Throughout most of his teachings, Jesus emphasized the commandment of love. The point of teachings of Jesus about love as a commandment is covered in Mathews 5:43-48. Here, Jesus stresses the importance of love for all people, whether they are our enemies or friends. “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 have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mathews 5:43-48). In this scripture, Jesus teaches the need to love everyone just like God loves all people, both the righteous and the unrighteous ( Frei, 2013). The main point of Jesus teaching here is on the importance of having unlimited love for all human beings because even God has a limitless love for us. To remain perfect and be like the sons of God, love for all is what Christians should embrace.
This teaching for the love of enemies can be relevant to other worldviews who believe that they should hate their enemies. It teaches people of other worldviews that God loves all of us, whether we are righteous or unrighteous and that we should follow Him by loving our enemies. While the previous belief was that we should love our neighbors and hate our enemies, Jesus wanted to change this by spreading the news on the importance of love ( Glasson, 2015 ). Even as he starts his teachings, he says, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” because this is what the audience was familiar with.”
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The teachings of Jesus on Mathew 5:43-48 reveals that he is caring and loves to create a new standard for the relationship between one another and with God. It reveals that Jesus is a loving person who wants us to show care and open our hearts to everyone even if they are our enemies. He rejects the previous view that we should hate our enemies but instead say that we should love them and even pray for them. It reveals the unlimited love and cares that Jesus had for everyone.
In Mathew 9: 9-13, we see Jesus reject the complaints from the Pharisees who claim that he should not dine and meet with the sinners because he is the son of God. Jesus states that his role and purpose of his ministry is to call the sinners back for repentance, get back to the way those who are lost and to heal those who are seeking. “Those who are fine do not need a physician, but those who are sick.” “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9: 12-13). While the Pharisees had believed that it was wrong for Jesus to mix with sinners, we get the purpose of his mission from this scripture.
This claim is significant because it teaches on the need to socialize with everyone in the society irrespective of who they are. It teaches Christians to mix with the sinners and call them back to repent and come to God. Also, the claim tells that no one is righteous in the eyes of the Lord and that is why he was sent to go and save everyone from their sins.
Jesus is the son of God, and his coming to earth is one of the most loving acts of God towards His people. The decision of God to send Jesus to the world and even make him die for our sins shows how selfless our God is ( Cowan, 2012 ). Jesus is, therefore, the son of God who was sent with the mission of saving the world from sins.
References
Cowan, D. (2012). Economic parables: The monetary teachings of Jesus Christ . InterVarsity Press.
Frei, H. W. (2013). The identity of Jesus Christ, Expanded and Updated Edition: The Hermeneutical Bases of Dogmatic Theology. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Glasson, T. F. (2015). His Appearing & His Kingdom: The Christian & Hope in the Light of Its History . Wipf and Stock Publishers.
