How should I understand Matthew 5:45, where Jesus says God sends rain on the just and the unjust, alongside Ecclesiastes 7:20, which says there is no just man on earth who does good and does not sin?
I’m trying to see whether this is a contradiction, or if “just” means something different in each verse.
Anonymous
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Jack Gutknecht
Let me address just the first part of the question. The whole point is common grace, not common calamity. Sun and rain are ordinary, life-giving blessings. In an agrarian world, rain is not a disaster; it is provision. It makes crops grow. It is a sign of God’s goodness and patience.
That’s why Luke’s parallel says:
“He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35)
And Acts 14:17 says God “did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons.”
So biblically, rain is usually a blessing (Deut. 28:12; Lev. 26:4; Ps. 65:10-13; Jer. 5:24). It can be a judgment in special cases, such as flood and hail, but in Matthew 5:45, the context makes it clear: it is a good gift. Jesus is arguing, “If God is generous even to the unjust, you should imitate that generosity by loving your enemies.”