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Quotes & Notes on:
Matthew 5:48
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John Wesley, Notes On the New Testament (1755):
Therefore ye shall be perfect; as your Father who is in heaven is perfect-So the original runs, referring to all that holiness which is described in the foregoing verses, which our Lord in the beginning of the chapter recommends as happiness, and in the close of it as perfection.
And how wise and gracious is this, to sum up, and, as it were, seal all his commandments with a promise! Even the proper promise of the Gospel! That he will put those laws in our minds, and write them in our hearts! He well knew how ready our unbelief would be to cry out, this is impossible! And therefore stakes upon it all the power, truth, and faithfulness of him to whom all things are possible.
- William M. Greathouse, Love Made Perfect (1997) p 17:
The New Testament word for perfection is not a static but a dynamic, functional term. Our English word comes from the Latin pefectio, which means "absolute perfection" or "sinlessness." The New Testament word, the Greek teleios, derives from the root telos, which means "end" or "intended purpose."
- Norman A. Beck, LectionaryScriptureNotes.com
Since Matthew 5:48 is also expressed in an acclamation form, i.e., a Greek future indicative rather than as a hortatory imperative, it can also best be translated into English as a prediction and as a promise, in this instance, from Jesus Christ as our Lord. “You are going to be mature, fully developed, initiates into my community of faith, adults, and perfected, just as your Father in heaven is mature, fully developed, and perfected.” This translation, which conforms to the sense of the Greek future indicative much better than does the hortatory, “You must be perfect,” to which we have been accustomed, puts the climax of this Gospel reading for the day into a futuristic sense where, grammatically as well as theologically, it belongs. Our “being perfected” is a future action — like tomorrow, always future in this age for us. It is of great importance because it is a prediction and a promise made to us by our Lord. Furthermore, the future indicative construction is used in Matthew 5:48 with the Greek adjective teleioi, which as a descriptive adjective can be passive (“perfected”) implying God’s action on us, just as well as active or stative, something that we can or must do or be.
- Fred B. Craddock, Preaching the New Common Lectionary, Year A (1986):
Behavior that loves without distinction or reaction is perfect because it is behavior like that of God who is perfect (verse 48). "Perfect" can also be translated "complete" or "mature." It is not here referring to moral flawlessness but to love that is not partial or immature. Partial and immature love embraces those who embrace us and rejects those who reject us. To be perfect is to love in the manner of our God who is without partiality.
- Reginald Fuller's
Preaching the Lectionary (1984) p 553:
Jesus' command to love the enemy is so radical, even when compared with its Old Testament or Jewish parallels, as to be distinctive.
- W.D. Davies, The Sermon on the Mount (1966) p 147:
The concept of love is undoubtedly the best summation of the ethical teachings of Jesus. It is customary to state that Jesus enlarged the understanding of the demand of Love in three ways: (1) by inseparably conjoining the love of God and man; (2) by reducing the whole of the demand of God to the twofold commandment of love of God and of neighbour He gave to these two commandments an unmistakable priority; (3) by extending the term neighbour to include everybody He universalized the demand of love. All this is true; but more important is it to recognize that Jesus revealed the nature of 'love' itself.... And as Jesus radicalized love, so he radicalized the other demands of the Law, as is made clear in the Antitheses.
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William Baird,
Interpreter's Commentary, 1971:
To
be posted.
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J. McNicol, The New Bible
Commentary, 1954: To
be posted.
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I.H. Marshall, The New
Bible Commentary, 1970: To
be posted.
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David Guzik,
Study Guide for Luke
To
be posted.
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Chuck Smith,
Study Guide
for Luke:
To
be posted.
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Catechism of the Catholic
Church:
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1693 Christ Jesus always did what was pleasing to the Father, 5 and always lived in perfect communion with him. Likewise Christ's disciples are invited to live in the sight of the Father "who sees in secret," 6 in order to become "perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." -
1968 The Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Lord's Sermon on the Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old Law, releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it reveals their entire divine and human truth. It does not add new external precepts, but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure, where faith, hope, and charity are formed and with them the other virtues. The Gospel thus brings the Law to its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father, through forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the divine generosity. -
2013 "All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity." All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
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J. Norval Geldenhuys,
Bible Expositor, 1960: To
be posted.
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Abingdon Bible Commentary
(1929): To
be posted.
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D.D. Whedon, Commentary
on Matthew, 1866: Be not at the low standard of publicans and other ordinary men; but make God your model; as was commanded in verse 45. Be not low and imperfect, like unregenerate man, but rise to an imitation of our Father. Be perfect, by having a heart purified from all hate, and filled with all love. If thy vessel be filled with love, God can be no more than full. He is the perfect infinite, thou are the perfect finite.
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Joseph Parker, People's
Bible, 1901: To
be posted.
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The Fourfold Gospel:
Luke emphasizes the particular characteristic of God's perfection which Jesus has been discussing; namely, mercy (Lu 6:36); but Matthew records the broader assertion which bids us resemble God's perfections in all their fullness and universality. God is our model. Everything short of that is short of what we ought to be. God can not be satisfied with that which is imperfect. This requirement keeps us in mind of our infirmities, and keeps us at work. Like Paul, we must be ever striving (Php 3:12). Our standard is not the perfection of great and heroic men, but of the infinite Creator himself.
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:
* ye. Ge 17:1; Le 11:44; 19:2; 20:26; De 18:13; Job 1:1,2,3; Ps 37:37 Lu 6:36,40; 2Co 7:1; 13:9,11; Php 3:12-15; Col 1:28; 4:12; Jas 1:4 1Pe 1:15,16
* even. Mt 5:16,45; Eph 3:1; 5:1,2; 1Jo 3:3
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Robertson's Word Pictures:
Perfect (teleioi). The word comes from telos, end, goal, limit. Here it is the goal set before us, the absolute standard of our Heavenly Father. The word is used also for relative perfection as of adults compared with children.
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William Burkitt's Notes: That is, aim at perfection in all Christian virtues and divine graces, but particularly in this of love, in imitation of your heavenly Father, who is the perfect pattern of all desirable goodness and adorable perfections. To be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect, is indeed impossible, as to equality, but not as to imitation.
The word rendered here perfect by St. Matthew, is elsewere by St. Luke rendered merciful, Lu 6:36, implying, that charity is the perfection of a Christian's graces: he that is made perfect in love, is perfect in all divine graces, in the account of God.
Learn, 1. That there is no standing still in religion; he that will be saved must press on towards perfection.
Learn, 2. That no less than perfect and complete perfection in grace, and particularly in the grace of love and charity, is and ought to be the aim of every Christian in this life, and shall be his attainment in the next.
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Family Bible Notes: As your Father; imitate him in all his imitable perfections.
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1599 Geneva Bible Notes:
(No comment on this verse)
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People's New Testament Commentary: To carry out fully this great law of love would lift man to the Divine standard of perfection. This must be the aim of life. We have before us as a pattern for the perfect God; we have the Divine perfection embodied in Christ. It will require a constant struggle while in the flesh to come near so high an ideal, but it must be our continual aim. This does not teach such sanctification that we cannot sin, nor that we, here on earth, attain absolute perfection, but we have placed before us, as a model, the perfect ideal, and we will constantly ascend higher by striving to attain it.
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Albert Barnes' Commentary: Be ye therefore perfect, he concludes this part of the discourse by commanding his disciples to be perfect. This word commonly means finished, complete, pure, holy. Originally it is applied to a piece of mechanism, as a machine that is complete in its parts. Applied to men, it refers to completeness of parts, or perfection, when no part is defective or wanting. Thus Job (Job 1:1) is said to be perfect; that is, not holy as God, or sinless--for fault is afterwards found with him, (Job 9:20; 42:6) but his piety was proportionate--had a completeness of parts--was consistent and regular, he exhibited his religion as a prince, a father, an individual, a benefactor of the poor. He was not merely a pious man in one place, but uniformly. He was consistent everywhere. This was the meaning in Matthew. Be not religious merely in loving your friends and neighbours, but let your piety be shown in loving your enemies; be perfect; imitate God; let the piety be complete, and proportionate, and regular. This every Christian may be; this every Christian must be.
"Be ye therefore perfect" Ge 17:1; De 18:13; Lu 6:36,40; Col 1:28
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Jamieson-Faussett Brown: perfect--or complete. Manifestly, our Lord here speaks, not of degrees of excellence, but of the kind of excellence which was to distinguish His disciples and characterize His kingdom. When therefore He adds,
even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect--He refers to that fullorbed glorious completeness which is in the great Divine Model, "their Father which is in heaven."
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Spurgeon Commentary on Matthew: Or, “Ye shall be perfect.” We should reach after completeness in love —
fullness of love to all around us. Love is the bond of perfectness; and, if we
have perfect love, it will form in us a perfect character. Here is that which
we aim at perfection like that of God; here is the manner of obtaining it—
namely, by abounding in love; and this suggests the question of how far we
have proceeded in this heavenly direction, and also the reason why we
should persevere in it even to the end, because as children we ought to
resemble our Father. Scriptural perfection is attainable: it lies rather in
proportion than in degree. A man’s character may be perfect, and entire,
wanting nothing; and yet such a man will be the very first to admit that the
grace which is in him is at best in its infancy, and though perfect as a child
in all its parts, it has not yet attained to the perfection of full-grown
manhood.
What a mark is set before us by our Perfect King, who, speaking from his
mountain-throne, saith, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect”! Lord, give what thou cost command; then both the
grace and the glory will be thine alone.
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Adam Clarke's Commentary: God himself is the grand law, sole giver, and only pattern of the perfection which he recommends to his children. The words are very emphatic,  , Ye shall be therefore perfect-ye shall be filled with the spirit of that God whose name is Mercy, and whose nature is love. God has many imitators of his power, independence, justice, &c., but few of his love, condescension, and kindness. He calls himself LOVE, to teach us that in this consists that perfection, the attainment of which he has made both our duty and privilege: for these words of our Lord include both a command and a promise.
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Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: (No comment on this verse)
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