Jesus, You Want Me To Do What? – Matthew 5:43-48 - February 12, 2012
Series: Kingdom Life – A World Turned Upside Down #17
Picture this: Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!" (Attributed to Thomas Lindberg, as quoted in The Power of Love by Gerald Flury, www.sermoncentral.com)
And while that’s just a story it does a good job of exposing the attitudes of our hearts towards those we consider to be our enemies. There are times when we would spite ourselves simply in order to bring an enemy to grief. That being said I’m going to ask you to open your Bibles with me please to the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and we’ll begin reading in verse 43. Over the last several weeks we have been looking at the Sermon on the Mount, verse by verse, and in these last few weeks in particular we’ve been discovering what Jesus teaches us about the righteousness that is expected of the Christian. This morning’s verses are no different yet they are a tremendous challenge because they call us to love those we consider to be, unlovable. Listen closely as we begin in verse 43 …
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ Now that’s something that the people of Jesus’ day – and let’s face it – that the people of our day – can get on board with. There is just something in us that wants to see those who have wronged us, or set their hearts against us, get what we believe they deserve. We want them to hurt for the hurt that they have caused to us, we want them to struggle as they have made us to struggle, we want them to feel the pain, the frustration, the despair that their actions have lead us to feel and that’s what the religious leaders of the day had taught – love those who are close to you and hate your enemies.
The “love your neighbor” part came from the book of Leviticus. Leviticus 19:18 says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18, NIV) The “hate your enemy” part did not come from the word of God – it came from the heart of man. The teachers reasoned something like this, “If I only have to love my neighbor – someone from my own people – that leaves me free to hate anyone else who might be considered as my enemy. I can treat them poorly, I can talk badly about them, I can abuse them and mock them and scorn them because they are not my neighbor.” They wanted to divide the world up into those they had to love and those they had the freedom to despise. But if you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan you’ll see that the people weren’t even good at loving their neighbors. They couldn’t even live out the Word of God they had received through Moses and yet this was the righteousness that they were holding to – they only had to show love to one who was close to them.
But Jesus says, verse 44, I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children 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. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48, NIV)
We hear those words and everything in us cries out, “Jesus, you want me to do what? You want me to love my enemy? Are you crazy? Don’t you know what she’s done to me? Don’t you know the misery he’s brought into my life? I can’t even look at them without getting all twisted up inside and sick to my stomach and you want me to love them? You’re out of your mind.” And if we could see Jesus, standing there before us in those moments, perhaps He would point to the stripes on His back, the puncture marks on His hands and feet, the spit on His cheek, the crown of thorns on His head, the wound in His side, and the bruising on His flesh and say unto us, “My child, I’m not asking you to do anything that I’ve not already done. I understand your pain and your suffering and your hurt. Not one bit of it has escaped my notice. I know the hardship you have experienced and the sorrow you have had to live with because of how these people have treated you, and yet I’ve come to show you a better way. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
In the opening verses of Ephesians five, Paul exhorts Christians with these words, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1–2, NIV) As those who have been redeemed from sin, as those who have been forgiven of so much, as those who have received such great hope in Jesus, we are called to follow God’s example and to walk in the way of love. In some translations Ephesians 5:1 reads like this, “Therefore be imitators of God as dearly beloved children.” Christ shows us how. He has showed us what that looks like. We are never more like God than when we love an enemy, for that is the very love that God has shown to us.
How has God loved the world? John 3:16 … “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) How has God loved His enemies? Romans 5:8 … “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV) How has God loved us? Ephesians 2:4-5 … “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” (Ephesians 2:4–5, NIV)
God has demonstrated His love for us through His actions and the love we are to have for an enemy is similar in nature. This love is not a feeling that we attempt to manufacture deep within our hearts. You can’t force a feeling. This type of love is a mindset, an attitude, a determination, that results in action. It is an active love that seeks the good of another person. The word itself means “to demonstrate or show one’s love.” Such love is a matter of the will – a will that actively seeks to bless the one who persecutes you and to do good to the one who hates you.
In the days of the Revolutionary War there lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, a Baptist pastor by the name of Peter Miller who enjoyed the friendship of General George Washington. There also dwelt in that town one Michael Wittman, an evil-minded man who did all in his power to abuse and oppose this pastor. One day Michael Wittman was involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to death. The old preacher started out on foot and walked the whole seventy miles to Philadelphia to plead for this man's life. He was admitted into Washington's presence and at once begged for the life of the traitor.
Washington said, "No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend."
The preacher exclaimed, "He is not my friend-- he is the bitterest enemy I have."
Washington cried, "What? You've walked seventy miles for the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. I will grant the pardon."
And he did. And Peter Miller took Michael Wittman from the very shadow of death back to his own home in Ephrata -- no longer as an enemy, but as a friend. (www.heartlight.org/timely_truths/mercy)
That’s the power of such a love as we are commanded to have for our enemies; for those that hate us, despise us, or who have no use for us. As we do these things we show our kinship with God. Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Now, loving your enemy does not make you into a Christian. It’s not about becoming a child of God. That’s not what Jesus is talking about here - it’s about showing the new life we have as children of God.
John, filled with the Holy Spirit, goes so far as to say, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20, NIV) Romans 8:14, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” (Romans 8:14, NIV) Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9, NIV) Luke 6:39, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” (Luke 6:35, NIV) When we love an enemy we show the same heart and attitude as God Himself. We show ourselves to be one with Him in spirit, if you will.
What does your enemy look like? They’re easy to see in the movies – the bad guys wear the black hats and the good guys the white ones. Sometimes it’s not quite so obvious in real life. Your enemy could be an in-law who feels more like an out-law. They won’t speak to you, respect you, or listen to you. They merely tolerate you and they do that grudgingly. Maybe they speak hurtfully to you or treat you poorly. Whatever it is they do, it is clear that they have set themselves up against you. Or your enemy might be the neighbor who has been spreading lies about you and your family, or having the wild parties at 2:00 in the morning that mean you can’t sleep so by the time you have to get up for work you’re completely wiped out. Maybe your enemy is the group of kids at school who whisper behind your back, or don’t include you in their games. It could be one of your co-workers who makes your job so much harder than it needs to be because of their attitude towards you. If you still can’t figure out who your enemy is, he, or she, is the one whom, when they walk into the room, makes your stomach begins to feel queasy by their very presence. When they come towards you, you begin to feel anxious because of what they might say or do. They are the ones who, when you see them, all the hurt and the anger and the pain rises to the surface of your heart once again and the old wounds are opened. These are the ones who are your enemy in word, thought, or deed. These are the ones you are called upon to love.
If we do any less we prove ourselves to be no different than the world. By nature people tend to love those who love them; to be kind to those that are kind to them. Even the tax collectors and the pagans do that. That’s Jesus’ way of saying “even the lowest of the low love those who love them.” But they turn their backs on the needs of their enemy. God’s way is different. His way is the way of grace. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good. He sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. His love extends to the world; those who would be His should be the channel through which His love flows to the world.
Pastor Jeff Strite tells of a group of college students who toured the slums of a city… and one of the students, seeing a little girl playing in the dirt, asked a guide, "Why doesn’t her mother clean her up?"
"Well," he replied, "that girl’s mother probably loves her, but she doesn’t hate dirt. You hate dirt, but you don’t love her enough to go down there and clean her up. Until hate for dirt and love for that child are in the same person, that little girl is likely to remain as she is."
Folks, God wants you and I to hate sin … but He wants us [to show] love for those who’ve sinned against us. Because - until our hatred of the dirt and our love for our enemy are in the same person - our enemies will remain as they are. (How To Deal With The Enemy by Jeff Strite, www.sermoncentral.com)
Consider this: Your enemy is your enemy because he thinks you’re wrong and he’s right. And you think you’re right and he’s wrong. So each of you pushes and shoves and insults and gossips about the other because the other person is only getting what they deserve. And every time you push back in hatred and anger, your enemy feels justified [in] pushing back. However, when you obey Jesus by loving your enemy, you’ve changed the rules of engagement. You’ve changed the playing field. You throw your "enemy" off balance so that God can bring them to their knees before His throne. (How To Deal With The Enemy by Jeff Strite, www.sermoncentral.com)
Many years ago heavyweight boxer, Muhammad Ali was getting ready to defend his title against Jean Pierre Coopman of Belgium. It was obvious from the first press conference that Coopman was a big fan of Ali. He kept hugging him and kissing his hand and asking for autographs.
And Ali said "How am I supposed to get myself mad enough to fight this guy if he keeps hugging me and kissing me? He’s taking all the fight out of me!"
That’s exactly what Jesus wants us to do! He wants us to love our enemies so much that it takes the fight out of them! Romans 12:21 says "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Loving the People Who Don’t Love You by Dr. Marc Axelrod, www.sermoncentral.com)
Jesus closes this passage, and rounds off this whole section of His message, with the words we find in verse 48 … “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Being ‘perfect’ does not mean, being ‘sinless.’ Literally, the word used there means “mature,” or “fully equipped.” It does not speak of a degree of excellence but of the mindset and behavior that are to be defining characteristics of the Christian. The man or the woman who is given over to hatred and anger, whose flesh is ruled by lust, who divorces their spouse for no godly reason, who needs to swear an oath to impress others with their sincerity, who lives with an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” mentality, and then the one who hates their enemies – these are not mature, not complete, not fully equipped for the work the Lord has set before them. They are living according to the flesh and to the sinful patterns of this world.
Contrast those ways of living with what Jesus has called us to in these verses. The one who would walk in God’s ways is the one in whom the character of Christ is being formed and who is putting to death the things of the sinful nature. This character is most fully realized as we love one another deeply – not just our spouse and our children, not just our friends and relatives, not just the brother and the sister in the faith, but going so far as to love the one who hates you and persecutes you - and not just a love that expresses itself in our thoughts but a love that expresses itself in action. As we do so, people see the love of God in us, and through us, and that’s what we want to see happen because we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth that the hearts and minds of those living in darkness will come into the light and find forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ! We will win over those who hate us far more readily with love than with hatred. So, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” [Carrying burning coals around in a pan on your head was a sign of your shame and your repentance. In other words, as you repay insult with blessing, and evil with good, it may be that you bring your enemy to a place of shame and repentance for what he has done to you and he, or she, who was once your enemy becomes a brother or a sister in the Lord. Therefore] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20–21, NIV)
Now I’m going to ask you to stand with me for a few moments and we’re going to sing a song and then I’m going to close with just a few more words. The song we’re going to sing is called, Take My Life And Let It Be. I’m going to encourage you to sing it as a prayer to God this morning. Let’s sing … Sing ….
Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee. In many ways that’s what Jesus has been talking about in these verses – a life that has been consecrated to God. Pastor Paul Fritz once said that to be ‘consecrated’ means “to dedicate yourself completely to God’s purpose, priorities, processes, power and person. Learning to wholly trust in Jesus Christ for all aspects of life. To set oneself apart from the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life for the purpose of serving, loving and glorifying God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind. We consecrate ourself to the Lord with our mind, emotions, will, attitude, behavior, resources, time, talents, relationships, vocation, skills, family, culture, finances, plans, priorities, service and lifestyle. Consecration is a moment by moment process of yielding all of our rights to the Lord. The daily renewal of our consecration is not by the flesh, but by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit as an act of worship. (Lk:10:27, Romans 12:1,2,1 Chrn. 29:5, John 7:17, Luke 9:23, Phil. 3:10)] (Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee by Paul Fritz, www.sermoncentral.com) That’s the type of life we are called to as we seek to love our enemies and to live for Jesus. It’s the type of life that you and I can live and which we should seek to be living through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s pray …
