(Day 25)
Today we are going to finish the part
of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus explains some of the commandments…
* Commandment: You shall love
your neighbor.
(Matthew 5:43) You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
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| You Shall Love Your Neighbor |
The commandment to “love your
neighbor” was not written for the first time in the New Testament. It has it’s
origin in the Torah (Pentateuch):
(Leviticus 19:18) You shall not take vengeance
or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your
neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
Jesus needed to correct that second
part: “hate your enemy”. This was added
by the Pharisees, because it is not in the Torah. Just a verse before this law
in Leviticus, we see quite the opposite! It clearly states that we should not
hate:
(Leviticus 19:17) You shall not hate your
brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest
you incur sin because of him.
Notice that it says here “you shall
not hate your brother in your heart”. The Torah also speaks to us about the
heart, but the religious people of the time focused only on appearances, not on
the heart.
(Deuteronomy 30:14) But the word is very near
you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.
Jesus did not come to change the Law
(the Torah), he came to teach us it’s right interpretation and application.
(Matthew 5:44-48) 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.
It is a very difficult thing to love
your enemy. We could even say that it is humanly impossible. We need the grace
of God to be able to do it. It is easy to love our friends. But, how can we
love the enemy? What we need to understand is that love is not a feeling, but a
decision. Paul clearly explains what
love is:
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on
its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at
wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.
To love is to genuinely express our interest
for someone else. It is to wish them the best and do our best for them. This is
the kind of attitude we must have, even towards our enemies.
(Proverbs 25:21-22) If your enemy is hungry, give
him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will
heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
The first step we take must be in
faith: forgiving, praying for our enemy, being good to him even if he treated
us badly. After taking this step, many times the Lord brings grace to our
hearts and even changes our feelings towards our enemy; we may even feel
compassion towards him.
Human nature incites us to avenge when
we have been offended. But God tells us that we must let go of the offense and
let Him execute vengeance. He will do it in perfect justice and mercy. He will
not require more, or less, than what is due, but the fair and just retribution.
But before He does, He will give everyone an opportunity to repent. What
greater justice can there be, than turning evil into good? This is an amazing
miracle. Shouldn’t this be our desire?
The Lord does not require anything
from us that he didn’t do first himself. Jesus taught us through his life to
love our neighbor, even to love our enemies. Now we must follow his example.
PRAYER
Lord, Your Word says that we should
love everyone, even our enemies. You tell us not to take vengeance or bear a
grudge. I must confess that this seems very hard, but if it is what you require
of me, I know that you will give me the grace to do it. Lord, I will do it by
faith. Your Word will be very near me, in my mouth and in my heart, so that I
can do it.
Lord, teach me to love my neighbor
and to bless my enemies. I will not take vengeance or repay evil for evil. On
the contrary, I will bless, I will have compassion, mercy, a tender heart and a
humble mind. Lord, teach me to be perfect, jus as you are perfect.
[Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 30:14;
1 Peter 3:8-9; Matthew 5:48]
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