As the ‘love your neighbour’ part was
originally delivered to Israel, it may have come to be accepted only
nationalistically and exclusively. Then you combine this with a few other “Old
Testament” scriptures which seem to have a negative view of groups or nations
outside Israel, and you can see how common and popular beliefs may have
developed in this unfortunate direction … ‘hate your enemy’. This would
actually be convenient for those who heard “love your neighbour – but then
thought ‘that can’t mean …’. Also, pieces of cultural and personal convenience
often insinuate their way into theological beliefs. Happily, Jesus would set all
this straight!
What does God really think about the
limits of love? There are no limits! “Love your enemies”, yes even your
enemies, and also, “pray for those who persecute you”. This covers both our
broadest and general enemies (as we see it), as well as our very personal
enemies – those who have gone out of their way to persecute us. Here, Jesus
clearly extends the command to love neighbour to everyone, in imitation of
God’s indiscriminate love and life-giving mercy to all (both “good” and “bad”).
The grace of God has a place for all.
This is not to say that all receive salvation, just that all receive the
offer of salvation and relationship with God. The benevolence of God,
as exampled in the sun and the rain, is provided for all people. As God does
not discriminate, God ‘s disciples are likewise called to not discriminate … in
choosing the objects of their love (J H Yoder). If we are to truly imitate God
… to resemble and reflect God’s character, then this is how we are to do it …
“love our enemies”!
Even those who are generally viewed as
deficient in character by the society of Jesus’ time – “tax collectors” and “Gentiles”
– even these are able to love those who love them, and love their immediate
families. To imitate God though requires a much higher ethic than just this. To
deny this, denies our relationship with God – refer to verse 45 as it follows
verse 44: “Love your enemies … so that you may be children of your Father in
heaven”. By definition, God’s children will love their enemies.
And this will not just be an
emotional or intellectual “love”, this is “agape love” – an active practical
transforming “love”. This “love” will tend towards making our “enemies” and
“persecutors” our friends. This connects with what Jesus said just a bit
earlier (in 5:9): “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they [these
ones] will be called children of God”. It is in the act of loving
enemies and making peace that we truly become “children” (or ‘reflections’) of
God.
To practice “agape love” is about
sincerely seeking the best for others – considering their welfare and
well-being. It is also about looking for the good in other people (even when
you have to look long and deep), and seeking to bring this good out into the
open. “Agape love” also facilitates the way towards (mutual) forgiveness. This
is quite the opposite of bitterness or vengeance! William Barclay said that, “agape
is the power to love those who we do not like and who do not like us”. “Agape
love” is not dissuaded by the unworthiness of its object, for it sees the value
of each person to God. Therefore practicing “agape love” cannot be just a human
thing (for it is so difficult at times), but it is actually a ‘God
thing’ … the source from where such “agape love” originates. To return ‘good’
for ‘good’ is human, but to return ‘good’ for ‘evil’ is divine (A Plummer
quoted by D A Carson).
Imagine now … loving your enemies
(with “agape love”). Give it a try! Imagine praying for and forgiving your
persecutors!
For this (“loving our enemies”) is
what we have to bring to the commemoration of the Lord’s supper … if we are to
be fair dinkum! After all, Jesus died to make his enemies into his friends!
Romans 5:8 says: “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still
sinners Christ died for us”. Yes, Jesus died to turn his enemies into his
friends!! Jesus was praying prayers of forgiveness from the cross for those who
had put him there; and even the cruel torture he was enduring could not silence
this prayer (John Stott). Jesus died to make his enemies into friends!!! Not
only this, but Jesus died and rose again, so that we would be able to do the
same – turn enemies into friends!
This is the context in which we read
the (often troubling) verse: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect”. As humans we will never be “perfect” as such … without error; but
what this verse is suggesting (really commanding), is that we align ourselves
and our character and our attitudes with God’s character and attitudes (and
certainly NOT stand in the way of these). And the radical nature of God’s love
is seen most clearly through love toward enemies. We do this in a settled and
consistent way, for the opposite of what Jesus means here [by being “perfect”]
is having divided loyalties (J D Kingsbury). God’s own attributes, that we
adopt, then stand in stark contrast to many conventional, yet ill-founded,
attitudes.
Being “perfect” or “holy” means being
wholly “set apart” for God’s purposes. Participating in communion is often seen
as a place of recommitment and acknowledging the mercy and forgiveness we have
received. During communion, we take the opportunity of confessing our need of
God and seek to be restored to wholeness. This wholeness (or completeness or
harmony) is what is meant in verse 48 by being “perfect”. And thus, along with
many other matters dealt with by Jesus in his “sermon on the mount”, our
‘wholeness’ depends upon being able to love our enemies and forgive those who
have hurt us. In this way, verse 48 could be loosely translated: ‘Live this
out, therefore, and you will approach the true heart of God’.
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