Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation–Matthew 5:43-45

Posted by Seth on Sep 4, 2009 in Daily Devotions |

Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation–Matthew 5:43-45

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Matthew 5:43-45 where we learn to the hard things that characterize the heavenly family after the example of our Father.

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, 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.

Our lives are shaped greatly by a myriad of information sources, and we tend to readily accept the ones that fit best into our individual life grid that has been built over time. And so, when we hear something that works well for us, especially if it comes from a source that we would deem credible, we put that peg into the hole in which it best fits. This is pretty scary really unless there is an ultimate Source that we can always look to for the potential correction we would need, an ultimate Source like Jesus. The world might scoff at such an idea, but I’m not sure why I or anyone else who would accept this kind of authority of Christ would want to consider the scoffers (or the sources they recommend or cite) to be better sources than Jesus. But back to the text…

The idea that Jesus was contradicting was the one in which people were to love those they considered close to them and hate those who stood opposed; indeed, this would be the easiest road that would seem to fit well for many of us. But the way that the Teacher recommended was one that called for love and prayers toward the ones that frustrate us the most, the ones that are out to get us! There was a reason given for this: so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. The invitation is here extended for us to enjoy close family fellowship with God and others who likewise want to live for Him. What though is the reasoning behind this? It would be enough for God to require it and us to obey out of a love for Him, trusting that He knows the best way for us, but as we read a bit further, we find that living for our Lord in this way is part of the family dynamic. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. God actually asks us to do what he already does Himself! He certainly loves those who acknowledge Him as King and sends blessings to show it, but many of those same blessings are extended to His enemies. In such ways, the kindness of the Lord leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4) even though many of them will not come to such a place. Think for a moment of what it means for God to extend such kindness in light of the great offense that all do against Him, offenses that go beyond what we can do to one another.

Are we following the example of our heavenly Dad in the way we extend various kindnesses toward others, especially the ones who might not extend the same to us? If you are like me, vengeance comes to mind quicker than virtuousness when others deal harshly with you, but let us trust that just as God is better than us at blessing others, so also is He far better in dealing out justice in the end than we could ever be.

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