Sunday 23 February 2014

Background

The well-known passage we read today is found within the Sermonon the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), the summary of Jesus' teachingthat sketches a 'new kind of righteousness' fit for those withinGod's kingdom community (Matthew 5:20). Thereading divides into two sections, each reflecting the samestructure: "You have heard it was said ... But I say to you ..."(vv. 38-39, 43-44). Jesus is here offering a different kind ofethic, one that undercuts popular interpretations of the law(though not the law itself, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 5:17-19).

In the first section (verses 38-42), Jesus calls his followersaway from violent retaliation, encouraging a willingness to give tothose who might even be against you. Some scholars propose thatJesus is addressing the question of how to respond to Romanoppressors in the land, though even if this is the case theprinciple he enunciates is intended for broader application. Don'tseek vengeance, Jesus advises, but treat those who oppress you withkindness.

In the second section (verses 43-48), Jesus calls his followersto love - and pray for - enemies as well as neighbours. In thisway, Jesus says, we reflect our divine Father who blesses the"unrighteous" as well as the "righteous" (v. 45). After all, it'snot only the crops of the 'good folk' that grow! Enemy-love is, ofcourse, hugely difficult, but is also a clear sign that we arefollowing the way of Jesus.

The passage ends with the call to "Be perfect ... as yourheavenly Father is perfect" (v. 48). Jesus' meaning here is widelydebated, but 'perfection' here may mean something like'whole-hearted commitment', a commitment expressed by living in theway Jesus has described throughout his teaching. As the context andother passages make clear, a key dimension of this teaching is loveof others.

To Ponder

• In what ways can we learn to avoid 'retaliation' and insteadbless others? 

• Why is 'loving the enemy' such an important part of followingJesus?

• What do you think Jesus means by his call to "Beperfect"?