Foretaste of the Sermon to Come
A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary
Sunday’s readings are: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Matthew 5:21-30, 43-48
Jesus said to the disciples, “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…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…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. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
If you opened the Bible for the very first time and randomly put your finger on Matthew 5:21, would you want to continue with the rest of the book? I hope you would, because if you back up to the opening words of this very sermon, you’d hear the gospel promise, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Or “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Or later on in Matthew, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.” “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Or our second reading’s final words from Paul, “…you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”
Jesus told us in our readings last Sunday, he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Jesus is not afraid to preach the Law for at least two reasons. First, God’s Law is a guide for maintaining order and justice in society. Second, when he preaches the law he is showing us how impossible it is to keep it and just how very much we need his mercy and grace.
So when we hear Jesus’ tough words of the Law, we must remember who is speaking them. We remember our God who was willing to enflesh alongside humanity, wading straight into the muck of life on earth right along with all of us. We remember his character, his love for the sick and downtrodden. We remember the extent to which he was willing to go, even unto death on the cross in order to fulfill the Law and gift us with his righteousness. This is the translation tool we need when we read Jesus’ challenging words, “Be perfect.” In your baptism and through the Supper you are, because Jesus died for you and you are drenched in his perfection. Thanks be to God.
