BE A TELEIOS! (MATURE)
Matthew 5:33-48
A mature person is a follower of Christ who through persistent study of the Word, backed up by a completely surrendered life, and transformed by the amazing empowerment of the Holy Spirit, has learned to respond to life’s challenges in ways that are good and right and honoring to God. A mature disciple lives in truth, gives up his or her right to retaliate, and loves his or her enemies.
We just finished our series on faith. That was a challenging and difficult series at least from my end. I hope you got the key points of faith.
Today I want us to reflect about our lives with God. How we are doing. Are we growing in the Lord? Are we being transformed? Are we becoming more God-like? Are we learning the ways of the Lord to replace wrongly held beliefs, values that fall short of people redeemed God, mindsets and worldviews that are less reflecting this sinful and ungodly world and looking more like those of our Father in heaven? Are we developing social skills that enable us to forgive, to let go, to not hold too much on what people owe us, to be understanding, to be accepting, to be loving enough to confront, to be humble enough to be restored, to be teachable, to be in a position to learn.
Are our lives – spiritual gifts, financial resources – being more submitted to God? Are we more open to help others in need? Are we becoming more less self-centred and more others centred and especially God-centered? Are we maturing in the Lord?
We exist as a church to make mature disciples! Mature disciples that is the kind of product we want to produce in this church.
Children looking like their parents. Daniel Villa has got to be your dad!” This is a case where the son resembles the father.
I share all this because today, as we pick up our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we come to a well-known passage of Scripture in which Jesus lists several Godly qualities, attitudes and behaviors that combine to make us recognizable as children of our Heavenly Father. Take your Bibles and read this text with me and listen for these God-like traits. We’re looking at Matthew 5:33-48 and Jesus is delivering His sermon of sermons to that crowd sitting on the mountainside on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Okay, how many specific Godly attitudes and actions did you count? It’s packed full of them isn’t it?! As verse 45 puts it, when we embrace these Godly character traits, then in the same way that my brother is clearly recognizable as the son of Fernando E. Villa, we become clearly recognizable as “sons of our Father in Heaven.” Verse 48 emphasizes this even further and says when we live life according to these Godly principles, we are then, “perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect.”
I want to make sure you don’t misunderstand this phrase. The word we translate as “perfect” is “teleios” and it is a word that referred to functional perfection. In other words, in the New Testament era a thing was considered “teleios” when it fully realized the purpose for which it was planned, and designed, and made.
Let me share a personal illustration to help you see what I mean. A few weeks ago I took home one of the wireless mikes so I could dry it up with a dryer. The challenge came with the screw driver. I had a big one, but it won’t turn the small screw. That screw driver always reliable did not fit. I had to look for a smaller screw – those cheap ones. It may be cheap and does not look impressive, but it was the perfect fit. It was a teleios.
Is it not amusing that when we miss or fail we say, “I screwed up.” Now I know this is often used as a cuss word – and I am not using it that way. I use it here only to say that a perfect fit – a perfect instrument for a job to be done, for a mission to be accomplish.
I hope this helps you to see that as Jesus’ disciples we will be “teleios”—we will be perfect—if we fulfill the purpose for which we were created. Now, think about that a moment. What exactly is our purpose as human beings? In Genesis 1:26 God speaks to the other two members of the Trinity and says mankind was “… made after Our image and after Our likeness.” In other words we were created to be like God—to act like God—to look at people and treat people and respond to people in a Godly way. That is our intended purpose. As Jesus puts it later in this sermon, people are to see our good works, and praise our Father, Who is in Heaven. Of course, none of us succeed in this perfectly all the time. To borrow from my repair venture, many times in life we “screw up” but nevertheless this is to be our goal. We are to always strive to become this kind of person.
In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus paints a detailed picture of a godly person by citing three examples of the ways that “teleios” Christians—or mature Christians should live. When we live this way, we become recognizable as God’s children because these attitudes and actions are very counter-cultural, to the point of being directly opposed to our world’s ungodly standards. Living out the teachings of this text sets us apart from the people around us who embrace the selfish, me-first philosophies of our sinful culture. It makes people who know us stop and think, “This person is different, but he reminds me of Someone, let’s see, who is it? Oh yes! This must be a child of God.”
So what are the attitudes and behaviors that our Lord said help us fulfill our purpose by making us more “teleios”, more like God? Or to put it another way, “What does a mature disciple look like?”
(1) First, in this sermon Jesus says they are known for their commitment to truth-telling. Look back at verses 35-37. Our Lord says, “Do not swear at all, simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Jesus is not saying here that it is wrong to make an oath. In fact several times in the Bible we are encouraged to do so. For example, Deuteronomy 10:20 says, “Fear the Lord your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.” And, in the New Testament Paul frequently swears by the Lord, crying, “As God is my witness!” (Romans 1:9; 2nd Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 1:8; 1st Thessalonians 2:5, 10)
So, Jesus is not saying we should avoid oaths, or vows. No, His command has to do with vows that are added to a statement because the person making them thinks that additional promises will make his statement more trustworthy, and of course they don’t! Jesus’ point is that our word ought to stand on its own. Charles Swindoll writes, “When a monosyllable will do, why waste your breath on polysyllables. Keep it simple. Say ‘yes’ or say ‘no’ because verbosity is no guarantee of veracity.”
Well, “teleios” Christians—mature, Godly believers—are known as people of their word. They don’t need extra oaths. They don’t need to talk like children who say things like, “Cross my heart until I die, stick a needle in my eye, if this isn’t true.” They don’t have to say things like this because as “sons” of the one true God, they are known for the fact that they are committed to truth. They understand that as Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.” And, truth-telling does indeed make us stand out, because these days our culture tells us that lying is not only okay, but necessary to get through life. More and more, truth is a rare thing.
I’m reminded of Daniel Webster’s statement: “There is nothing so powerful as truth—and often nothing so strange.” Webster is right. Truth is stranger than fiction these days. In fact, in the past few years we have completely reclassified lying. No longer is it distasteful or unacceptable. Now it’s an art form known as “spin.” We expect lawyers, lobbyists, journalists, talk-show hosts and anyone else in the public view to “spin” the truth if it serves their purposes. If a politician can successfully “spin” a version of truth so as to either soothe listeners or deceive them, these days he is considered to be an exceptionally good politician; someone worth looking up to, a real leader. Gone are the days when greatness and honesty were a package deal.
This reminds me of the story of, a minister who noticed a group of boys standing around a small stray dog. “What are you doing, boys?” he asked. “Telling lies.” one of them replied. “The one who tells the biggest lie gets to keep this dog.” The minister was shocked and said to them, “When I was your age, I would never have thought of telling a lie.” The boys looked at each other with disappointment on their faces. Finally one shrugged, pointed at the minister, and said, “I guess he wins the dog.”
It sounds as if Isaiah 59:3-4 is describing our present day. Listen to what it says, “No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.”
Psalm 12:1-2 also comes to mind where it says, “Help, O Lord! For the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.”
In his work, The Christian Century, Lloyd Steffen writes of a time back in the eighteenth century when King Frederick II of Prussia visited a Berlin prison. One inmate after another tried to convince the monarch of his innocence with long verbose oaths. To hear them tell it, they were all being punished unjustly for crimes they never committed, all that is except one man who sat quietly in a corner while all the rest unfolded their lengthy and complicated stories. Seeing him sitting there, oblivious to the commotion, the king asked the man why he was in prison. “Armed robbery, your honor” The king asked, “Were you guilty?” “Yes sir” he answered, without attempting to excuse his wrongdoing. When he said this, King Frederick gave the guard an order, “Release this guilty man. I don’t want him corrupting all these innocent people.”
Well, how are you doing in this area? Do you stand out; are you recognizable, as a child of the one true God because everyone knows your word your bond? Let me probe a bit further. Are you known as someone who always does what he says he will do on the job or rather as the employee who constantly looks for ways to get by? Would your creditors say that you stand out to them as someone who always pays your debts on time? Would your neighbors say you always keep your promise to return things you borrow? Husbands and wives, would it be accurate to say that you have kept your vow to put your spouse first every day of your marriage? Parents would your kids say that you always keep your word to them, always keep your promise to spend time with them or help them with their homework, or would they say you put them on the back burner so you can do things you enjoy? Remember, spiritual brothers and sisters, our elder Brother, Jesus, the Christ, says that one thing that identifies you as a child of God is that you are an honest person, a truthful person. Your yes means yes and your no means no.
(2) A second thing Jesus says is this. Mature disciples are willing to release their rights to retaliate when wronged by others (Sacrificial service). Look at verses 38-42 where Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
In verse 38 Jesus cites the oldest law in the world, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” also known as Lex Talonis which appeared in the earliest known code of laws, the Code of Hammurabi, a man who ruled over Babylon from 2285 to 2242 BC. This ancient law became part of the ethics of the Old Testament. Exodus 21:23-25 says, “If there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” This tit-for-tat philosophy may sound savage but its original aim was to limit vengeance. Its purpose was to begin to help ungodly humanity learn to understand the concept of mercy.
In any case the people who heard Jesus’ sermon that day embraced this way of thinking. They had been taught that when attacked or insulted, retribution equaled justice! But Jesus says people who want to be perfect, people who want to be “teleios”, people who want to be like God must respond differently. They must release their rights to hurt those who hurt them. Jesus gives us four specific examples of this principle: walk the second mile, give away your tunic and your cloak, give to those who want to borrow from you, but in the interest of time I can only deal with the first where Jesus says when stricken we must turn the other cheek. And, we must understand, Jesus wasn’t just talking about a mere slap on the cheek here. He was talking about the way we should respond when people intentionally offend us.
You see, in that culture, a slap on the cheek was seen as an insult. And to turn the other cheek, as a way of inviting a second slap, was even more offensive because the back of the hand would have to be used. We refer to this kind of thing in our day and age by saying, “That was backhanded compliment if I’ve ever heard one!” When we say this we are acknowledging it wasn’t a compliment but an insult.
But the fact is we are very good at giving as good as we got when it comes to our response to the attacks and insults of others. A good example of this is Winston Churchill, who had an ongoing feud with Lady Ascot. It’s reported that on one occasion, she found the great statesman obviously inebriated in a hotel elevator. With cutting disgust she snipped, “Sir Winston, you are drunk!” to which he replied, “M’lady, I may be drunk but you are ugly and tomorrow I will be sober but you still will be ugly.”
And, unfortunately, we are all like Sir Winston. We take pride in making one person’s sarcastic jab look mild compared to our back-of-the-hand retorts. We cheer for people with black-eyes who say, “If you think I look beat up, you should see the other guy!”
Jesus says, don’t do this. He says, “If you want to be like Me, don’t respond in kind. Instead go against the flow, stand out by turning the other cheek.” And this is indeed the Christ-like response. Remember, as Isaiah prophesied, Jesus was, “… oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.” (Is 53:7) Well, part of resembling God involves our willingness to release our rights to retaliate against people who hurt us or take advantage of us. This is the Christ-like way to respond in times like this.
The great Christian author Watchman Nee whose picture is on the wall behind me once said, “Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others. We become preoccupied with what is and what is not right. You ask me, ‘Is it right for someone to strike my cheek?’ I reply, ‘Of course not!’ But the question is, do you only want to be right? As Christians our standard of living can never be ‘right or wrong,’ but the Cross. The principle of the Cross is our principle of conduct, ‘right or wrong’ is the principle of the Gentiles and tax gatherers. My life is to be governed by the principle of the Cross and the perfection of the Father.”
And he’s right. But please note, Jesus suggests two cheeks not dozens of them and two miles not hundreds and your cloak not all your possessions. In other words, He’s not saying Godly people are to make themselves doormats to the abusive people of the world.
Referring to this principle of life, Charles Hadden Spureon said “We are to be the anvil when bad men are the hammers.” In other words we are to take the blows of bad men’s words and let them bounce off of us. But nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to welcome abuse. Jesus’ point is not that we should let people physically abuse us but rather that we should refrain from trying to get even. You should train yourself such that your knee jerk reaction to the jerks of the world is not to retaliate. As wise King Solomon said, “A prudent man overlooks an insult.” (Proverbs 12:16) Even the former short-tempered Peter learned that we must not, “… repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9)
When you learn this aspect of maturity, you usually discover that the conflict ends as quickly as it began, and many times this Christ-like, unworldly response, has a powerful positive impact on our attackers.
This leads to a final principle of Godliness that Jesus gives us in this portion of His sermon.
(3) He says that people who want to be like our Heavenly Father must learn to love all people—even their enemies. This is another behavior that makes us stand out such that we are recognizable as children of God. Look at verses 43-47. Jesus says, “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. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Now, the people listening to Jesus’ sermon that day had heard it said that they should hate their enemies, but they didn’t hear God saying this. He had told them to love their neighbors, but the Pharisees had added the last part. No, God has always taught His children to love, all people. As Proverbs 25:21 says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” So it was the Pharisees who taught that love should be limited to those who deserve it and Jesus responded to this common teaching by saying, “No, if you want to be like God, you must act in love toward all people, even those who persecute you.” Now please note, Jesus does not say, “Love the way your enemies live, love the things they do, defend their evil practices.” No, Jesus is talking about loving people, people with eternal souls, spiritually blind men and women who know nothing of Christ’s power and love. You see, agape love, Godly love, looks beyond sinful actions. It sees beyond hateful words such that it is able to see another soul in need of help.
I think of the late Corrie ten Boom and her response to the Nazi guards who had brutalized her sister. She was able to look beyond what they had done and forgive them. She refused to live the rest of her life brimming with resentment and bitterness, because she wanted to be like God and Godly love sees beyond the evil someone does. It is a love that is unconditional.
Godly love is a love that values, cherishes, all people in spite of their “smell.” Regardless of their sins, Godly love, loves the sinner.
Listen to this quote from C. S. Lewis from his classic book Mere Christianity: “The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste your time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; just ACT as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less, the difference between a Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only affections or ‘likings’ and the Christian has only ‘charity.’ The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them; the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on, including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.”
Well, I challenge you to try C. S. Lewis’ philosophy. Try acting loving, even toward people who hate you and see if you don’t begin to dislike them less. And you know, this loving way of acting may have even more surprising results. God may use your Godly actions to change the heart of that person. They may just wonder why you don’t retaliate to the point that they become open to your telling them about your own experience with God’s grace.
Someone once said that God has really given men five gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you. And this is so true. People come to know Jesus through the Bible and also through Christians who respond in loving, Godly ways to all people—even their enemies.
Pastor Ray Pitchard shares one interesting story that helps us see this truth applied. He shares of a Chinese Christian who owned a rice field next to one owned by a communist. The Christian irrigated his field by pumping water out of a canal, using one of those leg-operated pumps that make the user appear to be seated on a bicycle. Every day, after the Christian had pumped enough water to fill his field, the communist would come out, remove some boards that kept the water in the Christian’s field, and let all the water flow down into his own field. That way, he didn’t have to pump. This continued day after day. Finally the Christian prayed, “Lord, if this keeps up, I’m going to lose all my rice, maybe even my field. I’ve got a family to care for. What can I do?” In answer to his request, the Lord put a thought in his mind. So the next morning he arose much earlier, in the predawn hours of darkness, and started pumping water into the field of his communist neighbor. Then he replaced the boards and pumped water into his own rice paddy. In a few weeks both fields of rice were doing well, and the communist was converted to faith in Jesus Christ.
Challenge
We are called to become mature disciples. God and live out the three, remembering that these express what our heavenly Father wants for you.
