Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be good enough? Like there’s some impossible standard you’re supposed to meet, but no one can actually explain how? Many of us, whether consciously or not, have wrestled with the feeling that we should be more like Christ (Yeshua)—but what does that really mean? Can we ever measure up to someone who split history in two? There’s the time before he was born, BC and the time after. And are we even supposed to measure up that?
Striving, Not Perfecting: The Real Meaning Behind Jesus’ Hard Sayings
Jesus often spoke in parables and used hyperbolic language to drive home profound spiritual truths. His words were meant to challenge, not necessarily to be taken in a strictly literal sense. When he said,
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26),
he wasn’t commanding outright hatred. Rather, he was emphasizing that devotion to God must come before all else, even our most cherished relationships. Similarly, when he told his followers,
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48),
he wasn’t setting an impossible standard meant to crush the human spirit. Instead, he was calling people to continually strive toward love and righteousness, knowing that divine perfection is the ultimate model, not a requirement for worthiness.
The same applies to his teaching about worry:
"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear" (Matthew 6:25).
Jesus wasn’t dismissing the reality of daily responsibilities but was inviting people to trust in divine providence rather than being consumed by anxiety. And when he said,
"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away" (Matthew 5:29),
he wasn’t advocating self-mutilation but making an urgent point about removing harmful influences from one’s life. These statements were meant to shake people out of their complacency, forcing them to confront their attachments and priorities. It’s not a failure if we don’t follow them literally—instead, the challenge is to discern the deeper lesson and apply it to foster spiritual growth.
The Sanitized View of Yeshua
Many people imagine Jesus as meek, always gentle, never ruffled. But the scriptures tell a different story. He drove the money changers from the temple with a whip, cursed a fig tree for not bearing fruit, and scorned the Pharisees, calling them snakes and sons of the devil. These moments remind us that he was passionate, emotional, and, above all, human.
What does it mean that he was "without sin"? Did he ever throw a tantrum as a child? Did he ever wrestle with doubt? The Gospels aren’t firsthand accounts—they were written decades after his death. Yet many insist on a picture-perfect version of him that may not reflect the fullness of who he was.
The Fear of a Human Christ
When The Last Temptation of Christ was released, many were outraged at Martin Scorses’ directing Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of a Jesus who struggled with his humanity. The film was banned in Lexington, KY, where I lived then, so of course, I had to watch it as soon as possible. The real controversy was that it showed a Jesus whose temptations were real, not just symbolic, and that made people uncomfortable. I love movies about Jesus, and this is among my favorites.
If we can’t allow Jesus to be human, how can we accept our own humanity? If we insist he was beyond struggle, we set ourselves up for failure, constantly comparing our messy lives to an unattainable ideal.
You Are Here to Be the Best Version of You
The lesson of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) is consistent: we are loved unconditionally, beyond belief. When people cross over, they report feeling an infinite, palpable love that surpasses anything experienced on Earth. This suggests the Divine does not hold us to the impossibly high standards we often impose on ourselves. Instead, we are invited to grow, learn, and evolve without shame or fear.
Reincarnation suggests we will all "get there" eventually, but not in this lifetime. Our task is not to reach an endpoint of perfection but to keep evolving, refining, and remembering who we truly are.
The Trap of Measuring Ourselves Against an Avatar
Of the billions of people who have ever walked the planet, only a handful have attained the level of "avatar" or "ascended master," with Jesus arguably at the top of the heap. From a practical perspective, there are probably an infinite number of souls. There will always be an immeasurable number “ahead” of us and “behind” us, if we’re measuring. Measuring ourselves against Jesus’ perceived perfection is masochistic. Instead of striving to beating ourselves up for not replicating his life exactly, we should focus on embodying our divine potential in this incarnation.
From Self-Judgment to Self-Reflection
Religion often makes us feel unworthy, emphasizing our flaws. Spirituality is more about clearing the way for our true selves to shine. When it comes to understanding human nature rather than focusing on how we are inherently and irretrievably flawed, I prefer images like becoming still like water with silt in it, so the silt can settle, revealing the clear water, or polishing the slightly irregular or dirty mirror to better reflect the light. These metaphors suggest that our authentic essence is already present—it’s just obscured by the distractions and distortions of life rather than being inherently flawed.
The ego loves measurement. It wants to rank, compare, and quantify spiritual growth. But true transformation isn’t about reaching a level on a scoreboard. It’s about deepening presence, authenticity, and love.
The Real Challenge
So, rather than asking, "Am I measuring up to Jesus?", I contend we should ask, "Am I becoming more fully myself?" What if the goal isn’t to follow in someone else’s footsteps but to walk our own path with courage and integrity? I believe the goal of this life is to make you closer to You, your self closer to your Self.
Jesus himself said, "The kingdom of God is within you." Maybe the real journey is inward—not toward perfection but wholeness.
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