Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - June, 2005

Bible Study - Commentaries
Matthew Chapter 5: 43-47 

from Kaniyamparmabil Achen, the Great Teacher of Malankara

TEACHING ABOU LOVING THE ENEMIES 

VERSE 43-48: “Ye have heard that it has been said: Thu shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.  But I say to you: Love your enemies; and bless him that curse you; and do good to him that hate you; and pray for them that lead you in bonds, and that persecute you:  that you may be the children of your Father that is in heaven, who cause his sun to rise upon the good and upon the bad, and send his rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous.  For, if ye love them that love you, what reward has you? Do not even the publicans do this?  And if you salute your brethren only, what do you that is not common? Do not even publicans do this?  you therefore are perfect; even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect"

“ Love your enemies” [Ref: Luke 6:27-36] 

This was an OT law (Duet 19:18). Even though nowhere does it say to hate the enemies, there were commandments to hate the wicked and Gentiles (Duet 7:16; 20:17), and a wish for their destruction can be seen in many places (Psalm 109). Since retaliation was allowed, there was no place for love. This reminds us of the change of heart for the one who follows Christ. The heart full of anger and retaliation should be transformed into one full of love. 

Prayer for the enemy is beyond the capability of ordinary human. But it is necessary as a sign of our love to them, and it can cause a change of heart of our enemy. Our Lord prayed for His enemy on the cross which is a good guide for us. When we go through the path shown by Son of God, we too become sons of God. Let us also remember the verse “peacemakers are called Sons of God” (Mat 5:9). 

Father provides goods for both good and wicked people (Father is referred 17 times in the Sermon at Mount). Man is constrained. But not only that we as sons should be of the same character as Father, but the completeness of Father should be in Christians within the constraints of human beings. “Until we all become one and the same, in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and one complete man according to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah”

Verse 5: 46-47: “If you love those who love you, what reward has you? Do not even the tax collectors do this?  And if you salute your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even tax collectors do this?”

Loving the one who loves you is human. Persecuting the ones who persecute you is animal-like. Cheating and persecuting people who love is devilish. But a Christian should have the divine character of loving the one who even persecute you. 

Tax collectors: Roman Emperors had appointed procurators in the regions under them. Pontius Pilate was one such procurator appointed for Palestine which was under the Romans. The procurators appointed tax collectors in the borders to collect taxes for the goods that cross their border. Because of their heartless behavior and exploitation, people ridiculed them. Also since they were the agents of Romans who ruled over them, people hated them and considered them as unrighteous people. (E.g.: Tax collector Levi [Matthew], Zacchaeus, etc.) 

Mosaic Law and Christian Law 

We can see fulfillment of six laws:
a. A new Law regarding killing 
b. A new Law regarding adultery
c. A new law regarding marriage and divorce 
d. New law regarding swearing, oath, etc. 
e. New law regarding retaliation 
f. A new law regarding love