Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX



Matthew 5:38-48
5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
5:40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
5:41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
5:42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
5:45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
5:47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Got any ideas about revenge, hate and enemies.  Better forget about all that nonsense.  Jesus gives us what is probably the most important part of His “Sermon on the Mount”.  There is no such thing as an eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth.  Jesus overpowers those old customs with one that says to love your neighbor, love your enemies and be kind to all those who ask something of you.  In fact give more than you are asked for.  It is the way Jesus expects us to emulate Him because it is how he emulates His Father.

Love your God, Love your neighbor and oh yeah, love your enemy.  Oh my goodness we even must pray for people who persecute us.  Take these words to heart cause Jesus just ain’t cuttin us no slack.  Remember the challenge to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.   We may not ever get to that perfect part but we must do the things Jesus tells us to the best of our ability.  Following His teachings above and in the rest of His sermon are the best we can do.  Make it your goal to be the best, love the best, forgive the best and give the best. 

The Best asks us to.

God’s peace and blessings,

Randy

This entry was posted on February 17, 2011 at 10:22 pm and is filed under Pastor's Ponderings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.