Matthew 5:45, commentary and pictures

To be children of the Father in heaven is to love enemies, bless those who curse, do good to those who hate, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute. The Father Himself causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the evil and the good, on the just and the unjust, even while the wicked dishonor Him and remain ungrateful and rebellious. These are not the working of independent laws of nature but His own personal, continuing acts by which as Creator He upholds what He made and sustains temporal life, food, health and all ability to live and gain a living. Sonship is therefore proved by the same impartial kindness, giving without partiality to bad and good alike and growing merciful and perfect as the Father is merciful and perfect. This reveals a tender Father and not a stern judge without compassion, whose forbearance bears long with transgressors to call them to turn and live, and whose daily generosity points to the far greater gift of His only begotten Son.

Sermon Setting and Context

Matthew 5:45 belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, spoken especially for the disciples while the multitude also listened within hearing. That sermon reached people in ignorance and error with the aim to uplift all who would come.

It sets out the far-reaching claims and spirit of God's law, restoring the law to its proper light beyond a cold code of commands and human traditions, with the state of the heart regulating life and character. Its principles govern a kingdom of divine grace rather than an earthly kingdom of political freedom and restored glory. There the law is shown to condemn every evil action and to call for perfect obedience, as exemplified in Christ's sinless life, to be kept and represented by His followers. That same standard requires loving God with the whole heart and loving neighbor as God requires, shown in right and holy methods in business without mingling human wisdom with the divine, without confusing other minds about right methods, and without unjustly acquiring means at another's expense, so that those who benumb sensibility by unjust gain still need cleansing of the soul temple to meet it.

The teachings of the chapter are to be read, believed, practiced and dwelt upon often, becoming knowledge learned through experience. Received humbly they bring conversion and develop Christlike character in practical life. They bring the divine virtues into life in words, attitude and actions, holding the standard high without spot or wrinkle and representing Christ instead of misapprehension, unkindness, retaliation, strife and hasty divisive words. They call God's messengers to live out their teaching, including under trial, showing love and fellowship rather than accusation and faultfinding, since conduct contrary to this lesson brings condemnation. The command to love enemies came as a still stronger declaration after the lesson not to resist evil, and it was a hard saying to revengeful hearers who murmured against it.

The chapter reveals the truth about God's laws of government to enlighten people and warn of the danger of disobedience to His commandments. Failure to walk in the light given separated the Jewish people from Him, with darkness coming in proportion to the light they had allowed to shine on their path. Had they obeyed His revealed will, they would have shown the world a character and conduct fitting the light entrusted to them.

Sun and Rain as God's Gifts

The rising of the sun and the sending of rain are God's own personal, continuing acts for evil and good alike, not the working of independent laws of nature operating apart from Him. He is both Creator and superintendent, a living, personal, self-existing God who continually upholds what He created and keeps all things in order and in motion. The laws He instituted are only His servants through which He effects results and directs their effects. The natural world displays His power and character, but nature itself is not God, nor an impersonal force or intangible influence.

By constant, unseen exercise of His own power for the good of all His creatures, His hand guides the planets and keeps them in their orderly places, keeps summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, day and night following each other in regular order, and by His word makes plants grow, leaves appear and flowers bloom. He thunders in the heavens, holds the winds, sends lightning with rain, and keeps every nerve, pulse, breath, heartbeat and muscle in man in order and activity. Every ray of sunshine and shower of rain, every morsel of food, every moment of life and every good thing is a gift of His love, with man dependent on Him for every breath. Clouds and rain may be inconvenient, but with sunshine, wind and showers they serve the earth, make nature beautiful, sustain life, help provide necessities and purify the atmosphere, for He knows what people need and directs these blessings wisely. Even the opening bud in beauty no human art can equal, the little birds watched over, every lofty tree, shrub, blooming flower, lily of the field and earth clothed in living green kept in time and season bear testimony that He loves man, and the great attention given even to grass that today is beautiful and tomorrow is cut down and burned proves how much more heaven gives to man formed in His image.

Sun and rain mean fruitful seasons, food, gladness, health, beauty, shelter, quick thought and ability to plan and carry out plans, with opened ways to earn a living by diligent use of powers including the power to gain wealth, all coming from His hand even to the ungrateful and rebellious. They bless human life and sustain vegetation and the land bringing forth its fruits, showing His care for temporal needs and His still greater care for eternal interests. As the great Husbandman He sends rain and sunshine in their season to cause vegetation to flourish and gives life as donor to seeds planted in the earth so they spring up and bear fruit. These daily blessings sustain the earth and its bounty and support human life from His inexhaustible bounty, though few recognize them. This proves the world was established and is supported by the charity of a benevolent Creator, that all are supported by charity and He is giver of all that is possessed.

The Sun of Righteousness and the showers of grace likewise reach all freely like sunshine and rain. Yet people can separate themselves from God and shut themselves away and live as though cut off from those blessings, leaving themselves spiritually barren like inhabitants of a parched wilderness.

Father's Impartial Goodness

The Father gives sunshine and rain to the evil and the good, to the just and to the unjust, even while the wicked dishonor Him, deny His existence, and remain ungrateful and rebellious. His compassion is not limited to the deserving, for He gives richly to all to enjoy and bears patiently with those blinded by deception as well as with those striving to do His will. These shared blessings display His forbearance, benevolence, long-suffering and abundant mercy in bearing so long with transgressors of His law. With His voice of entreaty He still calls them to turn from evil ways so they will not die, because He desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. If He were as exacting toward men as men are toward one another, probation would long ago have ended and all would now be in hopeless despair.

The verse reveals a tender Father, not a stern judge without compassion or mercy. His eternal love has rested like sunshine over evil and good alike from the beginning of the world, and Christ restores confidence in that paternal love. That love is seen in the beautiful flowers He has given, in His care for flowers and birds and grass, and in the distinctive beauty given to each flower which even Solomon in all his glory did not equal, proving His still greater love and valuation for human beings formed in His own image. He is always giving, bestowing His gifts not only on those faultless in character but on sinful humanity as well. Notwithstanding sinfulness that grieves the heart of Christ, He does not turn away those who ask His forgiveness although they are most undeserving, but freely extends it. It pleases and honors Him when great things are expected at His hand, for He has promised great blessings through the Saviour, and nothing dishonors His name more than to doubt His love and His willingness to bless.

He keeps giving His favors, sunshine, dew and rain, to everyone living in His world even while they remain impenitent, unthankful, ungrateful and rebellious. Silently by night and by day He works to cause seed to germinate and bring forth fruit, sustaining temporal life while His kindness does not overlook selfish, discourteous or unkind acts. These blessings are gifts entrusted to men, not possessions they can claim as their own, and they increase responsibility. They will bear witness against the unrepentant sinner in the day when God calls everyone to render an account for opportunities and privileges enjoyed and rewards everyone according to works, with leading another to dishonor God and break His law considered at the final recompense, so it is becoming for finite beings to walk softly before Him. He may withdraw His protecting care when gifts are persistently rejected. This picture of generosity in daily blessings, though few recognize them, points to the far greater gift of His only begotten Son, whose sacrifice brought the light of truth to the world.

Children Through Enemy Love

To be children of the Father in heaven is proved by loving enemies, blessing those who curse, doing good to those who hate, and praying for those who mistreat, misuse and persecute. His impartial kindness in giving the benefits of sunlight and rain to evil and good, just and unjust alike is the example His children follow by loving, blessing, helping and praying for enemies. This mercy shown to good and evil, just and unjust is the pattern for doing good to those who hate and showing mercy, and by so acting sonship to God is shown. Applied to the home, impatience, fretfulness, sourness, fractious spirit and unkindness to husband, wife, children or parents departs from the commandments of God, and such ones must be converted or they will never see the kingdom of heaven. They need the forgiving spirit of Jesus, pardon through the merits of His blood with sins blotted out, and transformation of character by His grace to be made fit for the society of the heavenly family.

Sonship is shown by impartial kindness like His, giving without partiality to bad and good alike instead of loving only those who love in return. Such conduct in loving enemies and doing good beyond what is returned in kind shows that people are His children and are not of the world. Imitation of God requires answering harm without resentment or revenge and living by the pure principles of true Christianity rather than human traditions. Contempt, icy coldness and limited affection shown only to those who please are to be put away, and blessing and doing good to those who curse or hate expresses the principles of God's law as a source of life. He is kind even to the unthankful and wicked, and His children imitate that generosity rather than confining love to those who love them.

Reflecting the Father's character is bearing the divine image pure, holy and undefiled, fulfilled by spiritual regeneration, assimilation to Christ's character and practical conformity to His words and works. His kindness even to the unthankful and evil reveals what that character is, and those who are His children reflect it by loving enemies and showing mercy. This requires receiving the Holy Spirit into the character so that speech and conduct are tender, sympathetic, courteous and healing, with the law of kindness on the lips and grace in the heart. No coarse, harsh, critical, blunt, severe or condemning words that bruise souls are to remain, for beholding Christ changes the beholder into His likeness and perfect submission gives power to represent Him through conduct.

This love belongs to the perfection Christ requires, to be merciful as the Father is merciful and to be perfect as He is perfect. Copying His impartial, diffusive goodness in making the sun rise on evil and good and sending rain on just and unjust, instead of loving only those who love in return, manifests sonship. Those who so abide in Christ are peacemakers, registered in the Lamb's Book of Life as sons and daughters of God and recognized by the church as the children of God. This love must have a broader channel in association with others, in conciliation, deference and kindness that melts hardness and embraces faulty and difficult ones who need it most. Power to become sons of God comes through receiving Christ, with power to love one another as He loved and to reflect His character in words, spirit and works.

The principle must be carried out fully just as specified, without reasoning about results or fear of being taken advantage of, leaving results to God. Refusing to retaliate against or abuse those who do evil represents Christ's character and prevents much evil. Such conduct can break down hatred, convict wrongdoers and lead to conversion. Even the hearts of persecutors can still be open to divine impression, as Saul's was before his conversion.

Likewise Christ gave His life for men while they were still enemies of God, and Christian perfection includes following this example of self-giving love. Fallen human beings are of such value that He gave Himself to shameful death to save them. Believers must therefore watch how they speak of one another and treat others as Christ would treat them in their place, revealing the love He showed while they were at enmity with God.

Christ's Light for All

The sun is Christ, the Sun of Righteousness and Light of the world, whose seen and unseen blessings of light shine alike on every rank and wealth, high and low, rich and poor. Knowledge of God's love is to shine by that light into a world darkened by sin, sorrow and pain, with no sect, rank or class excluded. God's goodness and mercy are not confined to a favored few but given to just and unjust alike, and those who receive His grace are to pass it on freely rather than hoard it, reflecting that light to the whole world. Wealth gives no reason to value one person above a poor neighbor, and impartial sympathy and compassion to all, especially the poor, is the principle that must guide all who would help others.

God's gifts of mercy and love are as free, wide and unconfined as sunlight, air and rain that refresh the earth. They are not limited to one nation, rank or creed, and no group may claim heaven's gifts as its exclusive local or national benefit to the exclusion of the rest of God's family. Christ recognized no distinction of nationality, rank or creed and came to break down every wall of partition. His love and mercy are for everyone, not only for those who are close, and those who receive His grace should let its light reach the whole world rather than keep it to themselves.

His compassion is not limited to the deserving, for He showed it by healing Jericho's waters though the city's builders did not deserve heaven's favor. That healing illustrated His common blessings to evil and good, just and unjust, and revealed His willingness to heal spiritual maladies. So also the sun and showers that made the rich man's land fruitful were entrusted gifts from God to help the needy. He failed to recognize God as their source and his stewardship, using abundance only for his own comfort instead of serving as God's steward to care for others.

This generosity is the example of unselfish ministry that comes from God, ministering continually without regard to whether people are good or evil, just or unjust. Jesus lived out that impartial care, teaching that continual service to others is obedience to God's law. That love expresses the principles of God's law and is a source of life, reflected by His children in blessing and doing good to those who curse or hate them. Like God's light for all, believers must build no barriers keeping others from spiritual light and the water of life.

God loves all the human family without difference, and His children must love in the same way, making no distinction between neighbor and enemy. This tears away the wall of partition built by selfishness, pride and prejudice of nationality, lifts men from the narrow circle of self-love, and abolishes all territorial lines and artificial distinctions of society, caste and aristocracy. It makes no difference between neighbors and strangers, friends and enemies, for every man who needs sympathy, assistance and love is neighbor and every needy soul is to be looked upon as neighbor. It commits Christ's followers to a world-wide mission with the world as their field, carrying light and truth everywhere including to those regarded as enemies, with diffusive piety expressed in service and love for fallen humanity. Christian benevolence must be enlarged by practical work rather than sermons alone, relieving temporal necessities as far as possible and by that relief finding the way to hearts to present the love of Christ.

Impartial Love and Gratitude

Disciples prove themselves children of the heavenly Father by reflecting His character in lives shaped by God's Spirit, marked by humility, firmness, and love expressed in good works, so that others are led to glorify Him. The lesson calls for learning and obeying Christ's instruction in love and fellowship rather than accusation and faultfinding, and conduct contrary to that lesson brings condemnation.

Even toward those who differ, including those whose views may be questionable, believers are to show Christlike courtesy, forbearance, kindness and consideration at all times and under all circumstances, without harshness, hostility, crowding, pushing, or retaliation. This obligation rests especially on those in positions of responsibility, who must be like-minded with God and be examples worthy of imitation. Instead of misapprehension, unkindness, retaliation, strife, and hasty divisive words that separate friends, the divine virtues are to be brought into words, attitude and actions, the standard held high without spot or wrinkle, and Christ represented as altogether lovely by a kind disposition even toward opposers. Christians are to work harmoniously without criticism, strife or rivalry and to unite in fellowship with one another and with God, setting aside division, for such unity enables God to work with and through them.

In the home, impatience, fretfulness, sourness, fractiousness of spirit, and unkindness to husband, wife, children or parents is departure from God's commandments, and without conversion such ones will never see the kingdom of heaven. Fitness for the society of the heavenly family requires the forgiving spirit of Jesus, pardon through the merits of His blood with sins blotted out, and transformation of character by His grace. True godliness is required instead of an exacting, critical spirit toward fellow men, with every worker searching to see what manner of spirit controls him, since God gives dew, clouds, showers and sunshine to just and unjust alike and requires His children to manifest the same beneficent spirit toward all. Being children of the Father means exercising the love of Christ to all who are needy, not to a few only, showing respect and sympathy not only to those thought deserving but manifesting compassion toward the erring and reaching a helping hand to the needy who do not seem deserving. That love must be a living, acting influence that controls human nature, sanctifies the affections, brings actions into conformity to the will of Christ, and fulfills the keeping of God's commandments from the heart, which cannot be done suddenly, while broader conciliation, deference and kindness melts hardness and embraces faulty, difficult and undeserving ones who need it most.

Temporal blessings of sunshine, rain, food, beauty, health, shelter and other provisions come from God's hand even to the ungrateful and rebellious, revealing His love and long-suffering, but they are gifts entrusted to people rather than possessions they can claim as their own. Divine generosity reaches rich and poor alike, so wealth is no reason to value one person above a poor neighbor, and those who receive God's spiritual and temporal blessings should freely share them with others. God sends His blessings to just and unjust, with sunshine and shower coming alike to good and evil, in order to lead all to see their obligation to use their gifts for the advancement of righteousness. His goodness and mercy are not confined to a favored few, and this impartial generosity is the pattern for those who receive His grace to pass it on freely rather than hoard it.

His care sustains the earth and causes vegetation to flourish, and those who receive such blessings should show gratitude by using their means to help suffering people. As the great Husbandman He sends rain and sunshine in season to cause vegetation to flourish and gives life to planted seed, proving the world was established and is supported by the charity of a benevolent Creator, that all are supported by charity, and that God is the donor of all that is possessed. Therefore recipients should imitate His generosity, show gratitude, help fallen humanity, and give liberally of their bounties to help suffering humanity so needed work may be established as self-sustaining. These continual gifts of sunshine and rain that enable the earth to produce its bounty come from His benevolence and are not meant to foster selfishness or attachment to material goods, but should lead people to return gifts and offerings to the Giver in gratitude and love.

Sun and rain mean fruitful seasons, food, gladness, health, quick thought and ability to plan and carry out plans, with opened ways to earn a living by diligent use of powers, including power to gain wealth, all coming from God who keeps the whole human family in view every moment so that without His gifts people would perish. Because He enables people to gain money, He claims a portion as His own to be put into His treasury in tithes, gifts and offerings, so there may be food in His house to sustain gospel carriers and to advance the different branches of His work and build up His kingdom. These gifts of property, health and ability to earn are signs of His provision for supporting His work, to be acknowledged through grateful tithes and offerings. Youth are to be taught to recognize God as the source of rain, sunshine, vegetation and every blessing, to give Him thanks and praise, and to trust Him for the future, and such trust prevents anxious care that brings unhappiness. Daily receiving these tokens of His love, goodness and compassion makes selfishness with means, time and strength a victory for Satan, while covetousness is idolatry that loses souls; those claiming to be sons and daughters of God, members of the royal family, must strive to be like Jesus, let truth expel selfishness, expand the heart with generous emotion, return a portion of entrusted talents, and give from gratitude to help suffering humanity and accomplish the restoring of His moral image in man. It is a privilege to be laborers together with God, trading upon His goods to carry out His purposes, rather than leaving His cause to languish while living for self.