Bryant Hewitt, returning favors to the enemy.

Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:43-45 “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, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” It is natural to love your family and friends, but to love those who hate you and persecute you? Wow. God loved us before we even existed (Eph 1) and died for us while we were still sinners and His enemies. By the way, anytime Jesus says “You have heard it said” He is referring to the Old Testament laws and so when Jesus follows that by saying “but I say to you,” He is referring to the New and better Testament. This is a difficult one indeed and it can’t be done in human strength but only by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this reference in Matthew, Jesus says that God is gracious even to those who are sinners, sending sunshine and rain to them…which are essential to life. The analogy might be that God even gives the sinner’s good things in life because He is a benevolent God. This is why good things sometimes happen to bad people.