Chapter BY Chapter

Mathew 5:13-48 – Love Your Enemies

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“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

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“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

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“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’  But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’  But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.  Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

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“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 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.  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, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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In the last section, Jesus told his disciples that they ARE blessed.  This is the message of the good news of the kingdom of heaven.  The blessings of the kingdom are here and now.  From here, Jesus tells his disciples a couple more things that they ARE.

 

Verses 13-15,

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“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”

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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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The first thing that Jesus says we are is the salt of the earth.  What does salt do?

1. Salt preserves meat in a desirable state.

2. Salt gives things taste.The reason that people put salt on a boiled egg is to give it taste.

 

So, if we want to have a world that is in a desirable state, us disciples of Jesus have to do our work.  If we don’t do our work, then we may as well be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  Jesus has already defined some of the things that we should be doing in the 9 beatitudes.  We should be:

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1. Poor in spirit.

2. Mourn for what is truly sad.

3. Hungry and thirsty for righteousness.

4. Pure in heart.

5. Persecuted for righteousness sake.

6. Persecuted for Jesus’ sake.

 

Jesus gives another example of how we should affect the world.  He says that we are the light of the world.  You can’t hide a city on a hill.  The lights shining out the windows will shine outside all around the hill.  Just like you put a lamp on a stand to light up the house, and would never think of putting it under a basket, in the same way, we are to let our light, our good works be shown so that what?  So that people will see our good works and give glory to God.  

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Going forward in this passage, Jesus tells about what our good works should be like. 

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Verses 17-20,

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“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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The first thing that Jesus does here is reaffirm the Law and the Prophets.  Notice that Jesus did not say only the Law.  The Law told us what sin was.  The Prophets told us how to have a relationship with God.  The Pharisees were concerned with only the Law, and they wrote new laws so they could circumvent the Law or use the Law to their material advantage.  Therefore, to enter the kingdom of heaven, your righteousness would have to exceed that of the Pharisees.  Going forward in this passage, Jesus tells us how to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.  Jesus compares the Laws of the Pharisees with what God truly requires.

How would you exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law?

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1. By actually following scripture.

2. By following the intent and spirit of scripture.

 

Do these verses mean that We must follow every jot and title of the Law including refraining from pork and shellfish?

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1. Jesus says that he will fulfill the Law AND the Prophets.In Jeremiah 31:31, God said that he would make a new covenant.The covenant that Jesus made was the new covenant.Jesus did not require the lesser observances such as dietary restrictions.

2. Jesus also puts a limitation on this, “until all is accomplished.”When Jesus died on the cross, he said his last words which were, “It is finished.”His sacrifice on the cross completed the Old Covenant sacrifices and fulfilled what the Prophets spoke of.

 

Verses 21-26 are about Anger,

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“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.  Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

So, the Pharisees said, “You shall not murder.”  Jesus said, “Don’t even be angry with your brother.” 

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According to Jesus how important is your relationship to your brother?

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Even more important than your sacrifice to God at the altar.

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If you owe something to your brother, should you wait till he files charges to get the money back?

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No.  You should come to terms about what you owe.

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Verses 27-30 are about Lust,

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

I had a fellow Seminarian who had a glass eye.  He often boasted that he couldn’t wait till he got to preach on this passage so he could pluck out his glass eye and throw it on the floor in front of the congregation. 

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Now, if we have a lustful moment, should we literally tear out our eye? 

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Jesus is just making a point here.  The point is that the Pharisees say, “Do not commit adultery.”  Jesus says, “Don’t even lust at another woman.  This also is against God’s desire.” 

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Verses 31-32 are about Divorce,

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“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’  But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Now, God recognized that it is impossible to force people to be together miserably, so, in the law given to Moses, people were allowed to have no-fault divorces.  The Pharisees however, wrote some of their own laws to determine if a divorce was really warranted.  One line of reasoning was that if the wife burned her husband’s food, then he could definitely get a divorce.  I remember reading one passage in the Talmud that said if the wife burned one side of the husband’s toast, he could not divorce her, but if she burned both sides of his toast, that was grounds for divorce. 

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Jesus said that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  Jesus is saying that God’s desire for your life is much more pure.  God expects his original plan to be fulfilled, and he expects his followers to fulfill it as God intended. 

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Verses 33-37 are about Oaths,

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“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’  But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.  Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

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This is more literally translated, “Let your word ‘yes’ be yes, and your word ‘no’ be no.

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Why would Jesus tell them not to swear an oath? 

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Jesus qualifies (at least in part) the type of oaths He forbids—those “by heaven,” (5:34b)—“by the earth”—“by Jerusalem” (5:35), and in the next verse by one’s head (5:36). Jesus explores this issue further later in this same gospel (23:16-22). To swear by places or things was a pagan practice that the Jews had adopted. Theophilus claimed that Socrates swore oaths “by the dog, and the goose, and the plane-tree” (Theophilus to Autolycus 3.2). In the early persecution of the church, a Christian named Polycarp was given the opportunity to be spared execution if he would swear “by the fortune of Caesar”—which he refused (The Martyrdom of Polycarp 9.2). It was common among the Greeks and Romans to confirm an oath, swearing by the head (Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 3.151; Virgil, Aeneid 9.300). The Mishnah echoes Jesus’ words, recording that the Jews followed this same practice, swearing “by the life of your head” (Sanhedrin 24a). An oath by one’s own head presumes that one has control over that which he cannot control. Humans have no power to control the natural color of the hairs of the head. To condition one’s word by something he cannot control is foolish and presumptuous. Jesus clearly forbids His disciples from making these types of oaths.  The Jews had developed elaborate standards by which oaths held varying degrees of force binding people to their word. The Mishnah taught that a man was exempt from liability if he broke an oath made “by heaven and earth” (Shebuoth 35a). The Talmud records debates among the Jewish rabbis over the binding force of vows made “by Jerusalem” as opposed to those made “by the altar” (Nedarim 10b-11a). Jesus cites these practices in our text. This is not the attitude a Christian should possess. Instead, if one of Christ’s disciples says something it should be trustworthy without anything additional to confirm it.

(http://www.olsenpark.com/Bulletins17/FS19.23.html)

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Verses 38-42 are about Retaliation,

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“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

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“An eye for an eye” was the Old Testament standard for justice, and rightly so.  Justice should be meted out equally in proportion to the offense, not disproportionate to the offense.  Jesus is talking about something else here.  Jesus is talking about having a generous and outreaching spirit.  The Romans had a rule that they enforced upon the citizenry of Israel.  If a Roman needed assistance in travel, he could require any native to the area to travel with him for one mile.  So, Jesus is saying, in these circumstances, volunteer for another mile and thus be a good witness of the kindness of God. 

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Verses 43-48 are about Loving Your Enemies

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“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 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.  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, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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In the Old Testament, we read words such as:

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"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink," (Proverbs 25:21).

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So why does Jesus say that it says to hate your enemies? The simple answer is that Jesus doesn't say that at all. Jesus is demonstrating what God really commands over against the teachings and practices of his day. He is addressing faulty interpretations of the Law. How can we know this? Jesus refers to the Old Testament Scriptures often in Matthew's Gospel, and He never uses any phrase like "you have heard," to quote them. Matthew frequently records Jesus challenging the Pharisees with phrases like, "Have you not read?"1 Never, "have you not heard?" When speaking from the Prophet Daniel, Jesus bids "let the reader understand," not "let the hearer understand." This pattern is extremely consistent. The Gospel of Matthew doesn't present Jesus as speaking of the Scriptures themselves as something "heard,' but rather as something "read." So in Matthew 5, when Jesus uses the formula of "you have heard it said...but I say," Jesus is not arguing with the passage itself. Indeed, Jesus later cites this very passage "love your neighbor as yourself," (Leviticus 19:18) as the second greatest commandment of the whole law.2 So, Jesus is not critiquing the words of Scripture, but rather the way those Scriptures were being taught and interpreted by the teachers and practices of His day. Remember that Jesus prefaces this whole section of His sermon by saying:

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"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven," (Matthew 5:20). (https://carm.org/does-the-old-testament-teach-to-hate-your-enemies)

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Jesus gives the perfect example of loving our enemy.  God blesses both the evil and the good with sunshine and rain so their crops can grow.  In the same way, we should rain down God’s blessing on all those around us, so they will know that these blessings are from God. 

 

To summarize, in this passage, Jesus taught his disciples:

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1. They are the salt and light of the world. Don’t hide your righteousness.

2. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets makes one’s righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law.

3. Go beyond obeying the command to not murder, but also do not be angry at your brother.

4. Don’t just refrain from adultery, but also refrain from lust.

5. Refrain from divorce as much as possible.

6. Refrain from oaths.Just do what you promise.

7. Go the extra mile in putting up with others.Be kind.

8. Love your enemies as well as your friends and neighbors.

9. Ethics, not just conformity to statutes.What Jesus requires is much more difficult than keeping just the statutes of the Law.

10. True Spirituality is a relationship with God, fulfilling God’s desires requires thoughtfulness, kindness, and caring in every interaction of daily life.

 

Just as I was finishing this lesson, I heard on the news that a terrorist killed 49 people and injured many others in attacks on 2 mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  This event was a very heinous and hateful act.  The terrorist had filled himself with hate, made numerous rants on social media against Muslims, and even wrote a 74 page manifesto against them. 

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I wondered if things would have been different if he had followed Jesus’ command to love your enemies.  Jesus is the only founder of a religion that commanded that we love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us.  Some have tried to claim that other religious founders said the same thing. 

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"Do not return evil to your adversary; Requite with kindness the one who does evil to you, Maintain justice for your enemy." Was said by the Akkadian "Counsels of Wisdom", circa 2000 BC.  This statement pertains only to outward acts of kindness and justice to one’s enemy.  It is in the context of dignified warfare.  To love one’s enemy and pray for them is something that is internalized. 

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"In this world hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispels hate. This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible." Was said by The Dhammapada of Buddhism around 500 B.C.  This statement only addresses the fact that love dispels hate.  It does not command us to love and pray for our enemies. 

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"Return love for hatred. Otherwise, when a great hatred is reconciled, some of it will surely remain. How can this end in goodness? " Was said by Taoist "T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien", circa 200 BC.  This pertains only to the outward act of returning love for hatred in the context of social relationships.  It is not commanding to love and pray for your enemies. 

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In conclusion, Jesus taught the highest ethic ever taught.  We should both love and pray for our enemies.  This makes the love internalized.  There are other religions that expressly instruct their followers to curse their enemies when they pray.  We need to be aware of that and be defensive about that.  In the meantime, we should love and pray for them.  We should be a blessing to everyone we meet and we should pray for them. 

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Song: Love Your Enemies by Kyle Sigmon