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“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Verse 43. And hate thy enemy. The words of the law (Levit. 19:18) are only these: thou shalt love thy friend as thyself; but by a false gloss and inference, these words, and hate thy enemy, were added by the Jewish doctors. Witham.
not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26
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,
Verse 44. I come to establish the purity of the law, which they have corrupted. A.
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.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
Verse 46. The publicans. These were the gatherers of the public taxes: a set of men, odious and infamous among the Jews, for their extortions and injustice. Challoner.
If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
NU reads “Gentiles” instead of “tax collectors”.
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Verse 48. Jesus Christ here sums up his instructions by ordering us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect; that is to imitate, as far as our exertions, assisted by divine grace, can reach, the divine perfection. Witham.—See here the great superiority of the new over the old law. But let no one hence take occasion to despise the old. Let him examine attentively, says S. Chrysostom, the different periods of time, and the persons to whom it was given; and he will admire the wisdom of the divine Legislator, and clearly perceive that it is one and the same Lord, and that each law was to the great advantage of mankind, and wisely adapted to the times of their promulgation. For, if among the first principles of rectitude, these sublime and eminent truths had been found, perhaps neither these, nor the less perfect rules of mortality would have been observed; whereas, by disposing of both in their proper time, the divine wisdom has employed both for the correction of the world. Hom. xviii. Seeing then that we are thus blessed as to be called, and to be the children of so excellent a Father, we should endeavour, like Him, to excel in goodness, meekness, and charity; but above all in humility, which will secure to us the merit of good works, through the infinite merits of our divine Redeemer, Master, and model, Christ Jesus the Lord. A.