Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 5:43-48

"Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others?] do not even the Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." — Matthew 5:43-48 (ASV)

You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor. Above, the Lord fulfilled the Law concerning permissive acts, and here He fulfills the Law concerning the emotion of hatred, according to what was seen. This is the last fulfillment. And these things are fitting for the fulfillment of the Law with respect to the love of neighbor; Love therefore is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). About this He does two things. Firstly, He sets forth those things which pertain to the Law, and secondly, He fulfills them, where it is said, But I say to you, Love your enemies. In these words He touches upon two things, namely, You shall love and you shall hate.

Regarding the first point, it should be considered that some people understood that only an intimate friend or relative is called a neighbor. However, in fact, every person is called a neighbor, and even the angels. This is because it is said in Luke 10 that the one who showed mercy to the half-dead man is called a neighbor. From this passage, we can understand that a neighbor is one from whom we receive mercy (such as the angels) or one to whom we owe mercy (such as a human being). This precept is in Leviticus 19.

And the Lord wished to use this word, neighbor, because by this word the reason for love is to be understood. For every friendship is founded upon some likeness or nearness; Every beast loves its like: so also every man him that is nearest to himself . Now, there is a certain natural likeness according to which all men belong to the same species; hence, just as it is natural that every animal loves what is similar to itself, so it is natural that every man loves what is similar to himself. Another likeness is a political likeness, because a man ought to love someone insofar as he is his fellow citizen, and this is political friendship. There is also a likeness of grace, and this is broader, because it extends to all who have an ordination to beatitude—namely, angels and men—and this is the precept of charity, which is founded upon this union. Therefore, what He says, You shall love your neighbor, should not be understood only as regarding origin of blood or of friendship, but as regarding the ordination to beatitude.

And you shall hate your enemy. These words are nowhere written in the Law but can be assumed based on certain passages. For example, in Exodus 23, where the Lord said that they may not form an alliance with other men, etc., and in Deuteronomy 7, He commands that they utterly destroy them. From these passages, they assumed that they were to hate their enemies, and because of this interpretation, He says, You shall hate your enemy. Now heretics say the opposite, namely, that the Law says hate your enemy, etc. But hatred is a sin, and therefore, the Law commands a sin. And Augustine replies that the Lord commands us to love our enemies. I prove this from the fact that He does good both to the good and to the wicked; therefore, inasmuch as we are made like God by doing this, we should love our enemies.

But God hates some men: Detractors, hateful to God (Romans 1:30); and yet God loves all things: For you love all things that are . Hence, I reply that God loves the nature but hates the guilt. And, likewise, the Law intended this.

Hence, the Lord fulfills this precept regarding the misinterpretation of the scribes and Pharisees, who were distorting it into hatred in itself, which, nevertheless, was contrary to the Law: You shall not hate your brother in your heart (Leviticus 19:17). But they were understanding a brother to be one of the Jews. Yet all men were created by God and are ordained for one beatitude. Therefore, the Lord fulfills this precept when He says, But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you, etc. Concerning this, He does three things. Firstly, the fulfillment is stated; secondly, the reason proving the fulfillment is stated; and thirdly, He concludes with His main proposition. The second part is where it is said, That you may be the children of your Father, and the third part is where it is said, Be you therefore perfect. Now He fulfills this precept regarding three things: namely, concerning the affections of the heart, the role of deeds in doing good, and the role of the mouth in praying. The second part is where it is said, Do good to them that hate you, and the third part is where it is said, Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.

He says, therefore, Love your enemies. But it seems that this is unfitting. For it is clear that nothing can take away a natural impulse. But here there is a natural impulse, namely, to hate an enemy. Hence, everything is opposed to its contrary, just as a sheep flees from a wolf, and even in things lacking knowledge, for fire pursues water. Therefore, why does the Lord say, Love your enemies?

But it should be known that, as Chrysostom says, love is twofold, and hate is twofold: namely, that of the flesh and that of reason. The Lord did not give this precept to the flesh but to reason. Therefore, when you feel an impulse of hatred arise in yourself and you suppress it so that you do not do harm, then it is hatred of the flesh only.

But should we also love our enemies according to our reason? I reply that, according to Augustine, it is so regarding their nature, but it is not so regarding their guilt. Hence, in that respect in which our adversary is similar to us, he should be loved, as is also evident in natural things: white is opposed to black insofar as it is dissimilar—for it is dissimilar insofar as it is black, not insofar as it is a color. Hence, we should destroy hatred, meaning the fact that he is our enemy should displease us, and we should also destroy this [hatred] for him.

But again there is a question: Are all bound to do this? It seems that they are not, because Augustine, in his Enchiridion, says that to love one’s enemies belongs to perfection and can hardly belong to so great a multitude as we believe are heard when they use this petition, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, etc. (Matthew 6:12). Therefore, God forgives the trespasses of someone who does not love his enemy. But no one is forgiven a trespass unless he is in charity. Therefore, to love one’s enemy is not necessary for salvation.

But it should be known that Augustine says that we can speak of this enemy in two ways: in one way, before he asks for pardon, and in another way, after he asks. Now after he asks for pardon, he should no longer be considered an enemy. And the Lord does not forgive trespasses except for one who asks for pardon. Therefore, He does not command that you forgive anyone except one who asks for pardon. Therefore, if he does not ask, he will remain in hatred.

I reply that to love an enemy who does not ask for pardon is in one way a precept and in another way a counsel. For every friendship is founded upon some union. Now a union between two things is either general or special. A special union is the union with one from whom I have received many good things, and with whom I always have familiarity and similar things; and we have a general union insofar as we are citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. According to this love, it is not necessary that I bear a special affection towards anyone of that multitude [of the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem], yet I should desire that all men be as I am and be saved.

According to this, we are not bound to love an enemy with a special affection, but we are bound not to exclude him from the general love. Hence, it would be against the precept if I were to desire all men to be saved except my enemy.

Now, bearing special love for him belongs to perfection and is a counsel. And Augustine says this: It suffices not to hate, meaning that you do not exclude someone from your general love.

And it should be known that to love someone is to desire good for him. Now, there is a twofold good: the good of eternal life—and charity intends this, because I am bound to love my neighbor as myself in relation to eternal life—and the other is temporal good. Regarding this temporal good, I am not bound to love my neighbor except insofar as these things are ordained for obtaining eternal life. Hence, without violating charity, I can choose some temporal evil for my neighbor, insofar as this evil provides an occasion for doing good and for arriving at eternal life. Thus, Gregory says in his Moralia that it is a sign that you do not love your neighbor when you rejoice at his ruin; but I can rejoice in the ruin of his temporal affairs, insofar as it is ordained for his good or that of others, and also of the multitude.

But because “Love is proved by deeds,” and it is said, My little children, let us not love in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18), therefore the Lord adds, Do good to them that hate you, etc.; If your enemy is hungry, give him to eat: if he thirsts, give him water to drink, and, If you see the donkey of him that hates you lying underneath his burden, you shall not pass by, but shall lift him up with him (Exodus 23:5). In certain cases this is a precept, and in other cases it is a counsel. It is a precept in cases where you are bound to do good to all men, even to an enemy—meaning, even to an enemy who is in extreme need. It is a counsel, however, if you give alms. I am not speaking of common alms, from which an enemy should not be excluded, but if you give special alms and do not exclude your enemy from them, this is also a counsel of perfection.

And pray for them that persecute and calumniate you. For someone could say, ‘I cannot do good because I am poor’; therefore He says, Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you. They are called persecutors, who openly persecute, and they are called calumniators, who harm by frauds and subterfuges. My people went down into Egypt at the beginning to sojourn there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without any cause at all (Isaiah 52:4). And we have an example, namely, that the Lord prayed for those who crucified Him: And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Stephen did likewise: And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge (Acts 7:59). And this is a precept insofar as such a person should not be excluded from the public prayers of the Church. It is a counsel, however, if people make special prayers for him, because you certainly are not bound to do this for every living being.

But there are more serious questions, for we find many prophets who prayed against their enemies: May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow (Psalms 108:9); and many similar passages are found. I reply that these words are not said from a desire for revenge but from a spirit of prophecy, and not from the desire of the one wishing but from the spirit of prediction. Hence, when it is said, his wife be a widow, the meaning is, ‘I will see her to be a widow.’ Or it should be said that the saints will rejoice when they see revenge; so the saints, because they are perfect in God’s justice, earnestly desire divine justice to be fulfilled.

Another question is that it is said, He that knows his brother to sin a sin which is not to death, and yet afterwards it is said, There is a sin unto death. For that I say not that any man ask, etc. (1 John 5:16). Thus, among brothers there are sins unto death; therefore, if we should not pray for them, all the more we should not pray for persecutors. Augustine explains that not every mortal sin is said to be unto death, but only a sin against the Holy Spirit, which, properly, is final impenitence. This suffices for the present, because an explanation of this will be found below in chapter 12.

Nor should one believe that there is some sin which could not be pardoned, because no sin is so great. For example, there is a passage in which Cain said, My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon, etc. (Genesis 4:13). But just as God, on account of some preceding sins, withdraws His grace from men, and on account of this men fall into sins, hence, they are also said to be hardened and blinded: God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness (Romans 1:24).

In this way, on account of the enormity of some sin, God does not give His grace so that the sinner might repent; and this sin occurs when a man knows the good and persecutes it. Hence, “a sin unto death” is not so named as though no one repents of it, but because, in and of itself, it does not merit that grace be conferred. Hence, because it is hard to repent of it, and it is done with difficulty, it follows that it is called “a sin unto death.”

And because prayers are not made for sinners except so that they might be converted, it follows that [if they do not convert] prayer is made in vain for them. Hence, when the Lord said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34), He did not pray for all persecutors, but for those who had been predestined. He knew who they were who were to be converted; but because we do not know who are the predestined, and who are in sin unto death, it follows that we should pray for all men.

The third question, found in the Gloss, is that it seems unfitting to pray for persecutors, because in Revelation it is said, Revenge the blood of the saints. Therefore, we ourselves can also ask for revenge. This question is solved by Augustine in two ways. One solution is that when it is said, Revenge the blood, it can be understood in two ways: Revenge the blood of wicked men or of the kingdom of wickedness. For revenge is understood in one way, in that the wickedness of the one who offends you through his wickedness is destroyed, and this is the best revenge. In this way, Stephen was avenged in relation to Paul. Revenge is understood in another way, in that a punishment is inflicted, not because they desire revenge, but from zeal for justice.

Or “revenge” should not be understood as though they eagerly desire revenge, but they are said to cry out insofar as an unjust death itself calls for vengeance from God, as it is said, The voice of your brother Abel’s blood cries to me from the earth (Genesis 4:10).

Afterwards, the Lord gives the supporting reasons. There are two: one taken from a divine example, and the other from the end [of loving one’s neighbor].

Regarding the first point, He says, That you may be the children of your Father. But this statement, at first, seems to say little. For a man becomes a son of God by grace; therefore, it is not from works. The Lord, however, seems to suggest that a man should act well in order to acquire grace.

But it should be known that this sonship is not a natural sonship but one of likeness: For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be made conformable to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29). Hence, someone grows in the Divine likeness as he grows in Divine sonship. The beginning of the Divine likeness is from faith; now, no one believes unless he is willing to believe. Hence, free will operates there: He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name (John 1:12).

This likeness now grows from charity, and it grows more through works, but especially when it obtains glory: Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints , and then, When he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). Therefore, That you may be the children of your Father is realized by imitation of His works in hope, but in reality by glory in eternal life.

Who is in heaven, because He presides in heaven, watching over corporeal and spiritual affairs.

Who makes his sun to rise. This can be understood literally of the sun and material rain. According to this sense, observe two things. The first is that if He gives the good things that He created, why will you not give them? You, who dispense on the good (meaning your friends) and bad (meaning your enemies); and He says, on the good and bad, because He gives in one way to the good and another way to the bad. For He grants things to the good for their benefit, because they are neither exalted in prosperity nor cast down in adversity, but to the wicked to their detriment. Observe another thing: temporal goods should not be desired, nor temporal evils feared, because sometimes bad things are given to the good, and many times good things are given to the bad.

Or, who makes his sun to rise can be interpreted as referring to the spiritual sun and spiritual rain. But it is objected that it is written, Therefore we have erred from the way of truth, and the light of justice has not shined unto us, and the sun of understanding has not risen upon us , and, And now I will show you what I will do to my vineyard… and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel (5:5-7). But it should be said that He gives these things to the good and to the bad regarding their sufficiency, but regarding their efficacy, He gives them only to the good, just as Christ’s teaching is efficacious for the good but not for the bad. Or by these two things baptism is understood, and so the fervor of the Holy Spirit is to be understood by the sun, and the water of baptism by the rain.

Do not even the publicans do this? They are called publicans because they were in charge of the public tributes, and it is said that they were instituted by Publius, a Roman Consul. These men were considered as usurers are now, because of the frauds they used to commit: A merchant is hardly free from negligence .

And if you salute your brethren only, etc., do not also the heathens, who are gentiles without charity, do this? For the word heathen (ethnos) in Greek is translated as gens (Gentile) in Latin.

Afterwards, the Lord concludes everything that He said in this chapter, saying, Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect; Walk before me, and be perfect (Genesis 17:1), and, Leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on to things more perfect (Hebrews 6:1). But the question is whether this is a precept or a counsel: If it is a precept, then we are all bound to perfection; and if it is a counsel, since all are sons of the Father, then all should imitate the Father.

But I answer that as [the Divine] nature is distinct [from others], so perfection is threefold: simply, regarding its nature, and regarding time. Regarding the first perfection, only God is perfect. There is perfection regarding nature, when someone has those things which his nature requires. There is perfection regarding time, as, for example, a boy is said to be perfect.

Therefore, when we speak of perfect love, we then likewise speak of perfection: God is loved as much as He should be loved, and this is only in God; for no creature can love Him as much as He should be loved, for He is loved because of His goodness, which is infinite. And thus it should be said that the word as implies a likeness of imitation.

There is another perfection of love possible for a creature, namely, that the creature loves God in its totality. There are three degrees of this perfection. One degree is not possible in this life, while the other two are. Regarding the first of these degrees, all are bound to it, because this totality can be referred to the act of love, and such is the perfection of heaven; for in this life, because of its many occupations, this perfection is not possible.

There is also a totality in the way [to heaven] which pertains to one’s intention, namely, that you have God in all your actions as your final end, after having thought nothing against Him. This is a precept, for all are bound to ordain themselves and their actions to God.

Another is a middle perfection, and this belongs to the religious. For inasmuch as a man is exempted from the affairs of the world, to that degree he thinks of God in his actions and rises closer to those things which are in heaven. Accordingly, the Apostles wanted to be poor, not for the sake of poverty, but so that they might give themselves to contemplation. Thus, virginity or continence belongs to the perfection of a counsel, because the married think about those things which pertain to the world, and consequently, they are not brought as much to the contemplation of God.

Therefore, it is evident that one is the love that is perfection simply, another is that which is possible for a creature, and there is another in between, as was said.