# Love Your Enemies - Matthew 5:43-48 - Vine Abiders

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/vine-abiders-podcast-7468317/love-your-enemies-matthew-5-43-48-vine-abiders
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/vine-abiders-podcast-7468317/love-your-enemies-matthew-5-43-48-vine-abiders.md
Podcast: [Vine Abiders Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/vine-abiders-podcast-7468317)
Published: 2025-11-06T00:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://vineabiders.substack.com/p/love-your-enemies-matthew-543-48
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/177940736/3b184a52cbf7fbac7970688b31ccbb58.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/vine-abiders-podcast-7468317/episodes/love-your-enemies-matthew-5-43-48-vine-abiders
Duration seconds: 2276

## Resource

We’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount , and in this post, we’re looking at Matthew 5:43–48: **“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,so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good,and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?Do not even the tax collectors do the same?If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?Do not even the Gentiles do the same?Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48 NASB) This passage is about how we are to love our enemies — and Jesus tells us that in doing this, we are to emulate God Himself. God causes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust. He is merciful to those who love Him and also to those who hate Him. While we were still sinners, God loved us — and Jesus tells us that we are to be like that. Our love should be teleios — complete, whole, mature. It should encircle everybody — not just the good people, but the bad people too. Understanding “Love Your Neighbor” Jesus follows a familiar pattern here. He quotes something from the Old Testament Law, then clarifies or corrects a misunderstanding about it. In this case, He begins with “You shall love your neighbor.” That’s a direct quote from Leviticus 19:17–18 , which says: “You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart;you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself ; I am the Lord.” (Leviticu…

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