OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO DO AND TO TEACH Part 7

The Lord Jesus, continuing with the discourse on the mountainside, taught His followers that even though they had heard it said that they should love their neighbours and hate their enemies, He had a different standard for them to follow.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children 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. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing The Community Rule begins by saying that members of the community should be taught to seek God and obey Moses and the Prophets so that "they may love all the sons of light, each according to his lot in God's design, and hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt in God's vengeance." than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father's is perfect.

There is a biblical injunction that instructs us to love our neighbours but there is no injunction to hate our enemies and in this case, Jesus was referencing a cultural truism that had been hidden and only came to light after the Dead Sea scrolls were published and specifically, a document named "The Community Rule"

Douglas Ward, Ph.D., writting at www.JCstudies.com, points out the standard for loving ones' neighbours and hating ones' enemies that was recorded by a Jewish sect at Qumran.

The Community Rule begins by saying that members of the community should be taught to seek God and obey Moses and the Prophets so that "they may love all the sons of light, each according to his lot in God's design, and hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt in God's vengeance."

The appearance of this document confirmed that there was an understanding in circulation during the time of Jesus that promoted hating ones' enemies.

The Lord, against this cultural backdrop, instructed His people to love their enemies instead of hating them as per such cultural prescriptions.

Being spiritual, praying for those who persecute us makes us children of our Father in heaven where we surrender our protection into His hands when we pray for our enemies and we endevour to love all people as our Father does..

To only love those who love us is easily done by even those who have no allegiance to God.

The standard that Jesus sets for us is that we are to be perfect even as our father is perfect pertaining to a universal and impartial love and goodwill to all people whether friend or foe. 

Amen.

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