Jesus' Application of the (Old Testament) Law - Part 3

Example #6: Application on the Issue of Love

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Jesus, Matthew 5:43–48)

            Love is a much talked-about (as well as written-about and sung-about) subject. Many opinions exist on what love is, how it is shown, and on what grounds we are to love people. So it is extremely interesting to note what Jesus Himself says about love. The typical sentiment of Jesus’ day was that one ought to love his neighbor but hate his enemies. And even though today we may not express this explicitly, it still is the manner in which people often operate. We love those who we feel have merited our love and do not love those who for some reason have fallen outside of our acceptance.

            On concept that Jesus clearly lays out is that it is, in fact, possible to love people who are our enemies. To get a better handle on this, it is helpful to look at a story Jesus told in response to a man who struggled with this issue. The author Luke recounts:

                And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25–37, ESV)

Jesus’ parable has become known as the story of the “Good Samaritan.” What is important to recognize is that Samaritans were considered the enemies of the Jews in that day. Jesus shows this man who was knowledgeable about the Old Testament law that it is possible and even required to love your enemies, and Jesus demonstrates the way in which this can be done. Jesus’ ethic here is actually nothing new. The Old Testament law itself speaks of doing good toward enemies. For example, Exodus 23:4–5 says, “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.” While Jews like this lawyer would have been aware of this, they seemed to believe that Samaritans fell outside the scope of this principle. It’s one thing to love a neighbor (fellow Jew) who acts like an enemy, but Samaritans were opposed to everything the Jew stood for. But this is exactly Jesus’ point: we are to love even those who stand against everything we believe and care about.

The kind of love Jesus is speaking of does not entail supporting evil behavior but rather showing kindness in the midst of wicked behavior. He says to bless, to do good, and to pray for those who are against us. Christians really need to take a look at whether they are following the ethic presented by the Lord. We may give lip service to the concept of loving everyone, but do our lives truly demonstrate showing goodness and praying for those who oppose us? If not, then Jesus says here that we are really no different than those who do not claim to follow God. Showing love only to those who are “on our side” is normal, but following Christ means displaying attributes that reflect God’s true goodness, and the fact is that God even does good toward those who oppose Him. Should not His followers do the same?

Conclusion: God’s Standard of Righteousness

            We have looked at Jesus’ view of morality in light of His application of the Old Testament law. Jesus caps off His treatment of God’s true standard by saying, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The reality is that when it comes to morality, God’s standard is perfection—not just being as good as everyone else, not just being admired by society, but being absolutely perfect. Jesus’ application of the law blows the religious people’s concept of self-righteousness out of the water, and it ought to do the same for us. Righteousness, as pointed out before, is by God’s grace. God justifies those who recognize their sinfulness and come to Him for forgiveness and change.

            Once God has done the work of exposing the moral destitution of our lives, we are ready for Him to show us what it really means to live in a righteous manner. But we must be careful not to affirm Jesus’ presentation only in theory. The question is whether the church is truly following the way of Christ. One song in recent years highlights the danger and repulsiveness when the church is inconsistent in practice. Mark Hall writes:

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly
Sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances
Tells him that his chances are better
Out on the road

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

            Christ-followers must not simply talk about the way of Christ but live the way of Christ, seeking to live by God’s standard of goodness. This is Jesus' ultimate point concerning the law.

Works Cited:

“If We are the Body” by Mark Hall © 2003 My Refuge Music

(Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (Admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC)

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.