Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5:38-48)

Love Your Enemies

 

Matthew 5:38-48

 

Jesus’ teachings recorded in Matthew 5-7 is called the Sermon on the Mount. These words explain the characters of the heavenly citizens and the important basic principles of their lives. What we are going to share today is part of this Sermon on the Mount. We can say that “how I lead my life” will be determined mostly by “who I am” and “what world I belong to.” There is the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling.” This is a famous story written my Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Anderson. The ugly duckling, the main character of this story, was bullied by other ducks and ducklings because of his abnormally big body and ugly appearance. He roamed here and there, but wherever he went he was found to be an ugly-looking stranger. The hen advised him, “You will be loved if you learn how to lay eggs,” and the cat told, “You will be caressed if you know how to purr.” However, these pieces of advice were not helpful to the ugly duckling at all. one day, the duckling saw a group of beautiful swans floating on the water. Looking at their snow-white feathers and elegant posture gliding on the surface of the water so smoothly, the ugly duckling felt even more sorrowful due to his ugliness. Then, the swans noticed him there and approached the ugly duckling. The poor duckling thought that these elegant swans might kill him because he looked so ugly. He talked to himself, “It would be better to be killed by them than to live such a miserable life among ducks and hens,” and he bent his head down to the surface of the water, awaiting death. Then he saw his own image reflected on the water. Surprisingly, it was not the dark-gray, ugly duckling but a graceful and beautiful swan.

 

The ugly duckling suffered many troubles only because he did not know who or what he was. And he wandered around outside the world he truly belonged to. This is also the case for us Christians. We should know who I am and what world I belong to, and lead a proper life based on the knowledge. In today’s passage, Jesus calls his disciples, “sons (daughters) of your Father in heaven” (v. 45). Moreover, the world we live is the heavenly kingdom, namely, the noble and elegant kingdom ruled by God our Father. Why is the heavenly kingdom ruled by God noble and elegant? It is because God rules the kingdom with “love.” Therefore, this kingdom is a breathtakingly dazzling, peaceful, rich, beautiful and happy place. We, as the children of the heavenly Father, live is the Father’s land of love. This is the important truth that dictates the direction and purpose of “How I live.” Based on this truth, Jesus gives us this command, “Love your enemies.”

 

In verses 38-42, Jesus says a word that is hardly acceptable to ordinary people. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Exodus in the Old Testaments records various laws that God gave to the Israelites through Moses. one of them is as follows: “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise” (Exodus 21:23-25). Going back further, God says to Noah, ““Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Genesis 9:6). These words are basically talking about “redemption” and “God’s justice through redemption.” That is, if one committed a crime, justice was established by having him redeem the sin or punishing him for the sin. He had to pay eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life, and blood for blood.

 

But now, it seems that Jesus is overturning the basic order “justice through redemption.” Jesus says “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also, if anyone takes your shirt, hand over your coat as well, if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” When we meditate this word, however, we may see its similarity with the law in the Old Testament. That is, as the old law says “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth,” Jesus’ new teaching shows the pattern of “right cheek and left cheek, shirt and coat, a mile and another mile.” Jesus’ word does not destroy the order of “justice through redemption.” A difference of this new teaching from the old law is that, when one commits a sin against the disciples, the disciples who suffered the sin redeem the sin for the sinner. Redemption or compensation should be made by the one who did wrong and for the one who suffered loss. But Jesus says that “the victim” compensates on behalf of “the offender.” When it is grieving to suffer a loss, Jesus says to disciples even to bear the cost of redeeming the loss. This is truly unreasonable and unacceptable. Yet this unreasonable and unacceptable word is “the gospel” and “God’s love” testified by the Bible. This love is summed up in Romans 5:8 as follows: “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

God’s love demonstrated through Jesus’ sacrifice is the love of forgiving by giving. This love is covering sins and making a sinner righteous by grace. In this way, God’s justice is established not by “law” but by “love.” This is possible and happens because God’s love is greater than our sins. God’s love is like the sea that fills every valley and submerges every peak. The sea water fills even the deepest holes and it submerges the highest peaks. So we only see the water. In the same way, God’s love fills the most wretched sinner with his grace and submerges the most righteous man under his grace, so that only God’s love is revealed and the love rules the world. This is the world ruled by God, and this is the Kingdom of God coming upon us. As we see only water in the sea, in the Kingdom of God is only God’s love that covers all sins under grace. Therefore, Jesus’ word is not “an unacceptable word” but is a vital principle of life for the children of God’s Kingdom. With this love, the heavenly children get along with the world and, at the same time, are distinguished from the world. With this love, the heavenly children serve the world and, at the same time, are protected from the world. With this love, the heavenly children live in the world but belong to the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

When the dry season comes in Africa, water in the river runs out and the riverbed is exposed. Then only small puddles are left here and there. Then, fish are trapped in the puddles, and they, panting in the muddy water, wait for the rain. When the rainy season comes, the river is again filled with flowing water, and the water liberates the fish trapped in the puddles. Now they swim up and down the river freely and live a fish-like happy life. The water for fish is love for us humans. Worldly love is like a small and muddy puddle in the dry season. In the world, people are all trapped in such a small and shallow pool. They barely feel moisture from the family or a few close friends. For them, it is unimaginable to get out of the puddle. It is because the barrier of sin surrounding the puddle is too high and tough. The world is full of enemies who take every opportunity to slap my cheek, take my shirt, and force me to walk a mile. It seems that I may be tramped and left dried to death as soon as I leave the puddle. However, “God’s love” is far different from such a small and muddy puddle. It is never-drying clean and fresh water, and it flows in unfathomable depth. In the water, all kinds of living things live freely and peacefully. It is because God’s overflowing love sets us free. God’s love gives us such freedom.

 

Verses 43-45 says: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But 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.” Jesus says that we are children of our Father in heaven, and therefore, we should be like the Father. What we should imitate particularly is “loving the enemies.” Verse 48 says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Luke 6:36, which is corresponding to this verse, says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” These words suggest that God’s perfection that we should imitate is His perfection in mercifulness. Mercifulness is the “law and power” that God gave to his children. Like Jesus did, we, God’s children, should also live by the law of love and the power of love alone.

 

It sounds very “impractical” to live a life of loving the enemies while people in the world are competing fiercely to have more and go higher. To live such a life, again we should have faith in God. We should believe that I am God’s child and I am in the world ruled by my Father in heaven. Living with other ducks and ducklings, the ugly duckling thought that he was one of them and he belonged to their world. Nevertheless, he could not quack and his appearance was different from the others. Everything was abnormal. At last when I found himself to be a swan and joined the group of his own, everything turned normal and he had an indescribably happy and elegant life. Our way of defeating the world is not in competition with the world. It is not learning how to quack louder or how to have more. Our way of victory is in believing that I am God’s child and God’s kingdom is already here in the world. With this faith, we should learn and practice God’s mercifulness to perfection. Binding my hands and legs and suppressing our nature to give a counterblow, we should “live by love” alone. This is the fight of love and faith that we should fight and win to the end of the world.

 

People in the world are similar to one another but they become enemies to one another and keep hating and fighting. on the contrary, God’s children are different from people in the world but we live a peaceful and joyful life, loving and serving even the enemies. By our life as such, God’s love is demonstrated in the world and God’s kingdom is expanded. This is how Jesus lived and that way that we should follow. Love is power for the believers. I pray that this happy, free, and powerful life is our everyday life.