“Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, New American Standard Bible).

Many of us read our Bible with chapter and verse numbers to isolate and identify specific sentences and, usually, headings interspersed throughout the text to help us find a particular topic. This is usually helpful, but it sometimes breaks Scripture up unnaturally, leading us to overlook significant connections.

Such is the case with the Sermon on the Mount. We tend to read it like a series of mini-sermons. We study individual passages while overlooking the surrounding statements. In the case of Matthew 5:48, we might see it as the conclusion of Matthew 5:43-48. However, perhaps it is more accurate to see it as the summary of the entire fifth chapter of Matthew—maybe even as the transition and introduction to chapter six.

The perfection Jesus demands here is not moral or spiritual flawlessness. We will fail sometimes. However, it is perfection in the sense of being complete, whole, or fulfilling its intended purpose. It is like when we buy somebody a Christmas or birthday present and, upon opening it, they exclaim, “It’s perfect! Just what I always wanted!” It is not absolutely eternally flawless. That sweater has a stitch that will eventually come loose or a thread that will be the first to become frayed. But it is excellent.

However, Jesus’ statement offers us a challenge. We will never be truly perfect. When we discover that we have a character defect, do we shrug it off, saying, “Well, nobody’s perfect”? Or do we see it as an area for growth and improvement, an opportunity to become more Christlike?

When you read Matthew 5, does Jesus tell you to do something, but you are not doing it? How do you respond when that happens? Some people say, “He doesn’t mean that!” Others might say, “I can never do that! I’m not God!” Perhaps our best response is, “Lord, I am not succeeding in that area. Help me to be more like You.”

Has the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, revealed an area of your life where you need to become more Christlike? Consider it a growth area, confess your need, and seek His forgiveness and empowerment.

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.