Matthew 5:43-48 teaches that followers of Jesus are to love their enemies, not only their friends, and to pray for those who oppose them. Jesus grounds this command in the character of God, who gives sun and rain to everyone, and he calls his listeners to become like their Father in heaven in how they treat others.
The passage comes from the Sermon on the Mount, the long teaching in Matthew chapters 5 to 7 where Jesus describes life in his kingdom. It sits at the end of a section on how his disciples respond to insult, injustice and hostility.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48 (WEB)
Matthew 5:43-48 Summary
Jesus begins by naming a familiar teaching: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. He corrects the second half of that saying. The Old Testament law commanded love for neighbors, but the tradition had hardened into permission to despise outsiders and opponents. Jesus calls his followers to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who abuse them.
He then gives two reasons. First, this is how the children of the Father behave, since God sends sunshine and rain on both the good and the wicked. Second, love that stops at the people who already love us is no special achievement, because even tax collectors do as much. The passage ends with the call to be perfect, as the Father is perfect, which Jesus means in the sense of wholeness and completeness of love.
Context of Matthew 5:43-48
Matthew, traditionally identified as the tax collector among the twelve disciples, wrote this Gospel for a community with strong Jewish roots, and he presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills and deepens the law. The Sermon on the Mount is addressed first to the disciples, but it is heard within the wider crowd that Matthew describes earlier in the chapter.
The verses just before this passage, Matthew 5:40-42, speak about giving up a coat, walking a second mile and lending to those who ask. Those teachings show a pattern: Jesus repeatedly asks his followers to respond to hostility with generosity rather than retaliation. Verses 43-48 bring that pattern to its sharpest point by naming the enemy directly.
Matthew 5:43-48 Verse by Verse
Romans 12:20
Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
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Paul builds on the same logic, urging believers to feed an enemy who is hungry and give drink when thirsty. He frames such care as a way of overcoming evil with good rather than being overcome by it.
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
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Luke records a parallel command to love enemies and do good without expecting return. The reward, he says, is being children of the Most High, who is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
A Prayer Based on Matthew 5:43-48
Father in heaven, you give sunlight and rain to everyone, and you have shown me mercy I did not earn. Help me see the people who have hurt me or whom I find hard to love as people you love too. When my heart wants to hold on to resentment, loosen my grip and give me a willing heart to bless and do good. Teach me to pray honestly for those who have wounded me, trusting that you are working in them and in me. Make me more like you, step by step, in the ordinary places where I meet people today. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does loving my enemies mean I have to trust them again?
Not necessarily. Love in this passage is about how you act and speak toward someone, such as refusing revenge and seeking their good. Wisdom may still call for boundaries, especially where there is ongoing harm.
Why does Jesus mention tax collectors in Matthew 5:46-47?
Tax collectors were widely disliked in first-century Judea because they worked for Rome and often collected more than was owed. Jesus uses them as an example of people who love only their own circle, which his disciples are called to surpass.
What does it mean to be perfect in Matthew 5:48?
The Greek word points to completeness or maturity, a whole and undivided kind of love. Jesus ties this to the Father’s character and presents it as a goal that grace makes possible over time.
