Sermon for Sunday May 22nd 2022: ‘That just aint natural’
(Please read Psalm 78: 1-11; Leviticus 19: 1-2; 9-19; Matthew 5: 17-20; 38-48).
The neighbour said, "You should love your boy, not punish him." One hot summer afternoon the professor was repairing his concrete driveway. After hours of work, he laid down the trowel, wiped his forehead, and went toward the house. Just then out of the corner of his eye he saw a mischievous little boy putting his foot into the fresh cement. He rushed over, grabbed him, and was about to spank him severely when a neighbor leaned from a window and said, "Watch it, Professor! Don’t you remember? You must ’love’ the child!" At this, he yelled back furiously, "I do love him in the abstract but not in the concrete!"
17 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.'
Anyone who thinks that Jesus came and “did away” with the Old Testament is mistaken. No, He drew on a vast tradition of law and wisdom that predated his earthly ministry by hundreds of years.
17 ''Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbour frankly (get it out in the open) so you will not share in their guilt. 18 '(You) shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD' (Leviticus 19:17). Familiar, isn’t it?
If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink, for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. (Pr 25: 21-22) 'Don’t say, 'I will get even for this wrong.' Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.' (Pr 20: 22)
Try a little kindness. Kindness may (just) instill repentance and shame in those who want to do me harm. So Jesus took the teaching of the Law and He fulfilled it. He lived it – and died it! He embodied it. He took what had always been there. He 'set the bar' very high indeed. It just aint natural. There’s nothing natural about Matthew 5: 38-48!
These 10 verses (part only of Matthew chapters 5 to 7) that make up the 'Sermon on the Mount' are so well known but often misunderstood. The Sermon on the Mount is not a manifesto for world government; it is not a definitive statement about whether or not nations can justify going to war. It is not the 'doormat charter', either. It was a word for disciples and to disciples. Notice the prevalence of 'You' and 'your' in this passage… more than 20 times.
What do you think is the greatest hindrance to the life of discipleship? It’s you! It’s me. It’s the self. Because that is where the problem lies…
If anyone wants to come after me he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me…must count the cost – because following me will be costly – it will cost you your self… (Luke 9:23). These verses are a call to a way of life for those willing to gain life - by losing it.
In the Garden of Eden it was the enemy (Satan) who said, 'Assert yourself, disobey God, assert your own rights…'
These words are about you and about your response to being wronged. 'You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person…”
Naturally, don’t we prefer the eye-for-an-eye; tooth-for tooth; burn for burn; bruise-for bruise; fracture for fracture… kind of (retributive) justice? When we are wronged we want 'our just desserts'. And we want our enemies to be punished! We demand 'our pound of flesh'!
Like the scribes and Pharisees how conveniently we forget that when these OT laws were framed it was never intended for angry individuals to impose that justice themselves – that was for God-ordained judges or magistrates – to try cases and examine witnesses… (Deuteronomy 19; Numbers 35). They twisted the law. The law always prohibited people from taking the law into their own hands – then as now: Vengeance is mine, and recompense – and payback! (Deuteronomy 32: 35; Romans 12:19)
People twist (limit) the meaning of the word, 'neighbour' as well: Love my neighbour?! Well, Ok, if 'my neighbour' is someone who belongs to my family, my clan, my tribe – no problem. Charity begins at home. If my neighbour is someone I like – maybe then; if my neighbour is someone like me, then I can forgive or love. But that’s easy, even for the pagans! You don’t have to be a disciple to do that! (The parable of the Good Samaritan)
43 ''You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?''
''Jesus is not suggesting that believers should not have enemies. That someone else marks me as his or her enemy is often beyond my control. There are people who have set themselves against me and against all that I stand for; I am sometimes powerless to in any way dissuade them. There are people who despise me, who seek to hurt me or to ruin me. That is a sad fact of life in our fallen world…''
''If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you…''
But Jesus teaches me that I am able to control my response to my enemies. How can we pray for someone we hate? We can’t: it consumes us… I can refuse to be their enemies. I can resist the urge to hate them right back. I just don’t want to.
But again Jesus says 'your righteousness' needs to go beyond that of the 'experts'. You will have to be ready to turn, ready to give up, and ready to help – ready to hold very loosely to your right to retaliate; prepared to surrender your right to summary justice – (there are many who will never see 'justice' in this life); ready to give generously from the plenty you have received; ready to do something that will help another person; maybe to go beyond what might be considered reasonable – to go the second mile. Why, no!
And God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…
Naturally we are not like this. We make our own calculations about who deserves 'our love', about who deserves a second chance from God. God’s grace is amazing and it’s scandalous. Why? Because God is universally kind - even to those who have set their hearts against him – and broken his heart – his enemies. He will judge them ultimately. 'But the sun rose this morning on the people of Rawtenstall. It did that for those with a criminal record. It did that for those who are model citizens. It did that for those who came to church. It did that for those who had a lie-in. It did that for those who hate the church. God did that for all those people…'
Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy…. (Lev 19). God spoke those words a long time ago. They’re still relevant.
Be generous: don’t hoard your property or food; leave some for the poor and the stranger. Be honest: don’t steal, lie, or cheat your neighbour. Be fair: don’t take advantage of the blind or the deaf; treat the poor the same as you do the rich. Be loving: don’t lie or slander, don’t profit by the harm of your neighbour, don’t hate, don’t hold grudges. Holiness without the halo! Love – not in the abstract, in words - but in the concrete!
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Telios (perfect) means 'to be mature, complete, grown up'. Be perfect! Why? Because your heavenly Father is – we, like him, are to love saint and sinner alike – there’s a little of each in all of us, after all!
''Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it.'' 1 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
Jesus paid us back with a blessing! Paul says, in Romans that the biggest demonstration of God’s love for us is that while were still sinners, Christ died for us. We didn’t get our just desserts. While we least deserved it, while we had treated God appallingly. He did the greatest act of kindness for us. And that involved Jesus allowing others to abuse, insult, accuse and steal from him, without him once attempting to resist. This is not natural for any of us.
Lord, help us to apply these hard and unnatural teachings in our lives today. Grant us supernatural help, the Spirit’s help. Help us to do to others as you have done to us. (Amen)
(MFR 20/05/22)