Freedom is Good News Part 15
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The scripture says that God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) I guess this is somewhat obvious considering there are many out there who do not believe in God and yet their fields produce crops in abundance. They have food enough to eat. Perhaps as humans who inhabit our planet, this might seem somewhat counter intuitive. But God lets us know that He is not as we are! “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) I believe that says it quite nicely!
Having said all that, let’s go back to the opening statement and see just what the context for that comment by Jesus is. He is talking about love for one’s enemies; “You have heard it said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven …. Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:43-48)
God is God. He is perfect. And so God says to us, “I have set a very high bar for you to attain to.” It is not so easy to love our enemies and to pray for them. Be perfect as God is perfect! God knows what He is talking about. There is another place where God talks about a person attaining to perfection; it is found in Matt. 19 where a rich young man wanted to know what he must do to attain eternal life. Jesus, understanding the man and knowing where his heart was, told him to obey the commandments. The man acknowledged that he had kept them and wished to know what he lacked. Jesus told him very directly, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor.” Basically, Jesus told the man to separate himself from all that was important to him. And so the man went away sad because he had great wealth.
I believe we all know that there really isn’t anything we can do to get eternal life. Eternal life is the free gift of God to those who believe. So what was Jesus getting at by saying these things? In the similar episode in Mark’s gospel, we read that, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Mark 10:21)
I think Jesus was telling the man that he believed in his wealth more than he believed in God. This man had “good news” staring him in the face, literally; the good news of eternal life. But all he could see was his fortune.
Is there something sitting before your eyes that keeps you from seeing your Savior? Could it be a neighbor that you are having a hard time loving? Or perhaps some wealth that you are having a hard time parting with?
There is a song I enjoy singing where in the chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the thing of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Try doing that and perfection may be just around the corner. Jesus bids you to come to Him.
Until next time….