Sermon on the Mount – Love Your Enemies • FOUNDED IN TRUTH – Messianic Livestream

Understanding a Difficult Teaching

This teaching from Founded in Truth Fellowship, delivered by Matthew Vander Els, delves into one of the most challenging aspects of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: loving your enemies. The speaker begins by acknowledging the inherent difficulty and personal struggle in embracing this command, admitting that it is not a favorite teaching due to the natural human inclination towards anger and a desire for justice, even revenge, against those who have wronged us.

To contextualize this radical idea, the teaching draws upon the narrative of the Old Testament, highlighting God’s intentions for humanity from the beginning. In the Garden of Eden, humans were meant to rule alongside God. However, the choice of autonomy led to immediate violence, a consequence of individuals determining good and evil for themselves. God’s initial response to this pervasive violence was the flood, an act of destruction intended to end wickedness, yet it proved ineffective in truly resolving the issue.

Following the flood, God initiated a rescue mission through Abraham, promising a blessing for all nations through his descendants. The story of Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt further illustrates God’s power and desire to redeem the oppressed. God fought for Israel, demonstrating that victory comes from Him, not from military might. The laws given in the Torah were meant to guide Israel towards becoming a kingdom of priests, bringing the world back to Eden. Even the regulations for warfare emphasized limitations on military strength, highlighting God’s role in securing victory.

However, the narrative continues to show Israel’s tendency to stray from God’s design. Under King Solomon, Israel transformed from a modest nation into a powerful empire, mirroring the ways of the surrounding nations. This involved practices contrary to God’s initial instructions, such as the accumulation of wealth, the acquisition of horses and chariots from Egypt, and the use of slave labor, even for building the Lord’s temple. These actions led to oppression within Israel and a departure from their mission to be a light to the nations.

The prophets were sent to call Israel back to their original purpose, reminding them of God’s promise of a new heart and a new covenant. Isaiah prophesied the coming of a servant king, the Prince of Peace, who would establish an everlasting kingdom and usher in a new creation where instruments of war would be transformed into tools of peace.

The world into which Yeshua was born was one marked by Roman oppression and Jewish resistance, with groups like the Zealots seeking to establish God’s kingdom through violence. Against this backdrop, Yeshua’s teaching to love your enemies stands in stark contrast to the prevailing norms. This command is not about condoning evil but about recognizing the shared humanity and the need for rescue from the chains of sin and death that bind everyone.

The Radical Nature of Enemy Love

Loving your enemies is presented not as a feeling but as a deliberate act of will, reflecting God’s own mercy and perfection. It aligns with the goal of restoring Eden, a new creation characterized by a new type of humanity. This teaching challenges the natural human response of seeking vengeance and retribution, urging instead for prayer and a desire for the well-being of those who oppose us.

The speaker shares a powerful anecdote from the life of Martin Greenfield, a Holocaust survivor who, despite experiencing unimaginable cruelty, chose not to kill the wife of a Nazi mayor after the war. Greenfield’s realization that by taking revenge, he would become like his oppressors highlights the transformative power of choosing compassion over hatred. His decision, in his own words, marked the moment he “became human again” as the teachings of protecting life and women and children rushed back to him.

Yeshua’s command to love enemies is linked to the idea of sonship to God, urging believers to be merciful and perfect, mirroring their Father in heaven. This is a radical departure from the world’s way of responding to evil with evil, aiming instead to subvert this cycle through non-violent resistance and love. The authority for such a profound teaching comes directly from God, as affirmed during the transfiguration.

Application for Everyday Life

• Recognize your own capacity for anger and hatred: Acknowledge that the desire for revenge is a natural human feeling, but one that needs to be confronted in light of Yeshua’s teachings.
• Pray for your enemies: Consciously choose to pray for those who have wronged you or whom you dislike, desiring their reconciliation with God and their well-being.
• Seek to understand their perspective: Remember that even those who act harmfully are often trapped in cycles of sin and influenced by the world’s broken systems.
• Respond with mercy and compassion: Instead of seeking retribution, choose to respond with kindness and a desire to see them rescued from their destructive paths.
• Focus on God’s power, not your own: Recognize that true victory over evil comes through trusting and obeying God, not through human strength or vengeance.
• Embrace the “cruciform lifestyle”: Follow Yeshua’s example of self-sacrificial love, even for those who are your enemies.
• See others as neighbors on a shared journey: Recognize the common humanity that connects you even to your enemies, viewing them as individuals in need of God’s grace.

Ultimately, the teaching on loving enemies is about embodying the restorative mission of Yeshua, bringing the world back into communion with God, one step at a time. It is a challenging path, but one that demonstrates the power of God’s love to transform not only individuals but also the world.

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References

Bible Verses

• Genesis 1
• Genesis 12
• Exodus 14
• Exodus 15
• Deuteronomy 20
• Deuteronomy 17
• Matthew 5:43
• Luke 9:35
• Luke 6
• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Isaiah 2:4

Books and Resources

• Martin Greenfield Autobiography