“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)
Be perfect as God is perfect can sometimes be used to undercut the whole teaching of Jesus in chapter 5. Jesus has called me to this new way of living - but 'Oh - I can't be perfect.'
I wonder if that is what Jesus is saying. I think that Jesus' call for perfection (or complete in Greek) has a focus of being like God in loving your enemies. I think this makes sense because:
1. The only other comparison that is made between our conduct and our Father's conduct in the whole of the sermon on the mount is found in verse 45, and is about loving enemies.
2. We will be called sons of God if we love our enemies. ie. we will be 'chips off the old block'. (Australian expression) If we want to be like God (perfect) we should love our enemies.
3. This is probably the last thing on the Pharisees minds. Jesus again challenges the norm. You want to be complete or perfect - love your enemies.
If this view is right - the command to be perfect is not just 'wishful thinking', 'a nice thought', 'an burden of guilt' - but it becomes a way forward and a real command. 'Love your enemies.'
6 comments:
Well said, AB!
More! Give us more!
How do you forgive someone who has hurt not just you but your family?
Anyway, no need to answer but it might give you some ideas for future blog posts. Did you really post this one at 3.10 in the morning, or is that just the blog clock being set to US time?
Hi Gordon,
Thank you for all your encouragement. I know I've been a bit sporadic.
As to the clock - I think it must be set to US time. I must ask my wife about that one. She'll know how to fix that for me.
As to your question - that's got to be one of the hardest situations. I suppose as the head of our families we can forgive the way that people have hurt those in our care. But that involves absorbing a huge amount of pain ... on the other side we leave room for God's wrath ... he will repay.
Hey Andrew
I think it helps to notice that this passage and Matt 5:20 form something an inclusio for the 'you have heard it said but I say to you' stuff.
I think be perfect is another way of Jesus making the one point he began in 5:17 - he is the fulfilment of the law. Miss this and you miss everything.
How does our righteousness exceeed that of the pharisees? How are we perfect?
by submitting to him and his teaching as the fulfiller (and fulfillment) of the law.
you are right in that we are to be perfect - Jesus never lets us off the hook of radical obedience - a real comand - but its a perfection in him as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
we are righteous because he is
we are perfect because he is
is it fair to say he is saying 'be what you are' (in me)?
Hi Shane,
Welcome to my blog. I just had a look at yours - as you do. Good stuff.
I'm not sure I agree with you about it being an inclusio. None of the words or ideas are picked up or repeated ... from 5:17 or 5:20. 5:17 and 20 are talking about the Law, Prophets, righteousness etc...
I think 5:48 is talking about being like our Father which is only referred to in the section on loving enemies.
(In English perfection and righteousness language go together but I'm not aware that they are ever used together in Greek. Perfection is telos and has a completion sense - doesn't it?)
I'm suggesting that seeing 5:45 as talking about justification is perhaps a red herring - when Jesus is just calling his disciples to love their enemies.
Your brother
AB
Hi Andrew,
I am wondering if 5:48 could be translated
"You, therefore, will/shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect"
ie with imperitival force, but also with an indicative sense - as some kind of promise?
Hi Ben,
I think that may be right. 'Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.'
That makes the command even less likely to be taken as a 'defeater' - an impossibly heavy burden etc..
I'm going to miss your sermon on Sunday (I'm going camping with a few other dads). I'm will definitely order a copy.
Yours,
Andrew
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