We continue to read the ideal of Christian living promulgated in the Sermon on the Mount.

The lex talionis, 'an eye for an eye', even though a restrictive law which emphasised 'only an eye for an eye', is no longer the norm. Jesus' sayings which follow show the ideal - to be magnanimous and decent towards all our fellowmen, realizing that God is our common Father. The Lord deals with his children in a manner which goes beyond, justice, 'causing his sun to rise on bad man as well as good'. This manner of acting is the rule for the Christian, to behave as God behaves, to be perfect (Lk has 'compassionate', 'merciful') as our Father is perfect.

Considered as regulations for the conduct of daily life these maxims (i.e. sayings from the Sermon on the Mount) are meant to be taken seriously. They are vivid and even startling illustrations in extreme cases of the way in which the quality and direction of God's treatment of his children might be reproduced in human relations. The very extravagance of them shows that Jesus was well aware what a lot he was demanding of human nature when he substituted 'Love your enemies' for 'love thy neighoubr'.