Matthew 5:44

Matthew 5 begins the Sermon on the Mount, as Jesus sits on a mountainside and teaches his disciples, opening with the Beatitudes-blessings on the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. He tells them they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and declares that he has come not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. The chapter then intensifies the law through a series of antitheses-anger as murder, lust as adultery, faithfulness in marriage, truthful speech, and turning the other cheek-closing with the call to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.