Saturday, February 18th, 2017
Don’t Be Perfect
One of the common themes in two of the scripture readings today, from Leviticus and from Matthew, are that we should aim to be like God. We’re to be holy and we’re to be perfect, like God himself. That’s quite a tall order, isn’t it?
Let me highlight those particular passages. You may recall that the reading from Leviticus starts out with the words, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” It then goes on to describe ways to be holy.
In the Matthew reading, it’s the other way around. After describing ways in which we should live and behave, Jesus ends his words with the very challenging sentence, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
In our contemporary culture, most would say that the word holy means godly, pious, devout, righteous, good, virtuous, sinless, and pure. Those synonyms are close, but actually not quite right. Holy means something else.
Religious scholars define holiness as being set apart from the natural world for a special purpose. That which was holy was otherworldly, not part of nature, but part of the divine!
So if we’re to be holy-- if we’re to be like God-- then we as a people need to be set apart, different, not conforming to the natural way of things, but behaving as if the whole world is upside down! We’re no longer part of nature, but part of the divine. That’s what’s required of us.
What does that even look like? Leviticus gives us a bit of an insight into the otherworldly nature of God. For example, leaving crops on the field, and grapes in the vineyard for the poor and needy, reflect a generosity and faith that God will provide. Being honest, not stealing, not swearing falsely, gossiping about neighbours, nor mistreating the handicapped reflects an integrity of character that sometimes requires supernatural strength to do. Both integrity and generosity are not the natural way of things.
For example, babies don’t come out of the womb saying, “it’s okay, you go first,” or “here, have my baba.” They scream out in anger at the smallest offence, and their favourite word is “mine!” We teach them to be generous, but even as adults, generosity is an effort for most of us.
It’s tempting to give a little insane laugh when Jesus says, “be perfect.” How is that possible? If there’s one thing I’ve established over my 48 years, it’s that perfection is never something I will attain. So why would he even ask this?
I think I have an answer for that. I think Jesus is establishing a baseline for us. He’s telling us what’s required, and he wants us to throw our arms up in the air in hopelessness. Really, I think this is the point. After all, perfection is frankly unattainable. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you will never be generous enough, nor have integrity enough to please God. Some of us are better at faking it for longer, but most know: our own efforts only go so far.
So I think Jesus wants us to simultaneously know what’s required by God, and to know we cannot achieve it.
The idea of being hit in the face, and turning my cheek for another blow may sound romantically spiritual, but I’d likely turn around and run. Or come back swinging! I like to think I’d love my enemies, but there are a few names that come to mind for which love is not the first emotion I have.
So this is why I need Christ. I need to understand his words so I will yearn for perfection; I need to appreciate my weakness, my true inability to save myself, and I need to fling myself on his mercy, fully recognizing my broken, selfish, egocentric, self-absorbed reality.
That sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? To own up to our faults? It can be scary too, if we’ve deluded ourselves into thinking we’re doing pretty good.
But the opposite is true! This isn’t hopeless, this is a reason to have hope! Perfection is required, and God is making me perfect. Holiness is required, and God makes me holy.
It’s out of our hands! And that’s a good thing!
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