Matthew 5:48
Encyclopedia
Matthew 5:48 is the forty-eighth and final verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
. This is the final verse of the final antithesis
, and it is a summary of Jesus' earlier teachings.
In the King James Version of the Bible
the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:48
The formulation is this verse is known as the imitatio Die a similar verse appears at Luke 6:36 and may have originally been in Q. The verse might be modelled on Leviticus 19:2.
There is much debate about what exactly this verse means. Being as perfect as God seen by most as an impossibility. Some scholars believe that Jesus is here setting a goal that is certain to be impossible, so that we will realize this and be humble. The pursuit of perfection is important, even if the attainment of it impossible.
An alternative view is that this is a limited form of perfection that is being asked. Fowler notes that elsewhere in the New Testament, it is stated that those who believe in Jesus and rely fully upon him for all things is perfect. In Jewish scripture certain individuals such as Abraham
and Noah
are referred to as perfect because of their perfect obedience to God. In these passages perfect is used as a synonym for complete, and perfect obedience to God is simply complete obedience to God. The Qumran followers described themselves as the followers of the "perfect way," in that they were followers of what they believed was perfect dedication to God.
A third view is to link the word perfect, or telios, to how it is used by the Greek philosophers. To them something was perfect if it fully be its intended function. Barclay argues that the previous verses made clear that man's function is to love, and anyone who does that absolutely can be considered perfect.
This command is somewhat different than the earlier one's in that it is in the future tense
. This makes it seem like something of a promise as well as a command.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
. This is the final verse of the final antithesis
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
, and it is a summary of Jesus' earlier teachings.
In the King James Version of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
the text reads:
- Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
- Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Therefore you shall be perfect, just
- as your Father in heaven is perfect.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:48
The formulation is this verse is known as the imitatio Die a similar verse appears at Luke 6:36 and may have originally been in Q. The verse might be modelled on Leviticus 19:2.
There is much debate about what exactly this verse means. Being as perfect as God seen by most as an impossibility. Some scholars believe that Jesus is here setting a goal that is certain to be impossible, so that we will realize this and be humble. The pursuit of perfection is important, even if the attainment of it impossible.
An alternative view is that this is a limited form of perfection that is being asked. Fowler notes that elsewhere in the New Testament, it is stated that those who believe in Jesus and rely fully upon him for all things is perfect. In Jewish scripture certain individuals such as Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
are referred to as perfect because of their perfect obedience to God. In these passages perfect is used as a synonym for complete, and perfect obedience to God is simply complete obedience to God. The Qumran followers described themselves as the followers of the "perfect way," in that they were followers of what they believed was perfect dedication to God.
A third view is to link the word perfect, or telios, to how it is used by the Greek philosophers. To them something was perfect if it fully be its intended function. Barclay argues that the previous verses made clear that man's function is to love, and anyone who does that absolutely can be considered perfect.
This command is somewhat different than the earlier one's in that it is in the future tense
Future tense
In grammar, a future tense is a verb form that marks the event described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the future , or to happen subsequent to some other event, whether that is past, present, or future .-Expressions of future tense:The concept of the future,...
. This makes it seem like something of a promise as well as a command.