“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
What does it mean to be perfect according to the teachings of Jesus? Is it about never having sinned, committed a crime, or spoken a harsh word? Or does it mean acknowledging one’s past wrongs and receiving the grace and forgiveness offered by Jesus for a life of transformation? Which ideals of it seems more closely aligned with that of a Jesus follower?
Jesus was fully aware of the imperfections of the world we live in. His concept of perfection doesn’t conform to the dictionary definition but instead involves wholehearted trust in Him and a commitment to follow His path. In navigating our way through an imperfect world, characterized by our inherent human flaws, we are called by Jesus to serve others rather than being subservient.
In Matthew 5:48, Jesus specifically teaches us to love our enemies and treat them with kindness. Being perfect in this context means that when we are wronged, our response should not be retaliation but rather the extension of forgiveness, grace, and generosity. Jesus isn’t demanding that we attain a flawless human state but urging us to embody perfection through love, loving sincerely and without deceit.
The heart of Jesus is revealed in the echoing of the Holy Scriptures, ‘Love covers a multitude of sins’(1 Peter 4:8), ‘But the greatest of these is love’(1 Cor 13:13), ‘But do not have love, I gain nothing’(1 Cor 13:3) ‘love keeps no record of wrongs’(1 Cor 13:5), These verses emphasize the paramount importance of love in the Christian understanding of perfection – a love that forgives, covers transgressions, and treats others with compassion and grace, even in an imperfect world, makes a Jesus like Perfect man.
