Love Your Enemies
Verses 43-44: The law of love, sometimes called Law of Christ, summarizes the ethical principle of the Sermon on the Mount. Love they neighbor summarizes the entire second table of the law (Lev. 19:18-34). But the unscriptural addition hate thine enemy was a popular concept in Jesus’ day.
The admonition Love your enemies is one of the greatest statements Jesus made. The love enjoined in this passage is love that originates from God Himself. Man is not commanded to attempt to love his enemy on the basis of mere human affection but rather on the basis of a love that comes from God. The quality of love commanded here is expressed by giving.
Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you. Loving an enemy involves doing good toward that enemy in order to win him over to Christ.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
But
I say... Four
commands in Mat. 5:44
1. Love your enemies.
2. Bless them that curse you.
3. Do good to those that hate you.
4. Pray for your persecutors.
These are four of over 1,050 commands in the New Testament to be obeyed by Christians. The universal impression in Christendom that there are 10 commandments to obey is far from the truth.
thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. Two commands—loving enemy:
1. Bring back your enemy’s stock if you find it going astray (Exo. 23:4).
2. Help his ass if you see it lying under a burden (Exo. 23:5).
Love to one’s neighbor appears in many passages in the Old Testament. Israelite's were not to pervert justice by being influenced by the crowd or even by favoritism to the poor. The words enemy’s (Exo. 23:4) and someone who hates you (Exo. 23:5) probably mean a legal adversary; an Israelite was to be kind even to the animals of someone with whom he had a legal disagreement.
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