Sermon
19th February 2017
Text:
Matthew 5:38-48 – Hidden greatness
My
father and I often have quite interesting discussions on politics and world
news.
My
father comes from a Middle Eastern background so his solution to crime is quite
simplistic.
If
they steal something – cut off their hands.
They
won’t steal again.
That
sort of logic is rife in our society and not just Middle Eastern culture.
In
fact people often attribute that teaching to Islamic Sharia Law but in today’s
Gospel we see it’s origin much earlier as part of the law under Moses.
An
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" can be found three times in the
Old Testament, in Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; and Deuteronomy 19:21.
It
was a retributive justice meant to even up the scales of justice.
If
you hurt someone then justice meant allowing the hurt person or their
representative to issue the same hurt to the person causing the hurt.
Neither
of these examples are what Jesus calls on Christians to follow.
Cutting
off a thief’s hand may prevent them from stealing again but it doesn’t change
their heart.
Paying
back, like for like, also does not change a person’s heart but can in fact
inflame a situation that can cause a further retaliation.
But
the other problem with “eye for eye” is that it doesn’t heal the hurt of the
victim.
If
you hurt me and in turn I hurt you back, that doesn’t relieve my pain.
That
doesn’t restore the relationship that may have once existed.
That’s
why Paul when speaking about love in 1st Corinthians says “love keeps no record
of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5).
Retributive
justice or retributive punishment does not heal the hurt experienced by the
victim.
Jailing
a murderer for life does not bring back the life of a loved one.
Even
the death penalty doesn’t heal the hurt because at the end of the day you have
the memory of your loved one losing their life.
We
saw an example of this a couple weeks ago in a tragic accident in Thailand
where a man accidentally killed his girlfriend when he hit her with a jet-ski.
The
girl’s family chose to stand by him and not press charges.
Insisting
on his imprisonment would not bring their daughter back but forgiving him
allowed their healing.
Jesus
is speaking here to Christians and he is speaking about our healing when we
have been hurt physically, emotionally, spiritually or in any way at all.
Because
when we are hurt our faith can be in danger as we take justice into our own
hands.
But
it is also an opportunity to grow in our faith because human retaliation is
limiting.
It’s
an eye for an eye – it’s a tooth for a tooth.
It
is limited to these.
So
Jesus goes on from there and talks about going the extra mile – turning the
other cheek – giving your coat as well as your shirt.
Jesus
doesn’t ask us to do this so we become known as pushovers but so we go beyond
the limitations that humanity places on us.
And
then Jesus pushes us even further beyond going the extra mile.
He
says that if we want to experience the full experience of divine blessings –
love your enemy.
So
not only has Jesus progressed from foregoing revenge and retribution, to going
the extra mile – now he is going beyond all human limitations and leading us to
the most extraordinary level of blessing by loving our enemy.
But
Jesus doesn’t lead us where he himself has not gone.
As
he himself was nailed to the cross he goes beyond expectations.
They
expected Jesus to show his strength by coming down from the cross:
You
who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!
Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief
priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others
but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from
the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now
if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:40-44)
But
instead of showing his strength by human actions he showed divine action and
loved his enemies:
Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
Jesus
wants us to live more than the limitations of everyday life.
He
says: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John
10:10).
But
life to the full is found in very different places to where human life expects
it to be found.
We
would normally look for it in physical place – in possessions, money,
enjoyment.
While
life can be experienced there, it is always limiting.
Life
to the full is found where you would not expect to find it.
It’s
so much like God that he seems to hide blessings where we would not, or even
should not find them.
As
Paul said – God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong – he
chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Luther
referred to God as the God of the opposites.
He
hides blessings in curses – as St Paul says in Galatians: Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Galatians 3:13)
He
hides victory in defeat – what was intended to shame and defeat Jesus saw the
cross become his throne.
And
so God has also hidden blessings in humility – turning the other cheek, going
the extra mile, giving up the rest of our possessions to those who have already
taken them – and the crowning glory – loving our enemies.
Jails
and punishments have their place in today’s societies
But
where does a hurting person go for rest, support and healing?
Where
does a person rejected by society turn for help without judgment?
Where
can one show up and not be judged?
There’s
an acceptance that shines through the church and the people of God.
This
love and acceptance of neighbour is what Jesus means when he says to love one
another as I have loved you. (John 13:34,35)
Like
the other teachings of Jesus we have heard, they are hard to take in.
Loving
enemies, forgiving negative experiences, giving and expecting nothing in
return, offering mercy instead of demanding justice - this is God's story.
God
placed a rainbow promise in the sky even though every inclination of the human
heart was evil, (Genesis 6:5)
God
made manna to fall from heaven, even though the Israelites had done nothing but
complained.
In
the parable of the vineyard owner, God pays the one--hour workers the same as
the eight--hour workers giving them not what they deserve but what they need.
(Matthew 20:1-16)
In
the parable of the Prodigal Son, we experience a God who rejoices when a sinner
comes home. (Luke 15:11-32)
And
so the teachings of Jesus continue.
God
gives us grace instead of judgment.
God
gives us blessing instead of curse.
God
gives us comfort instead of condemnation and now asks us to go and do likewise
to our neighbour (see Luke 10:37)
Loving
our enemies and turning the other cheek goes against our human nature.
We
live in a world where if we are wronged we press charges.
There
is room for that but there also needs to be room for mercy and forgiveness so
we don’t harbour anger in our hearts but begin to heal.
This
negative reaction to the bad things in life is learned behaviour and is part of
our original sin of seeing ourselves as the centre of the universe.
God
asks us to hand judgment over to him.
It’s
hard, because like Adam our Even, we want to be God.
But
God asks us to hand judgment over to him so we can heal and also be the healing
for others.
In
the Gospels Jesus gives the hurting people grace.
And
he gives us grace and the blessing of unconditional love.
And
now Jesus asks us to do the same - to take the risk by picking up our cross and
following him. (Matthew 16:24)
These
words are not spoken to the entire world who would not understand Jesus’
unconditional love.
These
words are spoken to his disciples, to believers who know Jesus and his love.
A
love that saw him turn his cheek to be crucified.
Who
gave not just his clothing but his entire life.
Who
loved his enemies so much that he asked his Father to forgive them while they
were nailing him to the cross.
May
that self-sacrificing love empower you to go and do likewise.
No comments:
Post a Comment