Is it possible that Christ is calling us to something that is absolutely impossible!? The difference between the Creator and His creation is such that, by nature, we, as created beings, can never – no matter what we do or how hard we try – attain the perfection of the Creator. So why does the Son of God give us a command – not merely a suggestion or advice, but a command in the form of an imperative – to be perfect as the Father, when that is something we can never truly become? Doesn’t this command then sound like an oxymoron?

To understand these words, this commandment, and especially if we want them to serve as a guiding idea throughout life and to make sense in the everyday actions by which a Christian should be recognized in the world, we must look at the world around us. And above all, within the context of all that we collectively call the Word of God, that is, within the context of the entire Holy Scripture. So, let us begin with the Old Testament and see how far we get…

Abraham, as the forefather of two major world religions (Judaism and Islam) and as a model of pure faith in God – through which he is also the spiritual father of Christians -remains an inspiration to every human being on this earth who desires to see themselves as spiritually aware. His strong and unwavering faith, his surrender to God’s hands and to God’s plan for him, and through him, for the entire world, forms the foundation of a healthy spiritual life. Generations of people have been raised on this foundation over the past several thousand years.

First and foremost, his son Isaac was raised in that faith, and Isaac then raised his sons Esau and Jacob in the same way. Yet we know that not all children of good parents -despite good examples and efforts – grow into good people! Sadly, many children of wonderful parents grow up to be morally immature, even criminals or murderers. But we also know the opposite happens – God can touch those who are spiritually weak, evil, or lost, and completely turn their lives around for the better.

Take Jacob as a good example. In biblical history, he is remembered as the father of twelve sons, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, a man whom God Himself named Yisra-el (Israel) – a name that an entire people and even a country now bear. But if we trace his life from childhood through his time in his parents’ home, we see a young man with strikingly bad moral traits – prone to deceit, lies, theft, and conspiracy against his own family.

Using modern language, we could describe him as having an Oedipus complex. He stays close to his mother while his brother is always away hunting. With his mother, he concocts a scheme against his brother and father, brings division into the family, and deceitfully steals the birthright that belonged to his brother Esau, and also tricks his father to receive the blessing meant for the firstborn. In short, young Jacob is the definition of moral failure and – by biblical and Christian standards – a selfish striver for personal gain. And yet, what’s remarkable is that God allows this behavior, and it becomes part of the written Word of God!

When caught in his deceit and fleeing from his home, Jacob dreams the famous dream that has inspired both artists and theologians, the dream known as Jacob’s Ladder. In this dream, he sees a ladder or staircase set on the earth reaching to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending. In Orthodox sacred art, this dream is a prefiguration of the Theotokos (Mother of God), through whom the Son of God descended from Heaven and became incarnate.

But let’s look at another symbolic interpretation of this dream. Isn’t that ladder precisely a response to Christ’s command at the beginning of this reflection?

Every person, especially every Christian, is called to find their personal great goal in life, one so significant and elevated that it becomes the MEANING of their life.

If we translate this into modern socio-political or business language: that goal becomes the VISION of life, and the ENERGY it produces – expressed through thoughts, words, and actions – is the MISSION of that life. In other words, vision is WHAT a person wants to achieve, WHERE the goal is located, while mission is HOW and BY WHAT MEANS the person moves toward it.

There are many examples of people setting unrealistic or even unattainable goals – yet remaining powerfully motivated by them. In today’s corporate and business world, this is a common practice. Even so, participants in that process often move passionately and relentlessly toward such a vision.

If a seemingly unreachable vision exists somewhere, even distantly imagined, then every step toward it is already a kind of success. That goal is supported by MICRO-VISIONS, smaller achievable objectives on the path to the final goal.

Take an example of extremely overweight person whose excess fat threatens their health and life. Their goal may be to lose weight enough to regain health and live well. But the final vision may never be to become thin. Still, just because it’s physically impossible to become “thin” doesn’t mean one shouldn’t aim for a version of health as close as possible to that ideal.

Such a map of life’s meaning can take us incredibly far up the staircase, even if the top can never be reached. Our final aim becomes the highest step we can realistically reach. And we are then motivated to surpass even that – by adding yet another step. This staircase becomes symbolic: every step is a micro-vision.

Therefore, for every Christian, the command “BE PERFECT, AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT!” is the ultimate vision and a call to the Kingdom of God. Our mission is to ascend as many steps as possible, so that the end of our journey finds us standing on the highest possible one.

Let’s return to Jacob. How did Jacob become Israel? How did a deceitful, manipulative young man become the patriarch whose name glows among the highest steps ever reached by humankind? What caused this transformation? What motivated him to rise to spiritual heights?

One basic trait of children and immature adults is that they are self-centered. Such people always put themselves first. For them, the world exists only to serve their needs. That was Jacob – until he was forced to flee from home.

But that dream became a turning point. Armed with the blessing from his father – acquired dishonestly, yet powerfully significant – he now receives a transcendent vision that begins to point him outward, toward serving others.

The rest of his life is spent building a God-blessed community and serving it. That’s why he is counted among the patriarchs. With four wives, twelve sons, daughters, their families, servants, flocks, tools, and a constantly moving household – Jacob begins to live for others. His transformation is profound – especially when we remember where he began.

As he climbs his inner ladder, Jacob becomes a responsible member of the community and eventually its leader. Pursuing higher goals, every person, like Jacob, starts to sacrifice more of their self-centeredness and finds deep spiritual satisfaction in serving others. Community response to this service further motivates the individual to keep climbing higher.

Even today, through sports, music, or teamwork, people are spiritually uplifted when they contribute to a group. Progress of the group motivates greater personal effort. The more one climbs, the less one thinks about self.

So Christians are first of all called to act within their communities. Through this, they have the chance to use the energy of their faith for the good of all, nurturing their virtues and contributing to their own salvation and the enrichment of others.

In other words, Christians are called to act Christianly! That is both a calling and a blessing. This is the “ladder” that reaches to God. A Christian’s whole life is movement, action, and striving upward to God through many small steps – micro-visions – fulfilled in daily life. By doing so, a Christian radiates the light of faith, and to shine truly, they must first be open to receiving light.

That is why Christ says: “Then the King will say to those on His right: Come, you blessed of My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me…”

And again: “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

And finally: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

But life usually complicates things. Evil in some people around us, uncontrollable circumstances, sickness, and internal doubts – all test the Christian. They must constantly reassess their faith’s energy, break personal limits, and keep moving.

Jacob, again, offers an example. At one point, God Himself – appearing in angelic form – confronts him. Jacob wrestles with God all night until he is blessed and renamed Israel: the one who wrestles with God.

How symbolic this is! Human beings wrestle daily – with their thoughts, desires, weaknesses, and with the external pressures of life. And in all of this, they also wrestle with God’s commandments and will. This inner spiritual wrestling is the constant of a healthy soul.

As Saint Nikolaj of Žiča says: “If you are human, you must wrestle with God as Jacob did. Blessed are you if God wins over you! Woe to you if you defeat God – for then death has defeated you.”

Every Christian must be an Israel – a God-wrestler, a God-seeker, a bearer of divine light. They never let God go, they reach constantly for His light to illuminate themselves and others, to climb just one more step beyond what is humanly possible.

Thus, Jacob no longer remains a self-centered trickster, but becomes a protector and shepherd of a people in formation. His role radically changes: from one who takes, he becomes one who gives, blesses, carries burdens, and suffers for others. His life is no longer self-serving – it is a service to God and humanity.

And here lies the key to understanding Christ’s command: “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Not as a literal demand for flawlessness – but as a call to constant growth, to stepping outside of ourselves in love, mercy, truth, and sacrifice. The perfection of the Father is the perfection of love – not mathematical precision or moral infallibility.

So Jacob’s ladder is not just a dream of a fleeing youth. It is the spiritual blueprint of every believer’s journey. Even if we don’t start where Jacob did, we will likely find ourselves in his place at some point – shattered, fearful, lost. But it is precisely there that God sets up the ladder. He doesn’t destroy the house – He builds stairs.

This is the essence of Christian life – not in stagnation or despair over imperfection, but in constant ascent. Because only then can the heart grow and contain more love, more light, more God.

That’s why Christ says, “Be perfect” – not once, but always, continually. For the Kingdom of Heaven is not merely a reward at the end of the road – it is the road itself when walked in love and truth.

And then, the impossible becomes meaningful. The oxymoron becomes a calling. A calling that doesn’t say: “Be what you’re not,” but “Come – become what you are called to be in God.”