Matthew 5:42-45

Matthew 5:42-45 says: "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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...." (KJV) These verses are greatly misunderstood. Generally, they are either seen as setting an ethical standard that is impossible to be met, or they are interpreted to have almost no requirement on how to live. When we remember that Yeshua is Jewish, Matthew is writing to Jews, and Yeshua is using idioms and figures of speech, the passage becomes much clearer.

Matthew records Yeshua saying: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. (KJV) Is Yeshua requiring that you give every penny you have to others. If you are a strict literalist, that is exactly what He is saying. However, is that the meaning of the text? Adam Clarke explains the verse well: "To give and to lend, are two duties of charity which Christ joins together, and which he sets on equal footing. A rich man is one of God's stewards: God has given him money for the poor, and he cannot deny it without an act of injustice. But no man, from what is called a principle of charity or generosity, should give that in alms which belongs to his creditors. Generosity is godlike; but justice has ever, both in law and Gospel, the first claim. A loan is often more beneficial than an absolute gift: first, because it flatters less the vanity of him who lends; secondly, it spares more the shame of him who is in real want; and, thirdly, it gives less encouragement to the idleness of him who may not be very honest. However, no advantage should be taken of the necessities of the borrower: he who does so is, at least, half a murderer. The lending which our Lord here inculcates is that which requires no more than the restoration of the principal in a convenient time: otherwise to live upon trust is the sure way to pay double."

From a Hebraic perspective, the second part of the verse explains the first part of the verse. The verse is telling the reader to be generous in lending money to those in your community that may need help. You are not to take advantage of them, nor are you to make "hard bargains" with them. You are to treat them fairly with respect. Now read the next few verses and see if you can see where this is heading.

Verse 43 says: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. (KJV) Yeshua is referencing Leviticus 19:18: Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (KJV) It is of interest to note that Psalm 139:21-22 (Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. (KJV) commends the writer for hating God's enemies; however, the Bible does not teach you to hate your enemies. Such teaching must have come from some man-made traditions. Yeshua is attacking the made up traditions of man in this passage. We are not to hate them.

Verse 44 says: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (RSV) How are we to love our enemies? Someone breaks into your home and threatens to harm your spouse and children. How are you going to "love them?" I am going to love them by sending them to meet God! David Stern in his Jewish commentary says: "Some contrast the 'realistic' ethics of Judaism with 'Christian romanticism' and cite this as an example. However, the command is not to have good feelings about your enemies, but to want and do good for them, and more specifically, to pray for those who persecute you." Again, the second part of the verse explains the first part; loving your enemies is to pray for them.

A well-known medieval Jewish work says: "Pray for your enemy that he serve God." Pray for your enemies. When you do, you will be loving them the way Yeshua said to.

Yeshua has set characteristics in order to look like His Father: lending righteously to those that ask and praying for your enemies. Does that surprise you? Would you not expect that Yeshua would require a certain numbers of hours in prayer or worship? The Father seems to emphasize how we treat each other in determining our holiness.

This seems contrary to our Greek based culture that would stress individual freedom and detachment of responsibility for others. If we are going to approach the Bible and how to conduct our lives from a Hebraic perspective like Yeshua, it is most likely going to involve a paradigm shift, a really big one. Yeshua thinks in terms of community; that is the Hebraic worldview. Assembling together is not about what it does for you, e.g. "I like the music" or "I always feel good when I leave church." Instead, your assembly should be about where you can get involved and serve others. There should be no selfish Christians. Yeshua gave His life, we should be willing to sacrifice also. Don't you agree?

Today, examine your community. Are you sacrificing for them? Are you involved in serving others in some capacity? If not, make a choice to get involved with others. It is the Hebraic way; it is the way of Yeshua.