"Ye have heard
that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But
I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those
that hate you, and pray for those who speak evil about you, and persecute
you;" (Matthew 5:43-44).
This is one of the more difficult commands in the Bible for Christians to put
into practice. How can we love our enemies? The answer is hinted at in the next
verse, " that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the
heavens," (Matthew 5:45a). Jesus himself set the example by reaching out
in love to sinners. Sometimes he was criticized for it, but the criticism did
not stop him, because his heart was filled with compassion for those who were
like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). Look at the encounter of Jesus with
a rich man in Mark, chapter 6. Mark says, "Then
Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing
thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And
he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions (Mark 10:21-22). Jesus looked at a man who rejected him with
love. What does this say about the heart of Jesus for sinners? It says that
Jesus cares deeply for them and knows that their true happiness is not
dependent on earthly things, but their relationship to him. Would Jesus ask us
to do something that he himself did not do? Of course not. We are to love our
enemies because Jesus chose to love his enemies. Christ’s love for the lost
ultimately led him to the cross, where he offered up his life, so that those
who come to him by faith, seeking his forgiveness would obtain it. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us" (Romans 5:6-8). Human love could never
be greater than Divine love. God loved the whole world, a world of ungodly
sinners. The Father sent the Son into the world to save it, not condemn it. If
God's love was limited, then Christ's command to us to love our enemies would
be hypocritical. He would have been commanding us to do something that he
himself did not do. But thanks be unto God who does love sinners such as I, and
yes, he loves you too. This is good news for all men, the very center of the
gospel of Christ. Go tell those who are lost, the good news. This is the greatest
love you could show them, even those who oppose you.
“God bestows His blessings without discrimination. The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite.” F.F. Bruce
Pastor Tom
Posts
