Today we continue our journey through
the Sermon on the Mount. You will recall that last week's section –
You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world – was
delivered as a corporate “you.” “Y'all are the salt of the
earth. Y'all are the light of the world. And these two things, salt
and light, had to do with our function, not our status.
Today, however, Jesus redirects his
comments from the corporate body to us individuals. The “you”
Jesus uses really is you personally. Not only should you not murder,
but you shouldn't be angry with a brother or sister, nor should you
insult them. Work toward reconciliation. Not only should you not
commit adultery, but you shouldn't even look at another with lust.
Don't swear oaths on the name of God. Jesus here is laying out
guidelines for our individual behavior. But this section is more
than just a list of behavioral dos and don'ts.
If you remember from last week, I said
that Jesus was working on transforming the law. Remember, the law
was given to a people who had no idea how to live in freedom, their
only experiences was that of living in slavery, so the law helped
form them as a people. Jesus came not to abolish the law, because by
abolishing it those early Jewish disciples of his would have no
foundation. Nor did he come simply to fulfill the letter of the law,
because that would allow and require us to execute those who worked
on the sabbath (among other things.) Instead, he came to transform
the law. He came to show that living under a law given to help the
Israelites live should be lived in such a way that leads to life, not
death.
Jesus continues his work of
transformation in this section of his sermon. He is not only
transforming it, but also showing that, by the authority vested in
him, he is authorized to make this transforming interpretation. We
see this in the style he uses when talking to the crowed – “You
have heard it said, but I say to you . . .”
You have heard it said, “You shall
not murder.” But I say to you that if you are angry with your
brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment. And if you say,
“You fool,” you will be liable to the hell of fire.
Obviously we shouldn't kill or murder.
One reason is that life is sacred and all people . . . ALL people . .
. are created in the image of God. Killing/murder does damage to
God's creation. Killing/murder is the ultimate act of damage we can
invoke on another human being and on God as well.
In saying, “But I say to you,”
Jesus goes beyond the written law to its heart, and it is there where
transformation begins. Killing is very rarely a totally random act.
It may seem like it at times, but very few people decide willy nilly
to go kill someone. Anger plays a part in why people kill other
people. Insulting them and calling them “fool” also plays a
part. We may hear that and not take it seriously (I've called people
fools many times), but put it in today's context of bullying.
Whether in real life or electronically via cyberbullying, abuse of
all kinds – physical, mental, emotional – often pushes people to
violent extremes. These are things which also devalue and damage
other human beings. By acting this way, never mind actually killing
someone, we pave the way to seeing them easily disposed of. Or we
create such anger in them that it is then taken out on others.
Jesus immediately moves to the topic of
reconciliation. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother or sister has something against you, go
and first be reconciled to them. Anger, insults, and taunts will
condemn you to hell, says Jesus, but forgiveness and reconciliation
is possible and returns both individuals and the corporate body to a
state of grace. If we don't first apologize to one we've hurt to
pave the way for reconciliation, we will allow anger to fester. If
we don't pursue reconciliation, how long will we let our anger burn
inside us? How long will we continue to damage another person? This
is another way Jesus is transforming the letter of the law into
something that provides life for all. We cannot allow ourselves to
continue to live in anger. This has implications for the corporate
body as well, for how can we be the light of the world if we keep
trying to burn each other up?
From here Jesus moves onto adultery and
divorce – everyone's favorite topic. You've heard it said, “You
shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you, if you even look at
another woman with lust . . .
This section isn't as much about sex as
it is about doing damage to another. As much as murder and hateful
words do damage to individuals, the community, and God, so to does
misplaced sexual behavior. Adultery damages all involved and breaks
relationships. Like saying, “You fool,” lusting after another is
a step down the wrong path. Among other things, it destroys trust.
And once trust is destroyed, how do we get it back? Or how do we
ever fully trust one who has broken our trust? Damaging
relationships has consequences, and this is something Jesus is taking
seriously.
The final example I want to look at is
the swearing of oaths. You have heard it said, “Carry out the vows
you have made to the Lord.” But I say, do not swear at all. When
we talk about swearing oaths, it might be similar to us saying, “I
swear on a stack of Bibles,” or, “On my mother's grave,” or,
“As God as my witness.” The issue isn't promising or vowing to
do something, the issue once again goes back to doing damage to
another.
God is a mystery. The throne of God is
surrounded in mystery – see Isaiah and Revelation. When we
worship, we partake in these holy mysteries. God is beyond our
understanding.
What Jesus is getting at here is that
when we swear an oath in God's name, or by God's name, we have taken
away the mystery. We have taken away God's power because we now
claim to control God. We may even claim that by using God's name
this way, God will help ensure the oath gets fulfilled. Like murder,
insults, adultery, and lust demean other people, using God's name
this way demeans God. It makes God no more than a household idol.
In using God's name this way, we do damage to the true nature of God.
In all of this, Jesus is fulfilling the
law – don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't swear falsely.
But Jesus is also transforming the law to get us to see it more
deeply. Don't harm people by your actions and words. Don't do
damage to God. The law was given to set boundaries and help the
Israelites move from slavery to freedom, from death to life. Jesus
is transforming the law in such a way that we move beyond the black
and white edicts toward fulfilling the heart of the law so that we
begin to recognize when we might be doing damage and harm to others
and God.
In this sermon we have Jesus addressing
both the corporate “you” and individual “you.” As we move
forward, let us read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest how we
function both corporately and individually to provide light,
blessings, kindness, and healing to those around us. Because it will
be through these acts that we will be transformative.
Amen.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment