Read Matt 5:21–48
Mat 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (44) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45) so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (46) For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (47) And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (48) You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Yesterday’s reading ended with, Mat 5:20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Today’s reading goes into describing what that looks like and feels like. It’s bad enough when the commandments condemn me for my outward transgressions. While I like to think I keep them outwardly pretty good, I know I just don’t get caught most of the time by people. But now Jesus is condemning me because of what is going on in my heart. I can try to fool myself that I am good because I don’t get caught and what people do see me do isn’t all that bad, but when my conscience is lightened by God’s most holy law given by Jesus all I can see is darkness most of the time.

We know God is impartial. That is what verse forty-five is telling us. God bestows His gifts to all people regardless of whether they fear, love and trust in Him or not. We do our best to treat those who treat us well good. But to those who don’t treat us well, well, they’re in trouble. But that is not the Christian way. Jesus has baptized you into Himself. He has given you his life and his Holy Spirit. Jesus has given you a new heart and created you into a new creation. He has called us in baptism to be God’s children.

So what Jesus is describing and commanding here is the new life to rise out of our old one. Jesus is the perfect image of God and we are being conformed to that image. It is that image that Jesus is talking about that we may be lifted out of the mire that is this old dark life into his life. Jesus is the One who has lived these commands as he gives them in his life. We are baptized into Jesus. His life is our life now. We are children of the heavenly Father so we are called to be perfect, that is complete as the Father is. We are so in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus’ perfect work declares us to be perfect, holy and blameless. He is now living that life and work out in our lives. Where we see ourselves failing in this we confess our sins and trust in Christ’ saving work all the more.

Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Grant us such faith in your work for us that it is credited to our account and give us your Holy Spirit that we may make a beginning of your life in our lives to the people around us. Amen.