“True Righteousness”
February 12, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
How many of you have noticed the potholes we have on our roads around here? You know the routine: you’re driving along, going at a safe speed, not suspecting a thing, when all of a sudden – bump! – you hit a pothole, jarring you out. Lately it seems like, especially to me, it’s been happening a lot more than usual. Well, that’s kind of how today’s Gospel reading is. Lately it seems like we’ve been cruising along, enjoying the ride, when all of a sudden, hard, direct passages like these come up, and jar us out of our senses. We’ve been talking a lot about God’s love, but, almost out of nowhere, Jesus uses some rather shocking imagery, and blunt, almost uncompromising language, to impart some hard counsel. So what’s going on?
As it happens, what Jesus is talking about is actually consistent with today’s Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy chapter 30, which says particularly in verses 19-20: “Choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” As has been said before, and will continue to be said, our faith as Christians is not based on following rules, or seeing how closely or literally we can follow the commandments. Instead, what we seek is the best kind of relationships – with ourselves, each other, in our families, and with those with whom we come in contact on a regular basis. It is also by seeking the best kind of life together possible that we are to be have the best kind of life. God wants us to have a good life, and it is when we are connected to each other and living together that we really do enjoy the best years God gives us where we are.
Notice that in each of these cases, Jesus begins His teaching by saying, “You have heard that it was said…” What He is doing is encouraging us actually to think beyond simple “rules.” We actually have to be careful not to fall into a literal interpretation of these passages, because such an approach can be dangerous and harmful, to ourselves and our relationships with other people. Instead, we are to think of the spirit in which they are said. This is also what Paul encourages in today’s Second Reading from First Corinthians: to think not about the bare legal requirements of what is said, but instead to consider that they express God’s overall desire for us to bless each other, and improve each other’s lives, by how we live.
First of all, Jesus says that anyone who even harbors a negative thought towards someone is the same as if they were to think of committing murder. What He’s warning about is any kind of harmful feelings about anyone that would kill a relationship. Disagreements happen, and no one gets along perfectly all the time. Conflicts also arise. What matters is how we handle them. If the purpose of a discussion is to win, then it ends up being a losing situation for everyone. If, however, we seek to remain in a grudge or conflict against anyone, it is as though we were holding ourselves, or them, in prison, begin captive to anger, resentment and bitterness. While we love to hold grudges against people, it ends up being hurtful to us, as the anger we hold inside consumes us, and causes us to become hostile and bitter in our interactions with others. Which also means, as we know from our families, that conflicts even between two individuals can affect everyone else, and just create even more conflict, often without any awareness of what is really happening. So, especially in places which are meant to be oases of peace, such as the church, we are to address conflict in a healthy manner which takes everyone’s concerns into account, and move forward from them with the goal of restoration of what has been broken or lost. In this way, we are faithful to the spirit of Jesus’ admonition.
Next, Jesus talks about gouging out eyes and cutting off limbs. Is Jesus advocating self-harm, or self-mutilation? Absolutely not! Jesus does not want us to hurt ourselves in any way, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. What He is doing is using a metaphor for the purpose of getting us, His listeners to pay attention. If there is something that is causing to hurt ourselves or other people, then we have to remove it from our lives, out of our sight, as though we were cutting it off from our eyes. If there is a habit we’ve fallen into, which is damaging us, our relationships, or our quality of life in general, then we are to – literally – cut it out, stop doing it. While I do realize something I said last week, about what I feel qualified to comment or not comment on, I do feel that, in light of what Jesus urges us to remember about lustful viewing, we do have to acknowledge that pornography, whether overt or subtle, has become more widespread in recent years, and is harmful both because it victimizes the subjects involved. In some cases, the participants are victims of human trafficking, being forced to perform against their will. Furthermore, it is a misuse of something God has created to be enjoyed between two people, and reduces it to self-centered exploitation rather than mutual enjoyment. It can also damage the physical relationship of a couple, because it creates unhealthy expectations, and draws attraction away from the partner. This is just one of many examples of things that can be habits which hurt the kind of relationship and interaction God desires between people, which need to be gotten rid of in order for health and true love to prevail.
And now we come to probably one of the other most difficult verses in the entire Gospels. So let’s address the elephant in the room: here, Jesus is talking about divorce. Once again, however, we have to be very careful not to fall into an overly literal interpretation. Even today, there are denominations which forbid divorce and remarriage, on penalty of being expelled from the church. Certain denominations also forbid divorced and/or remarried individuals from serving in ordained ministry, and have been known to remove people from the ministry for going through a divorce. There are even some churches which do not permit divorced and/or remarried individuals from serving in positions of lay leadership. This approach, based on human standards, is also not us, and is not our attitude. As a church family, we welcome, support, accept, include, all people regardless of relationship status; we do not condemn anyone who is divorced; and we especially welcome and fully embrace everyone who has gone through a divorce, and has chosen to remarry; which in turn means we also permit remarriage in our church and place no limit on the number of times a person can be remarried. We do not regard any specific relationship status as being a requirement for full participation in the life and ministry of the congregation, nor do we certainly see it as being a bar to seeking after a close, loving relationship with God. We also recognize, and fully validate, the pain which those who have gone through a divorce have experienced, because, divorce is painful, for everyone involved. We also seek to be of any support or help in any way we can to those who have gone through a divorce, and are seeking a family to belong to for comfort and compassion. Furthermore, we also acknowledge that divorce can also, while painful, be a necessity, especially in order to be free from an abusive, harmful, dangerous, or neglectful marriage, for it is not God’s will that anyone be forced to submit to any such relationship. Our association, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, also does not view divorce and remarriage as being cause for excluding anyone from actively serving in parish ministry; indeed, over the years we have accepted many people as Pastors who have been divorced and remarried, some of whom have been removed from ministry in their previous denominations for being divorced. I myself, being a divorced and remarried person who is also an ordained Pastor, have greatly appreciated the support and acceptance I have experienced both from our church family and from LCMC. So what’s the point Jesus is really trying to make? He is urging us to remember that people, in any kind of relationship, are not disposable. When Jesus says that the normal rule is for the husband to write the wife a letter of dismissal, Jesus, again, urges us to think about how it affects everyone involved. What He also does is elevate the status of both people in the relationship, especially as women were considered property or chattel back in Jesus’ time, to be disposed of at will. But what Jesus is telling us to remember is that no one, in any kind of relationship, is to be taken for granted: God wants us to value and appreciate each other. Everyone in any kind of committed relationship, marriage in particular, is to celebrate and encourage both each other’s uniqueness and what they both contribute to make each other whole. Should conflicts arise, they are to be addressed, and if the parties refuse to address them, they are unsolvable, and have caused permanent damage, then, especially for the sake of other family members involved, particularly children, divorce is sadly inevitable in these cases, to avoid further harm and unhappiness.
Then, finally, Jesus urges us to mean what we say, and let our yes be yes, and no be no. Even though this passage has been interpreted as forbidding taking oaths, whether made as part of job duties, testifying in court, or even as a requirement for joining an organization or club, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, as Christians, we are encouraged to take such oaths, because what Jesus is saying is that we are to mean what we say. When we swear an oath, make a promise, especially to be faithful, helpful, and merciful to those with whom we work, live, serve, or belong to an organization with. Furthermore, whenever we take an oath in court, we are promising that we are helping justice to be carried in the proper and fair way. Making an oath as part of a fraternal or service organization demonstrates that we are committed to the aims and goals of that organization, especially as they express themselves in the betterment of the local community and wider world. So that is why, in general, whenever we make some sort of promise, whether informal or solemn, we demonstrate that we intend to keep that promise, and that we are faithful, just as God is faithful to us. Again, what Jesus is encouraging us is to remember that, as Christians, we live in relationship with other people, and our word determines what kinds of relationships we desire and have. If we are truthful and honest with each other, then we will have peace among ourselves, our families, our workplaces, our schools, and in our communities.
What all this is leading up to is that if we seek to be righteous, then we have to remember, firstly, that our righteousness doesn’t come from how perfect we try to be, but simply from the fact Jesus died as a sacrifice for us, and because of His death and resurrection, we are declared righteous already. In response to our being declared righteous, out of thankfulness for what God has done for us, we live as He lives toward us: with compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love for others. By being committed to truth and love in our lives with others, we will be helping everyone live the kind of life God wants for all of us. And in this way, we really will be carrying out the commandments of our righteous God.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
