Scary Things Jesus Said: Part 1
In case you haven’t noticed, Jesus said some things that might sound a little … ah … scary. Take for example Matthew 5:48. “Therefore you shall be perfect, as your Father is perfect.”
Here is my question. Did not one person listening to the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount raise a hand and ask, “Really, Jesus? Did you just tell us to be as perfect as Father God?”
I had it explained to me from the pulpit that what Jesus meant by perfect was mature. Of course, being as mature as God sounds just as impossible, so that explanation wasn’t helpful.
Since I’m better at being an abysmal failure than at being as perfect (or mature) as God, I decided to do a bit of research on my own. Here is what I found. Verse 48 is surrounded by other verses! WHAT! Yup. That means we should consider the context. I started at vs. 20 which reads thus: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The people of Jesus’ day would have considered the scribes and Pharisees as ultimate examples of religious perfection. The scribes and Pharisees certainly considered themselves in that light. But the list of dos and don’ts that Jesus launches into next is rather comprehensive, leaving no one out, even religious people who are trying really hard to be perfectly perfect. Kind of a gotcha list.
To be perfect, we can’t sin in any of the categories the Lord listed, except we all do. We have to love our stinking enemies. (Did I say that?) And he winds up with this: Love people, even wicked ones, like God does with perfect justice and kindness, then — drum roll, please — you shall be perfect as God your Father is perfect because you have perfectly fulfilled, with the right attitude, all of God’s requirements.
Oh! One more thing. Don’t do any of your righteous acts for attention (Matthew 6:1).
I don’t feel any better. Do you? Looks like we really, really need a savior. And I think that is the point that Jesus was making, because there is only One whose righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.
When I read the Sermon on the Mount, I see myself as that confused lady in the back who raises her hand and says, “Really? Perfect? That’s impossible!”
And I imagine Jesus turning his beautiful eyes to me, smiling and saying, “Exactly.”
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
God bless you.
Susan
I am finishing up the series on Hearing God. You can find it on The Pool YouTube Channel.
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