Matthew 5:43-48
Love for Enemies
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Love in our lives is very important...Jesus teaches us this importance about love...Love maybe the characteristic we need to have a successful life both here and in heaven...St. Paul certainly goes into detail in 1 Corinthians 13 about love and the importance it has in our lives and how important this virtue is...
But a different twist than St. Paul, Jesus wants us to love our enemies...Jesus brings up, when we think of love, it is not just loving your friends and neighbor...It is much more to Jesus...Love is what can bring everyone together...He tells us to even love our enemies and pray for them...He is telling us to be positive towards our enemies... This is far more than the Old Testament Scriptures have went on the topic of love...Love is more than just loving those who love you...Jesus says even the tax collectors do that...God causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the righteous and unrighteous...
Human nature is that we love family and friends but Jesus tells us it is not enough...If we love only our family and friends, what are we doing that is different from others?...How are we advancing humanity and our civilization?...Jesus makes us realize if we do not love everyone, we are just like everyone else...Love starts with loving your spouse, family, and friends, but it needs to go beyond that...
The understanding of the need for pardon and forgiveness of others is what Jesus wants in our hearts...Then (we must) go further after this, we must forgive those who we do not like, love them and even pray for them...
Jesus knew what the Twelve (and this author, also) was thinking...Isn' t the loving of our enemies a stretch...Aren't You asking too much?...Then knowing what the Twelve were thinking He goes even further...Be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect...Jesus is linking love and being perfect...Does love make us perfect, like God?...
No one can be perfect like God...We also know that only God is good...If we just loved everyone we see, come in contact with, and read about and love them can we be perfect like God...Everyone...Isn't this impossible...Should we even try?...Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are love for God, and love for our neighbor...Our neighbor is defined as everyone now, whether we love them or hate them...
We can only think that Jesus wants us to know the power of love...God is love, He is perfect, and He loves everyone...Should we not try (to love everyone)?...We should do as Jesus teaches us, and try...That is why He is teaching (us)...
If we can step back from this love your enemy and then being perfect lesson, we might see something else...Jesus understands the infinite power of love...Perfect love maybe the full, complete and mature expression of mankind and the fulfillment of the Law and Scripture...If God's love and the Holy Spirit are completely in harmony (in us and everyone) and we love everyone and everyone loves everybody (else), this is the fulfillment the two great commandments...This is how it could be (or should be) on earth...This maybe is how it shall be in the kingdom of heaven...But this is only, a guess...