Conditions of Love

“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father 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 will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
Matthew 5:43-47

This is taken from The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching the crowd. They were used to one line of teaching, of which : 'love your neighbour and hate your enemy' was a part. Yet here Jesus refutes this teaching as unloving and challenges the people to go an extra mile.

Today we have many people who are unlovely or in some way challenge us to even be civil with them. Yet Jesus came from a different place, a different plane. We love the lovely, He loves the unlikely.

How does this change us? We can hear His command and go away unchanged or repentant and be willing to try His Agape love instead of ours which requires performance.

Love on performance says: if you love me, I will love you; if you are nice to me I will be nice to you. Yet Jesus died for the worst kind of sinners just as He died for the good kind. We all need Him and He is the Way for all of us. Amen!