Love My Enemies?

My whole life I've read Matthew 5:48 and thought it was a nice verse. But I never really knew what it meant.

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."?

Sheesh. That's not an impossible standard or anything.

But I've read it and reread it the last few days and something finally clicked. Maybe it's obvious. I can be a bit thick-headed sometimes. Here's what I've come to realize:

Jesus isn't speaking in general or vague terms here. He still had most of the Sermon on the Mount ahead of him. He was only getting started. And this seems more like a closing statement if he meant it to summarize the whole sermon.

So I don't think it's meant to summarize everything. Not that it couldn't, but it seems to me he's saying, "Be perfect in love, as your heavenly father is."

Jesus says a couple verses earlier that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

It doesn't seem fair. Until you consider that just because someone hasn't chosen God doesn't mean God has given up on them. God sends trials and blessings on all of his children, not just the ones who are walking the "straight and narrow." Our enemies are still creatures of God.

Then Jesus says, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"

Even our enemies love their friends. Nobody has to tell you to be nice to someone you already like. It's just human nature. But it's not human nature to love our enemies, it's God nature. If we scorned our enemies, insulted them, fought their hatred with hatred, we woud only be perpetuating the Devil's agenda of discord and malice.

So this is where the hard part comes. Jesus commands us to be perfect as God is perfect by loving our enemies.

Because when we love them, despite whatever evil comes our way, we give them a glimpse of the kind of perfect love God offers us through the sacrifice of his son. By not giving up on people who spit on us, reject us, mock us, betray us and seek to destroy us, we shine God's light of redemption. Because at one point, we all did the same evils to God. And despite thousands of years of watching his kids screw up and turn their backs on him, God still fights for us.

So we should fight for the lost. Even the ones we don't like.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Nothing can quench the Father's love for his kids. We have the opportunity to be a part of God's plan to display that love. So pray for the strength to love your friends and enemies alike. Pray to be perfect, like your heavenly Father is perfect. Because humanity, now more than ever, needs that kind of crazy, passionate love. A love that erases all fear and rights all wrongs. A love that never fails.