Matthew 5: 21-37
For almost 15
years now I have been able to successfully dodge this piece of scripture that
we will hear in a minute. I could
have actually dodged it today by simply not using it but I’ve committed to
following the lectionary; sticking with it even when I would rather do
otherwise. It’s kind of like
starting a book that you find completely dull and oh so very tedious but you
stick with it, you give it the old college try.
The Revised
Common Lectionary has some great passages for reflections, many of which we
learned and loved as kids. But
sometimes the lectionary has us look at passages that are unpleasant or hard to
understand and this is a hidden beauty.
It’s a hidden beauty because sometimes it leads you places where you’d
rather not go, you know those creepy corridors that put you on edge? But you keep with it because you just
don’t know what you’ll find in those frightening places. Often you find grace.
Another reason
to not to skip this passage is that the lectionary readings are followed by
other Christians around the world, Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists so we
are all reflecting on the same passage on any given Sunday. That gives me some comfort to know that
other preachers and congregants will wrestle today seeking understanding. I had a text frenzy on Friday night with
two of my closet and dearest colleagues in ministry, one in West Falmouth and
the other in Vermont reflecting on this passage and sharing our thoughts and
unique interpretations. They each
will get up on Sunday morning and faithfully preach the Gospel as God and their
hearts have moved them. We nurture
one another in seeking God’s path and God’s truth.
Year A of the three
year lectionary is devoted to the Gospel of Matthew so that is where we will
find ourselves for most of this liturgical year. Matthew writes for the early church and the issues that
plagued it.
So, after that
long and apologetic beginning, are your seatbelts fastened? Here we go! Hear the word of the Lord from the Gospel of Matthew.
“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.
So there, I said
it. These words are not easy to
hear nor are the easy to read aloud to you this morning. Surprisingly, we find this passage in
the beloved Sermon on the Mount right after the scripture read last week about
salt, light and Jesus saying he has come to fulfill the law, not abolish it. You see the Sermon on the Mount has
some beautiful parts to it like the Beatitudes and lilies of the field but really
the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preaches is a counter cultural message to
the pervading culture of first century Palestine.
Jesus
reinterprets the law; he addresses some of the more contentious issues of his
day and with quite the hyperbole.
I mean how are we to live without our appendages?[i] In essence he is saying, no, I’m not
contradicting Torah, but I AM challenging the interpretations of law. I’m going beyond the law and making it
relevant to peoples lives today. He sets the bar higher than what was expected
and acceptable in his day.
What were
contentious issues in his day were murder and anger, adultery, divorce and the
taking of oaths. These
issues were dividing the early community of Jesus’ followers. Now we could do a full contextual study
on each of the four issues Jesus dares to bring up. But that would be a bit dry and tedious for most. Let’s just say that in each of the four
scenarios Jesus calls for a new way of viewing and being in relationship. There
were many more strict ramifications for breaking any of these laws than there
are today. Behind these
prohibitions lies restoration.
Jesus looks at broken relationships within the realm of God and the
awesome possibilities for healing.
When briefly
looked at, in the words of Steve Godfrey from Church in the World, “Our real
problem is not ultimately murder, but the anger that lies at its core. Our real problem he says is not
ultimately adultery but the lust in our hearts. Our real problem he says is not when to allow divorce, but
the brokenness of relationships.”
Or in the words
of another scholar: ‘Underneath the prohibition of murder is respect for
another. Underneath adultery is
how we organize our biological selves.
Underneath divorce lies human hard-heartedness. Underneath swearing
Jesus expects full commitment to every utterance, ‘say what you mean and mean
what you say.’[ii]
Jesus challenges
us to see our preconceived notions of the law in a much different way, a way
that recognizes and celebrates the value of each man and each woman and each
child. He envisions ways of
healthy, living, vibrant relationships that are not broken or shattered. And that takes some work.
Heaven knows
there’s plenty brokenness in this world, especially now. Broken trust, broken confidence, broken
hearts, broken systems. Our first tendency
when something is broken is to toss it out. My computer crashed, time to get a new one. This old set of broken and mismatched
dishes are unsightly, give them to Goodwill and get new ones. Right? So we just want to get rid of the unsightly, the shattered
or cracked. Why keep brokenness around when we can get a new computer or and
new set of dishes? That’s the easy
way out. Where is the growth? Where is the healing? But Jesus sets the bar higher.
I am reminded of
crafters on Pinterest who make beautiful jewelry out of broken glass and
pottery shards. Nothing is wasted,
nothing is beyond the eye and heart of an artist who creates beauty out of
bedlam. Restoration can happen if you are open to the newness that Christ
brings.
Relationships
might be broken right now but its no reason to toss them out. Our country and
congress might be broken right now but it’s no time to give up on it. Remembering that each human being on
this planet is a beloved child of God we seek beauty and restoration in
brokenness.
What Jesus is
saying in these teachings is that there can be beauty and blessing in
brokenness when you are attuned to the realm of God, which resides within our
hearts. Remember that Christ’s
body was broken for us and in that brokenness we are healed.
There is
blessing in brokenness because we know that God draws near to those who are
broken, whose lives seem beyond repair, God is right there creating anew. When people and systems are broken new
life can be released, remember ‘We are the clay, you are the potter, we are the
work of your hands.’[iii] God fashions us for goodness. Brokenness can bring a new and greater
capacity to and for love.
And of course,
brokenness can bring about fruitfulness.
Remember the little boy with only five loaves of bread. Once broken those loaves of bread
brought abundance and fed 5,000 people that day on the side of the mount. Life given. Life restored.
That Jesus! Always reinterpreting law so that the
broken can become whole, so that our lives and our relationships may experience
reconciliation and restoration in ways that goes way beyond our human capacity
for understanding.
Thanks be to
God!
Amen.
[i] Either Feasting on the Word,
Weekly Seeds, or Steve Godfry.
[ii] Feasting on the Word, Edwin
Chr. Van Driel.
[ii] Isaiah 64:8
Pastoral Prayer
Gracious God, Sweet Jesus, help us to bring back the
sweetness into this world that has been carved with cruelty and destruction.
Help us to mend the wounds we have inflicted on others and ourselves. Call us
with compassion to see others as Your children, as our kindred, and that all
have the possibility of repentance, redemption, forgiveness and healing, for
nothing is impossible for you Lord Jesus, help us to mend
the broken hearted even as we are broken ourselves. We are hurt, we are angry, and we are tired. Help us to find
Your goodness in others and in the world, and help us to make the world sweet
again as you so created it.
We pray for the indigent, the homeless, those who are
starving and the oppressed; set free from those bonds which keep them from
living fully and we pray for those also who hold them down. Let justice in this world prevail so
that the work of all people who lived and died in the name of freedom and
equality may be carried on. Oh
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those people, known and unknown who are sick in
body, mind or spirit, for those live with mental illness, with cancer, with the
uncertainty of knowing ‘just what’s wrong’, for the addicted and recovering,
and for those who lives will not be long upon this earth. Grant your healing and restoration upon
them, give them peace and strength for their journey’s ahead. Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our country and our leaders, for all who are in
a position of authority over others; grant to them integrity, morality and
ethical decision making, clear sight and vision for a future filled with hope
and freedom for all. Lord, hear
our prayer.
We lift up the women and men who serve in the armed forces
so that we can remain free.
Kristin, Michael _________________________________________________________________ Give to them strength and
stamina for what we have called them to do, keep them from harm’s way. Send peace to this world O Lord because
we could really use it. O Lord,
hear our prayer.
For our children and for the world’s children we give you
thanks. May they grow into their
fullest potential imbued with your spirit with a thirst for justice and peace.
Lord, hear our prayers and grant to us healing in the
process.
Amen.
[iii] Isaiah 64:8
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