[CYM] 28.0 Be Perfect

Yeshua’s command to be perfect is found in Matthew 5:48, at the conclusion of a radical section in the Sermon on the Mount. He says: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. This command comes after Yeshua calls His followers to love not just friends, but enemies (Matthew 5:43–47).

The context makes clear that perfection refers not to flawlessness, but to complete, mature love—the kind of love that reflects God’s own character.

The Greek word translated perfect is teleios, meaning complete or mature. Yeshua is commanding His disciples to grow into the fullness of God’s love, extending grace even to those who don’t deserve it, just as God: ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

In Luke 6:36, a parallel teaching reads: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Luke focuses on mercy as the defining trait of divine perfection. Both Gospels emphasize that God’s standard is not based on human fairness, but on generous, sacrificial love.

While the phrase be perfect is unique to Matthew, the call to wholehearted devotion and godly character runs throughout the Gospels. In John 13:34–35, Yeshua commands and says, a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another, again linking spiritual maturity to love.

Thus, the call to be perfect is a call to reflect God’s love in every relationship, growing into His likeness through mercy, humility, and grace.