Matthew 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The shocking part here isn't just the instruction to love your neighbor, but Jesus quotes a common teaching that also included hating your enemy. This shows Jesus is directly confronting a popular, but flawed, understanding of God's law that justified animosity, not just correcting a minor detail.
Jesus is introducing a new teaching on righteousness, contrasting His message with common interpretations of the Old Testament Law. He begins by quoting what people had heard regarding the law: to love fellow Israelites but harbor animosity towards enemies, a distorted understanding that Jesus is about to correct. This sets the stage for His radical call to love one's enemies, a principle that will redefine what it means to be righteous in God's eyes.
Jesus quotes a familiar command, but his audience might have been hearing it in a way that excluded many people. What did 'neighbor' originally mean, and how had it been twisted?
The Old Testament law commanded, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18). But by Jesus' time, many Jewish leaders had narrowed this command.
A Shrinking Circle
Jesus doesn't just clarify the law; he introduces a revolutionary contrast. What makes his teaching so different from the prevailing view?
The most striking part of this passage is not just what Jesus quotes, but what he is about to say in response. He is setting his teaching apart from the popular, human interpretation.
A Higher Standard
Understand the original words
agapaō · Greek Verb
To seek the well-being and highest good of another through a choice of the will. It is the primary characteristic of God's relationship with humanity and the greatest commandment for believers.
plēsion · Greek Noun
One who is near or a fellow human being. While traditionally limited to one's own people, Jesus expanded the definition to include anyone in need, even enemies.
miseō · Greek Verb
To regard with strong dislike or to love significantly less by comparison. In a biblical context, it can describe active hostility or the secondary status of one's affections compared to God.
echthros · Greek Noun
An adversary or opponent who is hostile. The term describes those who oppose God’s people as well as the spiritual state of humanity before reconciliation with God.
The phrase 'hate your enemy' wasn't explicitly in the Old Testament Law but was a common, albeit misguided, interpretation among Jewish leaders of Jesus' day, often fueled by nationalistic fervor and a desire to distinguish themselves from outsiders.
c. 1400 BC
Giving of the Law
The foundational laws of Israel, including the command to love one's neighbor, are given at Mount Sinai.
c. 8th-7th century BC
Rabbinic Interpretations Take Hold
As centuries passed, Jewish teachers (Scribes and Pharisees) developed interpretations of the Law, sometimes leading to narrow or exclusionary views.
Early 1st century AD
Jewish Society Focused on Identity
Judea is under Roman occupation, fostering a strong sense of Jewish national identity and often leading to suspicion or hostility towards Gentiles.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus Teaches on the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivers his most famous teachings, including this challenge to the conventional understanding of love and hate among his followers.
This is the Old Testament passage Jesus is referencing, commanding love for one's neighbor, though the command to 'hate your enemy' was a later, flawed interpretation.
Deuteronomy 23:7This passage commands Israelites not to 'bore the hand' against the descendants of Esau (Edomites), showing that even national 'enemies' were not to be universally hated, contrasting with the interpretation Jesus addresses.
Luke 10:29-37Jesus expands the definition of 'neighbor' in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, directly challenging the narrow, exclusionary interpretations that fueled the 'hate your enemy' mindset.
Romans 12:14-21Paul echoes Jesus' teaching by urging believers to 'bless those who persecute you' and 'never avenge yourselves,' providing further theological grounding for loving enemies.
1 John 4:7-8This passage links love directly to the nature of God, implying that the capacity and command to love, even enemies, stems from our relationship with Him who is love.
vincentMatthew 5:43: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."
Neighbor (τὸν πλησίον)Another word to which the Gospel has imparted a broader and deeper sense. Literally it means the one near (so the Eng., neighbor equals nigh-bor), indicating a mere outward nearness, proximity. Thus a neighbor might be an enemy. Socrates (Plato, "Republic," ii., 373) shows how two adjoining states might come to want each a piece of its neighbor's (τῶν πλησίον) l…
calvinMatthew 5:43-48: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."
- Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love they neighbor, and thou shalt hate thy enemy. 44. But I say to you, Love your enemies: bless those who curse you: do good to those that hate you: and pray for those who injure and persecute you: 45. That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth ra…
The shocking part here isn't just the instruction to love your neighbor, but Jesus quotes a common teaching that also included hating your enemy. This shows Jesus is directly confronting a popular, but flawed, understanding of God's law that justified animosity, not just correcting a minor detail.
Jesus is introducing a new teaching on righteousness, contrasting His message with common interpretations of the Old Testament Law. He begins by quoting what people had heard regarding the law: to love fellow Israelites but harbor animosity towards enemies, a distorted understanding that Jesus is about to correct. This sets the stage for His radical call to love one's enemies, a principle that will redefine what it means to be righteous in God's eyes.
Jesus is introducing a new teaching on righteousness, contrasting His message with common interpretations of the Old Testament Law. He begins by quoting what people had heard regarding the law: to love fellow Israelites but harbor animosity towards enemies, a distorted understanding that Jesus is about to correct. This sets the stage for His radical call to love one's enemies, a principle that will redefine what it means to be righteous in God's eyes.
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proseuchomai · Greek Verb
To communicate with God through petition, thanksgiving, and intercession. It is the vital link between the believer and the Father, acknowledging human dependence on divine grace.
diōkō · Greek Verb
To harass, oppress, or pursue with intent to harm, especially due to religious beliefs. The Bible often views persecution as a common experience for those living righteously in a fallen world.
"“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," — The shocking part here isn't just the instruction to love your neighbor, but Jesus quotes a common teaching that also included hating your enemy. This shows Jesus is directly confronting a popular,…
