Can We Love Our Enemies? - Saturday of the First Week of Lent

In his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29), between the Gospel Reading of Friday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:20-26) and the Gospel Reading of Saturday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:43-48), Jesus delivers his interpretation of the Law, to fulfill it (Matthew 7:17).

There is a pattern in the way Jesus speaks of the Law: You have heard that…..But I say to you…., to challenge the way the Law had been taught by the legalistic minds, such as the Pharisees. What his audience had heard was what was taught by the Pharisees, and what Jesus was about to say in response is his fresh interpretation, addressing the spirit of the Law, beyond the letter of the Law.

Jesus’ phase of “You have heard that….But I say to you” is found in the following verses”.

vv. 21-22   On anger in reference to  Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17

vv. 27-28   On lust in reference to Exodus 20;14; Deuteronomy 5:18

vv. 31-32  On divorce  in reference to  Deuteronomy 24:1-5

vv. 33-34  On false oath in reference to Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3.

vv. 38-39  On retaliation in reference to Exodus 21:23-24; Leviticus 24:19–20.

vv. 43-44  On love in reference to Leviticus 19:18

In the Gospel Reading of Saturday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:43-48), Jesus says:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Matthew 5:43).

The phrase, “You shall love your neighbor”, comes from Leviticus 19:18, which says:

Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD (Leviticus 19:18).

Leviticus 19:18, as a matter of fact, did not mention anything about “hate your enemy”. Rather, this commandment teaches us not to hold grudge against people we should love. Love and grudge do not mix well.

So, how “hatred” kicks in?

Hatred is a similar emotion to grudge. It is also related to anger, as well, as jealousy.

As a matter of fact, the phrase of “hate your enemy” is not found in the Law. Perhaps, this reflects the conventional thinking from the Qumran documents, a.k.a. the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In 1QS 9, it says:

And he shall love and hate likewise.  He shall not rebuke the men of the Pit nor dispute with them. He shall conceal the teaching of the Law from men of falsehood, but shall impart true knowledge and righteous judgement to those who have Chosen the Way.  He shall guide them all in knowledge according to the spirit of each and according to the rule of age, and shall thus instruct them in the mysteries of marvelous truth that in the midst of the men of the Community they may walk perfectly together in all that has been revealed to them.  This is the time for the preparation of the way into the wilderness, and he shall teach them to do all that is required at that time and to separate from all those who have not turned aside from all ungodliness.

These are the rules of conduct for the Master in those times with respect to his loving and hating Everlasting hatred in a spirit of secrecy for the men of perdition!  He shall leave to them wealth and earnings like a slave to his lord and like a poor man to his master (1QS 9:16-22)

Basically, this says to love those who are worthy to be taught of the Law but to hate those who are not for the sake of the faith community unity to reflect “love your neighbors but hate your enemies”.

Literal and legalistic take on Leviticus 19:19 and 1QS  9:16-22 limits the range of our love only to those who share our faith, value, blood, and those whom we feel comfortable to be with. But, to this conventional teaching of love and hate, Jesus gives his interpretation with these words:

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 (Matthew 5:44-45).

This statement of Jesus rather sounds counterintuitive, just like his words in Matthew 5:39 in response to Exodus 21:23-24; Leviticus 24:19–20, which is known as the lex tarionis.

By his teaching against our intuition to hate our enemies (Matthew 5:43-45) and our guts reaction to retaliate (Matthew 5:38-39), Jesus wants us to rise above the sphere of intuition’s influence. And this echoes his teaching to overcome anger in the Gospel Reading of Friday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:20-26).

             "Love Your Enemies", sculptured by Timothy P. Schmalz

To love not only their neighbors but also their enemies, as well, is a mark of being children of the heavenly Father, whose fairness is comparable to the sun that shines on both those who are righteous and those who are sinful.

And Jesus further says that those who only love their neighbors – those who only love people who love them – are no better than sinners, represented by tax collectors, and pagans (Matthew 5:46-47).

Jesus does not want those who follow to be on the same level as sinners and pagans but to stand above them.

In the Frist Reading (Deuteronomy 26:16-19), Moses taught the Israelites that Israel would stand tall above all nations by observing the Law faithfully and authentically. And, from the Gospel Reading of Friday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:20-26) to the Gospel Reading of Saturday of the First Week of Lent (Matthew 5:43-48), Jesus fulfills what Moses meant in Deuteronomy 26:16-16 with his insight and interpretation of the Law through the selected commandments with “You have heard that…..But I say to you….” form of expression.

And, Jesus concludes that it is not just to stand above sinners and pagans but to be perfect just as the heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). And, it means to be perfect with the love of God (chesed) , who is love (1 John 4:8, 16), with the mercy of God (Luke 6:36).

Can we let our love win over our enemy’s hatred?

Can our love for enemies let their hatred toward us sublimate into their peace with us?

This is a high-threshold challenge that Jesus has put on us, especially for Lent. And now we have learned from Jesus that we can – with the love of God, with the mercy of God, who is perfect.

As we let the Law help us convert our hearts deeply and thoroughly, we can act with the love and mercy of God to overcome anger and hatred and all other vices and poisonous emotions.