Matthew 5:43-48

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48).

Comment:

Jesus here, at the very heart of the Sermon on the Mount, is employing one of his favorite teaching techniques:  "You have heard it said ... But I say to you." It sounds gentle, but it's really an upheaval from the teachings of the Jewish faith at the time. Jesus knew Hebrew scripture very well, and he clearly loved it. And he recognized that his message of personal empowerment would sometimes contradict, sometimes expand scripture. 

He's saying, basically, "That was then, this is now." The basic teaching of loving neighbors and hating enemies was sufficient for its time, but it needs to be released so that a deeper understanding can reveal that there is nothing but love—the sun rises on the evil and the good. He's expanding on one of his basic teachings: Judge not! In order to truly be loving to all, it's necessary to release our tendency to judge between good and evil. The ability to express love perfectly is within us. He's not telling us how to act; he's telling us how to be. As we know our Oneness with Spirit, it will become the loving, nonjudgmental Source for all the choices of our lives.

It may seem that being "perfect" is a really severe commandment, but that's not how Jesus saw us. "Perfection" is simply the Truth of who we are. To be perfect, we have only to center ourselves in the Spirit we are and let it flow easily into our lives.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed