Be Perfect? Who Me?

Matthew 5:48 "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." We have been hung up on these words for years. We try to lighten them up so people will not think God is asking for perfection. We go to the Greek and give the word "perfect" a meaning that doesn't mean perfect. God has to be requiring too much. Does he mean perfect? Without fault? Me?

Exhale people, calm down. Let's look at the context and get a correct understanding so we can put our excuses, minimizing, and deep Greek searching aside. This statement is a summation of what was just said by Jesus. Jesus just went through how to handle our enemies like God handles the unrighteous. God "makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." He went on, "you must love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, so that we may be sons of our Father."

The perfection required sums up this new Christian reality. It doesn't take as much to love the easy, the friend. It is easy to greet a person with a smile on their face. It's easy to be around those of like kind. But if you want to be perfect, as God requires you will treat those who aren't easy with the same care you do those who like you back.

Perfection is loving your enemy. Perfection is praying for those who despise you and persecute you. Now you may think, "that's not easy, either." But let's think about how much smaller that ask, then thinking God is outright saying, "Be perfect, your entire life." Now that we see the portion of our life perfection is asked of us, we can understand how obedience can change an enemy to a brother or sister in Christ.

Yes, Be Perfect! You!