I have combined the final two sections in Matthew 5 this morning. They bear labels in my Bible which read, “Go the Second Mile,” and “Love Your Enemies.” [vs 38-48]
Jesus tells his listeners “Don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary ….”
Instead of resistance, we are to turn the other cheek, give them our coat as well as our shirt, add a second mile to a forced one mile, and give to those who ask to borrow from us. That all sounds a bit strange to me—until I get to the next passage.
There Jesus tells us to “love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us].” When we do that, we will be “sons of [our] Father in heaven.”
Many listening to Jesus that day may not have understood what He was saying. Perhaps even His disciples thought it strange. But after His death and resurrection, I am sure they grasped the full weight of His words.
Jesus, God’s Son, came because God the Father loved His enemies. Jesus, God’s Wonderful Savior and Redeemer, did not resist the evildoers who nailed Him to a cross. On the contrary, He forgave them.
Now I stand at the foot of His cross and ask myself, “Am I loving my enemies and praying for them?”
How can I do otherwise if I want to be a “[daughter] of [our] Father in heaven.”
