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by Sandy Shaw
Matthew Chapter 5 verses 43 to 48 – We are reading something of the climax about a righteousness which comes from the heart. There is no value in having a superficial Christianity, and we soon see that reality as Jesus challenges us and confronts us regarding the ways in which we live.
It was thrilling to follow Jesus. He was an exciting person to be with, and here he is sitting down and telling the disciples what type of person they were to become and be. He is teaching – no murder, even by what you say – no adultery – not even a lustful look – there is no need to say, “If I am being honest” – your word should be the same all the time.
These teachings are like waves breaking on the shore, and here comes this great breaker and it goes to the depths and smashes one type of superficial flimsy thinking.
Love your enemies. This is the sixth of these disturbing statements.
Leviticus 19 verse 18 – The rabbis had taken something and added something – and it was hate your enemies! The rest of the Chapter teaches disciples of Jesus to love the foreigner.
They looked at verse 2 – and applied it only to Israel – only to the Jew – so God permits me to hate others and Gentiles, if I want! They were attributing racism to God. The disciples, who were versed in the books of Moses, would understand precisely what Jesus was saying and teaching.
Look at verses 9,10 – show kindness to the sojourner or stranger – and verses 33,34. Exodus Chapter 12:49 – There shall be one law. This is for you and others!
Deuteronomy 23 verse 6 – there is a verse there which was taken out of context, because the passage is dealing with the nation and not individuals.
The Pharisees and rabbis were using the Law of God to do something which is natural in human nature – hating! They had inserted a blatant distortion of the Scriptures. Jesus is not quoting the Scriptures, but a distortion and perversion of the scriptures.
What were the Pharisees and rabbis doing? They were setting limits on the meaning of the word ‘neighbour’, and Jesus’ teaching about the Samaritan clarified that.
In Luke Chapter 6 verse 27 following we learn how we are to love in a variety of ways.
Is it not true that when we pray for someone it becomes harder to hate them? The key appears to be prayer – for those who do not love us.
They omitted ‘as yourself’ – love you neighbour ‘as yourself’!
Jesus is correcting a distortion and perversion of the word. This needs to be repeated because this can be a hard section to understand and these Jewish hearers would be familiar with the background in a way most of us are not.
When they had to drive out the people from the land, they were dealing with 400 years of wickedness, and we need to be aware of that background too in these present days.
In the Psalms there is revealed a perfect hatred where God hates sin, while loving the sinner.
Love your enemies. Is it not all right for me to have some bad thoughts about that person who has said terrible things about me – if only I had been more quick-witted – then I could have cut them down with a word or even a look – and inside there is a bitterness growing and a hatred developing. We have all acted and reacted like this at some time!
If no revenge was somewhat negative in Matthew 5 verses 38 to 42 – here Jesus is positive – and we are called to be positive and encouraging and firm and fair and merciful and gracious, and on many occasion these do not come easily to those of us with weak human frail flesh, but Christ can enable and inspire and motivate. Yes, righteousness is a matter of the heart more than we sometimes recognise.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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