“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, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 5:45 Mean?
Matthew 5:45 provides the theological reasoning behind the hardest command Jesus ever gave: love your enemies (v. 44). The reason? "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." Not that you might become children of God — you already are. But that you might resemble Him. Loving enemies is what makes the family likeness visible.
The evidence of God's character is stunningly ordinary: "he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Sunshine and rain — the two things every farmer needed — are given without moral discrimination. God doesn't withhold sunlight from liars. He doesn't redirect rain away from criminals' fields. His common grace falls on everyone, indiscriminately, regardless of whether they acknowledge Him, obey Him, or even believe He exists.
This is not a statement about ultimate justice — God clearly distinguishes between righteous and wicked elsewhere. It's a statement about God's daily posture toward a fallen world. Every sunrise is an act of generosity toward people who don't deserve it. Every rain shower is mercy falling on ground that hasn't earned it. And Jesus says: that's your model. If God can sustain the lives of His enemies with sunlight and rain, you can love yours with kindness and prayer.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you react when someone who's wronged you seems to be blessed? Can you see God's hand in it?
- 2.What would it look like to love your enemies the way God sends rain — indiscriminately, without requiring them to deserve it?
- 3.Does God's generosity to the unjust feel unfair to you, or does it comfort you knowing you're included in that grace too?
- 4.Who is the person you most struggle to love — and what would treating them like sunshine on the unjust actually look like?
Devotional
God gives sunshine to people who hate Him. He sends rain on fields owned by people who deny He exists. Every single morning, the sun rises over the just and the unjust alike — and God is the one who makes it happen.
That's not weakness. That's what love looks like when it's operating at full power. God doesn't withhold His goodness from bad people to teach them a lesson. He doesn't restrict His blessings to the faithful and let the rest sit in darkness. He pours out common grace on the entire world — the grateful and the ungrateful, the devoted and the defiant — because that's who He is.
And Jesus says: be like that. That's the point of the verse. Love your enemies so that you look like your Father. Not because your enemies deserve it — they don't, and that's exactly the point. God's generosity isn't merit-based. It's character-based. He gives because of who He is, not because of who they are. And you're being invited into that same posture.
The next time someone who's wronged you has a good day — the promotion they didn't deserve, the relationship that worked out, the blessing that feels unfair — remember that God made the sun rise on them that morning. On purpose. With full knowledge of what they've done. If He can do that, you can release the grudge. Not because they've earned it. Because your Father is watching, and He wants to recognize His own face in yours.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
That ye may be the children of your father,.... Not that any became the children of God, by doing things in imitation of…
That ye may be the children of your Father - In Greek, the sons of your Father. The word “son” has a variety of…
We have here, lastly, an exposition of that great fundamental law of the second table, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,…
that ye may be the children of your Father See note on Mat 5:5. To act thus would be to act like God, Who blesses those…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture