Too perfect by Gary Rose

Camellia Flower

Camellia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are 100–300 described species, with some controversy over the exact number. There are also around 3,000 hybrids. The genus was named by Linnaeus after the Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel, who worked in the Philippines and described a species of camellia (although Linnaeus did not refer to Kamel's account when discussing the genus).^[1] Camellias are famous throughout East Asia; they are known as cháhuā (茶花, 'tea flower') in Chinese, tsubaki (椿) in Japanese, dongbaek-kkot (동백꽃) in Korean, and as hoa trà or hoa chè in Vietnamese.

Of economic importance in the Indian subcontinent and Asia, leaves of C. sinensis are processed to create the popular beverage, tea. The ornamental C. japonica, C. sasanqua and their hybrids are the source of hundreds of garden cultivars. C. oleifera produces tea seed oil, used in cooking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia

I enjoy the wide variety of posts that is found on facebook and while I was causally viewing them today, I saw this flower. I liked it so much that I read all the comments on the post (something I rarely do) and found a strange statement: "too perfect". This roused by curiosity, so I  looked at the picture again and noted the title "Japanese Camellia". So I went to Wikipedia and confirmed that there is a Japanese variation of the flower. So, the picture may in fact be real and not just a manipulated jpeg picture.

But, something still bothered me and after awhile I realized that it was a question that kept coming back to me again and again: Can anything be too perfect?  And with it another one: Can a Christian be too perfect?

I had errands that HAD to be done (which is why I am so late in posting today) but even though I was in the car for quite awhile, I just couldn't get this off my mind. On the way home, I thought of some thing from the Bible that seemed appropriate....

Mat 19:13-26 WEB
13  Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
14  But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”
15  He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.

16  Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

17  He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18  He said to him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’
19  ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20  The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?” 
21  Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  (emphasis added vss. 16-21)
22  But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.
23  Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.
24  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
25  When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26  Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Someone came to Jesus with a problem: Although he had done everything he thought was necessary to enter into eternal life something bothered him; he felt like something was lacking. In other words, he was looking for perfection. It is obvious that merely keeping God's law seemed insufficient, so he asked Jesus: “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

Jesus in response told him to sell what he had and give to the poor and follow him. He loved his riches and turned down Jesus' invitation. He didn't have an obedience problem he had a heart problem.

Jesus gave him the perfect solution and it was for his heart and not his head!

Jesus defines perfection and it is the heartfelt application of Matthew 5:2-12 ff.

In other words...

48  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.  Mat 5:48 WEB