Matthew 5:44

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. The word [ agapan (G25)] here used denotes moral love, as distinguished from the other word [ filein (G5368)], which expresses personal affection. Usually, the former denotes 'complacency in the character' of the person loved; but here it denotes the benignant, compassionate outgoing of desire for another's good. [BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT HATE YOU], AND PRAY FOR THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU. [The two bracketed clauses are omitted here by recent editors, who think them borrowed from...

44._Love your enemies. _This single point includes the whole of the former doctrine: for he who shall bring his mind to love those who hate him, will naturally refrain from all revenge, will patiently endure evils, will be much more prone to assist the wretched. Christ presents to us, in a summary view, the way and manner of fulfilling this precept, _Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, _(Matthew 22:39.) For no man will ever come to obey this precept, till he shall have given up self-love, or rather denied himself, and till men, all of whom God has declared to be connected with him, shall be held by him in such estimation, that he shall even proceed to love those by whom he is regarded with hatred. We learn from these words, how far believers ought to be removed from every kind of revenge: for they are not only forbidden to ask it from God, but are commanded to banish

43-48 The Jewish teachers by "neighbour" understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to look upon as their friends. The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, especially to their souls. We must pray for them. While many will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by. Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and way, and opinion, but we must not so confine our respect. It is the duty of Christians to desire, and aim at, and press towards perfection in grace and holiness. And therein we must study to conform ourselves to the example of our heavenly Father, 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Peter 1:16. Surely more is to be expected from the followers of C...

Verse 44. _LOVE YOUR ENEMIES_] This is the most sublime piece of morality ever given to man. Has it appeared _unreasonable_ and _absurd_ to some? It has. And why? Because it is _natural_ to man to avenge himself, and plague those who plague him; and he will ever find abundant excuse for his conduct, in the repeated evils he receives from others; for men are naturally hostile to each other. Jesus Christ design's to make men _happy_. Now he is necessarily _miserable_ who _hates_ another. Our Lord prohibits that only which, from its nature, is opposed to man's happiness. This is therefore one of the most _reasonable_ precepts in the universe. But who can obey it? None but he who has the mind of Christ. But I have it not. Seek it from God; it is that _kingdom of heaven_ which Christ came to establish upon earth. See on Matthew 3:2. This one p...

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES - There are two kinds of love, involving the same general feeling, or springing from the same fountain of good-will to all mankind, but differing so far as to admit of separation in idea. The one is that feeling by which we approve of the conduct of another, commonly called the love of complacency; the other, that by which we wish well to the person of another, though we cannot approve his conduct. This is the love of benevolence, and this love we are to bear toward our enemies. It is impossible to love the conduct of a person who curses and reviles us, who injures our person or property, or who violates all the laws of God; but, though we may hate his conduct, and suffer keenly when we are affected by it, yet we may still wish well to the person; we may pity his madness and folly; we may speak kindly _of_ him and _to_ him; we may return good for evil; we may aid him in...

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 5:1 AND SEEING THE MULTITUDES; _i.e. _those spoken of in Matthew 4:25—the multitudes who were at that point of time following him. HE WENT UP. From the lower ground by the lake. INTO A MOUNTAIN; Revised Version, _into the mountain _(εἰς τὸ ὄρος);_ i.e. _not any special mountain, but "the mountain nearest the place spoken of—the mountain near by" (Thayer); in contrast to any lower place, whether that was itself fairly high ground (as probably Luke 9:28) or the shore of the lake. The actual spot here referred to may have been far from, or, and more probably ...

BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,.... That is, as the Apostle Paul may be thought to interpret the words of Christ, Romans 12:20. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him: if he thirst, give him drink": unless our Lord should be supposed rather to regard the internal affection of the mind; since outward expressions of love, by words and works, are urged in the following exhortations: the actions of a man may be hated, and just indignation be expressed against them, and yet his person be loved, tenderness be used to him, and pity shown him: all men, even enemies, are to be loved with a natural love, as men; though they cannot be loved with a spiritual affection, as brethren in Christ: and in natural affection there are degrees, according to the relation and circumstances that persons stand in to one another. BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU: when wicked men curse you, a

Matthew 5:17. _Think not that I am came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill._ The life, work, and words of Christ are not an emendation of the Old Testament, or an abrogation of it. It stands fast and firm, fulfilled, carried to perfection, filled to the full in Christ. Matthew 5:18. _For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven._ It is vain to teach the commandments without first doing them. The doi

MATTHEW 5:44 _(bis)_ u`mw/n kai. proseu,cesqe u`pe.r tw/n diwko,ntwn u`ma/j {A} Later witnesses enrich the text by incorporating clauses from the parallel account in Luke 6:27-28. If the clauses were originally present in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, their omission in early representatives of the Alexandrian (a B), Western (itk Irenaeuslat Cyprian), Eastern (syrc, s), and Egyptian (copsa, bo) witnesses would be entirely unaccountable. The divergence of readings among the added clauses likewise speaks against their originality....

5. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KING CONCERNING HIS KINGDOM. CHAPTER S 5-7 _ 1. The Characteristics of the heirs of the Kingdom.(Matthew 5:1 .) 2. The Confirmation of the Law and its Expansion.(Matthew 5:17 .)_ CHAPTER 5 In the closing of the last chapter we saw our Lord Jesus Christ surrounded by a great multitude of people, which followed Him and who were attracted by the King's presence, before whom the various diseases had to flee. If we turn to the eighth chapter we find the continuation of these scenes we had in the last half of the fourth chapter. Between these two Chapter s are three very important ones, which are as such found only in this Gospel. The contents of the fifth, sixth and seventh Chapter s are in the form of a continued discourse of our Lord, commonly called “t