You
may have noticed, or perhaps not,
that
the last few Sundays we have been working our way through
the
fifth chapter of Matthew,
which
is part of the Sermon on the Mount.
Each
Sunday has taken up where the previous Sunday left off.
Today
we complete the chapter.
Now,
that’s not all of the Sermon on the Mount.
If
you want the rest of the story, you will have to read
Matthew
6 and 7 also.
But
fear not.
At
least, on Ash Wednesday we will get the first part of chapter 6.
The
rest is then left up to you.
I’ll
say a few words about the gospel selection for today,
and
put it into the context of the whole Sermon on the Mount,
but
you all are grown ups here.
It’s
up to you, as good, baptized, church going people
to
know how significant the Sermon on the Mount is,
and
to value it enough to do some of your own study of it.
Am
I right?
You
see, the Sermon on the Mount was not addressed
to
all the crowds of people
who
came to see him, to get healed and get fed.
The
first verse of Matthew chapter 5 says,
“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went
up the mountain;
and
after he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Then he began to speak, and taught them…”
The
Sermon on the Mount was addressed to the disciples,
the
followers he had called, had selected, had chosen
to
not just hear and learn what he wanted to teach,
but
who would also take this teaching
and
the gospel Jesus was presenting
and
be responsible for passing this on as good news
to
everyone else, literally to the whole world.
We
have this sermon, this core teaching in our scripture, our New Testament,
and
we dare to read it, and some have even memorized parts of it,
like
the Beatitudes.
Does
this then mean that we also are assuming or considering
that
Jesus likewise calls us as his disciples?
This
is a serious question,
for
if we read these chapters of Matthew
and
think that they apply also to us
-
and there are grounds for believing this –
then
we are most likely in over our heads.
Let’s
be honest.
How
many of us can seriously say that we match up
with
what Jesus is talking about in the Sermon on the Mount?
Blessed are you
when people revile you and persecute you
and
lying utter all kinds of evil against
you on my account.
You are the
light of the world.
…let
your light shine before others,
so
that they may see your good works
and
give glory to your Father in heaven.
…unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you
will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
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…
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.
You have heard
that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But
I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.
But
if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also…
and if anyone
forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Give to everyone
who begs from you,
and
do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard
that it was said,
'You
shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to
you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…
Or what do we do
with this?
And
if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away…
If
your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away…
(an
extreme statement to say that our relationships with each other
are more important than vital body parts!)
Or
Do
not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets;
I
have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
For
truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not
one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law
until
all is accomplished.
Or
Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
So how many of
you at this point might be saying to yourself
that
you just can’t match up to this.
Jesus
is simply asking too much of us folks.
Well, consider
this:
Jesus
is describing to us the way it is with him.
This
is a picture of how he operates in the world,
how
he relates to everyone.
He is giving us
a picture of what a fully mature human being is,
and
he has this crazy idea that all of us have the capacity
to
grow up to this same maturity of human being.
Why do I say
this? How can I know this?
It’s all there
in that last verse of Matthew, chapter 5:
Jesus
says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Well, this needs
some unpacking, as they say.
The key word is perfect:
at
least, that is how the word in Greek is translated.
And I will be so
bold as to say that this is an unfortunate translation.
Because I think
that the majority of people hearing the word perfect,
think
in terms of acting without mistakes, performing flawlessly.
Did you hear the
youth orchestra perform Sibelius’ Symphony #2 in D major?
It
was perfect!
Meaning, those
kids performed it without making any mistakes.
That
is quite an accomplishment, especially for the French horns.
But that is not
the meaning of perfect intended here
in the Greek.
The word telioj, perfect, means
brought to completion, fully developed,
mature.
Did you hear Yo
Yo Ma’s performance of Bach’s cello suite #1 in G?
It
was perfect!
Not:
he made no errors, his performance was flawless,
but
the way he played the music was expressive, nuanced with feeling,
was
Bach brought to life.
In this passage telioj relates to dikaioj, righteousness, being right with
God,
meaning
as fulfilled as we could possibly be as human beings,
not
operating from moral perfection, but from fullness of being.
In such a state
behavior then is a consequence of being.
In such a state
behavior follows from being in right relationship with God.
In Jesus that
behavior flowed naturally,
and
this was evident in the compassion showed to all who came to him,
the
loving way he ministered to each person’s condition and situation,
and
this also included those who opposed him.
He never said,
“Quite bothering me.”
Instead he
engaged with them in such ways as to provoke their sense of truth,
zeroing
in on their personal issues
in
order to bring them to awareness of their own need
for
the salvation and liberation he was offering to all.
It was the most
sincere prayer he uttered from the cross:
“Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That is being
perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
That is being
holy as the Lord God is holy,
as
was spoken by Moses to the people in the reading from Leviticus.
“You
shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
The
image of God in which we are created is holy,
for
the Creator is holy.
Now
at this point, if you are still listening, don’t despair.
If
you are looking at your own truth of being
and
seeing a great gap with holy perfection or spiritual maturity,
there
is good news today.
Paul
in the reading from 1 Corinthians tells us,
“Do you not know that you are God's temple
and
that God's Spirit dwells in you?”
Jesus knew that people can’t just get it by hearing
a sermon,
(as
every preacher knows!)
we
all need his direct help,
and that is the purpose of Pentecost:
to
put his resurrected Presence in each of us
so
that we are enabled to grow up into that same maturity.
Then it would be as natural as grass growing
that
we would, like Moses described in Leviticus,
fulfill
the Law, not in moral perfection,
but
in the fullness of Love,
the
Love Jesus spoke of which is the holiness of God.
Then
when you reap the harvest of your land,
you
would not reap to the very edges of your field,
or
gather the gleanings of your harvest.
You
would not strip your vineyard bare,
or
gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard;
you
would leave them for the poor and
the alien.
You
would not steal; you shall not deal falsely;
and
you would not lie to one another.
You
would not render an unjust judgment;
and
you would not profit by the blood of your neighbor.
You
would not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but
you would love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
You
will be holy when you love and care for others without discrimination.
Then
you will be like God and will be holy.
That
is perfect maturity.
End
of sermon.
And
the beginning, I hope, of new engagement in Life.
