Matthew 5: Teaching about Love for Enemies
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! 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. 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. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
If you thought the teachings we studied yesterday were revolutionary, hold on, for today gets even crazier! Jesus has already turned the idea of retaliation on its head. Now he orders us to love our enemies and pray for them. Say what???
44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Now Jesus is not merely ordering us to refuse to take revenge but he’s even advising that we PRAY, asking God to bless those who persecute us, who despitefully use us. Jesus isn’t merely talking about people who mildly offend us but who actively attack us, making our lives miserable. Why would Jesus say such a thing?
There are all kinds of sayings about revenge such as “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” indicating that you should brood over someone’s offense, plotting your revenge. But this idea is ridiculous, for the longer you brood, the more unhappy you make yourself. Someone has said that “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die.” Brood long enough and you will find you’re developing ulcers, heart conditions, and even immune disorders that leave your body racked with pain.
When we pray for those who have hurt us, we are not only forgiving them but also releasing God’s blessings on them and on ourselves. It’s a sad mistake to assume that God’s blessings will be only physical ones or financial ones and not spiritual ones as well.
I’ve told the story before but it’s worth repeating. During my surgery residency, I was forced to care for one of the most miserable and ungrateful men I had ever met. This man had a large diabetic ulcer on one foot, and it was my task to remove dead tissue and re-dress that ulcer every day. Inevitably, my patient was not at all grateful but complained bitterly, insulting me and making my work more difficult. Because I had recently re-dedicated my life to Christ, I persisted in praying for this man. Gradually, the insults slowed and then stopped. I knew God was working in my patient’s life when he began asking to attend chapel services at the hospital. Meanwhile, my attitude towards this man underwent a complete change, and I began seeing him as a father, a grandfather, and a person of value. Prayer changed both my patient and me.
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. 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. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Think about it. Whether we even acknowledge God as our Creator or the One True Living God, whether we believe that Jesus Christ has shed his blood to pay for our sins, God still gives us a multitude of good things. God does not limit sunshine to those who love and serve him but distributes freely to all. If we claim to be children of God, we must act like our Heavenly Father and not copy those around us. Saint Paul is a perfect example, for when he was in prison in Rome, chained to a Roman soldier, he prayed for his guards and witnessed to them. In Philippians 1:12-13 Paul writes, “12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.”
But what if someone is trying to kill us? Well, while Jesus was being crucified, he prayed for his Heavenly Father to forgive those who were killing him because they didn’t know what they were doing. While Saint Stephen was being stoned to death, he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”
There is no greater prayer than to ask God to bless someone, for when you begin to ask God’s blessings on someone else, God can also bless you. Again, the measure of the blessings you ask for someone else indicates the amount of blessings God can release for you as well. When you ask God to bless someone, you are relinquishing your ideas about what should happen to that person and allowing God to have His way instead. May God help us to pray for those who persecute us, no matter how difficult it might be.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to release those who persecute us to You, knowing that You can help them far more than we can. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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