The Word in Focus with Dr Larry Taylor

Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5-7

Part 9

Six examples of how our righteousness (dikaiosuné), true inner goodness, doing right by God, self, others, and creation out of right motives, needs to exceed the standard religiosity (continued): 

1. Treatment of enemies. 

Loving our enemies is the highest, most Godlike, pinnacle of Christian ethics. 

^5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (Lev. 19:18) and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you: Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil & on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers & sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the [pagan nations] do the same? 

First, remember from the parable of the good Samaritan that everyone is your neighbor. The Hebrew scriptures nowhere say to hate your enemy. There was a Qumran community rule that said to “love all the sons of light, each according to his lot in God’s design, and hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt in God’s vengeance.” Whether or not that was in mind, most people love their family and friends, are indifferent about most others, and hate their enemies.

Nation-states encourage hatred of enemies. Military basic training is designed to eliminate individuality, bond together a “band of brothers” (or brothers and sisters) so tightly they will die for one another while dehumanizing the enemy. If you get to know a person as a person and learn to see them as having unsurpassable worth, being created in the God’s image, and loved so much that Jesus died for them, you can’t kill them. But if they are subhuman Krauts, Japs, Gooks, or Ragheads, pull the trigger, push the button. Others may decide you are their enemy because of your nationality, citizenship, skin color, or political affiliation, but we are called to respond with unconditional, self-sacrificial love. That kind of love is an attitude that leads to action; it is not primarily a feeling.

God has no enemies. God doesn’t hate anyone. Therefore, to be Godlike, we must also. God loves indiscriminately, universally, unconditionally, and eternally. God is generous to those who don’t deserve it as well as to those who do. Love like God does.

We do have enemies; however, they aren’t people. We wrestle against principalities and powers, spiritual wickedness, the satan and his minions. (Ephesians 6) We resist those evil powers by loving our enemies, even at a cost to ourselves.

Violence is a weapon of the enemy. It is all about death and destruction. The Kingdom of the Heavens is all about life and restoration. You cannot use violence to enact the Kingdom of Life.

Recently, I’ve heard Christian nationalists use Matthew 11:12 as a proof text to seize and control society, using physical violence if necessary. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus meant.

Matthew 11:12 resists simple translation. It can be taken to mean that violent people attack the Kingdom of the Heavens and try to take it over by force. Those within the Kingdom are attacked by violent people like Herod. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (NIV)

From the time of Yochanan the Immerser until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence; yes, violent ones are trying to snatch it away. (CJB)

From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. (CEV)

Ever since Jesus’ Passion, his message and his people have been attacked, persecuted, marginalized.

Matthew 11:12 also means that the Kingdom of the Heavens is advancing using an entirely different kind of force than what the world knows. In context, John is in jail and is confused. He was expecting a strong, forceful, warlord messiah. He was expecting Jesus to use political and military power to overthrow Rome (and get him out of prison). Jesus replies to his question by describing what is happening – the dead are raised, the blind see, the lame walk, the poor hear the good news.

Jesus is essentially saying to John, you expected one kind of power. My Kingdom is advancing, but it is advancing using an entirely different kind of power. 

Revelation 5 illustrates the point. John (another John) is in the heavenly throne room. He hears a voice proclaiming that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. But when he turns towards the voice, there is no lion, only a tiny slain lamb. The lion has become the lamb. The Lamb of God conquers violence with nonviolence, chooses to die rather than kill. The Lamb of God uses a kind of power that is entirely opposite of coercion and violence. It is the power of self-sacrificial love. It is the power of the cross.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent people take it by force. (NRSVUE)

From the days of Yochanan the dipper until now, the heaven’s empire is forcefully advancing and the enforcers snatch it. (Scot McKnight, trans.)

These two interpretations are not mutually exclusive. It is true that followers of the Lamb have always been persecuted. It is also true that a new kind of kingdom under a new kind of King is advancing. It is advancing via cruciform love. The combination of both meanings emerges in some extended translations:

“Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah. (Matthew 11:11-14 MSG)

^11:11 I tell you the truth, John the Baptist is greater than any other person ever born [^Lborn to women], but even the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John [^Cbecause John prepares for but does not fully participate in the blessings of the kingdom]. ¹² Since the time [^LFrom the days] John the Baptist came until now, the kingdom of heaven has been going forward in strength [advancing forcefully; or subject to violence; suffering violent attacks], and forceful [or violent] people have been trying to take it by force [lay hold of it; or attack it]. ¹³ All the prophets and the law of Moses told about what would happen [^Lprophesied] until the time John came [^LJohn]. (EXB)

Jesus uses force to cast out demons and heal the sick. John the revelator uses violent apocalyptic language and graphic images to describe Jesus’ ultimate victory over evil and death. The warfare of the New Testament is spiritual warfare. 

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; ¹¹ put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, ¹² for ourstruggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this presentdarkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12, NRSVUE)

^5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Wait. What? I have to be perfect?

The word translated “perfect” is τέλειος (teleios). It means to bring to maturity or completion, to be fully developed, morally whole, pure of heart. Jesus calls us into a new humanity with healthy, whole relationships. That’s greater dikaiosuné.

To recap: filling the Torah full involves:

1. Forgiveness and reconciliation (if possible).
2. Treating others with respect as children of God, not as sexual objects.
3. Not divorcing as it was then practiced (void of dignity and equality).
4. Being honest in our dealings with others.
5. Not retaliating or seeking to get even.
6. Loving those who hate you.
7. Loving God, others, yourself, and creation with agapé love.