Matthew
5:21-37
Yikes! Is Jesus serious? Anger and harsh
words, the moral equivalent to murder? Stray thoughts the same as adultery?
Anything except the complete and honest truth, evil? Add to that the part about
removing an eye or a hand or anything else that causes us to sin. What is Jesus
talking about here? Let me tell you if he is looking for perfection then I’m
out!
I’m probably not the only one. For if we
separate Jesus’ words from Jesus himself then we are all in trouble - big
trouble. But, thank God, these words are uttered from The Word made flesh. The
one who is God with us, who seeks to heal and to save by entering into every
nook and cranny of our lives. We fool ourselves if we think that following
Jesus is just about following certain rules of behavior. I didn’t murder anyone
today, I didn’t commit adultery, I didn’t tell any outright lies. That’s not
what Jesus wants for us. Jesus didn’t come into our world to make us “good
boys” and “good girls.” Following the rules isn’t the goal here it’s only a
means to the real goal God has for each and every one of us, and that is life -
full, rich, abundant life.
But how is taking some commandments from
the Old Testament and upping the ante on them really a means to life? It’s a
means to life because ultimately this isn’t about creating stricter rules but
cultivating real relationships. The first one being the relationship with
ourselves. Jesus is calling us to live authentic lives. To live in such a way
that our outward actions match up with our inward truth. For there is no life
when we are divided and fragmented - when we are one person on the inside and
another on the outside. Real relationships always begin with honoring the truth
of who we are which then enables us to honor the truth of another.
For starters that means that we are to
treat each other with respect which includes, but is not limited to, the way we
talk to and about one another. We are called to seek reconciliation not just
with those we have a problem with, but with the ones who have a problem with us.
We are to cease from objectifying and dehumanizing others - which goes way
beyond the sexual realm. And we are definitely not to treat others as
disposable or without value. That’s the heart of what Jesus is getting at when
he speaks about divorce. Because, remember, this is a time where the man held
all the power to keep or end a relationship. A woman was at her husband’s mercy
and if he divorced her, she became extremely vulnerable - economically,
socially, physically. Jesus makes it clear that no one, in any kind of
relationship, is to be treated as a throwaway. And then there’s the part about
swearing oaths which, if you think about it, the whole reason we swear to “tell
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” is because we know that in
our daily lives people can and do lie. That’s not the way we are to operate. In
order for relationships to flourish there must be honesty. We are called to
speak the truth in love.
And that is exactly what Jesus is doing
here - speaking truth to us in love. Now, granted, he is using extreme language
but that’s because what he is talking about is extremely important. The truth
that all relationships matter and when it comes to our relationship with God it
is never independent from others. For what we do at the altar of God, the gifts
we bring, are bound together with the relationships we have with one
another.
Which brings me to the Passing of the
Peace. Contrary to what it may look like, the part of our service where we pass
the peace with one another is not the church’s equivalent to a 7th inning
stretch. No, it really is an essential part of our worship because the Passing
of the Peace doesn’t happen out of the blue. It comes immediately after the
confession and absolution. The time where we confess that we have fallen way
short in our relationships, ask for God’s mercy, and then hear the Good News of
God’s forgiveness. At that moment we are at peace with God. But that’s not
enough because, again, our relationship with God is not just a couple relationship,
it’s communal. Having made peace with God, we now share that peace with others
and, when necessary, to make peace with another. Here’s one of my confessions,
there were times in my previous church - not here of course - when a
relationship with a parishioner would become strained. On those occasions I was
compelled to seek that person out during the peace with the intention of
letting my hard feelings go. Sometimes that worked better than others, but the
intention was there and the attempt was made. So it is that once we have peace
with God and with one another we come to the altar offering the gift of ourselves,
our souls, our bodies and in turn receive the body and blood of Christ in
communion with one another.
This is the abundant life that Jesus
wants for us. If it feels almost impossible to do all that Jesus is saying that
is exactly the right response. Jesus’ words are meant to take away any
confidence we have in our own individual goodness. As Paul in the letter to the
Romans puts it we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).
Once we really know that we are set free to turn from ourselves to God. Instead
of worrying about following the rules we can surrender our whole selves to
God’s Spirit who seeks to transform us and all of our relationships so that we
might have life in Christ. For Jesus didn’t come to make us good. Jesus came to
make us alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment