43"You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. This ties in with other demands upon us like love God and love thy neighbour. This passage gives some clue as to who is my neighbour. It is not just family or those who treat us well. Jesus tells us explicitly that it neede to be our enemies. I often hark back to that line in the Our Father - “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespas against us”. God will treat us in a way that mimics the way we treat others. It’s a sobering thought. Loving Father, may I never forget your call to treat my enemies with love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus loved those who persecuted him, grant me the strength and courage to walk your path rather than my own. Amen.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on Matthew 5:43-48 is powerful and deeply rooted in the heart of Jesus’ message. You draw an important connection between loving our enemies and the broader command to love God and neighbor, showing that our neighbor is not just those who love us, but also those who challenge us.
DeleteYour reference to the Our Father is especially striking. The idea that God will treat us as we treat others makes Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness even more urgent. It’s not just an ideal—it’s a divine expectation. This is a call to radical mercy, just as Jesus prayed for His persecutors from the cross.
Your prayer is beautifully humble and courageous. Loving enemies is not easy, but you acknowledge that walking God’s path requires strength and grace beyond our own instincts.