Matthew 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?
This is part of Jesus' speech where he tells us that we are to love our enemies. That was hard advice when Jesus gave it and it's hard advice now. But this verse is interesting to me: my first thought when I read it is about the reward that God will give us if we love our enemies. He says, what reward to you have if you love only those who love you?
But maybe it's not about a reward that God gives... maybe it's about the consequences of our actions (which are, ultimately rewards from God, but I hope you see the distinction I'm making). If we love our enemies, we may have a new friend. If we love our enemies, we may begin to discover commonalities we didn't see before and put an end to a conflict. That's the reward. The reward is something that happens in us through the very act of loving enemies. That doesn't make this command any easier, but it does help me to see the consequences more clearly.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
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