Love of Neighbor and the Way of Jesus
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. ... 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. ... Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:38–39, 43–45, 48
Pastor Char approaches the end of Matthew 5 with this exhortation: Jesus is only asking us to do for others what he has done for us.
How can God command us to forgive the wrongs done to us? To let people take advantage of our generosity, kindness, property, or person? How can God expect us to love our enemies? He is commanding this of us, his children, because this is exactly what he has done for us. He took the just punishment our sin deserves; it was all laid on him. All the sin of the world and all the righteous judgment and justice of that sin was put on Jesus. With that final act, he put an end to the world's long history of repaying evil with evil.
Because we have been loved and forgiven, we can now love and forgive like our Father in heaven.
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