Today’s Gospel is one of those passages where I find myself wrestling with the text to find the Good News. Out of context all we hear is Jesus talking about prison, adultery, divorce, dismemberment, sin and hell.
It hardly makes us eager to keep listening.
But before you shut down or tune out, let’s take a step back and review what’s happening in the text.
This is the third week that we are hearing parts of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It’s the first of five speeches by Jesus that Matthew includes in his gospel, and it’s the one that gives us some of our most quotable words by Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount gives us the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:1-12) and the words about disciples being the salt of the earth (5:13) and the light of the world that shines for others. (5:14) It is where Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray (6:9-13) and where we hear the instruction that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (6:21)
Throughout this sermon, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to understand the Scripture they have been taught and the explanations they have been given.
And last week’s gospel ended with Jesus telling the disciples that he did not come to abolish the law of the prophets, but to fulfill it (5:17) and then he called them to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees – the religious teachers and leaders in Jerusalem. (5:20)
It doesn’t make the words any easier to hear, but it does help us understand why Jesus is tackling difficult conversations. Four times in today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said” followed by one of the commandments that we first hear in Exodus 20 or, in the case of divorce, in Deuteronomy 24. And then, in each case, Jesus says, “But I say to you.”
Each time, Jesus takes a commandment that can be followed to the letter of the Law and makes it a matter of the heart. After all, the Commandments were never simply a list of rules that say what not to do; they were given to teach us how to be in relationship with God and with each other.
Remember as Jesus is teaching about the Law, he is not replacing it, so we shouldn’t hear correction in his words. Instead, what Jesus is revealing is that the Law is more expansive than it first appears.
He begins with murder, suggesting that murder is not only physically and mortally wounding another person. Martin Luther’s explanation of the fifth commandment in the Small Catechism reflects this, saying, “we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life's needs.”
Jesus encourages self-examination. When we let resentments or anger fester, we are guilty. Jesus invites us to acknowledge when a chasm exists between us and another person, or where we are withholding our forgiveness. And then he urges us to reconciliation.
And before we begin to object about whether it is fair or deserved, we can remember Jesus’ own words at his crucifixion, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
As we continue to reflect on Jesus’ words, it is important to say out loud here that forgiveness and even reconciliation does not mean that you are ever expected to remain in relationships or circumstances that are abusive or dangerous.
When Jesus talks about adultery and then divorce, he is speaking at a time when husbands could divorce wives for trivial reasons, when women had no rights and when women who were divorced were scandalized and often left without financial support. As he talks about adultery and divorce, he is urging honesty in our relationships and concern for the other person’s welfare.
In every example, Jesus speaks against our human instinct to manipulate God’s Word to make it easier to follow or to lower the cost of discipleship.
And in every example, Jesus invites us to look beyond how we are or aren’t following the Law and look at how our actions are hurting or loving others.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds the church there that “we are God’s servants, working together” and “we have a common purpose”: that people would know God’s love. (1 Cor. 3:8-9) We are being called to live according to God’s Word in ways that fulfill the Law, not only in letter, but in our hearts.
The Good News in the difficult conversations Jesus has with his followers is that Jesus doesn’t look at us and say, “Y’all missed the mark; I’m going to start over with different people.” Instead, in God’s abundant mercy, we’re forgiven, and if that wasn’t enough, he teaches and gives us this Word of God and Word of Life, that we may learn and draw near to God, always seeking understanding.
Let us
pray…
Good
and gracious God,
We
give you thanks for Your grace, that you do not turn away from us.
We
give you thanks for your Son Jesus who shows us how great your love is, and
invites us to love others as You love us.
Encourage
us to be honest, knowing You already know our hearts and minds. Help us confess
our anger and resentments and seek reconciliation.
Enable
us by your Holy Spirit to live according to your will, trusting in your Word
and promises for us.
We
pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment