Matthew 5:38-48 Love your enemies instead

We're continuing on in the Matthew series. The first thread is here, and the last passage is here.

We've been looking through the Sermon of the Mount together, the latest passage is here:

Matthew 5:38-48 wrote:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 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. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

These two paragraphs come under separate headings in my Bible, but I think they are intrinsically linked together.

Jesus' way continues to show us how we can be a light in a dark place (5:14) and how He calls us to exceed the righteousness of the scribes in the Pharisees (5:20). These two areas are hugely challenging.

Those who follow after Jesus shouldn't seek revenge:
The law says that we should retaliate. Exodus 21:24 is quoted in verse 38 which says that there should be an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus encourages us to take another direction. He says not to resist the one who is evil (verse 39) if someone slaps you on the right cheek give him the other also. Or if someone is going to sue you give them your cloak as well (verse 40). Go the extra mile and give the other person more than what they are asking for. This is hugely countercultural in a society where everyone knows their rights. It is also hugely countercultural in Jesus' world where the scribes follow the law to the letter and take every right they have (see the previous passage on divorce). By laying down our own interests we are saying that showing our light in a dark world is more important than retaliating and fighting to assert ourselves.

The passage also goes further.

Love your enemies:
It's not just about not retaliating. We should actually love our enemies and pray for them (verse 44). This is also hugely hugely countercultural both in the world back then and in the world we live in now. Jesus isn't just saying don't respond. He is saying respond for their good even when they mean you evil. Pray for the good of others even when they don't have any interest in your good. Why should we do this?
Jesus gives two pretty strong reasons.

Firstly, the sons are meant to resemble the Father. The Father makes the sun to shine on the evil and the good, those who acknowledge Him and those who don't. The same is true for the rain.
The second reason is that if we just love our friends, why are we any different to anyone else? If we're called to stand out at those who follow Jesus then doing the exact same thing as everyone else in the world isn't the best way to do so. Jesus calls us to the perfection of the Father.

The question that verse 48 raises in the back of our minds is the same as the question that verse 20 raises in the back of our minds. We're not perfect, so how can we do this? I think this is a tension that Matthew wants us to build. We know that we need a Saviour (1:21) to save us from our sins. We know that we fall short when we read these standards in the Sermon of the Mount. How can God call us to perfection is probably a question to keep in our minds as we read more of this gospel.

Thoughts for prayer:
Father thank you for your Word. Thank you that you call us to a different way to the world. We know it is hugely challenging. Father please help us to see that asserting our own interests in retaliating isn't as important as shining your light in a dark world. Father please help us to even go further than this and genuinely love those who hate us, and pray for their well being. Help us not to follow the instincts of the world, but the pattern that you give us in these verses.

As always please let me know what you think about the passage, or anything I've missed. I'd love to learn also.