Birth of a Just Nation | Vengeance is Mine Part 2 | Matthew 5:43-48

We opened Matthew 5:43-48 by naming what sits under our impulse to retaliate: when we take justice into our own hands, we almost always employ unjust means. I used the bin Laden manhunt to expose that ache—public celebration draped over hidden tortures—then turned to Jesus speaking to a Jewish people who actually were oppressed. To them—and to us—he says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Not performative niceness. A real desire for their good.

To get there, we traced Jesus back to Leviticus 19. The law’s heart isn’t merely “don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t lie.” It crescendos in, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Not a command to love yourself more, but an assumption that we already do. Then Jesus widens “neighbor” with the Good Samaritan: stop asking who qualifies for your love and become the kind of person who is a neighbor to everyone—moving toward inconvenience, not away from it.

Jesus pushes further: pray for your enemies like you pray for yourself—specifically, concretely. That’s family resemblance. Our Father sends sun and rain on the just and unjust; if he won’t withhold common grace from his enemies, we can’t withhold prayer and blessing. And Jesus confronts our self-congratulation: “If you love those who love you, what more are you doing than others?” Don’t applaud normal.

“Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” doesn’t mean sinless self-improvement; it means whole-hearted, hidden righteousness—anger uprooted, lust displaced, words true, vengeance surrendered, love extended to adversaries. I held before us the witness of our persecuted siblings and Richard Wurmbrand’s defiant tenderness, converting torturers through costly love. Then we looked at Jesus, our true SEA‑L: Lord over sea, air, and land, who on the ground of Calvary prayed, “Father, forgive them,” again and again. At the cross he finished the work, and in the resurrection he secured a better Zero Dark Thirty—death itself hunted down.

So here is the call: lay down your badge as self-appointed avenger. Receive the justice secured by Christ and wait for the day when he rights every wrong. In the meantime, become a neighbor to all, bless your opposers, and practice heaven’s family resemblance—because our Father sees, loves, and is making us whole.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Our justice quickly becomes unjust When we retaliate, we mirror the harm we hate and multiply it. Jesus confronts our instinct to “get even” by calling us to trust the Judge who never uses crooked means. Restraining vengeance isn’t weakness; it is allegiance to a better courtroom. Let God have your case, and you’ll keep your soul. [09:54]
• 2. Become a neighbor to everyone Jesus shifts the Good Samaritan question from activity to identity. Stop sorting who deserves love; decide to be the kind of person who moves toward inconvenience with mercy. When you embrace “I am a neighbor,” even your enemies become reachable. Identity breeds action. [34:50]
• 3. Pray blessings for your persecutors It’s not enough to mention their name and rush out of prayer. Ask God for their salvation, fruitfulness, joy, and flourishing with the same specificity you crave for yourself. This practice doesn’t excuse evil; it refuses to let evil script your heart. Blessing breaks cycles. [43:44]
• 4. Mirror the Father’s common grace Our Father gives sun and rain to the just and unjust without discrimination. Family resemblance means offering enemies real kindness—words, honor, intercession—when they merit none. If God sustains their heartbeat, we can sustain a posture of good-will. Mercy is our lineage. [55:23]
• 5. Pursue perfection: whole-hearted righteousness “Be perfect” means integrated, inside-out obedience—anger, lust, oaths, retaliation, love—brought under the King. This is beyond willpower; it’s the Spirit forming Christ’s likeness where only God sees. Aim for thorough righteousness, not applause-worthy religiosity. The Father wants your whole heart. [59:50]

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Bible Reading

Matthew 5:43–48 (ESV) — 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Observation Questions

1. Read vv. 43–44 carefully. What are the direct commands Jesus gives here, and how do they differ from the “you have heard” teaching? (focus on the change in direction of the command)
2. Matthew 5:45 uses the Father’s giving of sun and rain as an example. What two actions of God are highlighted there, and what do they show about God’s attitude toward both “good” and “evil”? (passage-based)
3. The preacher pointed back to Leviticus 19 to explain what “love your neighbor” assumed. How does he say Jesus is finishing what Leviticus lays out? [19:34]
4. The sermon used the manhunt/Zero Dark Thirty example to warn about how our retaliation often becomes unjust. Which specific tension did the preacher point out in that illustration? [09:54]

Interpretation Questions

1. How should the group understand Jesus’ phrase “as yourself”? The preacher argued Jesus assumes people already love themselves; what difference does that assumption make for how the command is meant to function? [28:53]
2. When Jesus says “You therefore must be perfect,” how does the preacher interpret “perfect”? Is it sinless self-improvement or something else? What evidence from the sermon supports that interpretation? [59:50]
3. The preacher turned the Good Samaritan from “Who is my neighbor?” into “Who proved to be a neighbor?” What is the significance of changing the question from activity to identity for Christian life and witness? [34:50]
4. How does the preacher use the image of God giving sun and rain to all people to argue for a Christian posture toward enemies? What practical likeness to the Father does he expect? [55:23]

Application Questions

1. Name one person you currently consider an enemy or someone who has seriously hurt you. This week, write one specific blessing you will pray for them (salvation, thriving marriage, job, healing) and pray it aloud at least once. [43:44]
2. Think of a situation where you’ve been tempted to “take justice into your own hands.” What is one concrete next step you will take instead of retaliation (e.g., pause before responding, bring the situation to a wise friend or elder, write your feelings in a journal then burn/submit it to God)? Do this step the next time the conflict arises. [09:54]
3. Identify one person outside your usual “circle” this month (different race, political view, class, religion). Pick one neighborly action you will do for them that costs you time or comfort (visit, bring a meal, listen for 30 minutes, help with a task). Report back next meeting about how it went. [34:50]
4. When anger or revenge surfaces, what short prayer will you use in the moment to reorient your heart (examples from the sermon: “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing”)? Practice that prayer the next three times you feel angry. [01:18:00]
5. Evaluate your speech: where have you been guilty of slander, sarcasm, or “corrupting talk”? Name one recurring conversation in which you will intentionally replace criticism with a truthful blessing for the next two weeks (set a reminder on your phone). [01:12:24]
6. Choose one small, tangible act this week that models “common grace” toward someone who doesn’t deserve it (pay for a coworker’s coffee, send an encouraging note to someone who’s spoken against you, offer an honest compliment). Do it and note how it changed your feelings. [55:23]
7. Are you still holding a personal desire for vengeance about a past wrong? If yes, pick one spiritual discipline to begin this week to surrender it (daily confession, weekly accountability conversation, or a focused list of names to pray blessing over). Commit to it for 21 days and share progress with a partner. [01:22:46]