In Matt 5, Jesus gives a long sermon (‘The Sermon On The Mount’) teaching His followers about the values of the kingdom of heaven and what it meant to live as children of God. This teaching is revolutionary because it returns to the heart of God’s word rather than following the embellishment of years of tradition. He looked at topics such as murder, adultery, divorce, revenge and justice, and shows us that the additional ideas adopted by the Pharisees and other religious leaders had actually gone beyond what God said to the point where they had nullified God’s word. He gets back to the heart of these matters, to the attitudes and beliefs which lie beneath our actions, pointing out that hatred is what leads to murder, lustful thoughts are what lead to adultery, hard hearts and an unwillingness to love and forgive are what lead to divorce and injustice.
In this chapter, Jesus teaches about our identity as salt and light and maintains that His followers have the capacity to influence the world by how they live. (Matt 5:13-16) One of the most revolutionary ways to do this is by loving not only your neighbour but also your enemies (Matt 5:43-48). Naturally speaking, this is impossible, but as God’s identity is outworked in us, we are given the capacity to love even those who actively persecute us – for whilst we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)
The questions Jesus asks His disciples show us that loving those who are like you is nothing special – even the tax collectors and pagans were capable of doing this! To love those who actively oppose us, however, requires a participation in the divine nature and a dependence on God’s strength (2 Pet 1:4, Phil 4:13). As we learn to live out our new nature (2 Cor 5:17), we will be able to witness to the world through God’s love – a love that encompasses even enemies!
