The Sermon on the Mount spans three
chapters – 5, 6, and 7 – in Matthew, and is the longest
collection of teachings/sayings in the gospel. It is also the
centerpiece of Matthew's effort to show Jesus as the fulfillment of
the Law and the Prophets, and his mission to reinterpret the law in a
new way.
The law was given to God's people as a
societal framework. Like all laws, some carried more weight than
others. And like all laws, it gave rise to lawyers who interpreted
it. Some did that well and others not so well. Some looked for all
kinds of ways to avoid what was originally the basis of the law.
This arguing over the law created, as you might imagine, a system
where people found reasons to accuse and attack others while at the
same time looking for ways to exonerate themselves.
It's really not that different from
today. People do all in their power to stop, obstruct, or persecute
people for one thing on one day, but will turn around and instigate,
support, and uplift those very same actions when applied to
themselves on the next day.
Into this political fray stepped the
prophets. Those unpopular people who spoke truth against power and
often were tortured or killed for their proclamations.
In the ever-deepening arguments around
the law came Micah. Support your mother, says the law; unless you
declare that support to be dedicated to God, says the lawyer. This
is but one example of the law being used to avoid a responsibility we
have to others.
To this Micah says, “What does the
Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly
with God.” This was Micah's summation of the law in an attempt to
get people to understand what the core of God's message was. What
Micah had to say then is just as applicable today.
Do justice. What does that look like?
When women are terminated for being pregnant, that is not justice.
When mobile home owners have the land sold out from under them, that
is not justice. When water is poisoned yet nothing is done about it,
that is not justice. If you are upset by people being given the same
rights and opportunities as yourself, that is not justice.
Love kindness. There has been precious
little of this lately. I was reading something the other day about
revenge. People keep trying to get even because the scales have been
tipped against them. But in that act of getting even, they
themselves tip the scales against the other. The only way to get
even is to stop the cycle of violence and push for a sense of
kindness.
Walk humbly with God. There is a
certain segment of people, usually those of wealth and success, who
look at their position in life as what they have done. Theirs is an
overly prideful attitude that says, “Look at what I have
accomplished” – usually followed by, “all by myself.” There
is a blindness to the place of God, and this blindness creates a
prideful spirit.
Maybe remembering the line from
Eucharistic Prayer D – We offer to you from the gifts you have
given us – might help keep us humble. Everything we have has been
given by God. That does NOT mean that if you have more
stuff God loves you more; it means you have a responsibility to give
back to God a greater amount.
Micah's pleas, however, didn't gain
much traction, especially with those who had a stake in maintaining
their power and control over others.
And then comes Jesus. Part of his
mission wasn't to interpret the law within its existing framework,
but to follow Micah's example and reinterpret the law within God's
framework.
Blessed are the poor in spirit.
Blessed are those that mourn.
Blessed are the meek.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness.
Blessed are the merciful, the pure in
heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness' sake.
These words describe God's purpose of
every holy law and the foundation of the kingdom of heaven. These
words turn our values upside down. These words are counter to the
culture we live in.
Don't believe me? Just look at the
news, Facebook, Twitter, or any number of other sites for how we
treat others.
Those who exhibit humble tendencies are
eaten up and destroyed by the proud and self-righteous. The world
and those with real or imagined power will work to stomp out anything
that goes against their worldview. People fighting for equality are
told they have enough, or that what they want makes them “more
special.” Those who mourn are told to get over it.
Jesus is reinterpreting the law, as
Micah tried to do, in a way that puts God first and makes God present
with us. Some cannot abide by that. Some will continue to stomp out
dissenting voices. But God will not be stomped out. God will not be
silenced.
All we have to do is remember to put
God first in all things. All we have to do is look for how Jesus is
reworking the law to turn society upside down. All we have to do is
to follow the example Jesus is giving us, continue to do justice,
love kindness, walk humbly before God . . . and be prepared to suffer
the consequences that an angry world will throw our way. Put another
way, following the words of Micah and looking to live out the
Beatitudes in our daily life is not for the faint of heart.
The question is: Which way of life are
you going to follow – the law or the way of Jesus?
Amen.
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