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sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what
reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only
your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (5: 43-48, N.I.V.).
The logic of these words is surely clear. It is not hard to love loveable people, but it is
far from easy to love one's enemies. But this is in harmony with the pathway to divine
reward. It is a difficult and testing way and we must not expect it to be otherwise. If it
was, then reward cannot mean much.
The phrase "and hate your enemy" is not in Lev. 19: 18 or for that matter anywhere
in the O.T. It is a rabbinical inference that Christ repudiates bluntly. The Apostle Paul
refers to this aspect of the Sermon on the Mount with similar instructions as to our
attitude to enemies (Rom. 12: 20). He quotes from Prov. 25: 21 to confirm this.
The Lord Himself prayed for His enemies, even while He hung on the cross, as also
did Stephen, the first martyr in the N.T. (Acts 7: 60). The section closes with the
tremendous statement to be perfect like our heavenly Father. The word perfect is teleios,
the goal, the end, and perfection in love seems to cover it all. We cannot be sinless like
God is, but Christ is not teaching this. In our much smaller measure we can be filled with
divine love which unselfishly spends itself for the Saviour and those with whom we come
into contact day by day. We need to learn the lesson about the perfecting effect of love
described in I John 4: And those of the Lord's day who listened to this great Sermon
would surely be able to carry it out in practice, though difficult, through this love of God
which later Paul declares is "shed abroad in our hearts" (Rom. 5: 5). Dr. R. 5: Tasker
has an interesting note here. Remembering that the Lord Jesus spoke in Aramaic and
commenting on the word `perfect' he says:
"Perfect here is a misleading translation of teleios and is largely responsible for the
erroneous doctrine of `perfectionism'. Men can never be perfect as God is perfect; and
Jesus Himself taught that at best, when men have done everything possible, they are
unprofitable servants, who have only done their duty (see Luke 17:10). Torrey would
seem right in supposing that the underlying Aramaic word was active in sense, and that
the meaning here is `all-including (in your good will) even as your Father includes all'.
Nothing here leads up to the idea of perfection, to say nothing of equaling the perfection
of God Himself! In this paragraph, the disciples are taught that they must show kindness
to all men, just as the heavenly Father makes no exception."
This needs weighing over very carefully.
Giving to the Needy.
The Lord now proceeds to contrast the ordinary conduct of the Jews, as exhibited in
the conduct of the Pharisees, with the standard He requires. The chief Greek texts read
"righteousness" instead of "almsgiving" (A.V.). It is "acts of righteousness" (as in the
N.I.V.) which are described by Christ, the external conduct of the leaders in observance
of the law. Again we have another triplet, alms, prayer and fasting. The danger in the
first is the praise of men. The Pharisees loved to parade their good deeds in front of the
people so that they could be admired.