Mat 5:43-44, 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, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Jesus on one occasion declared that He did not come to abolish the law but fulfil it. With His “Sermon on the Mount” teaching note the instances He clarified and explained the law. Here was “love and hate” teaching that had been misunderstood by many of His hearers. They had been taught as who to love and hate based on certain conditions. Jesus declares first that love is boundless and boundary-less. The world needed to see that His people’s love was not conditional.
To love your enemies first is the mile of “duty”, it’s the mile that makes you go out of your way to do what your spirit and flesh is not willing to do. But Jesus does not stop at the mile of “duty”, He further states, don’t just love your enemies, do even more, that is bless, do good and pray for them. These last three are what constitutes to the mile of “excellence”, it is the above and beyond mile. Love will return blessing for cursing, good will for hating, prayers for evil treatment and persecution. We must by the help of God through His Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit to live out the called duty and beyond.