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Sermon for Sunday 16 February 2020

First Reading                        Deuteronomy 30:15-20

15{Moses said,} “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Psalm                                                     Psalm 119:1-8

1Happy are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! 2Happy are they who observe his decrees and seek him with all their hearts! 3Who never do any wrong, but always walk in his ways. 4You laid down your commandments, that we should fully keep them. 5Oh, that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes! 6Then I should not be put to shame, when I regard all your commandments. 7I will thank you with an unfeigned heart, when I have learned your righteous judgments. 8I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

Second Reading                         1 Corinthians 3:1-9

1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Gospel                                                Matthew 5:21-37

21{Jesus said,} “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. 31It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

BEARING GOOD FRUIT

A good many pastors have seen the damage caused when a pulpit-pounding, red-faced preacher has sought to scare a person into faith.  Plenty of pastors I know have provided spiritual care for people well into their eighties and nineties who still have trouble seeing our heavenly Father as a good and loving God, because when they were children, someone frightened them with images of an angry and vengeful God; one who was ready to smack them down if they didn’t behave and believe.  

I can remember coming home from church on most Sunday evenings, scared half out of my wits because the pastor, or one of the deacons, looked me in the eye and demanded an answer to the question, “What would happen to you if you died tonight?”  As I’ve come to realize, this isn’t the most pastoral question to ask a six-year-old.  The bottom line is, fear alone isn’t a good basis for our faith.

As a matter of fact, irrational or excessive fear can be destructive to genuine faith.  And there are times when it’s important to hold on to this thought, because in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says some things that some may find to be scary.  These seemingly troublesome things Jesus says are often referred to as “The Hard Sayings of Jesus.”  Here, as we continue looking at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).  “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment” (Matt. 5:22).  Throughout this chapter, we encounter the language of judgment and exclusion.  Jesus even holds out the threat of our whole body being thrown into hell (Matt. 5:30).  And as mature Christians, we must handle these words about judgment very carefully.  

Jesus didn’t give us these words to scare us, rather, they were spoken for our edification.  Yet, we must still remain cautious.  Anytime we read passages about harsh judgment, we want to avoid two pitfalls.  On the one hand, we don’t want to turn our faith into a guilt trip, one loaded with fear.  I read about a pastor who recalled meeting a man who actually did exactly what verses 29 and 30 call us to do.  Throughout his life he had struggled with mental illness.  One night, in a fit of depression, he plucked out one of his eyes and chopped off his right hand.  His tragedy is an extreme example of taking these words of judgment out of context and not hearing them within framework of the whole gospel message.

When reading this passage, we need to listen to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”  While Jesus’ words here in Matthew do speak directly to each of us, it needs to be taken in the larger context of our relationship with others and within the church.  So, if I might, let me rephrase verses 29 and 30 with Paul’s words to the Corinthians in mind:  If a friend of yours causes you to sin, remove them from your life.  It’s better to lose one of your friends, than for both of you to be sent to hell.  Or, if one of the members of the church causes problems within the congregation so that it causes others to sin, then it is better to excommunicate that member, than for all of you to be condemned to everlasting fire.  The other pitfall, that is dangerous, is to dismiss Jesus’ words too easily and minimize the Bible’s talk of judgment.  

If we allow ourselves to fall into this trap, we assume that God is too indulgent, too kind to call us to account.  That pitfall leaves us with an, “everyone goes to heaven except for the really, really bad people” understanding.  This leads to a view that since God understands we’re sinners and automatically forgives, then there’s no need for contrition or repentance.  Nowhere does the Bible support this understanding.  Jesus and the writer of Hebrews are clear:  Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).  And in Hebrews we read, “just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (9:27).  The truths given to us in the Bible can be disconcerting, but God revealed these things because He loves us and wants us to understand the consequences of our choices.

But we need to dig even deeper into this passage:  Jesus does present us with warnings of judgment, but He also tells us some things that may seem impossible to fulfill.  Again in verse 20, Jesus said that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.  We probably have an image of the scribes and Pharisees as nit-picking legalists who always missed the forest for the trees, so we don’t always hear what a tall order exceeding their righteousness is.  The scribes and Pharisees were scrupulous in their religious life.  They were thoroughly dedicated to living obedient lives, seeking to remain distinct from the world so that they could be God’s chosen people.  So we must be careful not dismiss their diligence lightly.  

When Jesus calls us to a righteousness that exceeds theirs, He calls us to faithful servanthood, to complete obedience.  This passage calls us to go beyond merely checking off the performance of the written rules.  We must focus our lives on God and His plans for us.  We must examine our motives for why we serve and for who we serve.  We must willingly and gladly follow God’s law from the inside out.  For the people of Israel, and for us, God gave us His commands and statutes as a gift.  The law teaches the people of God how to live, how to become the community of faith, how to be loving and obedient servants to God and others.  Jesus says that He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).

So as we delve deeper into this part of Jesus’ sermon, let’s look specifically at three of the things this passage calls us to do.  In the first two, Jesus reinforces and expands two of the Ten Commandments: You shall not murder, and you shall not commit adultery.  Both of these commandments prohibit actions.  Now we can debate the meaning of these commandments, especially what the commandment for murder means about war and capital punishment.  And once we understand its meaning, we can then clearly determine whether we have committed the act or not.  This is the easy part.  However, what Jesus calls for in this passage makes obedience that much more difficult.

What Jesus is saying is, we must go beyond the act and even guard our thoughts.  This makes this passage much more difficult.  We are then forced to deal with the question, how are we to go through life without becoming angry?  It can seem unfair for Jesus to command us to guard our anger, when He never had to drive on the I-85!  Jesus can command us not to lust, but He never had to go to the grocery store and see eight models on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition!  Nor did He have to deal with many of the shows we see on TV.  Furthermore, the passage here may speak specifically of male lust, but women are not exempt.  

For example, one of the characters on Grey’s Anatomy is nicknamed Dr. McDreamy!  Jesus seems to have reinterpreted these commandments so that we need superhuman cognitive strength to fulfill them.  We fight all the time for control of our emotions, especially anger and lust.  Then after Jesus makes what seems like impossible demands, He then warns us about the punishment that will come if we don’t carry out His instructions.  If we aren’t careful, we can end up in despair over this passage.  But we must bear in mind that even with all of this talk of obedience and judgment, Jesus knows that we’re saved by grace, not works.

In chapter 20, Matthew recounts Jesus’ parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  Some of the workers toil away in the heat for hours.  Others work half a day.  Some barely break a sweat in a short hour of work.  At the end of the day, they all receive the same wage from the owner of the vineyard.  That’s grace.  We don’t earn our way into heaven because we’re good people and we did lots of good works.  We’re welcomed into God’s kingdom by His gracious act in Jesus.  We’re saved by grace through faith alone.  That’s God’s free gift to us in Jesus Christ.  Our obedience to God’s commands and the good works we accomplish are simply our way of expressing our love and appreciation for all God does for us.  This is why we need to allow the Bible to interpret the Bible, if we don’t, some passages may seem impossible, or, to contradict each other. 

These passages found here in Matthew’s gospel are words of warning, but we need to understand them as words of instruction as well.  Jesus is teaching us how to be the church, how to be the salt and the light (Matt. 5:13-16).  This brings us the third thing we need to get our minds wrapped around; the things we bring to the altar.

Now for the modern hearer, Jesus’ words starting in verse 23 can seem to have little or no meaning.  We all understand that in Jesus’ day, animals and the first fruits of the land were still being brought to the temple as required offerings.  But we, as modern day Christians, understand that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the sacrificial laws in His death; the Bible states clearly that He died once for all (Rom. 6:10).  So how are we to understand this passage concerning leaving our gifts at the altar today?  What gifts do we have to leave at the altar in order to go and reconcile with the brother that we’ve wronged?  The answer to this question comes from the liturgy of the Green book. 

In the all three settings of the Lutheran Book of Worship, after the offering is received, the prayer, a responsive prayer, one that I bet many of you recall, goes, “Merciful Father, We offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love.  Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  The offerings we bring, anytime we gather here at the altar, are our whole selves, which includes our love, our devotion, our time and our resources. 

Throughout the Old Testament, God tried to remind the Jewish people that it wasn’t about the sacrifices, it was about the relationship.  The only thing we have to give back to God is our lives.  All the rest is just things God has entrusted to us for use in His kingdom.  By the way, I talked with Diane, and we’ll be using this prayer throughout Lent as a reminder of the gifts we bring to God.  Yes, the things Jesus is teaching here in the Sermon on the Mount can seem difficult and scary, but they are teachings that we must hear.

Perhaps we need to consider this differently; maybe these harsh words of Jesus are something like teaching music to children.  Parents who encourage their children to learn music often need to be strict.  It’s stressful, for both the child and the parents, but it can produce great rewards.  At times one must nag, scold, cajole, and maybe even threaten in order to motivate a child to practice.  Eventually, however, if all goes well, the child begins to develop some skill at music.

Maybe the child hears a song on the radio and learns to play that song.  A turning point occurs.  After years of what seems like strong-arm tactics, the child begins to practice without scolding.  The day finally arrives when the child sits down to play because making music brings them joy.  If we’re able to see Jesus’ words here about judgment, prison, and eternal damnation in the context of grace, maybe we can see Jesus motivating us to a life of obedience.  Impulses such as anger and lust can be so powerful that we may need something to get our attention.  Jesus’ long-term goal is eternal life and the joy of being in His presence.

In an early scene of Plato’s Republic, Socrates is at the home of Cephalus having a nice conversation.  Cephalus is an old and wealthy man who lives in a suburb of Athens.  Socrates asks him what he has learned after growing old.  Socrates wants to know what awaits him.  One of the things the man talks about is a quote from Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex.  Sophocles said that when he became old, he no longer felt the lusts of his youth.  Being freed from his lust was like escaping from bondage to a raging madman!  These words have a ring truth.

 Doesn’t our unchecked anger and lust control us and turn us into people we don’t really want to be?  We know the psychological and medical reasons to control our anger.  Anger clouds our judgment.  Anger raises our blood pressure and constricts our blood vessels.  The medical community has taught us that we run the risk of heart attack and stroke if we don’t control our anger.  Unchecked lust can lead to sexual immorality, mistrust, broken promises, ruined lives and shattered homes.  But on a spiritual level, anger and lust constrict our souls as well.  Our anger keeps us from seeing other people as God’s children.  We do things we wouldn’t do if we weren’t angry.

How many lies are told, how much violence has been perpetrated, how many hate crimes have been committed all because people couldn’t control their anger?  Our anger blocks our spiritual growth and our reception of God’s grace.  Our lust keeps us from seeing people as people.  We reduce other people to body parts, assuming they exist solely for our pleasure.  Lust makes us act in ways we never would if our minds were clear.  Jesus really is offering us freedom.  Being free from the damaging things that control us really is a joy.  Jesus is sharing these difficult saying with us not to frighten us, but to help us in our lives as God’s children.

If we look at this passage in light of the whole of the Bible, we can see what Jesus really wants for us.  In Matthew chapter 7 and in chapter 12 Jesus talks about good trees bearing good fruit (Matthew 7:17-20; 12:33-35).  Only we know our thoughts, but our thoughts produce fruit.  Jesus wants us to grow in grace so that we control our thoughts and impulses out of His goodness that has taken root in us.  Then obedience becomes a joy, like playing music after years of practice becomes a joy.

We in the church need to support one another, pray for one another, and help each other to live out this new law that Jesus gives us.  Yes, we may need to make some difficult choices that involve removing the people or things that cause us to sin in order for us to enter heaven.  But we won’t have to do this on our own, we have the church, God’s sanctifying grace and the Holy Spirit to empower us.  The world needs to see that our emotions and our impulses don’t control us.  

What the world needs to see is God’s righteousness in us that penetrates the deepest part of our souls and has transformed us, even to our most basic emotions.  Then, as transformed servants, we will become the salt and the light that illuminates and preserves this world.  Then producing the good fruit, we can build our faith on love, for we have no reason to fear.  

Amen.

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