“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 children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 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 and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ”

— Matthew 5:43-46

The term “Five Discourses of Matthew” refers to five specific discourses by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. These have been traditionally known as: The Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7), The Mission Discourse (Chapter 10), The Parabolic Discourse (Chapter 13), The Discourse on the Church (Chapter 18), and the The Discourse on End Times (Chapters 23-25). Each of the discourses concludes with the phrase: “When Jesus had finished saying these things...”

Our text today comes directly from the first of these five discourses – The Sermon on the Mount. Yesterday, we began our Lent sermon series entitled, “Questions Jesus Asked” and our question came from this passage in the Sermon on the Mount: “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” Jesus was obviously making the point that it is easy to love those who love us and wish the best for us, but it’s quite another thing to love our enemies. If you struggle with loving your enemies, please know you are not alone! It’s difficult for all of us.

I like the quote, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” We can substitute the word “people” for “things”, and it would read: “When we change the way we look at people, the people we look at change.” In other words, one of the best ways to begin the process of loving and forgiving our enemies is to see them not simply as enemies or objects, but as human beings who have been made in the image of God just as we have been made in the image of God. We can then see them in a new light and begin the process of loving and forgiving.

In the Greek language there are four different words for love. The first is storgi. This kind of love is associated with the kind of love you would find in a family – the love of a parent and child, etc. The second word for love is eros. Eros refers to passionate, romantic love. The third word for love is philia. This is the kind of love we associate with friendship – think of how you might feel towards your closest friends. Finally, the fourth word for love is agape.

In speaking of agape love, William Barclay wrote: “If we regard a person with agape, it means that no matter what that person does to us, no matter how he or she treats us, no matter if he or she insults us or injures us or grieves us, we will never allow any bitterness against him or her to invade our hearts, but will regard him or her with that unconquerable benevolence and goodwill which will seek nothing but his or her highest good.”

Agape love involves a great deal of will and reliance on the Holy Spirit. While some of the other forms of love spring forth naturally from the heart, agape love is a conscious, willful decision to love others when it seems impossible. We need Christ to enable us to obey Christ’s command to love our enemies. Thankfully, we are not on our own! God is with us to help us fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

Questions for Reflection

Define the word “enemy”. Who do you see as your enemy? Why do you consider him or her an enemy? Who determines for us who is an enemy in the first place?
Jesus asked, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” We should love those who love us, but Jesus expects us to go further and love our enemies. For you, what is the most difficult part of loving your enemies?
In verse 48 Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The Greek word for perfect is “teleios” and the Greek idea of perfection is functional. A thing is perfect when it fully realizes the purpose for which it was planned, designed, and made. We were made in the image of God to reflect God’s love through our lives, especially sacrificing, willful agape love for all – enemies included.
Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit working in your life to enable you to love those you once thought were unlovable? Describe the experience and what you learned in the process of God’s grace moving in your life.

Prayer:

Loving God we confess that this is a hard teaching. Most days, the last thing we want to do is love those who have hurt us or made life difficult for us. Help us to see them as you do and to know that we were all created in your image. Forgive us when we have made life difficult on others and remind us that we are not alone. You are with us! Thank you for today and the gift of each other. Amen.”

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Brad

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