked people only the evil they deserve?
Perhaps that’s
the kind of world you long for—a world where evil people are punished and good people get rewards. Is that what you want?
I can understand
that. However, the problem is we would
all be punished and none of us would get a reward because none of us is
good. We have all acted like enemies of
God. Listen to what Romans 3:10-12 says: “No
one is righteous—not even one. No one is
truly wise; no one is seeking God. All
have turned away; all have become useless.
No one does good, not a single one.”
And Romans 3:23 sums it up: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short
of God’s glorious standard.”
What that means is
every one of us is evil. We have all been
enemies of God who “actively opposed or were hostile to God.” Rather than obeying God, we chased our own
selfish ambitions. Rather than surrender
to God’s will, we wanted to do things our way. In sinful pride, we boasted “God is on our side.” But in fact, we were trying to use God’s for our own selfish purposes.
If God truly
punished His enemies and only gave good to those who deserved it, everyone one of us would be living in Hell and there would be no one left for
God to reward—no one except Jesus.
But as it is, God
has given “his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” I am thankful. Aren’t you?
46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.
Jesus calls His disciples to be
different than worldly people. If you only ever love people who love you and are good to you, then you are no better than a worldly
pagan. A pagan—in biblical terms—is a heathen, an ungodly person, anyone who doesn’t
worship the one true and living God of the Bible. If you only love people who love you and are
good to you, then you are no different than the ungodly, immoral, corrupt enemies
of God all over this world.
Jesus wants us to be different.
Jesus wants us to be like Him. Jesus wants us to love our enemies.
Now, it’s important to clear up what it means to love—according to Jesus. We often have immature notions about love. Biblical love is not a warm, fuzzy feeling of affection. Jesus isn’t telling us to find pleasure in our enemies or their bad behavior. The love Jesus commands us to give is a specific kind of love. The Greek word Jesus uses is Agape, which is the “sacrificial love of God”. Agape is not a feeling; it is a verb. In other words, it’s a love you give. Agape is to love someone sacrificially, expecting nothing in return. It's the way God loved us when He sent His one and only Son to die for us on the cross—not because we deserved it, but because God loves us sacrificially.
Agape love is what Jesus did when He allowed His hands and feet to be nailed to the cross, because Jesus knew His death would make our salvation possible. So, when Jesus says, “Love your enemies…” He isn’t telling us to have warm fuzzy feelings. Jesus wants His followers to love their enemies sacrificially, expecting nothing in return.
It’s nearly impossible to live like this. But Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of God’s
law. Jesus loved perfectly. He even loved His
enemies—even when they:
Twisted God’s words for their own evil schemes,
Told lies about Jesus and His Disciples,
When they spat curses at Him and beat Him and mocked Him,
And even when they cruelly drove nails through His hands
and feet and displayed Him on a cross to die while all His enemies watched and gloated.
Rather than cursing them or getting revenge, Jesus prayed and said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus’ prayer wasn’t just for those standing at the foot of the cross. He was also praying for you and me. Remember, in one way or another, we have all been enemies of God. Every time we were dishonest, or were angry, or lusted in our heart, or were unfaithful, or sinned in any way, we were responsible for driving the nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. It was our sin that put Christ on the cross.
But rather than seeking revenge or punishment,
Jesus loved His enemies—us. He perfectly represented the will of His Father in heaven. And Jesus challenges us to do the same.
48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
We were created in the image of
God. We are to follow in the footsteps
of Christ—to represent God, just as Jesus represented Him to us. Just as Christ loved us, we are to love everyone else—even our enemies. We are to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.
But how can we possibly be perfect? No one is perfect. That is true. Humanly speaking, it si impossible, but with God all things are possible.
One of the distinctive teachings of Methodism is the belief in Christian
perfection. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, taught Christians should
strive to be perfect in love. And
Wesley taught that Christians—with the help of the Holy Spirit—can grow, over the course of a lifetime, to become perfect in love.
Methodists believe Christians cannot
make the excuse, “Oh, we’re only human. We’re not
perfect.” It is true, that we will make many mistakes—even after we decide to follow
Jesus—because indeed, “We are only human.” However, there is one way we can be perfect (with the help of God’s Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit can help us grow to a place where everything we do is motivated
by love. And so, with God’s help, if we cooperate, we can be perfect in love—even as our Father in heaven is perfect.
But we cannot do this on our own.
We need God’s help.
Conclusion
God will help you if we seek Him with all your heart. You must first surrender to God through Jesus Christ. You must recognize you are helpless to save yourself. Nor can you stop sinning simply by shear willpower. You need God to save you. So you must repent and beg God for mercy. Jesus will save you , but you must trust Jesus to save you. And you must stop trying to do things your own way and let Jesus be Lord.
Then, you must follow Christ as a Disciple. Jesus said if anyone wants to be His disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily. A cross is a symbol of suffering and self-denial. Furthermore, you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit of God who created the universe comes to live inside you when you become a Christian. That Holy Spirit can enable you to do anything the Spirit wants you to do, but you have to go along with the Spirit and do what He says. And then, the Holy Spirit of God will enable you to truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. And the same Spirit will also enable you to love your enemies.
