Matthew 5:46
Matthew 5:4646If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
receives little JW commentary because it cuts uncomfortably against the Watchtower's appeal to internal love as evidence of being God's true people. The Watchtower frequently cites ("by this all will know you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves") as proof that JWs alone manifest Christian love — but immediately undermines this rhetorical move by noting that even tax collectors love those who love them in return.
Pair with to expose the inadequacy of the JW appeal to internal love. Jesus says loving only those who love you back is what tax collectors do — it does not distinguish a person as a disciple. The distinguishing love is the kind that crosses lines: love for enemies (vv. 43-44), love for outsiders, love for the unlovely. Pair with (pure worship is caring for orphans and widows in their tribulation) and ("toward all" first, "especially toward those related to us in the faith"). The Watchtower's disaster relief flowing primarily to fellow Witnesses, with no public hospitals or food banks for the wider community, fits the pattern Jesus warned against: the reward is the same one tax collectors receive.