Matthew 5:44

My Notes

What Does Matthew 5:44 Mean?

Jesus commands the most radical ethic in the Sermon on the Mount: 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.

Love your enemies — the command is not to feel affection for enemies but to act in love toward them. Love (agapao) is volitional — a choice to seek another's good regardless of how they treat you. The enemy (echthros — one who hates, an adversary) is not someone you merely dislike. It is someone actively hostile toward you. And Jesus says: love them.

Bless them that curse you — bless (eulogeo — to speak well of). When someone curses you — speaks evil, invokes harm, attacks your reputation — the response is to speak well of them. The natural response to cursing is cursing back. Jesus reverses the reflex: bless.

Do good to them that hate you — good (kalos) — beautiful, noble, excellent. The hatred is active — they hate you. And the response is to do good to them — not just avoid retaliating but actively, practically serve their interests. The good is not theoretical. It is done — concrete, visible action.

Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you — despitefully use (epereazo — to insult, to mistreat, to abuse). The ones who abuse you and pursue you with hostile intent — pray for them. Not pray against them. For them — for their good, their salvation, their wellbeing.

Verse 45 explains the motivation: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good. The ethic mirrors God's own behavior: God blesses his enemies with sunshine and rain. To love enemies is to act like God. The command is not about being nicer than the world. It is about resembling the Father.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How is loving your enemies a choice (agapao) rather than a feeling — and what does that look like practically?
• 2.Why does Jesus escalate from love to bless to do good to pray — and how does each step deepen the response?
• 3.How does verse 45 (God blesses the evil with sun and rain) reframe enemy-love as family resemblance rather than heroic morality?
• 4.Who is your enemy — and what would it look like to bless, do good, and pray for them this week?

Devotional

Love your enemies. Four words that overturn every natural instinct. Your enemy — the person who is actively hostile toward you, who works against you, who wants to see you fail. Love them. Not feel warm toward them. Love them — choose their good, act in their interest, refuse to return the hostility they direct at you.

Bless them that curse you. When someone speaks evil about you — when they attack your name, your character, your reputation — bless them. Speak well of them. The reflex is to curse back. Jesus replaces the reflex with its opposite: the one who curses you receives a blessing from your mouth.

Do good to them that hate you. Good. Not neutrality. Not mere tolerance. Active, practical, visible good — directed at the people who hate you. The hatred is real. The good is equally real. The response to being hated is not withdrawal. It is service.

Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. The ones who abuse you. The ones who chase you. Pray for them — not against them. Not that God would judge them. That God would bless them, save them, reach them. The prayer is for their good, spoken by the person they are hurting.

This is the hardest command Jesus ever gave. And verse 45 explains why he gave it: so you will look like your Father. God makes the sun rise on the evil. God sends rain on the unjust. God blesses people who hate him. And if you are his child, you do the same. Loving enemies is not superhuman morality. It is family resemblance. You love your enemies because your Father loves his.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture