Verse of the Day
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Matthew 5:43-45
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”
Introduction
The Sermon on the Mount is widely considered the "constitution" of the Kingdom of Heaven, outlining the character and conduct expected of Jesus' followers. In these specific verses, Jesus addresses perhaps the most counter-intuitive and difficult command in the entire New Testament: the command to love one's enemies.
This passage challenges our natural instincts for self-preservation and retaliation. It moves the believer from a transactional morality (loving those who love you) to a transformational morality (loving as God loves). It is not merely a rule for good behavior; it is a revelation of the very heart of the Father.
Understanding the Context
To fully grasp the weight of these words, we must look at where they sit in history and scripture.
The Antitheses: This passage is the last of six "antitheses" in Matthew 5, where Jesus utilizes the formula: "You have heard that it was said... But I say to you..." Jesus is not abolishing the Law of Moses here, but rather deepening it. He is stripping away the convenient interpretations that had built up over centuries to reveal the absolute intent of God’s law.
The Missing Command: The phrase "hate your enemy" does not actually appear in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 commands the Israelites to love their neighbors, but it does not command hatred for enemies. However, in the first-century context—under the oppression of Roman occupation—a cultural attitude had developed where "neighbor" was defined narrowly (fellow Jews/insiders) and "enemy" was defined broadly (Gentiles/tax collectors/Romans).
The Sectarian Divide: Many groups at the time, such as the Essenes at Qumran, explicitly taught hatred for the "sons of darkness." Jesus intervenes in this polarized atmosphere to dismantle the boundaries of who deserves our goodwill.
Commentary
"But I say to you, Love your enemies..." (v. 44)
The Greek word used here for love is agape. This is crucial for lay readers to understand. In English, "love" often implies warm affection or emotional fondness. If Jesus commanded us to feel affection (like philia) for our persecutors, the command would be impossible.
Agape is Volitional: It is a love of the will, not the emotions. It means actively seeking the welfare of the other. It is a decision to treat someone better than they deserve.
Praying for Persecutors: Jesus immediately links love to action: "pray for those who persecute you." Prayer is the practical application of this love. It is difficult to hate someone while simultaneously bringing them before God in prayer. This act changes the posture of the heart from defense to intercession.
"...so that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (v. 45)
The motivation for this radical love is not just to be "nice people," but to establish our identity.
Family Resemblance: In Semitic thought, being a "son of" meant displaying the character of the father. To be a "child of your Father" means to act like Him.
Common Grace: Jesus points to creation as evidence of God's indiscriminate generosity. The sun rises and the rain falls on everyone, regardless of their moral standing. God sustains the life of the person who curses Him just as He sustains the life of the person who praises Him. To be a Christian is to imitate this specific kind of indiscriminate generosity.
Application for Today
How do we live this out in a modern context?
Redefining the "Enemy": Most of us do not have battlefield enemies. However, we have "functional enemies": the estranged family member, the difficult coworker, the political opponent who insults our values, or the person who betrayed our trust.
Breaking the Cycle: Retaliation creates a closed loop of pain. When we return hate for hate, evil multiplies. When we return love for hate, we absorb the hostility and refuse to pass it on. This is the only way to break the cycle of vengeance.
The Prayer Test: A practical step for today is to identify the person you struggle with most and pray for their good. This does not mean praying they "realize they are wrong" (which is just judgment disguised as prayer), but praying for their healing, their peace, and their connection to God.
Reflection
The command to love our enemies is the distinct mark of the Christian faith. No other religious or ethical system demands this high a standard. It is the point where the Gospel becomes most offensive to our pride and most healing to our world.
When we love an enemy, we are not saying that their actions are acceptable. We are saying that their identity as a creation of God is more fundamental than their identity as our adversary. We are acknowledging that no human being is beyond the scope of God's rain or God's sun. By stepping into this difficult space, we are not just following a rule; we are participating in the very life of God, who loved us while we were yet sinners.
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verse of the Day is a daily inspirational and encouraging Bible verse, extracted from BibleGateway.com. Commentary by Kenny Sallee, ThM.
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