“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Every citizen of a country gets to enjoy the blessings of that country. They have the right to protection by the state against foreign aggressors. They have the privilege of participating in that country’s institutions and economy. They can go about their lives as every other citizen can – quite independently of whether they like their government or not. They may even be subversive to a some degree, but because they are citizens their country is obligated to protect and care for them. The whole world innately recognizes the injustice of leaders who do not protect and care for their citizens.
God owns all the world, and as King of the World, He blesses all who bear His image. All who He created He cares for. All who He created can enjoy the life He gave them – even quite apart from any repentance on their part. They live a lifetime as all of us live a lifetime. To see morning after evening. To see rain as well as sun. God blesses them and us so that all might know that He is God and not a man. For surely no mere man (or woman) would be so gracious in blessing their enemies!
Yet God goes much further. Every day His enemies have breath is another gift to them. Another opportunity for them to turn in repentance, and though they are enemies, in repentance they receive complete amnesty! “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” All it takes for a sinner to become a child of God Most High is for the sinner to call on His Name. As Joel prophesied, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” That is the bar – the entry to salvation, the price of eternal freedom. Just to call on the Name of the Lord.
Regular people are never so quick to forgive. Never so quick to bless. Neither are earthly kings – they are usually very slow to bless, and hardly ever forgive. But God’s character is such that He does forgive. He does bless. In fact, He is constantly seeking for the sinner to come to that point of repentance so that He can bless much more. He gives the sinner breath and time and speaks to them in all manner of ways, going so far as to write down His promises in His Word. He goes further still, making provision in the past for their present sin, and preparing storehouses of blessing for future days. This is how He treats His enemies! Why, even hanging from the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Loving our enemies as God does is hardly a natural inclination. It is difficult to love our friends consistently, let alone care about someone who cares not for you – and much harder still to care for (let alone love) someone who is working against you. Yet God loved us while we were still sinners. So what Jesus says, He does not suggest. He commands, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”
It is a command borne entirely out of God’s love for us. It is a command to be blessed as God is blessed. It is a command for our benefit as well as the benefit of the one we love instead of hate.
Amen.
Jesus directs us to love others in exactly the same way he loves us.
Henry & Richard Blackaby
APPLICATION: Worship
Worship God for so loving us that He purposes we would reflect His innate character to all – even those people who are still working against Him.