“YOU heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to YOU: Continue to love YOUR enemies and to pray for those persecuting YOU; that YOU may prove yourselves sons of YOUR Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous. For if YOU love those loving YOU, what reward do YOU have? Are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? And if YOU greet YOUR brothers only, what extraordinary thing are YOU doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing?

From Matthew 5, New World Translation, Watchtower (JWs) - this reads a lot better than the King James equivalent.

This is my favourite passage from the bible. There are two things about it that are important. The first is a simple point: that the original language of the text (they don’t say which it is) has a plural form of ‘you’ that is rendered as YOU. English doesn’t have any equivalent, although we sometimes say ‘youse’ to address more than one person. The second important thing is the way Jesus breaks with the old testament law. Instead of responding to violence with violence, he says to respond with understanding and kindness. That’s an odd move; asking us to treat people as friends even when they don’t deserve it. What’s the deal? There are two things to consider: the first is that, according to Jesus, right actions are not reducible to the trade of one good thing for another. Take the tax man, who only likes you if you give him money - what he does is nothing special or commendable. The reward for doing the right thing, says Jesus, is in heaven, not on earth. The second point is that respect transcends boundaries. Being friends with people who are the same as you is no big deal. The world is full of people who only like those who are the same as them, whether that be in terms of nationality, race, class or anything else. Jesus says: nup - a true act of compassion is toward those who are different from us; those who we don’t understand and probably find a bit scary.

The heart of the matter is this: a truly good action does not consist in simply doing what is expected. Nor does it conform to the economy of ‘one good thing for another’. It is necessarily excessive. The things that Jesus teaches - forgiveness, faith & love - are not content with small actions. To forgive those who don’t deserve to be forgiven, to have faith even though you might be disappointed, and to love someone simply because they are a human being and not because of what they have done. That’s the Jesus idea. That’s why I think Matthew 5 kicks arse.

“And if YOU greet YOUR brothers only, what extraordinary thing are YOU doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing?” Put that on a fucking billboard in Washington DC.