GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Refer to the picture (PSG, p. 152) as you lead the group to respond to Question #1: If money were no object, what would you love to do? GUIDE: Direct attention to The Bible Meets Life (PSG, p. 153). Acknowledge that we use the word love for a lot of different things. Note that we often say we love this thing more than that thing. Comment that this doesn t meet the standard of love to which Jesus calls us. SAY: In this final session in our study from the Sermon on the Mount, we focus on Jesus call for His followers to place no conditions on their love. GUIDE: Introduce The Point (PSG, p. 153): Love everyone unconditionally. SESSION 13 DISTINCT IN MY LOVE The Point Love everyone unconditionally. The Bible Meets Life Love may be the most overused word in the English language. We apply love to everything, but the intensity of our love can vary, as can the cause and motivation of our love. We may not state it this bluntly, but we act as if there is a limit to our love. Jesus calls us to a whole new standard of love, a love that is unconditional and knows no limits. The Passage Matthew 5:43-48 The Setting In Jesus day, the Jewish people in general, and the religious leadership in particular, were quite clear on who were their neighbors and who were their enemies, and how they should treat each. While the admonition to love your neighbor appears in the Old Testament, the conclusion and hate your enemy is a mere extrapolation, and not God s design. This session s passage finds Jesus setting the record straight that His followers are to love both neighbor and enemy. 152 Session 13
Matthew 5:43-45 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 so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Love even those who hate you. 1 Jesus began this section of the Sermon on the Mount with the declaration that He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. He then set out, in six statements, to demonstrate what He meant. The pattern He employed was you have heard that it was said but I tell you. This final statement forms a climax to the entire section and demonstrates that love is at the heart of Jesus ministry and mission. Verse 43. Jesus began with a quotation from Leviticus 19:18: Love your neighbor. He then added and hate your enemy. The command to love your neighbor is repeated often in the New Testament (Matt. 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; Jas. 2:8). The addition hate your enemy is not found in the Old Testament. It would be a reasonable inference, however, from the rigid separation the Mosaic Law demanded between Jews and Gentiles in everyday matters like eating (Lev. 11; Deut. 14, especially v. 21) and marriage (Deut. 7:1-4), as well as God s commands to invade cities like Jericho and kill every living thing. Although God never commanded hate for enemy, and certainly would never have condoned it, it is the kind of conclusion that many Jews apparently had drawn. Verse 44. Jesus interpretation of this traditional teaching is that His followers should continue to love their neighbors, but He turned the conventional wisdom about hating your enemies on its head: But I tell you, love your enemies. This represented a far more demanding and radical ethic. It is not enough merely to claim to love those who might be STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:43-45 15 minutes GUIDE: Before getting into the passage for this session, remind the group of what they have studied so far: > > Distinct in My Character (The Point: Choose actions and attitudes that are blessed by God.) > > Distinct in My Influence (The Point: Make your influence count for what matters.) > > Distinct in My Approach to Conflict (The Point: Take the lead in resolving conflict.) > > Distinct in My Relationships (The Point: Hold on to purity at all costs.) > > Distinct in My Reactions (The Point: Practice grace and integrity when others make demands of you.) (ENHANCEMENT: Point to these titles on Pack Item 6: Distinct. ) GUIDE: Use the Bible commentary 1 to set the stage for the focal passage. SUGGESTED USE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28 153
THE POINT Love everyone uncondtionally. READ: Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 5:43-45. GUIDE: Write on the board: Love your enemies. Note from the Bible commentary 2 that Jesus change from the singular enemy (v. 43) to the plural enemies (v. 44) suggests he had in mind the personal enemies of individual believers. Explain that a strong case can be made that Jesus was not demanding that love, blessing, and prayer is the extent of how one nation might respond to attack by another nation. However, Jesus teaching can certainly be interpreted to be a call for Christians to pray for enemies of the nation. DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 154): How would you define an enemy in your life? GUIDE: Call attention to verse 45. Note Jesus held up as an example the way God treats both those who love Him and those who hate Him. 154 Session 13 unlovely; it requires profound action. Love by nature is a verbal noun, that is, love is something you do. Jesus offered one example of what love would do: Pray for those who persecute you. Everyone would admit that this is a lovely idea, until someone actually persecutes you. At that point, the radical demand of love becomes concrete. Luke recorded a similar saying of Jesus in Luke 6:27-28, which added additional examples of the kind of love Jesus advocated: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. This is not simply a call to refrain from hating, taking vengeance, or bearing a grudge against someone who hates you, curses you, or persecutes you; this is a command to act in the best interest of your enemies by doing good to them. 2 It is worth noting that the change from the singular enemy (Matt. 5:43) to the plural enemies (v. 44) suggests that Jesus had in mind the personal enemies of individual believers. This might provide some response to those who attempt to extend Jesus teaching from a personal response to a more corporate or even national level. While Jesus teaching must inform every aspect of our moral reasoning, a strong case can be made that Jesus was not demanding that love, blessing, and prayer is the extent of how one nation might respond to attack by another nation. To begin with, Jesus was not making a campaign speech to the nation of Israel. The Sermon on the Mount is an ethic for those who are citizens of the kingdom of God, empowered by God to follow His teaching. It is not an ethic for non-believers. Though the principles of conduct would be appropriate for non-believers, without the Spirit of Christ in them they have no basis for living this radically distinct life. While we might wish that America be a Christian nation, surely no one would assert that every American is a Christian. Thus, it is not possible to enforce Jesus call for love of enemy on an entire citizenry. It should, however, impact the perspective that Christians bring to the national debate. Still in the 21st century, our nation faces issues of racial tension, class division, religious animosity and distrust, debate over the use of deadly force by law enforcement, and a host of other matters that separate people and stir up strong emotions. These emotions frequently spill over into interpersonal relationships, so that the conflict ceases to be one of issues and quickly becomes a personal struggle with allies who agree with one s position and enemies who disagree with it. Christians need to demonstrate and advocate for Jesus
principle of loving and praying for even those who radically oppose us and take aggressive action against us. It should not surprise anyone that Jesus would climax this significant section of His sermon with the topic of love. It seems in Jesus life and ministry He repeatedly demonstrated and taught that when you boil Christianity down to its essence and remove all the peripherals, one thing remains: love. Jesus revealed in bodily form the fundamental reality that God is love (1 John 4:8). Later in Matthew s Gospel, a Jewish teacher questioned Jesus about the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responded that the first commandment is to love God with all your being and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands (Matt. 22:36-40). In Luke s account, the Jewish teacher followed up with a question about who would qualify as a neighbor. Jesus responded with what we know as the parable of the good Samaritan, which established that we must love even those who vigorously despise us (Luke 10:25-37). Beyond the Gospels, the New Testament affirms the same reality. Paul summed up all the Old Testament commandments with the axiom love your neighbor as yourself (Rom. 13:9). James likewise affirmed that loving your neighbor is the royal law according to the Scriptures (Jas. 2:8). Peter urged his readers, in light of the coming end of the age, to maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8). And John declared that the one who does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). Verse 45. The one true God, the God we have come to know in Christ, is love. Love is not simply another trait: it occupies a central place in defining God s essence. While the climactic demonstration of God s love was the crucifixion of Jesus, a daily reminder of God s love is the fact that He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. This expression of common love or grace is anything but common. God does not grant such favor to His enemies in order that they love Him in return. In fact, the vast majority of human beings reject God. God gives the rain and sun as an expression of His character and being. Similarly, loving your enemy might or might not turn that enemy into a friend. The ultimate goal, however, is to reflect the love of God, even if your enemy becomes more hostile in the face of your good deeds and prayers on that one s behalf. As you show love even to those who are hostile toward you, you display that you are sons of your Father in heaven. Both evil people and righteous people receive the same benefit from rain. God extends His love to people, not because they love Him, but because it s in His character to do so. When we love like this, we show that we have inherited this same characteristic from our Father. Write Pray for them on the board below Love your enemies. Note that prayer shapes our hearts. When we pray for someone, we find our hearts being bent toward that person. And prayer expresses our love because we are asking God to exercise His power on behalf of someone else. DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 156): When has prayer changed your attitude and actions toward someone difficult to love? (Alternate: How do we tend to justify our disobedience to these verses?) TRANSITION: When we allow God s love to flow through us, people will be drawn to Christ. 155
THE POINT Love everyone uncondtionally. STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:46-47 5 minutes READ: Invite a volunteer to read verses 46-47. Matthew 5:46-47 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don t even the Gentiles do the same? Love in a way that is a testimony to others. OPTION: Set up a simple demonstration to illustrate an easy kind of love and a difficult kind of love. Perform the demonstration yourself or ask volunteers to perform it. IN ADVANCE, you will need 1) a few coins or buttons or other type of small objects, 2) a large container such as a five-gallon bucket or a large trash container, and 3) a small cup. GUIDE: Place each container against a wall. Note for the group that there is an easy kind of love, and a difficult kind of love. From a few feet away, pitch a coin into the large container. Note how easy it was to pitch the coin into that big container kind of like loving those who love us in return. Note that Jesus used the tax collectors to make his point. 156 Session 13 Verse 46. Jesus called His followers to love in a more radical way with respect to their motivation for loving. He employed two sets of two rhetorical questions to drive home His point. The first set began, For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? This question drove home the point that love restricted only to those who return love reveals nothing of the unconditional and unlimited love of God. Paul pointed out that God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Rom. 5:8). Had God only loved those who loved Him, you and I would have never known His love, for we were still sinners, His enemies, when Jesus died for us. Likewise, Jesus stressed that You did not choose Me, but I chose you (John 15:16) and that, too, while we were still His enemies. Each believer s life serves as a striking testimony that God did not practice the restricted love those who love you. His character and the example He gave us is to not limit our love merely to those who love us in return. In addition, Jesus pointed out that because loving only those who love us reveals nothing of the unconditional and unlimited love of God, anyone who practices such limited love is not worthy of reward from God. Earlier, Jesus promised a great reward in heaven for those who were persecuted for righteousness (Matt. 5:10-12). Later in the Sermon on the Mount He returned to the theme of rewards in heaven for those who practice their piety for God s glory rather than their own glory (6:1-6,16-18). We can deduce, then, that (1) there is a reward for obedience to God and (2) the fullness of that reward will only be realized in heaven. The second question, don t even the tax collectors do the same? displays the moral bankruptcy of God s people loving in the same manner as those on the last rung of the
moral ladder. 3 The fact that Jesus used tax collectors as the epitome of conditional and limited love highlights their negative image among Jews. They were despised because (1) they contracted with Rome to collect taxes from their own Jewish neighbors, and (2) they were presumed to be financially dishonest (Luke 3:12-13; 19:8). As a result, they were grouped together with sinners (Mark 2:15), pagans (Matt. 18:16-17), and prostitutes (21:31-32). It was as if Jesus were saying to them: Congratulations, you who love only those who love you in return; you ve achieved the spiritual maturity of an unbelieving tax collector. Verse 47. Jesus presented the second set of rhetorical questions revolving around the issue of whom a person was willing to greet. Jesus employed the same word later in Matthew 10:12 as He sent His disciples out to preach. He commanded them to greet a household when you enter it. Such a greeting indicated a level of significance and worth in the eyes of the one offering the greeting. To see value only in those who share your ethnicity, values, doctrinal convictions, and so forth is perfectly ordinary. That s what the unbelievers do. Thus, once again, congratulations, you who greet only those who are like yourselves; you ve achieved the spiritual maturity of an unbelieving Gentile. Luke s parallel saying of Jesus added two additional rhetorical questions, each employing sinners as the point of comparison: (1) If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that ; and (2) if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full (Luke 6:33-34). The additional questions offer tangible illustrations of what it looks like to love without conditions and without limits. Once more Jesus declared, congratulations, you who do good and lend to others with strings attached, you ve achieved the spiritual maturity of a sinner. Offer some background from the Bible commentary 3 on why the tax collectors were so despised. Comment that there is also a difficult kind of love. From the same distance as before, try to pitch a coin into the small cup. Try it several times. Then note that it s not so easy kind of like loving with no promise of your love being returned in any way. DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 157): What can result from our loving people who don t love us? (Alternate: How does Jesus differentiate between easy love and difficult love in these verses?) GUIDE: Emphasize that love is the defining characteristic of discipleship. Love God s kind of love can only come from a true, vibrant, and growing relationship with Jesus. TRANSITION: If we want to be identified with Jesus, then we need to love the way God loves. 157
THE POINT Love everyone uncondtionally. STUDY THE BIBLE Matthew 5:48 READ: Invite a volunteer to read verse 48. 10 minutes Matthew 5:48 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. KEY WORD: Perfect (v. 48) Can mean flawless. Can also have the sense of mature, complete, or fully developed in a moral or spiritual sense. In reference to God s people, mature or complete is the more likely meaning. Love like God loves. GUIDE: Call attention to the word perfect. Ask a volunteer to read the information in the KEY WORD feature on PSG page 158. Note the author s illustration of assembling a baby crib found on PSG page 159. Call attention to the special tool required to assemble the crib. The tool is perfect for its function. It was designed and manufactured for that moment, and on that particular occasion, it fit just right. Relate Jesus call to be perfect in terms of our function. Verse 48. This pivotal saying, be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect, concludes the sixth of the you have heard it said but I tell you sayings. The challenge of the saying hinges on what Jesus meant by perfect. It is not difficult to envision ways in which God is perfect in His being and in all of His attributes. God is perfect in His self-sufficiency: He needs nothing and no one outside of Himself to exist and be complete. He is perfectly self-existent and self-sufficient. God is perfect in His glory, that is, the radiance of God s infinite value and intrinsic worth. God is perfect in His unchangeableness, that is, God never changes in His character, being, and purposes He cannot grow in them because they are already fully developed in Him. God is perfect in His eternity, that is, there is no moment in eternity past and there will be no moment in eternity future when God did/does not exist. God is perfect in His omnipresence, that is, God cannot be restricted by spatial distinctions. He fills heaven and earth and the entirety of His creation at one and the same time. (Not to be confused with the false notion that God is in everything and everything is God.) God is perfect in His omnipotence, that is, God has the power to do all that He desires; there is nothing that He lacks the power to perform. God is perfect in His omniscience, that is, God fully knows Himself and everything that He has made. God is perfect in His goodness, justice, mercy, and wisdom. As Wayne Grudem rightly describes: God s perfection means that God completely possesses all excellent qualities and lacks no part of any qualities that would be desirable for him. 1 In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus highlighted a first and primary attribute that God possesses in perfection: love. While it is true that God is perfect in all of His attributes, Jesus 158 Session 13
was not making that point here. Jesus instructed that we Christians, His followers, must go beyond loving those who love us in return, reaching the very extent that we love even our enemies. To practice loving our enemies is to love like God, who is our Father in heaven. God s love of friend and foe alike is evident in the fact that He provides sunlight and rain on those who love Him and those who reject Him (v. 45). It is in this context that Jesus commanded that we be perfect, as God is perfect. As God is perfect in love, loving not only His friends but also His enemies, so we must love in the same manner. In doing so, we reflect God s perfection. The descriptor perfect, while appropriate to describe God, seems undeserved and unattainable when applied to any human being this side of heaven. The Greek word is teleios. It can mean perfect in the sense of being flawless. However, it can also have the sense of being mature, complete, or fully developed in a moral or spiritual sense. When this adjective is used with reference to God s people, as it is here, mature or complete is the more likely meaning. Thus, Jesus called His people to be complete in love. While Matthew 5:48 brings the section on loving our enemies to an end, it also brings the entirety of the six contrasts to a proper conclusion. Jesus called His followers to display a greater righteousness than the scribes and the Pharisees (v. 20). The six statements illustrated what Jesus meant by that declaration. The greater righteousness would (1) go beyond merely not murdering and refuse even to use wrathful speech toward a brother (vv. 21-26); (2) go beyond merely not committing physical adultery and refuse even to look lustfully at a woman (vv. 27-30); (3) go beyond the culturally acceptable reasons for divorce and seek reconciliation instead of separation (vv. 31-32); (4) go beyond swearing falsely and live lives of integrity so others do not need to be convinced of the truthfulness of our words (vv. 33-37); (5) go beyond retaliation and respond with humble resistance to evil (vv. 38-42); and (6) go beyond ordinary love and love radically, including those who would make themselves to be our enemies (vv. 43-48). As we begin to live and love like this, we become complete in life and love, and portray a fuller and more accurate reflection of God the Father and His Son. GUIDE: Explain that we were created in God s image to relate to Him in a unique way. To be created in God s image means we were made to display God s character and glory in every part of our lives. We should exercise our responsibility the way God does. We should love like God does. Call attention to the bullet points on PSG page 160: > > God loves those who do not acknowledge Him. > > God is generous to those who don t recognize or reciprocate His generosity. > > God provides for those who are ungrateful. DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 160): What can we do to help one another express unconditional love? (Alternate: How does the command to love like God comfort or challenge you?) 1. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 218. DO: Invite volunteers to share their responses to the activity, Love with No Conditions (PSG, p. 160). 159
THE POINT LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes GUIDE: Emphasize The Point: Love everyone unconditionally. Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 161; see text to the right). Invite group members to consider what God may be saying to them about loving people with no conditions attached. Wrap It Up GUIDE: Encourage your group to remain faithful to show the love of Christ to all people who come into their lives, knowing that the love and grace they express will help draw others to Christ. Love everyone uncondtionally. LIVE IT OUT Showing love the way God loves is what makes Christians truly distinct. Look for opportunities this week to stand apart from the rest of the world in how you show love with no conditions. Which application is God laying on your heart? > > Pray. Write in the margin the initials of one person in your life who is difficult to love. Commit to pray each morning for him or her. Pray for God s blessing to come upon this person. Keep a journal of your thoughts and attitudes toward this person as you continue to pray for him or her. > > Thank. Think of a time when you may have been difficult to love. Was there someone who stuck by you during that time, loving you unconditionally? If possible, make a call and express your thanks for the way his or her love reminded you of the way God loves all the time. If you are unable to contact this person, express your thanks to God for the blessing of this person s love in your life. > > Sacrifice. Jesus loves us sacrificially. He gave His life knowing that many would continue to reject His love. Commit to reaching out to show love to another person this week without expecting anything in return. PRAY: Father, strengthen your people to walk faithfully in your love each day. Make us a magnet of love that will draw others to the love of Christ. Amen. 160 Session 13
ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/G.B. HOWELL Overlooking the ruins and excavation work at Tiberias. The schools at Tiberias had a dramatic impact on Judaism and early Christianity. The following excerpt is from the article Perfect: A Word Study (Fall 2012), which relates to this session and is found on the DVD in the Leader Pack or can be purchased at www.lifeway.com/ biblicalillustrator. The English word perfect comes from the Greek word teleios, which, in biblical times, without blemish. It also spoke of something being complete in the sense that nothing that belonged to the thing was missing. People used teleios to speak of someone who had completed stages of learning to the point that there were no more stages to complete. It spoke of a physician who had completed a course of study and lacked nothing by way of training. The word also spoke of animals and humans that had reached biological maturity. Previous articles You Have Heard It Said, Jewish Laws Behind Jesus Teachings (Fall 2007), Laws Behind Jesus Teaching (Winter 1996), God as Heavenly Father (Winter 1988), and Taxes and Tax Collectors (Fall 1975), relate to this session and can be purchased at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. SHARING THE GOOD NEWS Even though we were at war with Him, God offered us His love through Jesus Christ. We are now called to offer His love to others by calling them to repentance and faith. Each week, make yourself available either before or after the session to speak privately with anyone in your group who wants to know more about becoming a Christian. See the article, Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All, on page 2 for guidance in leading a person to Christ. Remind group members that page 2 in the PSG offers guidance in how to become a Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article as they have opportunities to had a broad range of meaning. Outside of Scripture it spoke of sacrifices being whole and Subscribe to Biblical Illustrator at www.lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator, or call 1-800-458-2772. lead others to Christ. > > Get expert insights on weekly studies through the Ministry Grid (MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesFor Life). >Grow > with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog (lifeway.com/groupministry). > > Additional ideas for your group are available at BibleStudiesFor Life.com/blog. 161