Year A 3rd Sunday in Lent

Text John 4:5-42 – Living Water – God’s energy drink.

Growing in popularity these days are what are called power drinks.

These are drinks that are pumped up with high volumes of caffeine.

You can see children walking to school drinking cans of these believing they are a health drink because they give you energy.

Drinks with the name of V, Mother, Monster and Red Bull, are extremely attractive because people believe they give you an energy shot.

Then there are sports drinks like PowerAde that athletes drink that really are not much more than coloured sugar water.

There is even a clever marketing product called vitamin water with all sorts of different flavoured waters sounding healthy and claiming to be able to improve different types of functions from memory to other body functions.

Many of these drinks are made by Coca Cola, the same company that markets it sugar free colas like Zero as healthy alternatives.

The same company that owns our fruit cannery SPC.

What’s concerning is that people are drinking these as health drinks and ignoring the healthiest of all drinks that God has provided in water.

They are marketed as healthy alternatives to quench our thirst but they don’t do that.

Water is vital for our survival and it is essential for our bodies to function.

And so when Jesus today meets with a Samaritan woman he presents himself as the Living Water she is searching for.

This woman is searching and waiting for Jesus, although like so many others, she doesn’t recognise his presence with her.

“I know the Messiah is coming – when he comes he will reveal all things to us”. (v25)

This woman has lived with much heartache – married 5 times and now living with a man to whom she isn’t married.

An unnamed woman living in a patriarchal society.

As a Samaritan she is one of God’s children rejected by their own people because of how they worshipped God.

But Jesus doesn’t reject her or her people.

As Jesus does on so many occasions, he accepts their invitation to come and stay with them.

Jesus puts aside all the prejudices that separated the woman and the Samaritans and gave them the living water they were waiting and searching for.

This passage challenges us to look at our own prejudices and anything else that holds us back from extending God’s love, grace and mercy to others.

Prejudices than can prevent us from helping others in need.

We live in a society where we don’t even recognise our prejudices.

We call them our rights.

Anything that creates a difference between one person and another becomes a prejudice.

To “pre-judge” someone.

Sometimes we don’t like to help others out and we believe we have a good reason.

They’re rorting the system, they’re jumping the queue, they’ve only got themselves to blame for their predicament, they’re only going to waste it on drugs and alcohol.

These can set up a prejudice in us where we refuse to help because we believe they don’t deserve our help.

Jesus was able to look beyond all of that.

The disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman –

“They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman”. (v27)

Most of Jesus’ criticism came because of those he reached out to help – “he eats with sinners” (Mark 2:16) was a constant complaint.

She couldn’t help being a woman – she couldn’t help being a Samaritan.

Should that mean she can be refused blessings by God?

But even when they were outcast because of their own choices, Jesus still put aside any prejudice.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector by his own choice – an outcast to his own people because of it.

Zacchaeus knowingly and willingly defrauded people for his own gain – by his own choice.

And like the Samaritans, Jesus chose to stay at his place. (Luke 19:1-10)

Some people are in need because of the choices they make, some have no choice.

That should never be a factor in whom we help and whom we don’t help.

God places all sorts of people before us to share his blessings with.

It’s difficult sometimes.

I’ve been conned by people seeking welfare from me.

I’ve seen people abuse the help we give them.

I’ve heard the complaints at our community meal – “not soup again”.

But we have been blessed by God to be a blessing to others.

God has poured his living water into us so that it can flow to others.

God doesn’t bless us to keep his blessings.

A water tank that collects water is pointless if the water isn’t used.

In fact the water will become stagnant and unhealthy.

But as water is used it is then replaced as the rains come.

Abraham was sent to the Promised Land and told – all nations will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:3)

God’s blessings to others flow through us.

This Samaritan woman received the living water she had been searching for and instead of keeping it to herself she rushes back to her people to share it with them.

And notice that the water jug she brought to collect the earthly water was left behind. (v28)

So too, as we share God’s living water with others we are to leave behind our earthly prejudices despite how warranted and justified they may be.

When it comes to sharing God’s love with others, despite how much we might disagree with their choices or lifestyles, despite how justified we might feel we are in our decisions, we remember what Paul says today:

“God proves his love for US, that while WE were still sinners Christ died for us”. (Romans 5:1-11)

God had, and still has every reason to hold back blessings from us but his love keeps them flowing.

What is holding you back from seeing this reality in your life and sharing it with others.

What prejudice is so deep in us that we can’t even see it or we are justifying it?

Today’s Gospel breaks down all barriers, physical and spiritual.

The physical barriers in that Jesus speaks with an unnamed woman – that’s what the disciples question first.

They were astonished he was speaking with a woman.

What physical barriers are holding us back from extending God’s grace and love to others?

Maybe a lack of trust in God – we need them for ourselves – I’ve worked hard to get where I am.

But remember the parable of the rich fool who after achieving all his blessings decided to build bigger barns and sit back and enjoy them himself.

His life was demanded from him that day (Luke 12:13-21)

But we also have spiritual barriers broken down here.

She is not just a woman but a Samaritan woman.

A people reviled because they worshipped in the wrong way on Mt Gerizim rather than Jerusalem.

She was divorced several times and therefore possibly rejected by her own people.

She drew water by herself – at noon, the hottest time of the day – possibly to avoid others.

Are there some in society that would fit that description?

The dole bludger, the druggie, the illegal immigrant?

Jesus broke down these barriers even with her own people who no longer reject her but listen to her..

The dam wall has been broken and the waters have gone out to all her people.

They come rushing to Jesus and proclaim that “we know that this is truly the Saviour of the World”. (v42)

The “world”!

They don’t hold onto Jesus saying he is “our Saviour”.

Where are our barriers that prevent our message of God’s love from reaching out into the world?

Our mission is to take the gospel into the whole world, not to keep it to ourselves.

Jesus himself said: This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Maybe we are holding back God’s Kingdom and the gospel by our prejudices.

God puts Samaritan women every day in our lives, but do we see them?

As those of us who have been washed by “living waters,” we are sent to share it with others.

A lot of people frightened or uninformed when speaking about their faith.

Let us start by breaking down our prejudices and barriers and reaching out to that person we’d rather not speak with.

Let us share a smile or a welcome with them like Jesus did and let the living water flow from us and onto them.

Year A 2nd Sunday in Lent

Text: John 3:1-17 – No greater love

I read with great interest this week about a young Melbourne man, aged 31, who has invested $50,000 in a business opening in Australia later this year.

The business will offer Cryogenics.

What this means is that when this young man reaches a particular age or an illness catches up with him he will consent to having his body frozen until sometime in the future, whether it’s 10, 20, 100 or 500 years from now, in the hope that medicine will one day revive him and allow him to hopefully live forever.

It’s easy to laugh at this but I don’t think it’s right to do so.

This is where this young person is putting his hope of living forever.

In a way we can be thankful because at least he is thinking about eternal life, albeit one that doesn’t take into account eternal life in heaven.

In situations like this it is best to take an example from Paul at the Areopagus where he found an altar with the inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’

Rather than Paul ridiculing them for their beliefs of worshipping nd “unknown god”, he found a point of entry:

What you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

Paul then spoke to them about the resurrection of the dead and we are told:

When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” (Acts 17:22-32).

Jesus had a similar encounter with Nicodemus.

Jesus spoke about ‘being born again’

Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was speaking about and asked him:

How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born? (v4)

This sort of talk of “being born again” was foreign to Nicodemus and so Jesus had to speak to him where he was at, rather than expect that Nicodemus would simply pick up what we was referring to.

As a Pharisee and one of Israel’s teachers, Nicodemus would have known his history and particularly of Moses.

So Jesus speaks about Moses lifting up the brass snake in the wilderness to save people from death.

The people had been grumbling about God so God sent poisonous snakes among them.

But if they looked at the brass snake that Moses had created and lifted up high on a pole, then they would live.

It taught them about faith.

And so Jesus used this as a lesson to Nicodemus about faith, that by looking to Jesus he could receive healing from death.

Paul used the people of Athens worship as the starting point.

Paul didn’t criticise their false worship but used their desire to worship as the starting point.

So we too need to look at starting points when we are witnessing to others, whether it’s our friends, children, or strangers we meet.

There will be a starting point that we can find.

It might take years before something arises;

It might take a tragic circumstance that enables us to begin speaking to them about the hope we have, as St Peter says in his letter:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15).

It’s not always easy sharing our faith with others.

The Christian faith can cause some fairly antagonistic and spiteful responses.

And it won’t do much trying to argue with those who are intent on disparaging the Christian faith.

There are so many arguments continuing to be debated in the media.

The teaching of Religious Instruction or Christian Education in State Schools.

The placement and funding of Christian Chaplains in schools.

The tax status of religious institutions.

The abuse of children in religious institutions and by clergy.

The protesters outside the abortion clinic in Melbourne.

There have been many over the years where the Christian church has been questioned in society.

The danger is that we respond to antagonism with antagonism.

We have the example of Jesus speaking with Nicodemus where he is at.

We have Paul speaking with the wayward Athenians at a point they will understand.

Some were antagonistic towards Paul but others wanted to hear more.

John 3:16 is considered to be the most quoted verse in the Bible and yet it is probably the least used.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

That is our mandate – that everyone hears about and experiences the love of God for the world.

That Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it.

How can that be offensive and antagonistic and draw so much criticism – and yet it does.

And so the call to us is to live that verse.

For us to “love the world so much”.

For us to “save the world” and not to “condemn the world”.

The church is very good at showing love by feeding hungry bodies, but in Nicodemus we see a greater need – Spiritual hunger.

The same need we see in the young man aged 31 already looking for assurance of eternal life but looking in the wrong place.

He is looking for eternal human life but that’s not what Jesus offers.

Nicodemus may not know physical hunger, but his spiritual hunger drives him to Jesus in the dark of night.

Nicodemus represents many who wrestle with questions and doubts and face their deepest needs.

If we are living out the love of God in the way we think and speak and act then there will come a time when someone may ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

What will you say?

When we are rejected for our faith we should not return fire.

No, we have God to look after us so we don’t have to retaliate, but instead show love – even to our enemies.

Abraham was going to face great rejection as he journeyed to his new land but God assures him:

I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

We should not underestimate the work that God can do through us but we should also not underestimate the harm that we can do by our defensiveness.

Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness – afraid of what others might think of him.

And the next we hear of Nicodemus is at Jesus death – no longer afraid but coming to care for Jesus’ body after he had died (John 19:39).

If someone were to come to you and ask – tell me more about your Christian belief, what would you say?

If you had to give a reason for the hope you have, what would you say?

You need say no more than today’s text with one small change – replace “world” with “you”

For God so loved you that he gave his only Son, so that you may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to condemn you, but in order that you might be saved through him.

But maybe you first need to start with yourself:

For God so loved me that he gave his only Son, so that I may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to condemn me, but in order that I might be saved through him.

That’s the hope you have – that if you were the only sinner in the entire world, God would still have sent Jesus to die just for you.

That’s the Christian hope we have.

That’s the Christian hope we live each day – letting God’s love shine through us.

Year A First Sunday in Lent

Sermon 9^th March 2014

Text Matthew 4:1-11 – What would Jesus do?

As I drive around the streets I see many symbols that identify a person as Christian.

One of the more popular ones is the image of a fish that you might see as a decal on a car.

Or you might see a sticker advertising 89.9 LightFM the Christian radio station.

One that we don’t see a lot of these days is a symbol that many wore as a bracelet during the 90s – it was 4 letters – WWJD – standing for What Would Jesus Do?

It was intended to encourage a person during temptation or faced with a difficult choice to ask themself – what would Jesus do in this situation.

It was intended to spur us on to making the right decisions when confronted with a crossroad in our faith.

What would Jesus do when confronted with a decision to do right or wrong?

Obviously Jesus chose what is right and so should we.

But sometimes it’s not so clear and so we would ask – what would Jesus do in this situation.

Satan offered Jesus a choice – change these rocks into bread – throw yourself from this high place – bow down and worship me.

On each occasion Jesus made the right choice – what would Jesus do – that’s what we should do also.

In our first reading we heard about the choice placed before Adam and Eve:

You can choose to eat from any tree in the garden – but you must NOT eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

If you make that choice then surely you will die.

And so we learn they made the wrong choice and suffered the consequences.

That’s how we read it and that is also how what we call “legalism” is introduced into the Christian faith.

You have to make the right choices – you have to do what Jesus would have done.

And I believe legalism can be worse than making the wrong choice.

Compare 2 churches in the New Testament.

The Church at Corinth – a church that made many wrong choices – choices that left them divided.

Paul brings a word of grace to them because grace is how God deals with sin through wrong choices.

The other church is the Galatian church – a church that turned to legalism.

Forcing the members of the church to follow a particular way of life in order to receive God’s approval.

Paul had no word of grace for them:

Instead he says: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6,7)

You foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? (Galatians 3:1,3)

Adam and Eve were given a choice – a choice to eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden.

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was not part of the choice.

It was a commandment to not eat and if you did then you would surely die.

And now Paul reminds us that through that one man – Adam – sin has entered into the world.

And so for Christians it’s not about going back to the Garden of Eden situation and this time making the right choice.

No, it’s too late for that.

The damage has been done.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

The account of Jesus temptation is not a lesson in how to get it right this time.

No it’s a question of authority – that Jesus has authority of Satan.

That Satan cannot defeat Jesus as he did Adam.

That Satan no longer has the power of death:

“Death has been swallowed up in Christ’s victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

Our protection comes not from resisting temptation, not from obedience, but from living under the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Paul too struggled with temptation when he wrote;

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:14-25).

Legalism says that if Paul knew what he was supposed to do then he should have done it.

Grace, according to Paul, delivers us from death through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And that’s why Paul said in our 2nd reading:

Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. (Romans 5:18)

That’s why King David in our Psalm today said:

Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven.

Not, blessed are they who keep God’s commands.

This is not to say that it doesn’t matter what choices we make.

No, Paul would be the first to argue against that:

In Romans 6 he says:

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? (Romans 6:1,2)

We all face choices every day, and sometimes it’s really difficult knowing what to do in particular situations.

Or we may find, like Paul, the good we know we should be doing we don’t do.

And the evil we know we should not do this is what we keep doing.

Again in the book of Hebrews we see this direction not to obedience but to grace.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15,16).

Having told us that Jesus was without sin when tempted it does not then direct us saying that we should be able to do the same.

No, it is pointing us to the sympathy of Christ who knows our struggle with temptation and sin.

And then the writer of Hebrews directs us, not to obedience but to grace.

Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This is so liberating.

It is not liberating in that it says we are free to sin.

No, it is liberating in that we are not bound by the law and legalism.

The temptation of Jesus is the age old struggle that we all face.

Obedience to the law is not our way to God.

Eve and Adam show that even though they are  given everything they could ever need, humans would still choose to disobey

The way to God is through his love and mercy.

God loves the world so much that whoever believes is not condemned but saved. (John 3:16)

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)

Luther taught that the proper use of the law was to direct us to the Gospel and then after we have received the grace of God to seek obedience as a response to God’s grace.

The law and commandments are not to obtain God’s mercy.

You have it through Christ.

Luther tried so hard to please the tyrant of a God who simply demanded more and more good works.

Life is hard.

We want to do what is right for God.

But what is right is to let God’s grace direct our lives:

The temptation of Jesus by the Devil was to lack trust in God.

You’re hungry – look after yourself and change these rocks into bread.

God said he would care for you – perhaps you better see if that’s true and jump.

Rather than live in God’s Kingdom, I’ll give you your own where you can be like God – just like Adam and Eve were promised.

The Devil also tempts us into not trusting God’s grace.

If you’re a child of God, why did you sin?

Maybe you better make up for it by doings all these good things.

But it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

Year A 2017 7th Sunday after Epiphany

Sermon 19^th 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.

Year A 2017 6th Sunday after Epiphany

Sermon 12^th February 2017

Text Matthew 5:21-37 – Keeping the Spirit of the Law

Sometimes I find the 10 commandments very easy.

After all, I’ve never murdered anyone.

I love my parents.

I have been faithful in my marriage.

I don’t bear false witness against my neighbour.

I have never coveted my neighbour’s house or my neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to my neighbour.

It’s like the rich man who went up to Jesus wanting to know about achieving eternal life.

Jesus tells him to keep the commandments.

His response; “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since my youth. What else must I do?” (Matthew 19:20)

So it can be quite easy for a person to believe that according to the letter of the law we have not broken the commandments that God has set in place.

Until, that is, Jesus explains their true meaning and the spirit of the law that sits behind the letter of the law.

Jesus shows that behind the letter of the law is our heart and he shows that behaviours that lead up to and result in breaking the commandments are also concerning.

And so he says:

You have heard it said: 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;

To understand Jesus’ teaching we need to look at it in the context of Jesus’ command to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart – ALL our soul – ALL our mind = ALL our strength – there is the expectation that it is 100% obedience to God.

It’s what Jesus calls the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:27)

Jesus doesn’t say to love the Lord your God to the best of your ability but ALL.

And if our neighbour is created in the image of God, then we are called to love our neighbour with ALL our heart – ALL our soul – ALL our mind – ALL our strength.

If we are not loving our neighbour with ALL that is in us then we are not loving God in whose image they have been created.

So to be angry with our neighbour is in effect being angry with God.

When we hurt our neighbour we are hurting God.

And taken to the extreme our anger would break the command to do not murder.

And we know that in their anger the people did in fact murder God on the cross.

So what Jesus is showing us is that we can’t simply focus on the end results of the commandments because behaviours along the way also break the commandment including the great commandment to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Now, all of a sudden, the commandments become very real and alive and we cannot ignore them.

The emphasis shifts from outward acts to attitude of the heart.

Who of us has not been angry?

Who has not justified anger at someone because what they have done was just so hurtful.

But Jesus reminds us that if you, in offering worship, remember that someone is angry with you, go and be reconciled; then come to offer your worship.

What’s interesting is the order that Jesus puts the anger in.

The comment is not whether you are angry but whether someone else is angry with you.

Sometimes we can block out a person and our anger at them.

But if a person is angry with you, you are asked to take the initiative to be reconciled.

And that act of reconciliation takes precedence even over the act of worship.

What a challenge this is.

And when we consider St Paul’s instruction to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship"? (Romans 12:1b) then our entire life requires us to continually seek reconciliation with others.

Yes it is hard work reconciling but the blessings will far outweigh the sacrifice and discomfort as we remember Jesus’ promise:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9).

Maybe some feel it’s a big stretch to go from anger to murder as we have all been angry.

But think of issues in the church.

How many churches have been divided and ultimately ended because of a fight that began over words that were said.

What began as perhaps a misplaced word festered and grew to a point where it became toxic and killed the congregation.

Look at Paul’s example and the division in the Corinthian Church simply over words about who was baptised by whom (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)

Jesus is heading off the ultimate end by dealing with the heart of the matter.

How many fatal ends could have been resolved by an apology and forgiveness?

But it’s so hard but that’s why Jesus says – blessed are the peacemakers because they shall be called children of God – equivalent to Jesus the Son of God.

What an honour that we would receive.

But our human nature would rather be proved right when we are wronged.

And that’s why Jesus says – YOU go and reconcile.

So Jesus draws a warning to the behaviour that leads to that end behaviour which we cannot ignore – the breaking of the commandment..

He deals with adultery which begins with temptation.

The lustful lure – the temptation that seems innocent enough as we convince ourselves it’s okay to look but not touch.

But unfortunately our human desires grow from the smallest of temptations.

And we live in a world where that temptation is everywhere around us.

Like a festering wound that goes unattended, it worsens and spreads.

In these days with such easy access through the internet, which is not just a computer at home but something we carry around in our pockets in our mobile phone which we can use in secret, the temptation never leaves us and becomes more and more discreet to use.

So Jesus says that we should identify where that weakness –where that temptation comes from and “cut it off”.

Again it sounds extreme but the principal is spot on when he says:

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your eyes than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 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 hands than for your whole body to go into hell.

As Lutherans we have often glossed over the commandments as we have focused on the Gospel for fear of preaching works righteousness.

And that’s a fair point as Paul even said that the law cannot save us. (see Galatians 2:21)

But the commandments were given to help us live blessed lives.

As Jesus himself said – he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfil them.

So Jesus here is teaching us how to find true blessings through them by taking them back one step and touching our hearts with them.

He is challenging the very fabric of our nature to go against our human pride and reach out to our neighbour in reconciliation.

He is challenging us to look at the source of spiritual and physical damage in our closest relationships and ridding our lives of those things that tempt us no matter how much pleasure they bring.

And too often our pleasure leads us to break the commandment we know we should keep, as Jesus says: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)

It is easy to excuse our actions: “We’re only human.”

We’re bound to make mistakes and get angry, bound to gossip and complain, bound to give in to our impulses.

It is hard – it is challenging to hear Jesus’ interpretation of the commandments.

But when you follow them and make that sacrifice you discover a peace and blessing that you cannot find by indulging in human pleasures.

Paul struggled and we hear that when he says in Romans:

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

I want to do what is good, but I don’t.

I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

When I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Isn’t that how we feel at time?

Well Paul reveals the answer:

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:14-25)

May you too keep going to Jesus to find the comfort of God’s unconditional forgiveness but also find the blessings that God placed in keeping the spirit of the Commandments.