In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says (NIV), “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is a verse I have often thought about, trying to work out its exact meaning, because I have trouble believing that any human can be perfect, let alone me. Even the apostle Paul felt that way, for in Romans 7:15 he says, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Now I know that even though Jesus knew we as humans had imperfections, he couldn’t say something like, “Be 87% perfect.” That would be like a football coach saying, “Give it your full 50% on every play.” What does the verse mean?

I’m a retired math teacher, and whenever I taught calculus, which was almost more times than I can count, I’d always ask the class, “What is my favorite song by the Eagles?” Now in most classes there would only be a short pause before someone would guess the correct song and say, “Take It to the Limit,” even though the Eagles were popular years before their time – in later years before they were born. The song, one of their biggest hits, was written and sung by Randy Meisner, one of the founding members of the Eagles. It also contributed to his exit from the group; against the wishes of the rest of the group he wanted to stop singing the song, because he was having trouble hitting some of its very high notes. He was unwilling to settle for anything other than perfect. After he left the group, Glen Frey sometimes sang the song, but it was a version that was easier to sing. Paulette and I have seen several Eagles tribute groups perform, but none have sung the song.

Limits are a very important, albeit technical and abstract, part of calculus. Here is how they typically occur (sorry for a brief mathematical interlude – but it won’t hurt a bit). Suppose you are trying to find (or sometimes even define) some quantity. Well, since you don’t know what it is, you approximate it (Mathematicians are often accused of not knowing what they’re talking about, and it’s true, since they are always approximating.) You still don’t know the exact answer, so you make a better approximation. If you continue to make better and better approximations in a good enough way, the exact answer will be the limit of your approximations. You can then find the quantity by using various theorems about limits. The two fundamental concepts in calculus, derivative and integrals, are defined in this way.

It is probably unusual to use calculus to understand scripture, but let me explain how it’s helped me. My understanding of “Be Ye Perfect” is analogous to my understanding of the use of limits in calculus. We are not perfect, but we try to approximate it. As we mature in our beliefs, we strive to make better and better approximations of perfect. “Be Ye Perfect” means that we are to use our faith to try to make the limit of our approximations be the `perfect’ that Christ expects, and unlike Meisner, we do not have the option of using our imperfection as a reason for not continuing to try to reach it. Remember that God’s grace is free and that He loves YOU and me unconditionally.

Jim