RBWords

     I have heard it said, "I may not be perfect, but parts of me are excellent!"  Jesus urges us to "be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."  He says this in the "Sermon on the Mount" after telling us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us!  Our reply might be: "Well, one would just about have to be perfect to do that!  I can't!  So where does that leave me?"  It "leaves" most of us in the position of continuing to try and have mixed results!  If we were all "perfect," there would be no need for God's mercy!

 

     In the gospels, the word "perfect" appears only in Matthew, and only twice.  The first time is in the quote for today, and the second is in 19:21 where Jesus advises the young man who wants to "gain eternal life" and who has been keeping all the commandments to go and sell all his possessions and follow Him!  The young man went away sad because he had many possessions.  Note that Jesus says to the man that keeping the commandments was sufficient to gain eternal life.  But when the man wants "more," then Jesus challenges him to the "more." 

 

     The challenge from Jesus is to be the best that we can be.  We cannot be "perfect" in the same sense as God!  But the Sermon on the Mount shows us that we can be a lot better than simply external observers of religious duties.  Being "perfect" means that our "inside" is consistent with our "outside" and both should be focused on love of God and neighbor.  AMEN