Matthew 5

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (43-44). The Ten Commandments gave people a solid basis for right and wrong, but Jesus revealed the Father’s heart as he taught the crowds and disciples (1). His kingdom would not be built on a survival-of-the-fittest foundation of human competition, but on the meek, the merciful (1-10), and those who prayed for their enemies.

“For they will be called children of God” (9). Since we were God’s enemies and yet became his children through Christ, He calls us to love in the same way – even our enemies.