#11 Jesus Teaching on Love
Matthew 5:43-48
1. The belief of the Scribes in Jesus day about whom to love. Matthew 5:43 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’”
a. Scribes said that one must love his neighbor. Leviticus 19:18 says, ““’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” In this the Scribes of Jesus’ day were correct.
b. Scribes also said that your neighbor is a Jew, and a Jew only. In this the Scribes misinterpreted the Law of Moses. The Scribes and Pharisees believed that your enemy is any Gentile, which means you should:
1) Hate all national enemies.
2) Hate all private enemies
3) Hate all religious enemies John 4:9 says, “The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)”
2. How this false doctrine developed
a. The Jews misinterpreted God’s judgment on the nations that occupied the land that God gave to Israel. Deuteronomy 7:1-3 says,
b. “When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”
c. The Jews thought this meant that God was giving the land to them because He loved them and not Gentile nations. But God was using the Israelites to terminate these nations due to the nations’ sins, not because He hated them. However, it is true that God loved the nation of Israel more than He loved the Gentile nations.
d. Deuteronomy 7:4-5 says, “Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.”
e. The Jews also thought God hated the Gentile nations because He told them not to intermarry with the Gentile nations. But God knew that the Gentile nations would pollute the Israelite nation that He planned to cultivate if He allowed them to intermarry. It was not that God did not love these people. But they had sinned to the point that He must destroy them. And He used the Jewish nation to do it.
f. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 says, “The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
g. The fact that God loved Israel and delivered them from slavery in Egypt does not mean that He does not love other nations. It does mean that He loves Israel more than other nations, but He does not hate other nations.
h. When Israel became a rebellious nation, God treated them like He treated other nations who sinned against Him.
i. The Doctors of the Law of the Old Testament misinterpreted God’s election of the Israelites. God chose Israel to be His son nation (Hosea 11:1), but He did not choose individual Israelites. Most Israelites were not people of faith in Yahweh.
j. And especially from the time of Ezra until the time of Christ, the hostility of the Jews toward the Gentiles expanded.
1) The root of this anger was anger toward God. The unbelieving Jews had always taught that God delivered them only to destroy them in the wilderness. They also blamed God for the Babylonian Captivity and its hardships.
2) Numbers 21:5 says, “and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!’”
3) And the Doctors of the Law also taught racial aversion. John 4:9 says, “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.”
3. The belief of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say unto you.”
a. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
b. You must love, not only those of your nationality, but all people, even if they are your enemies.
c. God said to love those who curse you. The Jews thought that, since God said He would love Abraham and His descendants, that He meant not to love, but to curse those who cursed them.
d. Jesus taught the Jews to love by doing good to those who curse them. Luke 6:22 says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.”
e. He said that they must pray for those who despitefully use and persecute them.
f. He said to rejoice if others persecute them.
g. In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.”
h. The Lord Jesus gave two motivations to those Jews who would follow Him.
i. Matthew 5:45-47 says, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?”
1) The desire to be like God the Father motivates us to love people who are not like we are. He says, “That you may be the sons of God.
2) The term “sons of God” has many meanings in the Bible. Here are the different Biblical ways to be a son.
a) You can be an immediate offspring and be a son (Matthew 3:23-38).
b) You can be a grandson and be called a son (Genesis 29:5; 24:29).
c) You can be a remote descendant and be called a son (Numbers 2:14, 18).
d) You can be a son by adoption (Genesis 48:5).
e) You can be a son by nationality, as in “sons of the East” (1 Kings 4:30 (NASB 1995); Job 1:3 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English).
f) You can be a son by education (1 Samuel 3:6; 1 Kings 20:35).
g) You can be a son by disposition and conduct, as in
1 Sons of Belial (Judges 19:22 KJV)
2 Sons of the mighty (Psalm 29:1 NASB)
3 Sons of a sorceress (Isaiah 57:3 ESV)
h) Christ is the Son of God in that He has the same nature as His Father (John 1:14).
i) Angels are delegates of God, and thus are called sons (Job 1:6 ESV).
j) You can be a son of God by adoption (John 1:12)
k) You can be a son of God by regeneration (John 1:13 ESV).
l) Some are called sons of the world (Luke 16:8 ESV).
m) Some are sons of hell (Matthew 23:15 NKJV).
n) Some are sons of the devil (Acts 13:10 ESV).
o) You can be a son of God by similarity to God in one form or another. This is the sense that Matthew 5:45 uses the word. Those who imitate God may be called sons of God. If we love those whom God loves, He calls us sons of God. (Note: This does not necessarily mean that such people are born again sons of God, but it is difficult to believe that they would not be.)
j. What is God like? How does He treat His enemies?
1) “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good alike” (Matthew 5:45).
2) He sends nourishing rain on the just (justified) and the “unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
3) The Scribes insisted on exact correspondence between character and prosperity (John 9:1-2). But Jesus says that one cannot judge spirituality by prosperity.
4) Other Scriptures that show God’s goodness:
a) He is good to all (Psalm 145:9).
b) He is kind to those who do not thank Him for it (Luke 6:35 ESV).
c) He gives rain, food, and gladness to all men (Acts 14:17).
k. Jesus says to be different from men (Matthew 5:46-47).
1) Even Publicans love those who love them. Matthew 5:46 says, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?” Jesus asks these Jewish people if they are different from a tax collector in this matter.
2) God does not reward us for anything that we do that an unbeliever can also do.
3) God does not reward Christians for loving those who love them (See Matthew 5:46 above). Unbelievers can do that.
4) Even Publicans greet their brothers (Matthew 5:47).
a) A “salute” was a friendly greeting that occurred when meeting or parting.
b) Examples: It was a statement of “well-being.”
a) God be gracious unto you (Genesis 43:29).
b) Go in peace (1 Samuel 1:17; 20:42).
c) Grace to you and peace (Galatians 1:3).
l. The command is to be like God (Matthew 5:48).
1. “Therefore” The Greek word for “therefore” is an Attic Greek participle oun, which meant, “things being so.” It connects to the examples of Publicans loving those who love them, and Publicans greeting people. It also connects to God loving His enemies.
2. The point is that since God loves even Publicans, disciples of Christ must love them also.
3. You be perfect. “Perfect” is the Greek word teleios, which means to be “finished” in John 5:36, or to be “fulfilled” in John 12:38, or to be “mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20.)
4. The word “perfect” means to be “ripe” but it does not necessarily mean “flawless.” It means to be mature, but not necessarily impeccable.
a. In the context, the word means to be perfect or mature in love.
b. “As your Father is perfect.” The word “as” is not used in degree, but in kind. Have your Father’s perfect love by loving your enemies.
c. The resultant meaning is to include in our life every moral quality possessed by God. Since God includes the evil persons of the world, we must love them also to be complete.
d. So, the teaching about perfection is as follows:
1) Only God is complete. He exists because He exists. He is not maturing. No other person holds God in existence. And He is well rounded in all His being.
2) God planned to make very imperfect people perfect.
3) Romans 8:28-30 says, “And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
4) God made a perfect man named Adam. But Adam lacked something. He did not know of grace. Thus, he could not exercise grace. Though Adam was flawless, he lacked perfection.
5) God permitted men to become His enemies. When they sinned, He immediately graced man.
6) God’s plan of perfecting sinners is as follows:
a) Do some things for all enemies.
b) Do all things for some enemies. He makes us to both experience grace and to give grace.
7) God’s commands to be perfect are suited to the inclination and desires of a believer.
8) God is always the standard. He is truth, love, and holiness.
9) Jesus Christ has both an inherent and an achieved perfection.
10) He is inherently perfect by essence. But He obeyed as our Mediator and was made perfect through the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8-10).
11) He became perfect in the sense that He was constituted by God as the full-orbed Prophet, Priest, and King at His ascension into glory.
