In Matthew 5:43 we learn that the Pharisees in Jesus day teaching about how to respond to their enemies lowered the bar of spirituality and even made hatred of their enemies sound spiritual. They did this by distorting the Old Testament law in three ways. They omitted something. They altered the definition of something. And then they added something. Anytime we omit aspects of Scripture, anytime we change the definition of something in Scripture; and/or anytime we add something to Scripture, we set ourselves up for a lot of problems.
The Pharisees said two things. First, they said to “love your neighbor.” Now that may sound good on the surface and you can find that phrase in the law. In fact, it is in Leviticus 19:18. But if you look closely at that verse you will discover that the Pharisees omitted a very key element. The law didn’t simply say to “love your neighbor.” It said to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Now that changes the whole intensity of the command. It is one thing to love your neighbor but it is a whole other thing to love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is one thing to meet your neighbor’s needs but it is a whole other thing to meet your neighbor’s needs as you would want them to meet your needs. They omitted the phrase “as yourself” to make it easier to follow.
They also changed a definition. The Pharisees defined a neighbor as anyone you approve of. If you approve of them, they’re your neighbor. If you agree with them, they are your neighbor. If you are like them, they are your neighbor. Jesus, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, taught just the opposite as He defined a neighbor as anyone you meet who has a need, even if they are your enemy. Again, the Pharisees were lowering the bar of God’s expectations.
But not only did the Pharisees omit something and not only did they altar a definition, they also added something. They said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Now if in the mind of a Pharisee a neighbor was anyone who approved of, agreed with, and anyone who was like you, then who would an enemy be? It would be anyone who you disapprove of; anyone who disagree with, or anyone who was different than them. And they said, “It’s spiritual to hate your enemy.”
But nowhere in the Old Testament law will you find any command to hate your enemy. Most likely the Pharisees used some examples in Scripture, like when God told Joshua to wipe out all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land as they conquered it, or perhaps some of the Psalmists prayers where he prayed for judgment on his enemies. But was, “hating your enemies,” what the law really taught? According to Deuteronomy 23:4-5, the law said that if you see your enemies’ ox or donkey wandering away, you are to return it to them. If you see your enemies donkey collapsed under a heavy load, you are to help your enemy fix the problem. Nowhere in the Bible will you find that it is justified or in some way spiritual to hate your enemies.
The Pharisees had distorted the Old Testament Scriptures so that they only had to love those they approved of and agreed with and so that they would feel spiritually justified in hating those they disapproved of and whom they disagreed with. You say, “How horrible!” But the truth is that we do the very same thing today as followers of Jesus. I will give three examples of this in my blog tomorrow. You might want to put on some “steel-toed” shoes before you read it.
The Pharisees said two things. First, they said to “love your neighbor.” Now that may sound good on the surface and you can find that phrase in the law. In fact, it is in Leviticus 19:18. But if you look closely at that verse you will discover that the Pharisees omitted a very key element. The law didn’t simply say to “love your neighbor.” It said to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Now that changes the whole intensity of the command. It is one thing to love your neighbor but it is a whole other thing to love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is one thing to meet your neighbor’s needs but it is a whole other thing to meet your neighbor’s needs as you would want them to meet your needs. They omitted the phrase “as yourself” to make it easier to follow.
They also changed a definition. The Pharisees defined a neighbor as anyone you approve of. If you approve of them, they’re your neighbor. If you agree with them, they are your neighbor. If you are like them, they are your neighbor. Jesus, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, taught just the opposite as He defined a neighbor as anyone you meet who has a need, even if they are your enemy. Again, the Pharisees were lowering the bar of God’s expectations.
But not only did the Pharisees omit something and not only did they altar a definition, they also added something. They said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Now if in the mind of a Pharisee a neighbor was anyone who approved of, agreed with, and anyone who was like you, then who would an enemy be? It would be anyone who you disapprove of; anyone who disagree with, or anyone who was different than them. And they said, “It’s spiritual to hate your enemy.”
But nowhere in the Old Testament law will you find any command to hate your enemy. Most likely the Pharisees used some examples in Scripture, like when God told Joshua to wipe out all of the inhabitants of the Promised Land as they conquered it, or perhaps some of the Psalmists prayers where he prayed for judgment on his enemies. But was, “hating your enemies,” what the law really taught? According to Deuteronomy 23:4-5, the law said that if you see your enemies’ ox or donkey wandering away, you are to return it to them. If you see your enemies donkey collapsed under a heavy load, you are to help your enemy fix the problem. Nowhere in the Bible will you find that it is justified or in some way spiritual to hate your enemies.
The Pharisees had distorted the Old Testament Scriptures so that they only had to love those they approved of and agreed with and so that they would feel spiritually justified in hating those they disapproved of and whom they disagreed with. You say, “How horrible!” But the truth is that we do the very same thing today as followers of Jesus. I will give three examples of this in my blog tomorrow. You might want to put on some “steel-toed” shoes before you read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment