We spend an inordinate amount of time in our lives justifying ourselves. You may be scratching your head about that statement, but please hear me out. To justify one’s self means to argue why you are in the right. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in an election year. We are being bombarded right now with candidates who are arguing why you should vote for them–why they are the right person for the job. Put in other terms, they are justifying why they deserve to be in office.
Furthermore, as people pick their particular candidate, they work to justify the reasons they chose a particular candidate. For instance, a person voting for Hillary Clinton might say, “I’m voting for her because she has a lot of political experience.” A person voting for Donald Trump might say, “I’m voting for him because he is not part of the political establishment.” The person voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein might say, “I’m voting for him or her because he/she is not Clinton or Trump.” The person who is saying these things is justifying their position on their vote.
But we don’t just justify ourselves when it comes to our votes. No. Far from it. We justify ourselves in almost every arena of our lives. We submit our resumes and interview for particular positions justifying–or proving–why we deserve that position. Then we justify why we deserve to keep that position or merit a raise. We argue our particular ideology and justify as to why it is correct. We submit reasons that we don’t attend church regularly justifying our lack of attendance on a given Sunday or series of Sundays. We even have to justify ourselves to our children. Some parents might be wondering at that statement, but here’s the reality. I know you are like me because there are times when you tell your kid to do something or tell them they cannot do something, and they look at you and ask the dreaded question, “Why?” Essentially, the why is asking for a justification as to your command–even if that justification becomes, “Because I told you so!” Any time you argue your stance or give reasons for your words or behavior, you are striving to justify yourself.
And perhaps one of the greatest questions we face as humanity is this: given the vastness of our universe and the extreme rarity of life in that universe, why are we here? What is the purpose of our existence? Why do we even exist?
There has been much ink spilled over this question, and the answers are far reaching. I do not have near enough time to cover them in such a short period of time–so I will only speak from the perspective of one who believes in God. I choose this path because the vast majority of the world’s population believe in some sort of deity, and there is a common belief that God created the world, and God created us. Each religion has different reasons why God created us, but all of those religions are also in agreement that humanity has failed to live up to the expectations of the deity.
Again, every religion believes that the God who created this world and created us has some sort of expectations for how we live our lives. Every religion has as part of its code of conduct to treat others as we would wish to be treated, and every religion realizes the failure of humanity to do exactly that.
And so every religion wrestles with the question–how do we justify ourselves before our Creator? How do we make things right when we go wrong? If our Creator is just, then how do we account for the injustice we have done?
Paul has wrestled with this question from Romans chapter 1 verse 18 until chapter 3 verse 20. Paul’s answer is: there is no way that we can possibly account for our injustice. There is no way we can justify ourselves. At the end of our lesson last week, Paul left us standing in the cosmic court room without any defense; speechless, condemned before a just and holy God. The only thing that we could look forward to at this moment was experiencing God’s wrath against our sin. The outlook was very, very bleak.
Which is why Paul’s opening words in verse 21 are so sweet. “But now...” “But now...” These words signify a break in what would normally be expected. They signify that something out of the ordinary is taking place. “You would expect that God would unleash His wrath upon you who stand condemned by your sin, BUT...” What a sweet word “but” becomes. Let’s turn to the text.
Verse 21, “21 But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, Remember that Paul has made an important distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Jews are under God’s Law and are condemned because they don’t follow it. Gentiles are outside of God’s law and condemned because they don’t meet the standards they hold for each other. If God is going to save ALL, then His saving power must come from outside the Law, or Gentiles will be excluded. Since God cares about ALL of His creation, He must act irrespective of the Law–this is what Paul is getting at with these words. But, this does not nullify God’s Law. This does not nullify God’s covenant with Israel because the Law and the Prophets testify or point toward’s God’s saving and just action toward the world.
And that saving action, God’s justice is revealed in verse 22: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. The righteousness of God; the justice of God is revealed–not in following the Law; not in obeying the commands of God; not by being a perfect individual; not by trying to do more good than bad; but it is manifest through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
Now, we need to take just a moment here to talk about faith. Oftentimes, you will hear people define faith as belief without evidence. You will hear people define faith as some sort of intellectual assent. This is summed up in the statement, “I don’t see any evidence of God, yet I believe that He exists.” This is not what Paul means by the word faith–not at all. Paul means trust. There is a big difference between intellectually believing something and actually trusting in that something.
I have illustrated this with a joke in previous sermons. An atheist skips church on Sunday morning to hike in a remote area of a state park. While walking along the trail, the trail gives way and he falls. He just happens to grab a branch sticking out of the cliff side. It is too steep to climb up. It is too far to simply drop.
The atheist yells and yells, but to no avail. Where he is, is too remote. There is no one around. His arms are growing weary, and he has no options available. In a last ditch effort, he turns his eyes skyward and says, “You know, I’ve never believed in you, but if you really do exist, I could use a little help.”
The atheist is shocked to hear a voice reply, “I do exist, and I will help you.”
A huge sigh of relief escapes the former atheist as he asks, “What should I do.”
The voice replies, “Let go.”
The former atheist then says, “Is there anyone else up there?”
That, my friends illustrates perfectly the difference between belief and trust. The person who simply believes in God will still hang on despite the voice. The person who trusts God, lets go. That is the meaning of faith.
This is important considering what follows next. For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. Paul reiterates what he has just outlined in Chapters 1, 2, and part of 3. We stand condemned and guilty. We don’t even come close to reflecting the glory of God, but God has changed our standing. God has rendered a not guilty verdict. God has said, “You who deserve my wrath now receive my love.” Period. End of story.
Of course, that should make us celebrate–particularly if we know the depths of our sin; particularly if we have had the mirror held up to ourselves in Romans chapters 1, 2, and 3. But how can God do this? Sure, it’s good news for us, but what about all of the people we have hurt by our sins? What about the people we spread gossip about and whose reputations have been ruined? What about the times we took things that didn’t belong to us? What about the angry words we spoke that cut like a knife? And remember, God does not simply change your status–anyone who trusts in Jesus’ action–their status is changed as well. The murderer–what about his victims? The racist–what about those toward whom he has spewed hate? The white collar thief who stole millions–what about those who lost their retirement? How can God forgive like this and still call Himself just? How can He claim that justice will be served if our sins are completely forgiven?
Here is how: Christ Jesus has become the sacrifice of atonement. Whenever a sin is committed, some sort of restitution must be paid. If you crash into another’s car, you must pay for the damages in order for things to be made right. If you hurt someone’s reputation, telling everyone you were wrong makes amends. And if you forgive someone, instead of making that other person pay for what he or she did, you pay for it yourself. And if you pay for another’s damages, you have taken on their guilt. There are those who might argue that this isn’t true justice, but think about this for a moment. If your kid breaks a window at school and the school threatens to kick your child out if damages aren’t paid for; what parent will allow their kid to be kicked out? What parent wouldn’t jump in and pay the price for their kid? And if a kid is running in the street, what parent wouldn’t swoop in to push them out of the way of an approaching car and being hit themselves? Love pushes you to accept and take punishment for others–to pay the price for those who cannot pay themselves. Examples of this abound–AND GOD HAS DONE THIS ON A COSMIC SCALE. God has paid the price for all sin through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. For your sins, for my sins, FOR ALL WHO HAVE SINNED. And the promise that all will be made well stands for those who trust in what God has done in Jesus. This becomes effective when you trust in Jesus and not yourself.
Let’s press on before we talk about the implications of this finishing up verse 25, He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. The question for Jews at this moment would be, “Well what about all of those who came before Jesus? What about the Jewish people and the promises God made to them? What about the forgiveness of their sins?” Paul touches on this here. Most scholars agree that Paul is saying that God never fully punished those sins. God never gave folks what they deserved and reserved judgement until this time. He passed over their sins until this present time.
“But they never had the opportunity to believe in Jesus?” is the obvious retort. Here is where I would like to make a bit of an adjustment in the translation from the Greek. For the Greek text literally reads, “it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has the faith OF Jesus.” Now remember what I said earlier: faith equals trust. The faith of Jesus means relying totally and completely upon God. Jesus exhibited this faith, and Paul will show what this means in regards to those who have come before in the next couple of chapters. People before Jesus didn’t have the opportunity to trust in Jesus, but they did have the opportunity to trust in God, and Paul will show that Abraham did–as did others in the Jewish faith. Hence, because they trusted God, they too have been justified.
Now, what is the significance of this? It means you are right with God. You don’t have to prove yourself with God. You don’t have to trust in yourself to try and do as much good as you can to balance out the cosmic scales of karma. God has already handled that for you. You are in right standing with Him–not because of your own work but because of the work accomplished on your behalf–the work of Jesus. Can you trust in the work of someone else on your behalf? Can you trust in the work that He has accomplished for you?
This isn’t easy to do because we are taught to justify ourselves. We are taught to think that everything is up to us when we argue; seek a job; work at school; make a decision; cast our vote. “Justify yourself!!” society screams. But Christianity says, “You are already justified. In the greatest court of all, you are already made right. There is nothing more you need to do because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” When you trust those words, when you believe down deep that you are already justified despite not deserving it, there is a peace that invades your entire being. You no longer feel like you have to prove yourself to anyone and everyone. For the God of this universe has said that you are right. And if you are right with God, what more do you have to prove? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, because you have nothing more to prove, you are free. Gloriously free. By God’s gracious act through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus you are set free when you place your trust in Him. This is most certainly good news. It is the Gospel. Amen.
Showing posts with label justification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justification. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2016
Monday, November 2, 2015
D.I.V.O.R.C.E.
Today we arrive at one of those teachings that makes some of us squirm. Jesus teaches on divorce, and in reality on the topic of marriage. This is a pertinent topic for our society and culture as only a few short months ago, the Supreme Court declared that gay couples have the right to marry in our nation. This caused no shortage of angst amongst some folks, especially those of us who believe marriage is a relationship ordained by God between a man and a woman.
Critics of our position rightly pointed out that the Christian faith draws a sharp line about divorce, and they ask, “Well, if you Christians are so dead set against gay marriage, why aren’t you speaking out as loudly about divorce?” Furthermore, those critics also pointed out that just as many Christians get divorced as any other particular religious or philosophical group. So why, if this is the case–if we disregard or lessen this teaching on divorce–are we up in such arms about gay marriage? Now, I am not going to argue about gay marriage this morning. I want to deal with these legitimate questions that confronts us regarding divorce. It confronts our hypocrisy regarding our faith, and it also gives us an avenue to confront the true issue behind why marriages break up. Parts of the trip are not pleasant, but it is a trip that I think we are called to travel.
For you see, the temptation for any preacher when this text appears is to soften Jesus’ words. The temptation is to explain away what Jesus says to make everyone feel comfortable. Why? Well, you know why as do I. In this room this morning, not a single one of us has escaped the reality of divorce. Some of you have gone through a divorce and are remarried. Some of you have loved ones who are near and dear to you who have divorced. Some of you have good friends who have divorced as well. You hear Jesus’ words, “Whoever divorces and remarried commits adultery,” and you say, “Is that really the case? Am I...are my friends...are my parents really committing adultery?” If you ask me that question directly, and I am afraid you will leave the church because of my answer, I, as a clergy, am often tempted to do what Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer criticizes the church and says that we are all to ready to justify the sin instead of proclaim the justification of the sinner. Now, what does that mean. Just this: there is bad news. If you divorce and remarry, you are committing adultery. But there is good news: you are forgiven. There is no softening Jesus’ words. He spoke them for a reason, and I hope that once you see what that reason is, you will understand. Let’s turn to the text.
We begin with the Pharisees coming to Jesus to trap him. The Pharisees don’t like Jesus. They want Him silenced. They actually want Jesus dead. This is obvious by the question they ask Him about divorce because of the location of the question. Jesus and His disciples are in the region of Perea. This was the region controlled by Herod Antipas. What is significant about this? Well, if you remember Mark chapter six, there was that “wonderful” story about John the Baptist being beheaded. Why was John beheaded? Because John dared to criticize Herod Antipas because he stole his brother’s wife Herodias and they were living in an adulterous and incestuous relationship. John angered Herod Antipas and especially Herodias, and she simply bided her time until she was able to have John killed. By raising this issue in this territory, the Pharisees were hoping word would get to Herod Antipas about Jesus, and Herod would silence Jesus once and for all.
But Jesus is the ultimate master of debate. He is the master at outwitting traps, and Jesus maneuvers perfectly as He answers the Pharisees’ question with a question. “What does Moses command you?”
Craig Evans in his commentary on this text says this, “For the Jewish people, at least for those who were Torah observant, appeal to the commandments of Moses was an appeal to the highest authority on any question.” This is a master stroke by Jesus because Jesus is calling the Pharisees–who were staunch defenders of the commands of Moses, to delve into Scripture. He is making them answer the question from their own source of authority.
They reply, “Moses allows us to write a certificate of divorce and dismiss our wife.” The Pharisees are absolutely accurate in this comment. In Deuteronomy 24, permission is given for a husband to divorce his wife. The text reads, “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house 2and goes off to become another man’s wife.” There is more in this text, but I will not read the entire portion here. It would get too long. What I hope you can see is that in the Scriptures, there are grounds for divorce to take place. The Pharisees knew this. Jesus knew this. So why did they ask the question?
Walter Wessel points this out in his commentary on this text, “The crucial words are “something indecent.” What did that include? The school of Shammai, the stricter of the schools, understood these words to mean something morally indecent, in particular, adultery. The school of Hillel interpreted these words much more freely. Just about anything in a wife that a husband did not find to his liking was suitable grounds for divorce. Even if she burned his food! So where did Jesus stand in this? That was their question.”
Jesus doesn’t get caught up in this debate, however. Jesus drives much deeper. Jesus takes the Pharisees back to the first principles–to the creation of humankind. As Craig Evans once again says, “Jesus sidesteps these options and instead challenges the hermeneutical assumption that because something is “permitted” it is therefore according to the will of God.” What is God’s will for marraige?
Jesus quotes Genesis chapter 2, “6But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” 7“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
Why is this text so significant? It is because of the Jewish understanding of God. God was seen as the ultimate being–a being who was whole, who was complete. If you remember the story of man and woman and how they became partners, God said that it was not good for man to be alone. Therefore, God began creating and bringing all the animals to man to find one who was suitable to be a partner. None were found suitable, so God caused the man to fall asleep, took out one of man’s ribs, and formed woman. Man was no longer whole. Part of him was gone. Woman was not whole because she was taken out of man. Neither could be whole and complete in and of themselves. It was only when they joined together–when they became one flesh, that they were once again whole and closer to God. So, if a divorce occurs, it is not simply two complete individuals going their separate ways. No. There is a literal tearing of flesh. There is a breaking of that which was once whole. This wholeness does not come about by the actions of people, but it is something that God does. Jesus points that out in His commentary. “What God has joined together, let no one separate!”
There is quite a bit of significance to this. Mark Edwards says this in his commentary, “The greatest difference between Jesus and the rabbis, however, is this: by giving a husband principal control over his wife, the Jewish divorce policy made the man the lord of the marital relationship. According to Jesus, however, it is neither man nor woman who controls marriage, but rather God, who is the Lord of marriage.: “what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
The disciples were apparently perplexed about this teaching, so as was their custom, they asked Jesus about it later in private. Jesus pulls no punches. Jesus wastes no time. Jesus teaches plainly and straightforwardly, “‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’
There is a lot to be said here, a lot. But first, let’s quote Walter Wessel again because there is something happening in Jesus’ teaching that makes perfect sense to us, but would have been shocking in His day. Wessel says, “Jesus did what the rabbis refused to do: he recognized that a man could commit adultery against his wife. In rabbinic Judaism a woman by infidelity could commit adultery against her husband; and a man, by having sexual relations with another man’s wife, could commit adultery against him. But a man could never commit adultery against his wife, no matter what he did. Jesus, by putting the husband under the same moral obligation as the wife, raised the status and dignity of women.” Jesus places a co-equal share on both men and women in marriage. Jesus gives rights to women that they didn’t have in the Jewish culture. It’s quite astounding.
But that doesn’t get to the heart of the question that perhaps many of you have. Is it really adultery? Yes, it is. Sorry, I’m not going to make you feel good about it. I’m not going to soften Jesus’ teaching. He isn’t beating around the bush, and neither will I. But, I will tell you this. Those of you who are divorced and remarried are the only adulterers in this room. You see, I am standing here this morning guilty of committing adultery as well. No. I am not, nor did I have an affair with someone, but none-the-less, I am guilty of adultery.
If you will permit me just a moment, I will read to you Matthew chapter 5 verses 27-28, “You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Yep, I am guilty. I am also guilty of murder. Again from Matthew chapter 5, “‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Yep, I am guilty of that one too.
And I’m not going to try to justify myself or soften these teachings either. Christianity is not about justifying the sin. Christianity is about justifying the sinner. What do I mean by that.
Let me quote to you what N.T. Wright said about this passage from Mark on divorce. Let me literally try to get at the heart of the matter in what Wright says:
The problem with divorce and adultery and murder and all sin is a hardness of heart. It’s our selfish nature coming back to haunt us. Divorce happens because one or both parties in marriage become self-serving and selfish. The relationship becomes all about that person and fulfilling that person’s needs often to the detriment of their partner. Selfishness consumes a person sometimes to the point where abuse takes place, and in such cases, I have even counseled people to get out of that marriage!! God does not intend for you to be consumed by a selfish, abusive partner!!
But God does intend for hearts to be changed. God does intend for marriages to last. God does not desire divorce. God wants marriages to last until death do us part, and in order for that to happen, something has to cure our hard-heartedness.
Christianity proclaims that this something is the Gospel. The Gospel softens our hearts because the Gospel says, “Jesus died for you when you didn’t deserve it. Jesus died for you and took your place on the cross when you were Jesus’ enemy. Jesus took punishment that you deserved and cried out that you may be forgiven.”
You know as well as I do that whenever someone does something for you that you know that you don’t deserve, it cuts you to the core. You know as well as I do that when someone gives you a gift or shows you compassion that you don’t deserve, it makes you feel both guilty and loved at the same time. You know you don’t deserve it, so you feel guilty, but you also feel deeply loved and appreciated because someone did such a thing for you. Take that instance in your life and multiply it on a cosmic scale. Multiply it with the significance of eternal life on the line. Add up all the times you were selfish and acted in your own self-interest and did all the things you wanted to do instead of acting for others, on behalf of others or simply doing the right thing. Know that all that burden has been erased by the God who took on human flesh and sacrificed Himself for you because He loves you.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
This is what Jesus has accomplished for you. This is the cure for the disease of hard heartedness. And when this sinks down into the depths of your soul, you know it’s power. You know its ability to keep you humble. You know it softens your own heart.
Yes, you and I are living in sin. We live in sin every day. We are failures. We are adulterers. We are murderers. We are broken, failures. But we are loved with a love which surpasses all of these things. Our sins are not justified, but we are justified sinners because of the cross of Christ. Amen.
Critics of our position rightly pointed out that the Christian faith draws a sharp line about divorce, and they ask, “Well, if you Christians are so dead set against gay marriage, why aren’t you speaking out as loudly about divorce?” Furthermore, those critics also pointed out that just as many Christians get divorced as any other particular religious or philosophical group. So why, if this is the case–if we disregard or lessen this teaching on divorce–are we up in such arms about gay marriage? Now, I am not going to argue about gay marriage this morning. I want to deal with these legitimate questions that confronts us regarding divorce. It confronts our hypocrisy regarding our faith, and it also gives us an avenue to confront the true issue behind why marriages break up. Parts of the trip are not pleasant, but it is a trip that I think we are called to travel.
For you see, the temptation for any preacher when this text appears is to soften Jesus’ words. The temptation is to explain away what Jesus says to make everyone feel comfortable. Why? Well, you know why as do I. In this room this morning, not a single one of us has escaped the reality of divorce. Some of you have gone through a divorce and are remarried. Some of you have loved ones who are near and dear to you who have divorced. Some of you have good friends who have divorced as well. You hear Jesus’ words, “Whoever divorces and remarried commits adultery,” and you say, “Is that really the case? Am I...are my friends...are my parents really committing adultery?” If you ask me that question directly, and I am afraid you will leave the church because of my answer, I, as a clergy, am often tempted to do what Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer criticizes the church and says that we are all to ready to justify the sin instead of proclaim the justification of the sinner. Now, what does that mean. Just this: there is bad news. If you divorce and remarry, you are committing adultery. But there is good news: you are forgiven. There is no softening Jesus’ words. He spoke them for a reason, and I hope that once you see what that reason is, you will understand. Let’s turn to the text.
We begin with the Pharisees coming to Jesus to trap him. The Pharisees don’t like Jesus. They want Him silenced. They actually want Jesus dead. This is obvious by the question they ask Him about divorce because of the location of the question. Jesus and His disciples are in the region of Perea. This was the region controlled by Herod Antipas. What is significant about this? Well, if you remember Mark chapter six, there was that “wonderful” story about John the Baptist being beheaded. Why was John beheaded? Because John dared to criticize Herod Antipas because he stole his brother’s wife Herodias and they were living in an adulterous and incestuous relationship. John angered Herod Antipas and especially Herodias, and she simply bided her time until she was able to have John killed. By raising this issue in this territory, the Pharisees were hoping word would get to Herod Antipas about Jesus, and Herod would silence Jesus once and for all.
But Jesus is the ultimate master of debate. He is the master at outwitting traps, and Jesus maneuvers perfectly as He answers the Pharisees’ question with a question. “What does Moses command you?”
Craig Evans in his commentary on this text says this, “For the Jewish people, at least for those who were Torah observant, appeal to the commandments of Moses was an appeal to the highest authority on any question.” This is a master stroke by Jesus because Jesus is calling the Pharisees–who were staunch defenders of the commands of Moses, to delve into Scripture. He is making them answer the question from their own source of authority.
They reply, “Moses allows us to write a certificate of divorce and dismiss our wife.” The Pharisees are absolutely accurate in this comment. In Deuteronomy 24, permission is given for a husband to divorce his wife. The text reads, “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house 2and goes off to become another man’s wife.” There is more in this text, but I will not read the entire portion here. It would get too long. What I hope you can see is that in the Scriptures, there are grounds for divorce to take place. The Pharisees knew this. Jesus knew this. So why did they ask the question?
Walter Wessel points this out in his commentary on this text, “The crucial words are “something indecent.” What did that include? The school of Shammai, the stricter of the schools, understood these words to mean something morally indecent, in particular, adultery. The school of Hillel interpreted these words much more freely. Just about anything in a wife that a husband did not find to his liking was suitable grounds for divorce. Even if she burned his food! So where did Jesus stand in this? That was their question.”
Jesus doesn’t get caught up in this debate, however. Jesus drives much deeper. Jesus takes the Pharisees back to the first principles–to the creation of humankind. As Craig Evans once again says, “Jesus sidesteps these options and instead challenges the hermeneutical assumption that because something is “permitted” it is therefore according to the will of God.” What is God’s will for marraige?
Jesus quotes Genesis chapter 2, “6But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” 7“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
Why is this text so significant? It is because of the Jewish understanding of God. God was seen as the ultimate being–a being who was whole, who was complete. If you remember the story of man and woman and how they became partners, God said that it was not good for man to be alone. Therefore, God began creating and bringing all the animals to man to find one who was suitable to be a partner. None were found suitable, so God caused the man to fall asleep, took out one of man’s ribs, and formed woman. Man was no longer whole. Part of him was gone. Woman was not whole because she was taken out of man. Neither could be whole and complete in and of themselves. It was only when they joined together–when they became one flesh, that they were once again whole and closer to God. So, if a divorce occurs, it is not simply two complete individuals going their separate ways. No. There is a literal tearing of flesh. There is a breaking of that which was once whole. This wholeness does not come about by the actions of people, but it is something that God does. Jesus points that out in His commentary. “What God has joined together, let no one separate!”
There is quite a bit of significance to this. Mark Edwards says this in his commentary, “The greatest difference between Jesus and the rabbis, however, is this: by giving a husband principal control over his wife, the Jewish divorce policy made the man the lord of the marital relationship. According to Jesus, however, it is neither man nor woman who controls marriage, but rather God, who is the Lord of marriage.: “what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
The disciples were apparently perplexed about this teaching, so as was their custom, they asked Jesus about it later in private. Jesus pulls no punches. Jesus wastes no time. Jesus teaches plainly and straightforwardly, “‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’
There is a lot to be said here, a lot. But first, let’s quote Walter Wessel again because there is something happening in Jesus’ teaching that makes perfect sense to us, but would have been shocking in His day. Wessel says, “Jesus did what the rabbis refused to do: he recognized that a man could commit adultery against his wife. In rabbinic Judaism a woman by infidelity could commit adultery against her husband; and a man, by having sexual relations with another man’s wife, could commit adultery against him. But a man could never commit adultery against his wife, no matter what he did. Jesus, by putting the husband under the same moral obligation as the wife, raised the status and dignity of women.” Jesus places a co-equal share on both men and women in marriage. Jesus gives rights to women that they didn’t have in the Jewish culture. It’s quite astounding.
But that doesn’t get to the heart of the question that perhaps many of you have. Is it really adultery? Yes, it is. Sorry, I’m not going to make you feel good about it. I’m not going to soften Jesus’ teaching. He isn’t beating around the bush, and neither will I. But, I will tell you this. Those of you who are divorced and remarried are the only adulterers in this room. You see, I am standing here this morning guilty of committing adultery as well. No. I am not, nor did I have an affair with someone, but none-the-less, I am guilty of adultery.
If you will permit me just a moment, I will read to you Matthew chapter 5 verses 27-28, “You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Yep, I am guilty. I am also guilty of murder. Again from Matthew chapter 5, “‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Yep, I am guilty of that one too.
And I’m not going to try to justify myself or soften these teachings either. Christianity is not about justifying the sin. Christianity is about justifying the sinner. What do I mean by that.
Let me quote to you what N.T. Wright said about this passage from Mark on divorce. Let me literally try to get at the heart of the matter in what Wright says:
Jesus comment on the Mosaic permission is important as a clue to what he thought was going on in his own ministry. ‘Moses gave you this rule because of your hardheartedness’; in other words, Israel in Moses’ day was not able to fulfill the creator’s intention, and needed laws that would reflect that second-best reality. Hardheartedness, the inability (to use our version of the same metaphor) to have one’s heart in tune with to God’s best intention and plan, thwarted God’s longing that Israel should be the prototype of renewed humanity. The problem was not with the ideal, nor with the law, but with the people: Israel was, when it all came down to it, just like everybody else. Hardhearted. Eager to take the precious gift of genuine humanness and exploit or abuse it.
But this means that, for Jesus’ comment to make sense, he must be offering a cure for hardheartedness. If he is now articulating a rigorous return to the standard of Genesis, to God’s original intention, he is either being hopelessly idealistic or he believes that the coming of the kingdom will bring about a way for hearts to be softened.
The problem with divorce and adultery and murder and all sin is a hardness of heart. It’s our selfish nature coming back to haunt us. Divorce happens because one or both parties in marriage become self-serving and selfish. The relationship becomes all about that person and fulfilling that person’s needs often to the detriment of their partner. Selfishness consumes a person sometimes to the point where abuse takes place, and in such cases, I have even counseled people to get out of that marriage!! God does not intend for you to be consumed by a selfish, abusive partner!!
But God does intend for hearts to be changed. God does intend for marriages to last. God does not desire divorce. God wants marriages to last until death do us part, and in order for that to happen, something has to cure our hard-heartedness.
Christianity proclaims that this something is the Gospel. The Gospel softens our hearts because the Gospel says, “Jesus died for you when you didn’t deserve it. Jesus died for you and took your place on the cross when you were Jesus’ enemy. Jesus took punishment that you deserved and cried out that you may be forgiven.”
You know as well as I do that whenever someone does something for you that you know that you don’t deserve, it cuts you to the core. You know as well as I do that when someone gives you a gift or shows you compassion that you don’t deserve, it makes you feel both guilty and loved at the same time. You know you don’t deserve it, so you feel guilty, but you also feel deeply loved and appreciated because someone did such a thing for you. Take that instance in your life and multiply it on a cosmic scale. Multiply it with the significance of eternal life on the line. Add up all the times you were selfish and acted in your own self-interest and did all the things you wanted to do instead of acting for others, on behalf of others or simply doing the right thing. Know that all that burden has been erased by the God who took on human flesh and sacrificed Himself for you because He loves you.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
This is what Jesus has accomplished for you. This is the cure for the disease of hard heartedness. And when this sinks down into the depths of your soul, you know it’s power. You know its ability to keep you humble. You know it softens your own heart.
Yes, you and I are living in sin. We live in sin every day. We are failures. We are adulterers. We are murderers. We are broken, failures. But we are loved with a love which surpasses all of these things. Our sins are not justified, but we are justified sinners because of the cross of Christ. Amen.
Monday, September 15, 2014
The Gospel (Good News)
I would like for you to consider this one tidbit of thought this morning as I begin my sermon. Just about every major philosophy and religion in this world operates with the same basic premise. Do you know what that basic premise is? I will tell you. The basic premise is: if you do certain things, then you will receive the rewards. For instance, if you go to school and get good grades, then you will get a good education and have a better shot at getting a good paying job. If you adhere to the eight fold path in Buddhism, then you will experience enlightenment. If you follow the teachings of the Hindu Scriptures, then you will escape the endless cycle of reincarnation. If you follow the Laws of the Koran, Allah will bless you. If you work hard at your job, the company will reward you with adequate compensation and benefits. I could continue ad nauseam with these examples. They are very easy to come by because this is exactly the way the world works. It’s exactly the way the world operates. Do the right things, and you are rewarded. Do the wrong things, and you are toast.
We see this in operation day after day after day. I was particularly struck by the story this week which has hit the National Football League–the story surrounding Ray Rice’s physical assault of his then girlfriend Janay Rice. After the video of him punching her in the elevator became public, there was all sorts of uproar. To an extent, it is justified. The public disdains seeing someone who is physically superior to another bully and beat a smaller, weaker person. Ray Rice was actually prosecuted for this event; although many are quick to point out his legal punishment doesn’t seem to fit what happened in that elevator.
But now take a look at the extra-legal punishment doled out to Ray Rice. At first, he was suspended for two games. After the video, he was released from the team; he was barred indefinitely from being in the NFL; his family was dragged into the spotlight–even as he admitted wrongdoing and the fact that he and his wife have sought counseling. Ah, but for some justice still has not been satisfied. Keith Olberman went so far as to call for the resignation of Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, the assistant NFL Commissioner, the NFL’s legal counsel, the president of the Raven’s organization, and the Raven’s general manager. Olberman also condemned anyone who would watch the Ravens on television or attend a game until such time all of these guilty parties were forced into resignation.
There are a couple of things to note here: as long as Ray Rice toed the line and did what he was supposed to do, then he was rewarded and handsomely. He was making millions of dollars a year. However, make one mistake–even an egregious mistake, and your entire life and the lives of others are demanded as payment. This is the way the world works.
And we spend tons of time and energy living out our lives in this world. We spend tons of time and energy justifying ourselves in our jobs; in our families; in our schools; and in our private lives with friends. I used the term justifying ourselves purposely–for that is exactly what we are trying to do. We are trying to appease others over and over and over. We are trying to satisfy the wishes of others over and over and over. We are trying to satisfy their desires, and we believe by satisfying them, then we too will become satisfied. We too will reap the rewards and benefits. If I sacrifice myself enough, then I will earn my due. Does anyone here this morning disagree that this is the way the world works? Does anyone here this morning disagree that this is the game played out almost every day of our lives?
And because this is the way the world works, how do most of us live our lives? Wait a second, let me clarify that question a little bit. What do most of us feel deep down within ourselves as we head to the daily grind? What do most of us feel deep down inside when we consider the actions we are going to take at our job or in our families? What do most of us feel deep down inside when we think about how we relate to others?
I will submit to you this morning, we usually have two main feelings: fear and anger. We are fearful that we will not live up to others’ expectations. We are fearful we might slip up and cause damage to our lives and those we love. We are fearful that at any given time, those above us might not see our worth and our value and therefore decide we are unnecessary. We fear these things because we know retribution can be swift and merciless. Fear dominates. As does anger. Yes, anger. We get angry at those who do not work as hard as we do. We get angry when we put in hour after hour after hour and our work does not seem to be rewarded. We get angry when we try to live by the rules, and it doesn’t seem like the promises we were made get kept.
You may ask me why I say such things. I respond: because it is exactly what I felt to a great extent. Yes, even as a pastor who proclaims the Word of God–who taught and teaches that Jesus said, “Don’t worry;” who taught and teaches trusting the Lord brings peace. Yes, I taught and still teach these things, but deep down inside, I didn’t believe them. I didn’t truly get them. I still lived in fear. I still was angry. I did not have the peace that passes all understanding. Why? I was trying to justify myself. I was trying to live by the world’s rules–even as I worked out my calling to serve Jesus Christ.
How did this happen, you might ask? Well, I believed I had to make a congregation flourish–I bought into the notion that I needed to justify my ministry by racking in new members right and left. I believed I had to have a full and overflowing church. I believed the church had to have programs going on all over the place and people clamoring to be there every Sunday–full parking lots; full classrooms; overflow seating. I read all the books on growing a church and sought all the techniques I could implement which would make this happen. And I worried about what might happen should something go wrong. I worried about people becoming angry with what I said or did. I worried about how a particular statement would be taken. I worried a lot. Fear. And I would get angry. If people didn’t show up for worship, on the surface, I would say, “Fine,” while deep down inside, I would seethe. When people left the congregation, I would become depressed and angry. When programs failed and people didn’t show up to an event, I thought, “These people just don’t care.” And at the heart of it was not righteous anger; instead it was anger that you weren’t helping me achieve my justification. I was driven by fear and anger. Perhaps, some of you can relate. Perhaps some of you can’t. I understand. I never really knew I was driven by fear and anger until I burned out. I never really understood the depths of my own brokenness and my own sin until I was confronted by the reality that the world will eventually try to eat you up. I never really understood the depths of my own fear and anger until I realized I couldn’t justify myself and I was at the mercy of forces much greater than myself. I never really understood how sinful trying to justify one’s self really was and how it only led to more frustration; more anger; more brokenness.
But at some point, I realized my brokenness; I realized my sinfulness; I realized that trying to justify myself through my ministry and through the way the world worked was an exercise in futility. And when this happened, I was captured by something completely and utterly foolish–completely and utterly foolish according to the world’s standards.
Remember how I started this sermon? Remember how I said, just about every single philosophy and religion of the world had an underlying premise: do this and you will be rewarded? There is one religion–one philosophy which says the exact opposite. There is one religion–one philosophy which has at its heart the notion–you are already made right with God; you are already justified with the ultimate being in the universe; you are already accepted even though you are broken; fearful; angry; and sinful. You already have the greatest reward one could have, and because you have this, now live into that freedom with thanksgiving.
I want you to think about what I just said for just a moment. Every other philosophy and religion says, “Do this, and you are accepted.” Christianity says, “You are accepted, now do this.” Do you find Christianity foolish?
You might say, no, but really, I want you to think about what the world would be like if Christianity was the norm. I want you to think about what it would be like in raising your children. I want you to think about what it would be like to work in your job. I want you to think about what it would be like to live in your family. Want an example or two? Christianity is like giving your children their favorite dessert before the meal and then saying, “I’ve given you the dessert, now eat your broccoli.” Christianity is like an employer writing you a two million dollar check and then saying, “Work for me for the next 20 years.” Christianity is like getting the toy you wanted for Christmas and then having your parents tell you, now be good because you got the toy. Let me ask you again, do you see how foolish Christianity is?!!
Do you at least see why St. Paul writes what he does in our second lesson this morning? 18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ 20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
No one operates this way. No one. Except God through Jesus Christ. On the cross the rewards were handed out. You were justified. You were accepted. Despite your brokenness and imperfection; despite your sinfulness; despite your unwillingness to follow the commands of God, Jesus died for you. Jesus endured the wrath of God meant for you. Jesus turned the way the world works upside down and said, “I will show you another way.” For many this is still complete and utter foolishness. It is complete and utter craziness. How in the world will someone ever be motivated to do what needs to be done without fear and anger to drive them?
What could ever replace those two emotions to lead us to work hard at our jobs; in our families; and in life? How about love?
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.” This is the Gospel. This is what God has done. You no longer need to strive to justify yourself. You no longer need to live in fear. You no longer have to be dominated by anger. You have acceptance, now love with the same love you have been given. Amen.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
What is Your Definition of a Christian?
A Facebook friend asked this question in her status.
It made me think.
Hard.
I mean, at one level, the definition of a Christian would seem to be very simple: one who follows Christ. But is that the sum and substance of what it means to be a Christian? I mean, I know of quite a few folks who follow Jesus, but they are not professing Christians. There are may who profess to be Christians--they say they follow Jesus, but they do not worship or receive the sacraments.
And it goes further.
In the intramural debates within Christianity, there are many who point fingers accusingly in our culture. Those on the "right" hand side of the squabble point to those on the "left" hand side and say, "You aren't following Jesus because your morals are out of whack! You support gay marriage; the ordination of practicing homosexuals; legalized abortion; the legalization of marijuana; banning prayer from schools; the promotion of safe sex; and so on and so forth. You are not true Christians!!!"
Those on the "left" are just as vociferous toward those on the "right." "You aren't following Jesus because you don't care about justice. You care more about your pocket book and supporting the rich and do not want to fight for health care; to ensure those in poverty are not kept there; to end racism, sexism, ageism, and whatever other ism is out there! You don't care about the environment! You don't care about the structures that cause poverty! You are not true Christians!!!"
The truth of the matter is--no one follows Jesus correctly. No one. None live up to His standard, and the self-righteous finger pointing that we do only serves as an illustration of this fact. When we, as Christians, act in such a fashion, are we no different than the disciples who argued about who should sit at Jesus' right and left hand as they walked along the road? Jesus had a few words of chastisement for such behavior. Yet, we cannot seem to escape it. We cannot seem to get passed arguing about who follows Jesus "better."
And so when we try to say a Christian is one who follows Jesus, we inevitably find ourselves in a conundrum. For who really follows Jesus by Jesus' standards?
But that is just the tip of the proverbial ice berg. There is even more to this because there are quite a few doctrinal concerns to deal with as well when it comes to defining what it means to be a Christian which are not tied to simply following the commands Jesus offers.
As I reflected upon such things, I realized how much emphasis was placed on how WE acted and what WE believed. The definition of a Christian centered on us, but Christianity isn't about us, is it? Christianity isn't about our actions and our beliefs. It's about God's action through Jesus Christ. It's about God's grace bestowed upon the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
Shouldn't the definition of a Christian center upon God and His work and not our own?
Using this as the starting point, I propose the following:
A Christian is one whom God views as redeemed by what Jesus has done.
I invite your thoughts.
It made me think.
Hard.
I mean, at one level, the definition of a Christian would seem to be very simple: one who follows Christ. But is that the sum and substance of what it means to be a Christian? I mean, I know of quite a few folks who follow Jesus, but they are not professing Christians. There are may who profess to be Christians--they say they follow Jesus, but they do not worship or receive the sacraments.
And it goes further.
In the intramural debates within Christianity, there are many who point fingers accusingly in our culture. Those on the "right" hand side of the squabble point to those on the "left" hand side and say, "You aren't following Jesus because your morals are out of whack! You support gay marriage; the ordination of practicing homosexuals; legalized abortion; the legalization of marijuana; banning prayer from schools; the promotion of safe sex; and so on and so forth. You are not true Christians!!!"
Those on the "left" are just as vociferous toward those on the "right." "You aren't following Jesus because you don't care about justice. You care more about your pocket book and supporting the rich and do not want to fight for health care; to ensure those in poverty are not kept there; to end racism, sexism, ageism, and whatever other ism is out there! You don't care about the environment! You don't care about the structures that cause poverty! You are not true Christians!!!"
The truth of the matter is--no one follows Jesus correctly. No one. None live up to His standard, and the self-righteous finger pointing that we do only serves as an illustration of this fact. When we, as Christians, act in such a fashion, are we no different than the disciples who argued about who should sit at Jesus' right and left hand as they walked along the road? Jesus had a few words of chastisement for such behavior. Yet, we cannot seem to escape it. We cannot seem to get passed arguing about who follows Jesus "better."
And so when we try to say a Christian is one who follows Jesus, we inevitably find ourselves in a conundrum. For who really follows Jesus by Jesus' standards?
But that is just the tip of the proverbial ice berg. There is even more to this because there are quite a few doctrinal concerns to deal with as well when it comes to defining what it means to be a Christian which are not tied to simply following the commands Jesus offers.
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who does not believe in the Trinity?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who does not believe in Jesus' divinity?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who does not believe the Bible is inerrant or infallible?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who does not believe in the resurrection?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who is not baptized?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who rejects the miraculous?
- Can a person be defined as a follower of Jesus--strictly speaking--who rejects substitutionary atonement?
As I reflected upon such things, I realized how much emphasis was placed on how WE acted and what WE believed. The definition of a Christian centered on us, but Christianity isn't about us, is it? Christianity isn't about our actions and our beliefs. It's about God's action through Jesus Christ. It's about God's grace bestowed upon the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
Shouldn't the definition of a Christian center upon God and His work and not our own?
Using this as the starting point, I propose the following:
A Christian is one whom God views as redeemed by what Jesus has done.
I invite your thoughts.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Revisiting Salt and Light
Last week, I received an abnormal amount of hits on one of my previous sermons "Salt and Light."
Every three years, this particular teaching of Jesus is placed before pastors and congregations that follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Last Sunday was the appointed time for this text:
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For 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. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Apparently, some folks had reached the bottom of the barrel when it came to looking for sermon hints, and in a last ditch effort, several read mine. :-)
As I saw the hits mount, I decided to read that sermon again. I don't think it was all that bad, but as I read through it, I thought to myself, "Where is the grace?"
There was none.
My sermon focused completely and totally on action: my action, my congregation's action, the things we were supposed to do.
Where was forgiveness?
Where was God's love for us?
Where was the transformation of heart and soul gifted by the Holy Spirit?
It just wasn't there.
And a straight forward reading of this text, with no other context, doesn't have much grace at all.
But if you place it within the larger context of the Gospel message...
You ARE the light of the world...
You ARE the salt of the earth...
Intriguing use of words there by Jesus, is it not?
You ARE!
Not, if you follow me and believe in me and do what I say, then you will be. No. You ARE!
We are created to be light for the world; salt for the earth. It is our purpose. We didn't ask for this. We didn't seek out this purpose. We didn't ask God for the light to shine through us--God put it there. We are created to shine light into a world of darkness by doing good works and glorifying our Father who is in heaven.
The problem: we like putting a bushel basket on ourselves. And it's not because of some sort of humility driving us to do that.
There is a part of us that craves the darkness. There is a part of us that craves being superior to everyone. There is a part of us that craves the baser things of life, and when light shines on such things, it shows them for what they are: sinful.
And so, we cover the light. We hide the light so it doesn't shine and reveal the fact that we enjoy sinful pursuits and perverted pleasures. We hide the light so it doesn't show our complicity in systems which promote poverty and abuse and subjugation. We hide the light so it doesn't reveal our darkest secrets and desires of greed, lust, envy, anger, and the like. We hide the light so that we can go on thinking we are good people because we don't act out those very thoughts.
20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
You see, the Pharisees and scribes were the purity folks of Jesus' day. They were the folks who concentrated on following all the rules to a tee. They were the folks who put on an air of holiness, and Jesus tells His followers their righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
How?
Well, the scribes and Pharisees might have had an external facade, but it was the inside that counted. That's where true righteousness comes from. True righteousness comes from having a heart oriented toward God--a heart that unashamedly and humbly puts itself on a lampstand to shine light into a room.
And who can have such a heart? Who can make their heart do such a thing?
Not us. Not on our own. St. Paul wrote in the 7th Chapter of the book of Romans:
19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
We know the good we should do. We know the light we should shine. We know we shouldn't have certain thoughts of anger, lust, greed, envy, and contempt. But we have them anyway. We don't do the good anyway. As much as we would like our hearts to be oriented toward God, we keep fighting to have them oriented toward ourselves.
Yet, despite this, Christ still died for us. Christ still offered Himself on the cross to reconcile us unto God.
Only a love like that can change a heart. Only a love like that, once it's power infiltrates through our barriers can change a person. Only a love like that can bring a person to his or her knees with thanksgiving and humility and awe and wonder.
"You ARE the light of the world..."
"You ARE the salt of the earth..."
What terrifying, humbling, and empowering words at one and the same time.
Every three years, this particular teaching of Jesus is placed before pastors and congregations that follow the Revised Common Lectionary. Last Sunday was the appointed time for this text:
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For 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. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Apparently, some folks had reached the bottom of the barrel when it came to looking for sermon hints, and in a last ditch effort, several read mine. :-)
As I saw the hits mount, I decided to read that sermon again. I don't think it was all that bad, but as I read through it, I thought to myself, "Where is the grace?"
There was none.
My sermon focused completely and totally on action: my action, my congregation's action, the things we were supposed to do.
Where was forgiveness?
Where was God's love for us?
Where was the transformation of heart and soul gifted by the Holy Spirit?
It just wasn't there.
And a straight forward reading of this text, with no other context, doesn't have much grace at all.
But if you place it within the larger context of the Gospel message...
You ARE the light of the world...
You ARE the salt of the earth...
Intriguing use of words there by Jesus, is it not?
You ARE!
Not, if you follow me and believe in me and do what I say, then you will be. No. You ARE!
We are created to be light for the world; salt for the earth. It is our purpose. We didn't ask for this. We didn't seek out this purpose. We didn't ask God for the light to shine through us--God put it there. We are created to shine light into a world of darkness by doing good works and glorifying our Father who is in heaven.
The problem: we like putting a bushel basket on ourselves. And it's not because of some sort of humility driving us to do that.
There is a part of us that craves the darkness. There is a part of us that craves being superior to everyone. There is a part of us that craves the baser things of life, and when light shines on such things, it shows them for what they are: sinful.
And so, we cover the light. We hide the light so it doesn't shine and reveal the fact that we enjoy sinful pursuits and perverted pleasures. We hide the light so it doesn't show our complicity in systems which promote poverty and abuse and subjugation. We hide the light so it doesn't reveal our darkest secrets and desires of greed, lust, envy, anger, and the like. We hide the light so that we can go on thinking we are good people because we don't act out those very thoughts.
20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
You see, the Pharisees and scribes were the purity folks of Jesus' day. They were the folks who concentrated on following all the rules to a tee. They were the folks who put on an air of holiness, and Jesus tells His followers their righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
How?
Well, the scribes and Pharisees might have had an external facade, but it was the inside that counted. That's where true righteousness comes from. True righteousness comes from having a heart oriented toward God--a heart that unashamedly and humbly puts itself on a lampstand to shine light into a room.
And who can have such a heart? Who can make their heart do such a thing?
Not us. Not on our own. St. Paul wrote in the 7th Chapter of the book of Romans:
19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, 23but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
We know the good we should do. We know the light we should shine. We know we shouldn't have certain thoughts of anger, lust, greed, envy, and contempt. But we have them anyway. We don't do the good anyway. As much as we would like our hearts to be oriented toward God, we keep fighting to have them oriented toward ourselves.
Yet, despite this, Christ still died for us. Christ still offered Himself on the cross to reconcile us unto God.
Only a love like that can change a heart. Only a love like that, once it's power infiltrates through our barriers can change a person. Only a love like that can bring a person to his or her knees with thanksgiving and humility and awe and wonder.
"You ARE the light of the world..."
"You ARE the salt of the earth..."
What terrifying, humbling, and empowering words at one and the same time.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Striving for Perfection
Be perfect, therefore, even as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48
It is a given that we as humans cannot achieve what Jesus says. It is an impossibility for us to completely be like God.
We cannot be all knowing.
We cannot be all powerful.
We cannot love unconditionally--perhaps at moment, but not totally.
We cannot achieve perfection in our relationships.
We simply cannot do it.
This is why we have the concept of grace. This is why St. Paul penned the words in Romans 3:
For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
We are not saved/justified/made right with God by any of our actions. We are only made right with God by Him through Christ. Period. End of story.
Which, of course, then leads to the question: why try to achieve perfection at all? If perfection doesn't save me and I cannot attain it, why should I even go there? Why should I even strive for it? Why apply myself toward something that is an impossibility? Why try when failure is the outcome?
Many times I have sought a good argument for these questions. Many times, I have preached arguments, that I believe fell short. But I think I've got one now--drawn from the world of athletics.
Should a baseball player cease trying to hit the ball because his chances of actually getting a hit are generally less than 1 in 3?
Should a pitcher cease to pitch because of the rarity of throwing a perfect game?
Should a basketball player stop shooting the ball because the odds of making it are generally less than 1 in 2?
Should a football team's offense cease trying hard every play because the odds are short that they will score a touchdown on that given play?
Should a bowler cease bowling because of the difficulty in throwing a 300 game?
Should a golfer stop golfing because of the rarity of a hole in one?
Most would say that stopping would be asinine. You don't play sports because you can achieve perfection!
You also don't practice Christianity because you can achieve perfection.
You also practice and dedicate yourself and work hard in sports training your body to do better. The more reps you spend in a batting cage, the better chance you will have to hit the ball. The more times you practice shooting a basketball, the better you get at making baskets. The more you practice running a particular play in football, the more you maximize your chances of scoring a touchdown when you run it. The more you practice golfing and tweaking your swing, the more you maximize your chances of making a hole in one.
The goal drives what you do. If your goal is to hit every shot in basketball, you will work hard at achieving it--even though it is a statistical impossibility. If your goal is to get a hit in every at bat, you will work to achieve it--even though it is very, very unlikely. And so on, and so forth.
The goal in Christianity drives what we do as well. Not because we will achieve it. Not because we will achieve salvation, but because this is what it means to love God and our neighbor. Perfection is the goal, and it is our desire to achieve it--even though it is an impossibility.
But every once in a while, we hit a home run, score a touchdown, sink a hole in one, and bowl a strike. It helps us enjoy the game/life/faith, and inspires us to keep trying.
It is a given that we as humans cannot achieve what Jesus says. It is an impossibility for us to completely be like God.
We cannot be all knowing.
We cannot be all powerful.
We cannot love unconditionally--perhaps at moment, but not totally.
We cannot achieve perfection in our relationships.
We simply cannot do it.
This is why we have the concept of grace. This is why St. Paul penned the words in Romans 3:
For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
We are not saved/justified/made right with God by any of our actions. We are only made right with God by Him through Christ. Period. End of story.
Which, of course, then leads to the question: why try to achieve perfection at all? If perfection doesn't save me and I cannot attain it, why should I even go there? Why should I even strive for it? Why apply myself toward something that is an impossibility? Why try when failure is the outcome?
Many times I have sought a good argument for these questions. Many times, I have preached arguments, that I believe fell short. But I think I've got one now--drawn from the world of athletics.
Should a baseball player cease trying to hit the ball because his chances of actually getting a hit are generally less than 1 in 3?
Should a pitcher cease to pitch because of the rarity of throwing a perfect game?
Should a basketball player stop shooting the ball because the odds of making it are generally less than 1 in 2?
Should a football team's offense cease trying hard every play because the odds are short that they will score a touchdown on that given play?
Should a bowler cease bowling because of the difficulty in throwing a 300 game?
Should a golfer stop golfing because of the rarity of a hole in one?
Most would say that stopping would be asinine. You don't play sports because you can achieve perfection!
You also don't practice Christianity because you can achieve perfection.
You also practice and dedicate yourself and work hard in sports training your body to do better. The more reps you spend in a batting cage, the better chance you will have to hit the ball. The more times you practice shooting a basketball, the better you get at making baskets. The more you practice running a particular play in football, the more you maximize your chances of scoring a touchdown when you run it. The more you practice golfing and tweaking your swing, the more you maximize your chances of making a hole in one.
The goal drives what you do. If your goal is to hit every shot in basketball, you will work hard at achieving it--even though it is a statistical impossibility. If your goal is to get a hit in every at bat, you will work to achieve it--even though it is very, very unlikely. And so on, and so forth.
The goal in Christianity drives what we do as well. Not because we will achieve it. Not because we will achieve salvation, but because this is what it means to love God and our neighbor. Perfection is the goal, and it is our desire to achieve it--even though it is an impossibility.
But every once in a while, we hit a home run, score a touchdown, sink a hole in one, and bowl a strike. It helps us enjoy the game/life/faith, and inspires us to keep trying.
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