Lutheran Lens Commentary: Matthew 5:43-48

Lutheran Lens Reading of Matthew 5:43-48

Tradition-Specific Interpretation

We read Matthew 5:43-48 through the Lutheran Lens as Law exposing our inability to fulfill God's command to love our enemies perfectly. This passage reveals the depth of our sin, for it demands a love that mirrors God's perfect love, which we, in our sinful nature, cannot achieve. The Law here drives us to despair of our own efforts and points us to the need for the Gospel, where Christ's perfect love is given to us as a gift. The call to be 'perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' functions as a mirror, reflecting our unrighteousness and pointing us to Christ's imputed righteousness.

Key Language Decisions

In the Greek, the term 'τέλειοι' (teleioi), translated as 'perfect,' carries the sense of completeness or maturity rather than moral flawlessness. This tradition emphasizes that this perfection is not attainable by human effort but is granted to us through Christ's righteousness. The imperative form of 'ἀγαπᾶτε' (agapate), meaning 'love,' underscores the Law’s demand, which, without the Gospel, remains an impossible burden.

Where Traditions Diverge

This tradition diverges from Reformed traditions that might emphasize moral improvement or sanctification as evidence of salvation. We emphasize instead that the Law's perfection is unattainable apart from Christ’s righteousness. Unlike Roman Catholicism, which might see this passage as a call to cooperate with grace for sanctification, we hold that our righteousness before God is entirely forensic and extrinsic, received by faith alone.

Pastoral Application

In preaching this passage, we must let the Law do its terrifying work, showing our congregation their inability to love as God commands. This drives us to the Gospel, where we are assured that Christ's perfect love and righteousness are imputed to us by grace through faith. We remind our people that they are simul justus et peccator, living in the tension of being fully justified yet still struggling with sin. Our pastoral task is to point them to their baptismal identity, where they are clothed with Christ's righteousness, empowering them to live in love, not as a means of justification but as a response to it.

Cross-References: Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; Philippians 3:12; Romans 3:23-24; Luke 6:35

Doctrinal Connections: Law and Gospel; simul justus et peccator; justification by faith alone; the theology of the cross; the old Adam