I. This is Jesus’ last illustration about the radically sanctified life He expects from His followers. Having dealt with reconciliation (vv.21-26), relationships (vv.27-32), reliability (vv.33-37), and retaliation (vv.38-42), the Lord now deals with respect.
II. Love your friends. (v.43)
a. “Love your neighbor” comes from Leviticus 19:18.
b. “Hate your enemy” isn’t in the Old Testament, but was a common Jewish thought.
i. The idea was sometimes interpreted from passages like Deuteronomy 23:3-6, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, and Psalms 139:21.
ii. So this idea was something Jesus’ audience had “heard that it was said.”
c. The Jewish concept of neighbor meant a fellow Jew, or friend. What is a friend?
i. “A friend is one who walks in when others walk out.” – Walter Winchell
ii. “A friend knows all about you and still likes you.” – Elbert Hubard
III. Love your foes. (vv.44-47)
a. Jesus again fulfills traditional law (cf. Matt. 5:17) with a more demanding ethic.
b. Pray for your enemies. (v.44)
c. Pardon your enemies. (v.45)
d. Prize your enemies. (vv.46-47)
IV. Love your Father. (v.48)
a. Express God’s righteousness. (v.48a) – “Be ye therefore perfect”
b. Emulate God’s righteousness. (v.48b) – “as your Father…in heaven is perfect”
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