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Oh Perfect! You can add whatever intonation or inflection you like, and you may well come up with an entirely different meaning. It's an interesting word that can mean different things, and call up very different mental images, depending on the context and the way in which it is used. It can be a word that makes us feel warm inside, or hot under the collar, or like we have subjected to the flames.
And so, when we discover in Matthew 5:48, that it is a word that Jesus used to describe what we are called to be, or the destination toward which we are traveling, it can leave us feeling all sorts of different ways (not all of them pleasant), depending on how we hear what Jesus was saying. So then, just what was Jesus saying? What was He trying to help us get at? How do we listen well enough to hear it the way it was meant to be heard, and not the way we may have been conditioned to respond it?
In the sermon this week, Pastor Jon explores what it is that Jesus invites us to be when He talks about being perfect as our heavenly Father is. If you would like to listen to what Jon has shared with us once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can click here to access our sermon library.
Sometimes it is helpful to listen to how the other gospel writers record the words of Jesus. As you compare Luke 6:36 with Matthew 5:48, what kind of insight does this give you about the point that Jesus is trying to get at?
As you listen to what Jesus is saying here about how we are to treat not only our neighbors but also our enemies, what implications does this have about how we are to relate to others in the world around us, not only on a "one on one" level, but also in our communities and in our world?
Matthew 5:43-48
New Revised Standard Version
43 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 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. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Message
43 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' 44 I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, 45 for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. 46 If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. 47 If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. 48 "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
Other Expressions of What Jesus is Talking About Here
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