“Be Perfect?” — What Jesus Actually Meant - Mailbag Question

You're listening to the Christ Our Cornerstone

podcast, Ministry of Christ Our Cornerstone Church

in O 'Neill, Nebraska. I'm Pastor Logan Manrick

and it's our prayer that this message strengthens

your faith and draws you closer to Christ. Let's

dive in. Hello. Good to hear. I shouldn't say

see you all because I am not seeing you all or

hearing you, but you're hearing me and I'm glad

that you can hear me. It's been a while since

I have done a question. an answer podcast, a

little Q &A mailbag stuff. And so but I got one

today and I was really excited and I asked the

person who sent this question into me if I could

do a podcast on it. And they said, absolutely.

So I'm really excited about it because here's

what we're dealing with. Here's what we're talking

about today. The question came in that says,

well, I'll just I'll just read it. OK, it's a

question that I think that many of us struggle

with when we read the words of Jesus and the

Sermon on the Mount and we go, I can't do that.

Jesus, weren't you the one that was supposed

to come and be perfect? And it kind of hits us

right in the chest, and especially if you're

a perfectionist, OK? And so here's the question.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, be perfect

as your heavenly father is perfect as a perfectionist.

This has been a tough one for me. I know we can't

be perfect this side of heaven, so what does

this actually look like? And this is such a good

question. And let me just say this right up front.

If you read this verse and you feel crushed by

it, you're probably reading it the wrong way,

okay? And I say that with all love, pastorally.

And so remember, we have to zoom out. when we're

reading or reading the scriptures, and especially

when we read something like this, that feels

very anti -gospel, okay? If you read it that

way, that would be anti -gospel, okay? And so,

because Jesus isn't commanding us to be sinless,

He's not commanding us to be perfect because

He knows that's why He came, right? So, let's

slow it down. Let's back it up. And so, when

Jesus says, be perfect, the Greek word there

is teleos. And depending on the translation,

the commentary that you have, that word can either

be complete, whole, or mature. And that's the

person that wrote this question and had said

that. I know that word is teleos, but I'm just

not following. And so I personally think that

the word perfect is not a great translation there

because everywhere else in the scriptures, especially

in the New Testament where teleos is used, it

is mature. When Paul uses it over and over and

over again, it is translated mature. And I'm

going to get into that in just a minute. But

I think mature is the best way to look at it

and understand what Jesus is actually getting

at. And so what is Jesus actually saying? Well,

if we zoom out and we look at the context, Jesus

isn't talking about flawless behavior. Well,

Pastor Logan, what exactly is he talking about?

Well, let me just read. So Matthew five, starting

in verse 43, it says, You have heard it said.

You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,

but I say to you love your enemies and pray for

those who persecute you So that you may be sons

of your father who is in heaven for he makes

his Sunrise on evil and on the good and sends

rain on the just and on the unjust For if you

love those who love you what reward do you have?

Do not even the tax collectors do the same and

if you greet only your brothers? What more are

you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles

do the same you therefore must be perfect as

your heavenly father is perfect So that's the

context of what we're looking at, right? So when

I when I say let's zoom out, there's our context.

He's talking about how to treat people Okay Especially

people you don't like dun dun dun that sucks,

right? especially people Who don't like you That's

even worse because let me tell you the people

that don't like me and I don't like them. I want

to You know spitting their cornflakes or whatever

however, you want to say it like I want to be

as brutally Mean and I would physically want

to fight At times and so Jesus is saying What

good is it to be like others? Like it's not doing

you any favors. You're supposed to look like

my kingdom." So he's saying, love your enemies,

pray for those who persecute you, right? He says

that in the Sermon on the Mount earlier on in

Matthew 5, if someone wrongs you, don't retaliate.

So when he lands on be perfect, he's not suddenly

switching topics to be more flawless. He's saying

this is what maturity looks like in the kingdom

of God. It looks like love that isn't selective.

It looks like grace that isn't earned. It looks

like a heart that reflects the Father. Now you

can be like, well, hold on. What do you mean?

Well, if we back back up in that same passage,

he says the rain to fall on the just and the

unjust, right? So that's what God does. He causes

the sun to rise on the evil and on the good.

He sends the rain on the just and the unjust.

In other words, God deals with people in a way

that is steady, consistent, and not based on

whether they deserve it. And we should be the

same way because that's maturity. Maturity is

not just, this is what you deserve, so I'm going

to treat you this way. Jesus says, you're my

disciples, so therefore we reflect the kingdom.

What does the kingdom reflect? My father. And

how does the father act? Well, he deals fairly,

right? And so this is what maturity is. So this

is what we're called to. And this is what it...

This is what we're called to, and this is what

it looks like for us to walk that out, right?

So now let's bring this into real life. Maturity

means I don't just love people who are easy to

love. It means I seek the good of people even

if they're not, quote unquote, my people, right?

They don't have to be my best friend. They don't

have to be in my inner circle. They don't even

have to agree with me or my opinions. Now, as

someone who's very opinionated, that stings a

little bit. But I'm called to seek their welfare.

Those who don't agree with me, those who are

not like me, those who are not a part of my circle,

those who are not a part of my tribe, if you

will, I'm still called to seek their welfare.

Well, Pastor Logan, where else does it say to

seek their welfare? Are you sure? Yeah, absolutely.

Because this idea isn't just showing up right

here before Jesus says it. It's actually told

to the children of Israel in Jeremiah 29. Now,

we all know Jeremiah 29, 11. Right? For I know

the plans that he has for me, plans to prosper

me and all that stuff. Right? Like we love that

part. But then it goes on and it says, seek the

welfare of the city where I have sent you, for

it is in their welfare that you will find your

welfare. And so he's talking about I'm sending

you into exile, into enslavement. That's God

speaking to his people. You're going to live

under a foreign nation, a hostile nation, and

here's what I want you to do. Seek their welfare.

Love them. He also says, have children, plant

gardens, plan to be there a while, and love those

around you. And that's wild. It's a wild thing

to think about. So God is telling his people,

work for the good of the place. You don't even

belong to. Why? Because maturity understands

something that immaturity doesn't. My life isn't

about me. And you guys hear me say that all the

time because that's what the Christian walk is.

It's living a life that is not about you. And

that's exactly what Jesus is getting at in the

Sermon on the Mount. If you're my disciple, you

don't just react. You don't just mirror what

others do to you. That's what Everybody does.

The father doesn't react that way. We shouldn't

either. And so the father is mature in how he

deals with people. Now let's talk about the tension

because I already feel that I failed this many

times over. Okay. So let's talk about the gospel

message here for you if you feel the same way

I do. And here's what it is. You may be thinking

to yourself, I failed, right? Like I can't do

this. I sinned. I'm not mature. I have throat

punched somebody. I have called someone names.

I have written someone off. Yadda, yadda, yadda,

right? That's okay. Of course you have. I've

done the same thing, but it doesn't disqualify

you. That's the beauty. All of this is a process

and Jesus knows that. Even the apostle Paul,

over and over, when I said he uses that word

teleos, he's using it in the way of maturity.

And he, over and over, he says, I'm seeking and

pressing on and striving towards and growing

and owning things in my life and taking accountability

before God so I can have a sense of responsibility.

I'm going to fail, but I'm going to own it. You

see what I'm saying? That's maturity, right?

He's not pretending he's arrived. He says that

over and over, but also he's not excusing his

immaturity. And that's the difference. Perfectionism

says, if I'm not flawless, I failed. Okay. And

that's not the gospel. The gospel says, the gospel

says you're being formed. All right. So perfectionism

says, I'm not flawless, therefore I failed, but

the gospel says I'm being formed. This is a process.

So perfectionism crushes you under a standard

you can't meet where maturity calls you upward

into the person God is shaping you to become.

So when Jesus says be perfect as your father

is perfect, he's not saying never mess up again.

He's speaking like a dad to us, and he's saying

grow up into the kind of person who loves like

your father loves. That's the goal. When I was

at Micah's baseball practice the other day, I

was watching as they were at practice, they were

doing these drills where they were supposed to

know where the ball was supposed to go, right?

And coaches, myself, we all know where the ball

is supposed to go, but these guys are learning.

And when they would mess up, they would hang

their head if they didn't throw the ball to the

right place. And I finally just yelled out, boys,

this is this is where you learn. You're supposed

to mess up in in practice. It's OK. Don't worry

about it. Shake it off. Let's move on to the

next one. Like you're learning. And it's the

same thing with us. Shake it off. You're learning.

You're striving. You're hoping to get better.

You're hoping to be more like Jesus. You're hoping

to mature. You didn't get it today. I'm going

to hopefully do better tomorrow. That's that's

the goal. It's not sinless perfection, but spirit

formed maturity. So a steady heart, a generous

posture, a life that seeks the good of others,

even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard,

let me say it like that. And honestly. That kind

of maturity, that's a lifelong journey. But it's

a good one and it's worth it. and it's the one

worth walking. I hope that's helpful. If you've

always got questions, you know that you can text

me, you can email me, you can message me on Facebook.

I love doing this, hadn't had one in a while,

so I was super pumped to get it. I hope you have

a good week. I can't wait to see you guys this

Sunday for... Palm Sunday, I'm going to be talking.

I'm going to, I'm going to be preaching that

text, but taking it in a different, a different

direction. So I'm excited to preach that. Um,

but that being said, I hope you have a great

week. We'll see you Sunday lessons.