:: So.. thinking through the 'Sermon on the Mount'. As mentioned in a previous post, Jesus introduces this well-known collection of teachings with a series of statements meant to both draw us in and illustrate the condition of heart that will bring about the purposes of God in us: blessed, he says, are the spiritually bankrupt, the grieving, the cheek-turners, the hungry and thirsty, the pure in heart and the peacemakers…
This is, Jesus says, what it is to be salt and light. People, who are aware of their spiritual emptiness, aware of their need for healing and wholeness, asking God to fill them, purify them, grow in them the depths of his character and holiness, that we might pour ourselves out as healers and peacemakers defined by the forgiveness and longsuffering gentleness of Christ himself. It is in this way that a world desperately seeking meaning and completion will finally be able to see the face of hope, and come to him.
Which, taken to heart, gives us an amazing picture of our world and what it is to engage it in all its’ beauty and brokenness.
:: Mt. 5:17-20
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets…’
With this statement, Jesus places all that he is and all that he will say firmly within the flow of redemptive history as it would have been understood by these Jewish listeners; this message of God and Kingdom that he brings is not a matter of novelty, but of incarnation… ‘I have come to fulfill them…’ – Jesus offers himself as the incarnate expression of this plot that has been unfolding since the very entrance of sin into the world.
Perhaps we might also look at Jesus’ ‘fulfillment’ of the law in an interpretive light: more than just an outflow of the past or a result of it, could it be perhaps that Jesus is claiming that he himself is the lens through which we find the means to properly interpret and apply all that came before him? Either way… this is a deeply significant statement that ties Jesus to the ongoing unfolding of redemptive history.
v. 18-19
‘…heaven and earth pass away… the law will not pass away’ – Jesus’ use of the same word here (translated ‘to pass away’), joining these two thoughts together; expressing that, in Jesus’ view, the Law (Jewish covenant) is not merely some foreign moral code imposed upon creation, but it is rather an expression of the very heartbeat; the very character of creation itself... Which is fascinating.
In this, we begin to understand that the Law (much like the Sermon on the Mount) was not given strictly or primarily to mandate behavior… but to express something about the nature and character of God. The Law will not pass away… because it is a description of that which is essential and eternal… and until such a time as God is again fully revealed, the Law shall remain.
It is in THIS sense that Jesus fulfills the law: as the incarnate expression of the heart, nature and person of God.
v. 20 ‘ Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees…’
On the surface, this is a ridiculous statement. For the Jews of Jesus' day, these people WERE the righteous; the spiritual… the benchmark of practical faith. To imply, then, that these people, for all their lives’ devotion to getting it right, don’t make the cut, is an outstanding statement. WHO, then, has any hope of entering the kingdom?
How could one possibly achieve this ‘greater’ righteousness? What more could God possibly demand of a person then this? Because, should one try, it seems that it would quickly become obvious that we can’t, actually, do it… at least not in our own strength.
Maybe this is exactly the point?
What if the Law, and now Jesus, was never so much meant as a ‘color by numbers’ moral code, but rather a glimpse into the character of God, that we might come to realize our own brokenness, come to face our own inability to do anything about it, and so cast ourselves his grace and mercy in light of how far we fall short? (blessed are the poor in spirit… the spiritually bankrupt)
v.21-26 – Murder/Anger
Jesus now continues to expound upon this point: ‘… you shall not murder’ A decent moral code to live by… But, Jesus says, It is quite possible that we could live our entire lives having never broken this particular code in practice, while still missing the point… Still falling short of the character of God. Murder is merely an extreme symptom of the disease of brokenness, bitterness and anger that will wrap it’s roots around our souls should we give it the chance…
Your code is alright, Jesus says, but it doesn’t get to the heart of the matter… I’m not interested in behavior modification or treating the symptoms… I want to cure the disease in you. I don’t want merely the absence of outward conflict, I want real reconciliation. (v. 23-26)… It’s as we come face to face with God that we can see our need, and are invited to healing.
So, too in v. 26-30 : Adultery/Lust
‘So… you’ve never given in to the temptation to cheat on your spouse? That’s good. Kudos. But God is actually interested in more than your behavior… He’s interested in your heart.’ (note: this is not an attack on biology, but a commentary on intent. Could be translated ‘looking upon a woman in order to lust after her’… He is not dealing with repressing raw impulse, but addressing the lie that says it doesn’t matter how we incline our heart or what we allow in to our mind, so long as we don’t physically act on it)
Some would protest that Jesus’ teachings here, taken seriously, are simply unreasonable. How can he expect us to so discipline ourselves with respect to urges of this sort which come so naturally from within us as a result of our human condition?
But this is perhaps exactly the point; we ARE helpless to keep our own brokenness at bay… We are helpless to heal our own souls: to address the bitterness, anger and lust that run rampant within us. The best we can ever hope for is to strive for the appearance of righteousness; to put on a good face… to hope to keep the disease from showing symptoms… But all the behavior modification and self control in the world can never make us whole. It can never deal with the problem. It is not through legalism that we will find our way into the
It is for this reason that Jesus, and the law, seeks to bring us face to face with the person and holiness of God; that we might recognize our need, and come to him for salvation.
Maybe you’re realizing that your faith, to this point, has been more about keeping yourself in line; more about good behavior than surrender?
Maybe you’ve got wounds that you carry around; bitterness or anger that you have towards someone who has wronged or hurt you, and you need to let that go, to open yourself up to healing?
Maybe there’s ways you’ve bought into the lie that the things you let into your heart and head aren’t a big deal, so long as you don’t let those things show, and those things you’ve let in and keep in are actually rotting you from the inside out?
Maybe you’re on the fence? Wouldn’t to this point, have described yourself as a follower of Jesus? Maybe you’re realizing that that’s a step you need to take?
No comments:
Post a Comment