Matthew
5: 43-48
43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your
neighbour and hate your enemy.” 44But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he
makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous
and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those
who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the
same? 47And if you greet only
your brothers and sisters, what
more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The
Dead Sea scrolls contained this saying: ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy…’ it was
obviously put into practice and did not reflect or was it written in the
teachings of the ‘Law and the Prophets’ that Jesus came to fulfill. The
transformative act that Jesus is teaching in our passage today is the positive
practice love: to wish
well, take pleasure in, long for the best; to have esteem; ‘for our enemies’. The second
transformative act is prayer; interaction with God on behalf and for the best
possible outcome for those who would harm us. Jesus lived out these principles
to the full. He died for His enemy. So, this morning: the Lord ’s Day: have we
identified an enemy? Then the transformative act is simple really; be motivated
by their well-being and be transformed by doing for them what they would not do
for us at least while they see us as the enemy. This will lead us to a maturity
in discipleship that will change the world as well as our own lives.
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