Matt 5:41-45
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The New Testament > Matthew > Chapter 5
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Questions
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Verses 43-47
- What particular enemies does verse 44 suggest that Jesus may have had in mind? What reason does verse 45 give for loving our enemies? What does verse 45 suggest that it means to be one of God’s children?
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Verse 45
- When we are told that our Father sends rain on the just and on the unjust, is rain a metaphor for good things or for bad things? The cross references cited in footnote c (Job 2:10, 2 Ne 2:11, etc.) seem to suggest that rain is a metaphor for bad things. And often, people think of rain as a bad thing--if a walk in the sunshine is interrupted by rain, rain may be seen as a bad (cold, uncomfortable, inconvenient) thing. However, in more agriculturally-focused communities, rain is generally seen as a good thing. It waters the crops and helps them to grow just as sunshine does.
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Verses 44-46
- What should we make of the fact that verse 45 is sandwiched between verses 44 (love your enemies) and 46 (it's easy to love those who love you)? What is the meaning of these three verses as a unit?
- a) Heavenly Father treats everyone the same by sending both good and bad to them, therefore you should treat people the same by loving them whether they love you or hate you?
- Or, b): Heavenly Father shows love to all of us (in the good things that he gives us), like him, we should show love to everyone?
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Lexical notes
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Exegesis
The Old Testament teaches that we must love our neighbor. (See Lev 19:18.) But nowhere does it teach that we should hate our enemies. However, it is not difficult to imagine that many believed that the command to love our neighbors (those close to us) implies the need to hate our enemies.
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Related links
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