In this fifth chapter of Matthew, we have seen five perversions of the Law by the Jewish leaders, both past and present. They perverted what the Law taught concerning killing, adultery, divorce, swearing and retaliation. Now, we find them at it again, this time in the area of love. Never did they reveal their deficiency in the area of righteousness more than in their shallow view of the command to love their neighbors. Their view was that they must love only their neighbor, but it was okay to hate their enemies. The passage used to support their claim was Leviticus 19:18, but it said nothing about hating enemies. Notice the what Law said:

Leviticus 19:18 (KJV)
¹⁸ Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.

These Jewish leaders made two mistakes. First, they assumed that because God did not say anything about loving enemies, it was okay to hate them. Second, they misunderstood who their neighbor was, concluding that it was only a close friend or fleshly relative. Thus, their interpretation of the Law was that one only had to love those to whom they were close.

Many people today feel the same way, even some members of the body of Christ. Some conclude that they will only love those who love them back. Well, Jesus sets the record straight in the verses before us. He teaches us to love, not only those who love us, but also our enemies, even praying for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

This may be one of the hardest commands of the Bible. The question is, how can we possibly love an enemy? The answer—by making up our minds that we are going to do it. You see, the love under consideration here is agape love. It’s the highest love that can be achieved, being a description of God Himself (1 John 4:7-10). When was it that God sent His Son to die for us? Paul tells us it was when we were God’s enemies (Romans 5:6-11). If God loved us when we were His enemies, then we, too, can love our enemies. Remember, this love is a reasoned choice that involves always acting in the best interest of others. We may not want to do this, but we are able to if we choose to do so. We can always act in the best interest of our neighbors, even if that neighbor happens to be an enemy.

Why should we as Christians go beyond what is the natural thing to do and love our enemies? Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 5:45-48. In the end, it is because we want to be like God. This should be the goal of every Christian. I am not talking about having the power of God. That is not possible. We will never be like God in power and strength. He will always be the Creator, and we will always be His creation. He will always be in charge, having all authority, and we will always have the responsibility to obey Him. However, we should always do our best to develop the moral character of God. That should be our aim, our goal or mark that we are pressing towards. Now, can we be like God in every way? No, but we can be like Him in love. We can love the same way that He does. We can learn to love our fellowman regardless of his behavior or his actions toward us. Jesus reminds us that to love in a way less than that is to do no more than the publicans do. Let us strive to do better when it comes to love.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.