From Preaching to Meddling

(Scriptures: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37)

 

Note:  Worship at Emanuel Church was cancelled on Sunday, February 16, 2014 due to adverse weather and road conditions.  While a guest preacher was planned for this Sunday, instead, here’s a sermon from Pastor Dave.

 

Today’s Gospel reading brings us to an especially challenging section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus began his sermon with the Beatitudes, with a series of blessings: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek…” and so forth.  In last weeks’ Gospel reading, we heard of Jesus calling on his followers to be salt and light in the world, to live in ways that are counter to the culture’s prevailing values and indeed to change the world through their countercultural stance.   

 

In this week’s Gospel reading, however, Jesus moves beyond broad generalities and gets down to specifics.  When the words of a sermon make a congregation uncomfortable, someone will often tell the pastor that he’s “gone from preaching to meddling”.   And we may say the same of Jesus’ words in today’s reading.  In naming specific situations, Jesus undoubtedly offended many of his original listeners, and his words in today’s reading will touch sore spots in our lives as well.  I can only hope that as Jesus’ words touch our lives, the touch that brings pain is also the touch that brings healing.

 

Here are Jesus’ words from Matthew 5:21-37:

 

   [Jesus said:] "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

 

"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

 

"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one."

 

Yikes!  Where to begin?  Most of us – including me – have broken one or more of the Ten Commandments more than once somewhere along the line.  But now Jesus is going beyond the letter of the law to get at the spirit of the law – and in so doing, makes the law harder for us to keep rather than easier.  The Ten Commandments say “Do not kill”, but Jesus says, “Do not be angry and do not insult people.”   The commandments say “Do not commit adultery”, but Jesus says, “Do not lust”.   While the Jewish law allowed for divorce, Jesus rules it out “except for unchastity”.  And while the law had guidelines for making and keeping oaths, Jesus says not to make oaths at all.

 

What are we to make of this?  Many preachers have said – and I agree – that by setting the bar so high, Jesus makes us all aware of our need for God’s grace.    If Jesus had just let the standard be “don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery” and so forth – well, most people can get through most days without killing anyone or robbing anyone or committing adultery with anyone.   Many people can uphold those standards most of the time without any great awareness of God’s grace or even God’s presence.  It’s easy to say, “Well, at least I didn’t kill anyone today, so I’m a good person.”  But when we move beyond actions and examine our thoughts and motivations, we find that all of us – me too - at times have thoughts that are unprintable, and nearly all human actions involve a blend of good and not-so-good motives.   By addressing human behavior as he does, Jesus breaks down our self-evasions and self-justifications and holds a mirror up to our sinfulness and brokenness.  And, as alcoholics and addicts often must hit bottom in order to have insight into their addiction and seek treatment, Jesus’ words show us to ourselves as we are, that we may seek God’s grace in becoming the people God would have us be.

 

All of this is true.  We are saved, not by our own righteousness, but by God’s grace.  I believe this.  At the same time, I also believe that if we claim God’s grace for our failures without also asking God’s help in living more faithfully in the future, we miss God’s invitation to live according to the values of God’s reign, and thus miss the blessings of the kingdom.  And so I want to spend a bit more time on the content of Jesus’ teaching, before we ask forgiveness for having broken or ignored it.

 

Many people in Jesus’ day – and many people in our own day – see religion as a rulebook, a tedious list of do’s and don’ts.  The problem with rules is that we can always invent loopholes and exceptions.  We can always find ways to keep the letter of the law while evading the spirit of the law.

 

And as Jesus describes it, the spirit of the law is about human relationships, about love. When we’re dealing with children, we have to establish rules and set up lists of do’s and don’ts – don’t cross the street without looking both ways, don’t hit people, don’t throw tantrums, and so forth. When we’re dealing with those with whom we’re in relationships – at least adult relationships – we’re not so much concerned about citing rules and regulations, but about doing what’s good for the other person and for the relationship.   As adults, it’s when we’re unsure of the quality or strength of a relationship that we try to prop it up with rules – such as, for example, a couple propping up a shaky marriage by signing a post-nuptual agreement.   Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer nor a marriage counselor, nor do I play one on TV, and for some couples a post-nuptual agreement may be the most prudent course of action for the individuals in the marriage - but it also may say something about the quality of trust within the marriage that such a document would be considered necessary.

 

So Jesus calls us from living by a rulebook to living in relationship.  Perhaps the easiest way to see Jesus’ intent is to turn around his statements from negatives into positives, from “don’ts” to “do’s”.  For example, what if we turn around Jesus’ words “do not be angry” around into “do be reconciled”.  Or, turn around “don’t lust” to say “do be faithful”.  Or, turn around “do not swear” into “do be reliable; do follow through on what you say you’re going to do.” 

 

I do want to spend a moment on Jesus’ prohibition of divorce.  It sounds very harsh, and indeed it does set a high bar.  It may be helpful to remember that, in the patriarchal culture of Jesus’ time, a woman’s source of security was her husband.  For a husband to divorce his wife was essentially to set her adrift without any means of support – there were no alimony laws in those days – and under the law of Jesus’ day, a divorce could be authorized for the most trivial of reasons.   In such a culture, the ex-husband could move on with his life and remarry, but the ex-wife was left destitute and penniless, with few prospects for remarriage or for a secure life.  In that culture, a divorced woman could be reduced to begging or even to prostitution.   And so I believe that in prohibiting or strongly discouraging divorce, Jesus was trying to put women in a more secure position within their own marriages.  Of course, the culture of Jesus’ time is not the culture of our time.  Women leaving a failed marriage have many more options – thank God! – and Jesus would not want anyone – male or female - to remain within a violent or abusive relationship.  But I do think that Jesus’ words call us at least to make efforts to strengthen existing relationships and repair broken relationships, rather than being too quick to walk away.  We live in a culture of disposable diapers and disposable napkins, but I believe Jesus is saying that we should not treat people and relationships as disposable.   Instead we are to treat people as persons created in God’s image, persons with something of the divine within them – even though at times it’s really hard to find.  Of course, when we fail – and we all do from time to time – God’s grace is sufficient.

 

Jesus calls us to live in right relationship, in relationship based on love.  May God grant us grace when we stumble, and may God grant us the strength and forbearance to begin anew.  May we at Emanuel Church live in love with God and neighbor.  Amen.