The Indispensables: Matthew 5:21:37 - Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

[Jesus said to the disciples:] ²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But 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. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come 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. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
  ²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If 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. ³⁰And 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.
  ³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But 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.
  ³³“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.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear 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 swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (NRSV)

crowded subway platform by Susan Sermoneta.  Creative commons image on flickr.

Did you feel the fire and brimstone when I read today’s Gospel?

I was already feeling the heat last week, when Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20).  But today, Jesus turns up the heat:

§  Call someone a fool and you’ll be liable to the hell of fire. 

§  Come to terms with your accuser or be thrown into prison

§  Tear out your eye and cut off your hand if either causes you to sin.  Just one look is all it takes to commit adultery.

§  Don’t get divorced

§  Misuse God’s name and you’ve just yoked yourself to the evil one.

Personally, it feels kind of dumb to even call today’s Gospel passage “Gospel.” Gospel means “good news.”  So where’s the good news?

Regardless of whether you’re a squeaky-clean, lifelong churchgoer or the most unrighteous person on earth, you’re still guilty. 

Even if you could obey all of the “thou shalt not” commandments, Jesus adds a lofty “thou shalt” to God’s Law: “thou shalt love thy neighbor.” “Thou shalt be thy neighbor’s keeper.” 

The weight of the obligation to love your neighbor as yourself will always exceed the weight of keeping the “thou shalt nots.”

Who has fulfilled that?  Who wants to do that?

Consider this: hell, fire, and brimstone preachers will always have big audiences.  If you’re not doing the terrible things “those other people” are doing, a hell, fire, and brimstone “gospel” is a congratulatory handshake.  You can wear your moral stature around like a badge of honor. 

Prosperity Gospel preachers have big audiences too—and sell lots of books.  Their good news is that if you do the right things and believe the right things, life will be good.  Your dreams will come true.  You’ll live up to your God-given potential.  Best of all, you’ll go to heaven! 

But the Gospel is not all about you.  Neither is the Law.

You see, God’s Law does not exist for its own sake—it exists for people’s sake; specifically, for people to live in relationship with God and each other. 

God’s Law is good news because it reflects God’s determination to create LIFE—even in the midst of, and in spite of, EVIL and DEATH.  You are enacting God’s will.  You’re trusting God’s promises. And—you are personally bearing witness to God’s love for you as you love your neighbor.  This is why the ELCA’s motto is God’s Work, Our Hands.  God is revealed in obedience lived out in love.  Life flourishes when love is mutual. 

Make no mistake—hell is real.  But in God’s kingdom, no one is disposable. 

All the talk of hell obscures one of God’s greatest truths: In God’s kingdom, no one is disposable. Humanity disposed itself of God at the cross, but Jesus forgave and God raised him from the dead.  The challenge Jesus lays down today is in recognizing that your life in him is inextricably tied to your neighbors—including the ones you don’t like and the people whose beliefs and lifestyles you find repugnant.

We live in a world where everything is disposable, including people.  Relationships are discarded and replaced just like obsolete electronic gadgets and out-of-style fashion.  To make matters worse, we find reasons not to live as neighbors to each other.  “Those people” make bad choices and they deserve what they get.  “Those people” get for free what I had to struggle for.  They don’t do as I do, they don’t believe as I do.  “Either you’re with me, or you’re in the way.”

But Jesus says “choosing life means choosing love.”  Love is a weighty obligation.  But remember—God will always help you obey God’s will.

So give thanks to God for the people who are most important to you—and ask God to show you how you can give even more of yourself. 

But also—pray for the people who get under your skin.  Ask God to teach you how to love them, forgive them, and bear with them instead of throwing them away.  

Third, be prepared for God to bind you as a neighbor to someone who’s been disposed of.  Do this, knowing that while people have tremendous power to hurt, God gives even greater power to heal.

Life in God’s kingdom isn’t about winning or coming out on top.  It’s not about good karma.  It’s not about being in the right.  God creates life in the midst of, and in spite of, evil and death.  When there’s patience, forgiveness, honesty, the vulnerable are defended, and no one is thrown away, people are healed.  Life flourishes.