マタイによる福音書5:43-48

In the Bible passage I read today, there are important words that teach us how people who believe in Jesus and follow him should live. These words are found in verse 44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

When teaching this lesson, Jesus first says in verse 43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’” At this time, Jesus was speaking to the people of the Jewish nation. In the Old Testament, which the people of the Jewish nation believed to be the word of God, there was a teaching that said, “You shall love your neighbour” (Leviticus 19:18). And the people of the Jewish nation thought that this “neighbour” was a fellow Jew. Therefore, they thought that the people of the Roman Empire, which ruled over the Jewish nation, were not “neighbours” but “enemies.” The Old Testament does not say “hate your enemy.” However, there are parts of the Old Testament that teach people to fight against foreigners and destroy them. So, Jewish people thought that the teaching to “love your neighbour” meant “love your fellow Jews, but don’t love foreigners, who are your enemies, and hate them instead.”

However, Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As I mentioned earlier, for the people of the Jewish nation, the first thing that came to mind when they thought of “enemies” was probably the people of the Roman Empire. But for those who believed in Jesus, those who persecuted those who believed in Jesus were also like “enemies.” And in fact, Jesus’ disciples were persecuted and suffered at the hands of those who did not believe in Jesus. Paul, who preached about Jesus to many people, also suffered a lot of persecution at the hands of those who did not believe in Jesus.

Why should we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? In verse 45, Jesus tells us, “(This is) so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” God the Father is the one who created and rules over the world and the universe. God the Father gives the natural blessings of the sun and rain “on the evil and on the good” and “on the just and on the unjust.” Therefore, it is appropriate for those who believe in Jesus and become children of God the Father in heaven to treat both “evil people and good people” and “just people and unjust people” with kindness. That is why Jesus told those who believe in him to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

However, some people may think “It’s impossible to do that!” Let’s think about it. “To love” is different from “to like.” “To like” is about your own feelings. “To love” is about your attitude towards other people. So even if you don’t “like” someone, you can still show them “love.” For example, even if someone does something bad to you, you can show them “love” by not taking revenge, or by treating them fairly in the same way you would treat anyone else. Furthermore, even if someone does something bad to you, you can show them “love” by thinking carefully and doing something good for them. By receiving the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus, you can show your enemies “love.”