“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you … If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?...Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
— Matthew 5:43-48
Understanding the text
The Old TestamentThe first part of the Christian Bible which corresponds to the Hebrew Bible but is arranged differently. book of Leviticus taught the Jews to “love your neighbour as you love yourself”. In practice, many people felt that they should love fellow Jews and it did not matter if they hated their enemies. By the time of Jesus, this attitude had developed into an unwritten law, but the words “and hate your enemies” never appeared in the Old Testament.
Jesus taught that there is nothing extraordinary about loving your friends – anyone should be able to do that. It is far harder to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”, which is the standard Jesus now wants his followers to aim for.
In these verses, Jesus is describing agape - this is a practical love requiring effort. It is based on respect for all people. It is the love shown by God for all of humanity.
Jesus ends this teaching by setting a very high standard for people to aim for – “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." If people are to try and be like God then they must forgive others, and that includes enemies too.
