King James Bible
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."
Jesus connects moral behavior to family resemblance—loving enemies demonstrates one's identity as God's child. The phrase follows Jesus' command to love enemies (v. 44), suggesting that divine sonship is evidenced through impartial love rather than inherited status. God's sovereignty over creation serves all humanity without discrimination, as the daily sunrise benefits both righteous and wicked alike. This natural phenomenon becomes Jesus' first proof of God's indiscriminate benevolence. Rain in ancient Palestine was essential for survival, making this a powerful parallel example of God's universal provision. The symmetrical structure (sun/rain, evil/good, just/unjust) emphasizes that God's grace operates beyond human merit systems.