SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:45
para que seis hijos de vuestro Padre que est en los cielos; que hace que su sol salga sobre malos y buenos, y llueva sobre justos e injustos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:45
Verse 45. That ye may be the children of your Father] Instead of uioi children, some MSS., the latter Persic version, and several of the primitive fathers, read omoioi, that ye may be like to, or resemble, your Father who is in heaven. This is certainly our Lord's meaning. As a man's child is called his, because a partaker of his own nature, so a holy person is said to be a child of God, because he is a partaker of the Divine nature. He maketh his sun to rise on the evil] "There is nothing greater than to imitate God in doing good to our enemies. All the creatures of God pronounce the sentence of condemnation on the revengeful: and this sentence is written by the rays of the sun, and with the drops of rain, and indeed by all the natural good things, the use of which God freely gives to his enemies." If God had not loved us while we were his enemies, we could never have become his children: and we shall cease to be such, as soon as we cease to imitate him.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 45. That ye may be the children of your father , etc.] Not that any became the children of God, by doing things in imitation of him: for as in nature no man becomes the son of another by imitating him, or by doing the things he does but either by birth, or by adoption; so in grace no man becomes a child of God by the works he does, as a follower of God, but by adopting grace; and which is discovered in regeneration. Christs meaning is, that they might appear, and be known to be the children of God, by doing those things in which they resemble their heavenly Father; and which are agreeable to his nature and conduct; as the tree is known by its fruit, and the cause by its effect: for where adoption and regenerating grace take place, the fruit of good works is brought forth to the glory of God. Some copies, instead of uioi , children, read omoioi like: and accordingly, the Persic version renders it thus, that ye may be like your Father, which is heaven. Our Lord seems to have respect to the Jews, often having in their mouths this expression, ymb wnyba , our Father which is in heaven; and to their frequent boasting that they were the children of God; and therefore he would have them make this manifest by their being like him, or acting in imitation of him; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil, and on the good . Christ instances in one of the greatest blessings in nature, the sun, so useful to the earth, and so beneficial to mankind for light and heat; which he calls his sun: his own, and not anothers; which he has made, and maintains, orders to run its race, and commands it to rise morning by morning, and that upon good and bad men; one, as well as another; all equally share in, and partake of its benign influences, and enjoy the comfortable effects and blessings of it: and sendeth rain on the just and unjust ; that is, on the fields of persons of such different characters, even both the early and the latter rain; which makes the earth fruitful, crowns it with goodness, and causes it to bring forth bread to the eater, and seed to the sower. This is one of the most considerable blessings of life; the gift of it is Gods sole prerogative; it is peculiar to him; it is what none of the vanities of the Gentiles can give; and yet is bestowed by him on the most worthless and undeserving. This flows from that perfection of God, which the Cabbalists call chesed, mercy, or benignity, to which it is essential to give largely to all, both to the just and unjust.
The Jews have a saying f359 , that greater is the day of rain, than the resurrection of the dead; for the resurrection of the dead is for the just; but rain is y[rl yb yqdxl yb , both for the just, and for the wicked: a way of speaking much like this here. They also used to praise God for rain, on this consideration, because it was given to unworthy persons. R. Jose Bar Jacob went to visit R. Joden of Magdala; whilst he was there, rain descended, and he heard his voice, saying, thousands of thousands, and millions of millions are bound to praise thy name, O our king, for every drop thou causest to descend upon us, ybyyjl hbwj lmwg ta , because thou renderest good to the wicked.
Now our Lord instances in things which could not be denied, and they themselves allowed; and makes use of their own words, to engage them to imitate God, whom they call their Father, by doing good to their enemies, and them that hated them, as well as to their friends and neighbours: yet sometimes they could scarcely allow, that the Gentiles had the same share in this divine favour with themselves; for they say f361 , that God works by way of miracle, that rain should not be wanting in his land, although it is wanting in the countries of the Heathen; as he says, ( Job 5:10) who giveth rain on the earth, which is the land of Israel; for on that rjm br , a great rain descends, and sendeth waters, yj[m , few (which is added to the text) upon the fields; which relates to what is without the land, whereupon it does not descend, but the substance of the land of Israel; therefore he saith, the Lord will open to thee his good treasure, and not to others.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 43-48 - The Jewish teachers by "neighbour" understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to loo upon as their friends. The Lord Jesus teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all, especially to their souls. We must pra for them. While many will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, an way, and opinion, but we must not so confine our respect. It is the duty of Christians to desire, and aim at, and press towards perfectio in grace and holiness. And therein we must study to conform ourselve to the example of our heavenly Father, 1Pe 1:15, 16. Surely more is to be expected from the followers of Christ than from others; surely mor will be found in them than in others. Let us beg of God to enable us to prove ourselves his children __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
οπως 3704 ADV γενησθε 1096 5638 V-2ADS-2P υιοι 5207 N-NPM του 3588 T-GSM πατρος 3962 N-GSM υμων 5216 P-2GP του 3588 T-GSM εν 1722 PREP ουρανοις 3772 N-DPM οτι 3754 CONJ τον 3588 T-ASM ηλιον 2246 N-ASM αυτου 846 P-GSM ανατελλει 393 5719 V-PAI-3S επι 1909 PREP πονηρους 4190 A-APM και 2532 CONJ αγαθους 18 A-APM και 2532 CONJ βρεχει 1026 5719 V-PAI-3S επι 1909 PREP δικαιους 1342 A-APM και 2532 CONJ αδικους 94 A-APM
