"You therefor must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:38) What are your top three prayer requests? Jesus makes three statements through the sermon on the mount.
1) What is the Traditional Teaching: (Matt 5:53) It is said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Dependent on the definition of neighbor. Neighbor use to mean anyone who lived around me; now it means anyone I know. In Jesus, Neighbor referred to anyone who was Jewish and in the proper political party. My neighbor must be on my side because God is on MY side.
2) The Viscous cycle: (Matt. 5:46-47) When we define neighbor narrowly, things run in a vicious cycle. God does not define neighbor as we do, but as everyone. "they are not like us" seed bed of racism.
3) Transforming Initiative (Matt 5:44-45): The sun rises and the rain to fall on everyone, even those people who do not thank Him for it. Pray for your enemies; "Please change him so that they are not so awful" but everyone of us was an enemy of God at one time.
Promise (Matt 5:48) Jesus provides a new statement. But He is going to finish with a promise. God makes ways to positively effect your enemies. Bookend in verse 38, ends in a promise: Be perfect for God is perfect. "You shall be perfect." Deut. 26:18-19. ...You Shall be a people holy to the Lord, as He promised.
Starts out challenging, but ends good.
