Breaking the Word

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Mt 5:43-48)

 

 

Jesus quotes the Bible. ('You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'). But Bible does not say that you have to hate your enemies. What Jesus wants to communicate here is that one should be ready to even beyond the scriptures to love and relate to people. Rules, regulations and scriptures are important. But one should go beyond all these when one to face another person.

 

If one wants to be a child of God one has to go beyond the limits of friends, enemies etc. Persons should not be put into categories. People are beyond all groups and categories. Persons are only to be loved and related with. In relating to people the only model is God the father. As the father sends rain on the good and the bad so also should the followers of Jesus be.

 

If one relates to people keeping in mind categories then he is like a tax collector and a pagan, in the sense he is not the child of God. In the context of today’s reading being perfect is like being god the father who does not have any distinction and does not have any differences among people.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. (Mt 5:38-42)

 

 

Jewish practice at the time of Jesus was ‘an eye for an eye’. Not that everyone was following this but this was an agreeable and acceptable one. There were many who would go with this idea. This practice is something that comes from the very basic nature of man. Even today there people who propose and practice this. Even this is not practiced there are people who justify this.

 

But the values that Jesus proposes and the practical guide lines that he is presenting to his followers are totally different from what is said above. Jesus is proposing to his followers not to offer any resistance. Does he say that let evil have its way? No not at all. He is asking his followers to do good in its stead. Even the good that one does is not the exact amount opposite of the evil. Rather he suggests that the good must be double of the evil.

 

What Jesus wants is that his followers should be continuing doing good. His followers should think of the other and the needs of the other. St. Paul has understood this very well when he wrote in his letter to Romans: Overcome evil by doing good (Rom 12, 21).