Love better than a tax collector

Matthew 5:46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Tax collectors may have been the most hated people during the days of Jesus. A tax collector in Israel was usually a Jewish person who was working for the hated Roman government and thus the tax collector was a traitor and usually a thief. In the Gospels they are awarded their own special sin category; there are "sinners" and then there are tax collectors. In the sermon on the Mount even Jesus recognizes the corruption of the tax collector.

Jesus pointed out that there is one way that tax collectors are not so different from us; they practice a lifestyle where they love those who love them back. We might call this "conditional love." This is the kind of love that always has conditions placed on it such as, "I will love you if you lose weight, or love me back, or do what I say, or treat me right" or whatever other condition you want to put to it. With conditional love there is always the threat that if the other person doesn't do something we will leave the relationship. That is not love!

We might call “tax collector kind of love” discriminating love. Discriminating love is when we decide in advance who should get our attention. We carefully choose those who are worthy of our affection and friendship and we especially avoid those who can never do anything for us.

We might also call "tax collector love" limited love; in other words we shut out people who might be challenging. We build our safe little isolated community of family and a few trusted friends and nobody else gets in. We love those who love us and don't bother with anyone else.

Jesus radically declares that tax collector love isn't good enough for his people. He asks a question; "how are you different from anyone else?" Good question. How are we different when our love is conditional, when our love discriminates, and when our love is limited? Jesus is asking us to broaden our definition of love and to broaden who we love.

What is this radical love we are to practice? Love always involves sacrifice which means that I give up something of myself for another person. Love always involves help when we see a need. Love is always personal and hands-on and not given from a distance. Love is making the first move even if it may be rejected or can't be paid back. That's what Jesus did for us and that's what we are to do for others.