Matthew 5:21-37
[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.’
22
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.
23
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
24
leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
25
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.
26
Truly 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.’
28
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29
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.
30
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.
31
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
32
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.
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.’
34
But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
35
or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36
And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
37
Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
Dear Friends,
I grew up believing that Biblical law was bad, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ was good. I came to learn in college that everything Jesus taught could be found in the Old Testament, which was Jesus' Bible. I also learned that Biblical law was understood to be life-giving.and something to be delighted in, as many of the psalms clearly state. What Jesus shows in this teaching about the Jewish law and commandments is that relationships matter to God. It's not about the actual commands as it it about our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. I share the poem below that I found in a Lutheran professor's writing:
"clothesline," poem by Marilyn Maciel
i
you
us
them
those people
wouldn’t it be lovely
if one could
live
in a constant state
of we?
some of the most
commonplace
words
can be some of the biggest
dividers
they
what if there was
no they?
what if there
was only
us?
if words could be seen
as they floated out
of our mouths
would we feel no
shame
as they passed beyond
our lips?
if we were to string
our words
on a communal clothesline
would we feel proud
as our thoughts
flapped in the
breeze?
The laws and commandments from God are a gift to us to help build trust between us and the world. They teach us that God's love is not for the command to be followed but lived out. They teach us that our relationships with one another matter deeply to God. I hope to worship with you this coming Sunday and explore this insight more.
We pray: God of Love and Relationships, thank you for revealing your will for our relationships through Jesus. Grant us courage to risk trust being broken in order for us to find a more invigorating life together. Amen
Pastor Jim
