43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48 KJV)
Love Your Enemies
We have here, lastly, an exposition of that great fundamental law of the second table, “You shall love your neighbor,” which is the fulfillment of the law.
See how this law was corrupted by the Jewish teachers (Matthew 5:43). God said, “You shall love your neighbor,” but by “neighbor” they meant only their fellow countrymen, those of their own religion and nation, or those they considered friends. Worse still, they inferred what God never commanded: “You shall hate your enemy.” This directly contradicted laws like Exodus 23:4-5 and Deuteronomy 23:7, which prohibited despising Edomites and Egyptians, even though those nations had once been enemies to Israel.
The command to destroy the seven nations of Canaan was a specific case, intended to protect Israel from moral corruption, not to justify hatred toward all enemies. Yet the Jewish teachers twisted it that way, and even heathen philosophy encouraged vengeance. Cicero’s rule was: “Harm no one unless first injured” (De Officiis). This shows how easily corrupt passions seek support from Scripture to justify themselves.
Jesus corrects this distortion. “But I say to you, love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Christ, the great Peace-Maker who loved us when we were enemies, teaches us to do the same. Even if others treat us badly, we still owe them love as fellow human beings. It is natural to wish harm—or at least be indifferent—to those who hate us, but this bitterness must be uprooted, and grace must conquer it. Christians must love their enemies.
We can’t take pleasure in wickedness or put trust in deceitful people, but we must honor humanity in all, even in our enemies. We should appreciate any good in them—sincerity, kindness to others, learning, morality, or religious profession—and love them for that. Compassion and goodwill must guide us.
We must speak well of them: “Bless those who curse you.” When they revile us, we must respond with kind and respectful words, not insults (1 Peter 3:9). Behind their backs, we should commend whatever is good in them and avoid speaking ill.
We must also do good to them: “Do good to those who hate you.” Actions speak louder than words. We should seize every opportunity to show real kindness—to their health, property, reputation, or families—and especially to their souls. It was said of Archbishop Cranmer that the way to win his favor was to wrong him; he would return good for evil.
And we must pray for them: “Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Even the most devout believers have been hated and mistreated—Christ Himself was. When we are treated this way, we have a chance to follow both His command and His example by praying for our enemies. If we cannot help them in any other way, we can still pray sincerely for them. We should ask God to forgive them, to ensure they are not harmed because of what they’ve done to us, and to bring peace between us.
This might even turn enemies into friends. Plutarch tells how Aristo once improved on Cleomenes’s saying that a good king should do good to friends and harm to enemies; Aristo said it was better to do good to friends and make friends of enemies. That’s what it means to heap coals of fire on their heads (Romans 12:20). Two reasons are given to support this difficult command.
First, to be like God our Father: “That you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:45). God shows love even to His enemies by sending sun and rain to both the just and the unjust. These blessings don’t come by chance; they’re from God. They’re proof of His goodness to all people—undeserved kindness to those who often misuse His gifts. God once stopped the sun from shining on Egypt but could do so every day if He wanted. Yet He doesn’t, which reveals His patience and generosity. These blessings to the wicked teach us to do good to those who wrong us. Even though we naturally oppose God, we still share in His bounty. Only those who imitate God’s goodness will be accepted as His children.
Second, that we may do more than others (Matthew 5:46-47). Even publicans—despised tax collectors—love those who love them. To love our friends is just natural and self-serving. There’s no reward in doing good for our own advantage. But Christians are called to go further. If we’re to exceed scribes and Pharisees, then we must certainly do more than publicans. Christianity isn’t just common decency; it’s higher than humanity. So we must ask ourselves often: “What are we doing more than others?” We know more, speak more of God, and profess more than others. God has done more for us, and expects more in return.
But are we living above the world’s standards? Are we spiritual, or just walking as other people do? Especially in this—we must return good for evil. That shows a higher principle. Others greet only their friends and those who share their opinions, but we must not limit our kindness like that. If we don’t love our enemies, “what reward have we?” We can’t expect a Christian’s reward if we don’t go beyond publican-level virtue. Those who hope for a higher reward must aim to live above the common way.
Finally, Jesus concludes with this exhortation (Matthew 5:48): “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This can be understood generally—to be like God in every aspect of holiness. Christians must aim at spiritual maturity (Philippians 3:12-14) and strive to reflect the character of their heavenly Father (1 Peter 1:15-16). But it can also refer specifically to the previous teaching about loving our enemies. God is perfect in forgiving and doing good to the undeserving. So should we be. We, who owe everything to God’s generosity, must do our best to reflect it.