Image via Wikipedia An awkward verse, certainly. Matt 5.48 has left many people stumped. Certainly Jesus couldn't really be telling us that in order to enter eventually into the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to be perfect…
And not only perfect, but as perfect as is our Father in Heaven…
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Since no one can be perfect, as perfect as God Himself, obviously the verse must mean something else. Probably Jesus is just using hyperbole [exaggeration for literary purpose] to make a point. Jewish people in His day used hyperbole a lot. That would mean that to understand Jesus, we'd "un-exaggerate" these words into something like, "Try really hard to be exceptionally good." Or maybe Jesus was using the word "perfect" to mean "very, very mature" — since after all, the Pharisees were very, very mature. Then another possibility is that Jesus was using "compression" [another literary device] where the speaker "compresses the time-scale" so that he's talking about the future Kingdom of Heaven and the perfection we'll eventually experience and only sounds like He's talking about now...
But is it safe to read a Scripture, especially one seemingly as simple and clear as this one, and spin its interpretation so that it means something other than what it says?
What if Jesus actually meant what He said? What if He actually meant that if you or I am not as perfect as God Himself, we'll never be allowed into Heaven?
Let's consider another interpretation of this verse. Let's take it at face value. We'll look at it — just as it stands — and see if it makes sense. Here's a straightforward interpretation:
"Since no one (anywhere, anytime) is perfect, it's impossible for any human being in the history of the earth to be allowed entry into the Kingdom of Heaven."
How's that for straight-from-the-shoulder honesty? Jesus was essentially telling every one of His listeners that getting into Heaven was flat impossible. No one could ever do it. Impossible.
His disciples got His drift, especially since Jesus repeated this idea in other places, other teachings. Jesus really was saying that it was impossible for anyone to get into Heaven. He said it again when the rich, young ruler turned away from Jesus. They were stunned. They gasped and almost fell down in shock and cried out to Jesus, "Then it's impossible for anyone to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!" And Jesus agreed. Patted them on their backs and said, "You got it."
But then He added this: "What is impossible for man, is possible for God."
Emil & Shell Swift
www.KingdomScribes.net
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