Observation: Jesus corrects the statement about loving neighbors but hating enemies by stating that we are to love our enemies. Even those who hate us and do harm against us are loved by God, so we are to treat them just as God wishes for them to be treated ... with love. He concludes this lesson with one short "therefore" statement, which is to "be perfect, therefore". The structure of this conclusion is clear: Perfection - a level of perfection that is even just like our heavenly father's perfection - is achieved when we love literally everyone.
Application: There is a HUGE difference between forgiving those who have done me wrong, and loving them. Forgiveness is an internal attitude, and even when it is difficult to achieve it is doable. Loving them becomes actionable, with tangible activities such as providing assistance and sincerely meaning kind words.
If literally everyone loved everyone, it is true there would be no room for evil. There would be no wrongdoing toward each other, and no resulting anger. This would create perfection. However, there are so many people who are not living within the context of Jesus Christ or Yahweh that this is not universally possible, and thus finding this perfection is very difficult for believers who are harmed, attacked, and genuinely wronged by enemies.
Jesus knew this. He was able to rise above it as God incarnate, even speaking well of soldiers who beat and killed him. However, certainly he knew how difficult it is for us - for me - to love enemies. He gave us this as an aspiration and defined it as perfection, knowing that perfection cannot be attained on earth by anyone other than himself. And yet, the more and more I do pursue this one objective ... love everyone ... the closer I can come to being Christlike and perfect.
Prayer: Lord, you know my heart, and you know I certainly love more people, and more kinds of people, than I used to. However, you also know I struggle with this, and especially when it comes to those who have harmed me. I sincerely ask for your spirit's strength in this matter. I would like to love more. I would like to see others as you see them more often, and to strive toward being better through love, though I know I cannot be perfect. I seek your heart. Amen.
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