There are certain brands of fundamentalism that encourage men and women to be morally flawless based on a literal and surface reading of Matt. 5:48:
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (ESV)
As I said last week, I think verses like this—especially in red letters—are one of the reasons passages like Eccl.7:16 are not taken seriously. The thinking is we don’t want to encourage moral laxity or discourage the pursuit of holiness. I get the concern but we need to be careful not to misuse and interpret one part of the Bible in a way that distorts and sidelines another part.
So what did Jesus mean when he said “be perfect”? Here are two helpful answers and note particularly the phrases I’ve placed in bold:
- “One must desire God’s will so much that one seeks to please him in every area of one’s life—that is holiness. Matthew wants disciples to follow God’s law, but teaches that God’s law was never about mere rules; instead God desires complete righteousness of the heart, total devotion to God’s purposes in the world… in the context of 5:17-47 ‘perfection’ means full allegiance to God’s will in the Mosaic law as Jesus interpreted it.”[1]
- “Jesus is demanding a different approach, not via laws read as simply rules of conduct but rather by looking behind those laws to the mind and character of God himself, Whereas any definable set of rules could, in principle., be fully kept the demand of the kingdom of heaven has no such limit—or rather its limit is perfection, the perfection of God himself.”[2]
This second quote especially clarifies that Jesus’ words are about pursuing the heart and character of God himself, rather than some religious profile or set of rules. Again, “be perfect” is not a command—like modern-day Pharisees might suggest—to be morally flawless… as if we ever could be! No, we enter God’s kingdom as those “poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3);” that is, spiritually bankrupt. And it is only after we do so that we can begin to pursue the heart and holy love of God in all its perfection. As we do this, He promises to change us from the inside out.[3]
Friends, here’s the key point I’m getting at and don’t want you to miss: It’s possible to pursue wise principles and the perfect rules and behaviors of a particular religion—even Christianity—and totally miss the “perfect” heart and character of God. This is what happened to the elder brother in the parable of the two sons.[4] He was so morally flawless he couldn’t get excited about the Father’s party for sinners. It’s what happened to the Pharisee as he prayed in the temple next to the sinful tax collector: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people…” In contrast, the tax collector in his brokenness couldn’t even look up to heaven and prayed simply, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”[5]
Lest you still have doubts about Jesus’ intent in Matt. 5:48, let’s compare Luke’s version of the “be perfect” statement in his version of Sermon on the Mount:[6]
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Luke 6:36, NRSV
Craig Keener observes that “Matthew 5:48 (‘be perfect’) and Luke 6:36 (‘be merciful’) probably represent two ways to translate the single Aramaic word that Jesus used meaning “whole” or “complete”.[7] And R.T. France points out that “perfect” [in Matt. 5:48] is “a wider term than moral flawlessness, and is used of ‘spiritual maturity’…”[8]
What did Jesus mean when he said to “be perfect”? To be merciful and mature in our faith. To be the kind of people that, although far from perfect, are somehow able to love even our enemies. As Darrell Bock fittingly comments:
“To be his child is not only to be brought into a relationship where God has forgiven us; it is the beginning of a process of reflecting God’s gracious, merciful, and forgiving character to the world. As we do, we live out our call to be like him, to reflect his image. ‘Moral likeness proves parentage.’”[9]
Bonus: Here’s a new favorite I found by Over the Rhine called “All My Favorite People” which reinforces the themes above. And here’s another that does the same and is especially suited for this week.
[1] Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 205.
[2] R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew in the NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 228.
[3] Phil. 2:13.
[4] Luke 15:25-32.
[5] Luke 18:9-14, NRSV.
[6] See Luke 6:20-49.
[7] Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 205.
[8] R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew in the NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 228.
[9] Darrell L. Bock, The NIV Application Commentary: Luke (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 191. Words in bold mine.