Sometimes we hear something that sounds so unreasonable our response is, “You have got to be kidding.” I believe in our text we encounter Jesus saying something that really sounds unreasonable. In fact this statement goes against what we consider to be reasonable. This statement goes against everything that we have been taught and all the messages that are being sent by our culture. Come on, “How are we supposed to love those who use and abuse us?” We want justice…We want vindication!!! Common sense tells us that warming up to these people will only make us more vulnerable to being abused. Reflect on all those mean people in your life? Those individuals who picked on you growing up, all those who have abused you and those who have taken advantage of you in adulthood. Every one of us can think of a list of people that we find to be very hard to love. In fact we would prefer that these people would just stay out of our space. I’m sorry but thinking about them just doesn’t give you that warm fuzzy feeling. In, fact we are more prone to accept the first statement in our text to love our neighbors and hate our enemies. The truth is, regardless of how difficult it is Jesus does call His followers to live by a higher standard than the rest of the world. He does say that people will recognize His followers by the way they love. I know, “aren’t there exceptions to the rule?” According to Jesus there are no exceptions, we are to love everyone. Today our goal is to discover how Jesus wants us to make this unconditional love for everyone a reality in our lives.
I. A teaching that is totally counter-cultural.
A. Jesus begins this teaching with apparently what was a popular Jewish teaching.
1. Jesus is not quoting a particular Old Testament passage here. In fact, this concept will not be found in any of those thirty-nine books.
2. This conclusion was more than likely arrived at by rabbis who later interpreted the Law for the people.
3. This interpretation was arrived at by defining a neighbor quite narrowly, as being a fellow Israelite. That would make any non-Jew the enemy.
4. This was a popular teaching that was practiced by many pious Jews.
5. In some circles an enemy could have been defined as those who are non-believers or hostile to God.
6. Regardless of the original definition, we have little difficulty warming up to this idea.
7. Apparently the same was true of Jesus’ first century listeners.
B. This teaching was counter cultural in Jesus’ day just as it is here in the twenty-first century.
1. In Exodus 23 and Proverbs 25, you can find the Israelites being instructed to help their enemies.
2. That’s not too bad to deal with. We can help someone and not like it.
3. In Greek thought it was sometimes encouraged to hurt your enemies more than they had hurt you. Many Greek philosophers would answer their critics in an extremely harsh manner.
4. To an oppressed people such as the Jews, this new teaching was quite difficult to deal with.
5. To a people living in a “dog eat dog world” such as ours this teaching isn’t any easier.
6. Jesus is taking the teaching to help your enemies to a higher level. A level that not only helps but loves those who mistreat you.
7. As if the command to love isn’t difficult enough, He asks us to pray for these enemies as well.
II. A teaching that calls us to treat others as God has treated us.
A. When you examine Jesus’ teaching you see that it was quite common for Him to call His followers to go beyond what was commonly expected.
1. So living a life pleasing to God was more than just simply avoiding the extreme sins. Consider these two examples from earlier in chapter 5.
a. To avoid murder was more than just not killing. It meant to avoid hatred and anger.
b. To avoid adultery was more than just not having an affair. It meant to avoid looking lustfully at someone of the opposite sex.
2. Jesus is building a fence around the law of love in order to help His listeners understand God’s original intent.
3. With this teaching Jesus is calling His followers to a love that knows no ethnic, social or economic boundaries. It is a love that seeks the eternal best for the other person regardless of the personal cost.
4. This teaching requires that we abandon the common philosophy of promoting self-interest.
B. To fully understand Jesus’ command we need to better understand Jesus’ concept of love.
1. Nowhere in Jewish culture or in our culture was there such a radical definition of love that even extended to enemies.
2. The Greek word used in this passage for love is agape. This is the highest and noblest type of love.
3. This love is not sentimental or romantic. In fact this type of love does not depend upon feelings.
4. To Jesus, love was not a feeling but an act of the will. Love works for the good of the other person regardless of how they respond.
C. Jesus modeled this teaching for us throughout His earthly life.
1. Jesus in agony sweat drops of blood as He prayed about the sacrifice that He was about to make.
2. Jesus healed the ear of the High Priest’s servant who was among the mob that was arresting Him.
3. He forgave His killers as He was dying on the cross.
4. As His enemies exercised their political and military power against Him, Jesus did not respond negatively, He loved them.
5. Jesus continued to love in spite of everything. In doing so He defined love for all time.
6. God so loved the world, both the good and the bad. He gave His only Son to die for the sins of all.
III. Making a seemingly unreasonable teaching a reality in our lives.
A. Learn that love does not seek vengeance.
1. We need to realize this standard that Jesus has called us to cannot be accomplished through our own strength.
2. We must respond with restraint when insulted. Respond with respect when threatened and always be prepared to respond with more than is expected.
3. Yes, this is hard because our natural inclination is to settle the score when someone does something to us.
4. It is much easier to love those who are nice to us but the greatest test of our maturity in Christ is to learn to love those who we consider to be enemies.
5. When we don’t retaliate against those who wrong us, we display that we truly belong to Jesus.
6. God does good even to those who despise Him. He makes the sun to shine on the just and unjust.
B. Learn to pray for those who abuse us.
1. When someone does us wrong the first prayer thought is Lord, a lightning bolt please.
2. Jesus is telling us to go beyond our natural instincts and to begin to develop Godly instincts.
3. When we pray it shows what the true condition of our heart really is.
4. Nothing requires more trust in God than praying for those who mistreat you.
5. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21-22—NIV 2011)
6. When you learn to repay evil with kindness people will be able to recognize that you belong to Jesus Christ.
C. Learn that we should love our enemies because God loves them.
1. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17—NIV 2011)
2. God makes no distinction between people; He loves them all the same and gives every person the opportunity to find forgiveness and grace through His Son.
3. If we truly claim to be the children of God we will extend love and grace to all people regardless of their response.
4. Do you want to be like Jesus? Do you want to reflect Him to the world? Then learn to love like He did.
Corrie ten Boom, who had lost most of her family in a Nazi concentration camp, often lectured on grace. But one day a man who came to shake her hand after such a talk turned out to be a former prison guard. Only by asking God to love through her did she find the grace to take his hand and offer him forgiveness.
