God's Last Words

“THE HIGH CALLING”

MATTHEW 5: 38-48 NRSV

Red Skelton once told a joke a joke about being perfect: Once upon a time, a perfect man and a perfect woman met. After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding.

Their life together was, of course, perfect. One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, this perfect couple was driving their perfect car along a winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress.

Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. Not wanting to disappoint any children on Christmas Eve, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle.

Soon they were driving along delivering toys. Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident. Only one of them survived the accident. The question is: Who was the survivor?

Obviously, the perfect woman survived. She's the only one who really existed in the first place. Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.


But you women need to stop listening because that is the end of the joke.

Men: So, if there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. And that explains why there was a car accident. By the way, if you're a woman and you're hearing this, this illustrates another point: Women never listen to men’s instructions, either.

Let’s face it: The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he or she fills out a job application.

One last poke: Why did God create men before women? Because you always need a ROUGH draft before you can create perfection.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

"You have heard that it was 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 children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.

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 and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The words used for “perfection” in the Hebrew (tamim and tamam) and the Greek scriptures (teleious) mean:

1) Having reached its end

2) Complete, finished, fully grown; mature.

3) Intact, fully formed, intact and without blame or imperfection.

So when talk about perfect things we are talking about an object of person whose purpose and being has been fully realized. Jesus is telling us that if we are perfect then we have fully accomplished what God set out to create when humanity was formed in the Garden of Eden.

This and the following section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount describe the perfect virtues of the person who is at one with God and God’s Absolute Characteristics, which are firmly established in Truth, purity, and integrity, without sin or bondage to worldly corruption, and always exhibits the fullness of sanctifying grace. Such a person would be called a saint.

One of the few things of agreement in the world’s religions is this upholding of a higher calling to the perfect human being. Such a person embodies in himself the perfections of an ultimate reality of behavior.

This type of person is truly felt to reflect the image of God which could be the ultimate purpose of humanity. We say the saint has overcome selfish desires and is purified of any feelings of lust, greed, or other cravings. He is unfettered by attachment to worldly concerns for wealth, power, or reputation.

He is free from bondage to sin and does not have any desire to commit sin: in Augustine's words, he is free to "love God perfectly and do what God wills."

Yet if you listen to the Holy Spirit, know Jesus, and read the Apostle Paul you know that human perfection is impossible. In those immortal words, “Houston, we have a problem!” We can never fulfill Jesus’ teachings in these verses.

1 John 1: 8 tells us plainly “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

But there is a way. God created us with the ability but because of sin we lost the desire to live perfectly in relationship with God.

1 John 1: 9 solves our problem: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God has our back!

John Wesley’s concept of Christian perfection is the best description of how God made it possible for us to gain the perfection of righteousness.

Wesley’s perfection is not about living a mistake-free life but rather about the motivation to attempt to do so. Christian perfection is about living through the lens of love.

Moving onto Christian perfection isn’t about not sinning, but in accepting the grace that Christ offers to make you perfect, and to continue to grow in grace.

Wesley said, “Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance or mistake, or infirmities or temptations. Indeed, it is only another term for holiness. They are two names for the same thing. Thus every one that is perfect is holy, and every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect.”

Wesley is saying that we need to learn that as we live each day in the grace of Christ, our love for God must grow, and that divine love will sanctify us into righteousness and the perfection of God. Eventually our actions will become saintly because that’s where our head and heart will be.

So here when we realize the impossibility of living up to Jesus’ example and teachings on being perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, we see that there is a way to overcome the impossible.

Jesus’ death on the Cross triumphs! It keeps us from ever violating 1 John 1: 10 - “If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

One last point: Bill walks into a post office one day to see a middle-aged man standing at the counter enthusiastically writing addresses on bright pink envelopes covered with hearts.

He then takes out a scent bottle and starts spraying perfume over them. Bill’s curiosity gets the better of him and he walks over to the man and asks him what he’s doing.

“I’m sending out 1,000 Valentine’s Day cards signed, ‘Guess who?’” says the man.

“Why on earth are you doing that?” asks Bill.“Because I’m a divorce lawyer.” replies the man.

There are always going to be people telling us we’ll never be good enough for God, or that we’re hypocrites claiming the perfection of God when we aren’t. The devil works that way as well.  He spoiled his relationship with God and desires to drag us down with him.

All it requires to start on the road to perfection requires admitting and confessing your need for assistance and accountability to God.

The truth is that Jesus’ Grace is sufficient for us. That is the Good News! We can never earn perfection through our actions but we can claim it through Him that is and was perfect.

One last scriptural reference: 1 John 2: 1-2: “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ the Righteous one. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

“Propitiation” is a theological term for the removal of divine wrath. Jesus has turned God’s wrath away from sinners and allows us to appear perfect to God.

Amen.