Dear Christian friends:
"Good fences make good neighbors." Perhaps you have heard that old saying.
That saying assumes that good fences help neighbors to respect each
others property. That is true - fences do protect our property. That's
why we established a fence around Pilgrim Towers two years ago. But
fences also separate neighbors from each other. Fences prevent visiting
one another and talking to our neighbor and showing kindness and love to
our neighbor.
Fences are the same as laws. Fences and laws put limits on people. Fences
and laws do not make good neighbors. What does?
What makes really good neighbors? What makes better human relations? In
our text Jesus shows us the answer to that question. He shows that:
No Limit Love Makes For Better Human Relations
We humans have the habit of limiting our love. Jesus noticed this and
criticized this. (verses 46-47) We love those who love us. We love our
friends and the members of our family, but strangers and others we don't
care about them. We limit our love to those who love us or who are good
and kind and worthy of our love.
We humans refuse to love the bad people and the lawbreakers and cheaters.
We want to punish them and get revenge against them. In our text Jesus
reminds us of this. He says, "You have the law, An eye for an eye, and a
tooth for a tooth." (verse 38) Again Jesus says, “Your law says, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy." (verse 43) And we humans do that
all the time. We always limit our love; we love only those who love us.
When we limit our love we do not have good human relations.
God, our heavenly Father, does not limit His love. In our text Jesus says,
"He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain
on the just and on the unjust." (verse 45) Our heavenly Father loves all
people, both the good and the bad. He lets the sun and rain bless both
the good and the bad and gives food also to those who never pray to Him or
thank Him. He blesses even those who mock Him and curse Him and take His
name in vain and break His Commandments all the time. God's love is not
limited! He has no limit love!
God especially shows His no limit love in His Son Jesus Christ. God shows
His beautiful love to us, in that, while we were still sinners, He let
Christ die for us. (Romans 5:8) "Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (payment) for
our sins." (1 John 4:10)
Jesus loved those who displease us and whom we humans always hate, the
crooked tax collectors and harlots and other bad sinners. (Luke 5:27-32)
Jesus loved those who despised Him and mocked Him. While He hung upon the
cross He prayed for them, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do." (Luke 23:34)
Jesus loves even us! We by nature are God's enemies, and are not worthy
of His love. Really we deserve His anger and eternal condemnation.
(Ephesians 2:2-3) We have been saved by His grace. (Ephesians 2:8)
"Grace" is undeserved love! And although we daily sin much and often,
He daily forgives us, feeds us, helps us, and blesses us! (1 John 2:1-2)
God's wonderful, no-limit-love is what makes for better human relations.
By it enemies become friends and friends grow stronger and better. Through
His no-limit love we have become His dear children, and He wants us to
have no limit love, to love as He loves.
Let us read our text again and hear from Jesus Himself how we Christians
should have no limit love for better human relations:
"You have heard people say, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a’ tooth. But I say to you, Don't get revenge! If
someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also. If someone wants to go to court to take away your
shirt, give him your coat also. If someone forces you to
walk a mile, go with him two miles. If someone asks you
for something, give it to him, and if someone wants to
borrow from you, borrow to him. You have heard people say,
You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I
say to you, Love your enemies and bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who
hurt you. In this way you will show that you are the
children of your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise
on all people, both bad and good people, and He lets rain
come no matter if people do right or wrong. If you love
people who love you, that's nothing special. Tax collectors
do the same. If you salute only your friends, that's
nothing special! Unbelievers do the same! You be perfect
the same as your Father in heaven is perfect!"
No limit love for others is not easy and it may not seem right or fair.
But God does not call us to an easy and fair life. He calls us to be perfect,
like Him! And we can aim for that with His help.
Amen.