DEEP COMMUNITY
February 12th, 2023
Matthew 5:21-37
Rev. Rhonda Blevins, pastor
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘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, 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. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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 members 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 members than for your whole body to go into hell.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
No one is ambiguous about the 1979 cult classic film, Monty Python’s Life of Brian—either you love it, or you hate it. The comedy chronicles, the “life of Brian” who was born on the same day as and next door to Jesus. The film’s slapstick religious satire evoked ire from many religious folks—you know, the stuffy kind of religious who lack a sense of humor.
Jesus appears only once in the film—the actor and the filmmaker’s treatment of Jesus is respectful. Jesus is situated on top of a hill and he’s preaching—speaking the familiar words of scripture from the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are the sorrowful, for they shall receive consolation.” As Jesus speaks, the camera zooms out to reveal a large crowd listening, hanging on his every word. But the further the camera zooms out, the quieter Jesus’ voice becomes, mimicking the volume you might encounter if you were among those in the back of the crowd. That’s where we find Brian and his mother.
Brian’s mother screams out to Jesus, “Speak up!” Brian shushes her and says, “Quiet, Mom.” She defends herself saying, “Well I can’t hear a thing! Let’s go to a stoning.” Brian says, “You can go to a stoning any time.”
A man in the crowd next to Brian and his mom yells at them, “Will you be quiet!” The man’s wife scolds him, “Don’t pick your nose!” Then an argument breaks out as another nearby man yells at them to be quiet and calls him “big nose.” They begin to bicker back and forth when another man, frustrated by the bickering, asks what Jesus just said. Another spectator said, “I think it was ‘Blessed are the cheesemakers.’” The man’s wife asks, “What’s so special about cheesemakers?” The fellow mansplains, saying, “Well, obviously it’s not to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.”
Meanwhile, the “big nose” guy and the name-caller k
And somewhere in the middle of all that action, a lady in the crowd says, “Oh, it’s the meek! ‘Blessed are the meek!’ Oh, that’s nice, isn’t it? I’m glad they’re getting something because they have a he
Critics of the film suggest that it’s blasphemous—that it makes fun of Jesus. But I think the critics are missing the point. The film doesn’t poke fun of Jesus, rather, it pokes fun at Jesus’ followers—religious folks—who miss the very point of the sermon on the mount.
I hope and pray that we’re not among those who miss the point of the sermon on the mount. So let’s dive in!
A couple of weeks ago, the lectionary text was from the opening lines of the sermon on the mount—the beatitudes. Jesus bestowed heavenly blessing upon those cut off from earthly blessings, and in so doing he offered the people “Radical Hospitality.”
Last week we continued in the sermon on the mount, listening in to Jesus telling his followers to be “salt and light”—agents of healing—in a hurting world. Jesus invited each of them in to “Transformational Mission.”
Today we find ourselves at a part of the sermon on the mount that’s even more challenging—the words don’t land too well on contemporary ears. When modern preachers read scripture texts about “adultery” and “divorce” and “swearing”—oh my! There’s squirming not only in the pews but in the preacher’s study! “We like the happy parts of scripture, Pastor Rhonda.” And I get it. Believe me, I get it. I came from a denomination known for judgmental, damnation kind of preaching. Been there. Done that. Got way too many t-shirts. Not going back.
So take a deep breath. Relax. We’re going to find the grace in this text for you, and even for me.
If you’ve been here the past couple of weeks, you may remember me pointing out that the sermon on the mount is Jesus’ very first teaching out of the gate in the Gospel of Matthew. The first words of his public ministry were, “Repent (change the way you think), the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That’s the thesis statement; the sermon on the mount is the supporting details describing what this “kingdom of heaven” looks like. “Blessed are the meek (etc.).” “Salt and light.”
And today it’s, “You’ve heard it said . . . but I say.” (Again, “change the way you think.”)
You see, religion in Jesus’ day had devolved into following the 613 laws of Judaism. The zeitgeist was, “Follow the law and that’s enough.”
Let’s think about laws for a moment. Laws are created to help a society order itself and to keep peace among its residents. A modern law is, “Stop at red lights.” No one wants to stop at a red light, but we all do it. Why? Because it’s the only way to order or manage thousands of cars going every-which-way. (The other option is a roundabout. Enough said.)
When the Hebrew people escaped from Egypt, well over a million people according to scripture, they were suddenly a lawless society. They no longer needed Egypt’s laws. But they needed some kind of law. That’s why Moses came down the mountain with a set of 10 Commandments or laws. They had to have some way to order themselves. The 10 Commandments was a starting point. But they were just a starting point. Along the way they added laws—603 to be exact. For a grand total of 613 laws. Now the law was complete, right? No. Even with 613 laws, it was just a starting point. The bare minimum for ordering life together. For living in community.
Think again about red lights. There’s a law mandating that we stop at red lights. But when you’re slowing down to stop at a red light, and there are a million cars behind you, and that poor bloke is trying to get on the road, pulling out from the gas station, do you leave a space in front of you and let the guy get out? There’s no law mandating you do that. But it’s the nice thing to do. It’s the kind thing to do. You might even go so far as to say it’s the “right” thing to do. Even though there’s no law to compel you to such kindness.
Laws exist as the bare minimum for ordering life together. Jesus was clear that his intent was not to abolish the law:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)
Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount was an affirmation of the law, and a layering on top of the law meant not just to order society, but to create “deep community.” Everything in this difficult passage about anger, adultery, divorce, swearing—it’s about creating a community that doesn’t just adhere to the letter of the law but begins to understand the spirit of the law. My summary of this text? “Following the law is the bare minimum. Be kind as well.” In fact, if we were to continue reading the sermon on the mount together, we would find the “Golden Rule” right there within:
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you,
for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
A famous presidential campaign slogan in the early 90’s was, “It’s the economy, stupid.” And for Jesus in the sermon on the mount, we can sum it up this way: “It’s kindness, stupid.” Kindness over and above the law’s bare minimum is the pathway to deep and profound community.
Got it?
Now keep that in mind (it’s all about kindness) as I take a deep breath and tackle these teachings from Jesus point by point.
You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘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.
Jesus goes on to talk about insulting people and reconciling with people when there’s conflict. He uses hyperbole throughout this part of the text. The hyperbole here is when Jesus says that if you call somebody a fool you will be liable to the “fire of hell.” The word for “hell” is from the Greek “Gehenna.” Gehenna was a literal place during Jesus’ day—a valley to the southwest of Jerusalem where there was a fire, day and night. The people of the big city of Jerusalem would take their trash to Gehenna and burn it there. It was a gross, disgusting, despicable place. It would become a metaphor for the place where the ungodly would receive punishment for their sins.
But what’s the point Jesus is making here? Kindness!
Don’t murder. That’s the bare minimum. Kindness means you refrain from name-calling. Kindness means that you resolve conflicts—you reconcile with your sister and brother. Why? It’s the way—the only way—to deep and profound community.
How you doing? OK so far? Let’s continue.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Oof. This one’s difficult, right? What’s this about?
First of all, let’s consider the fact that “adultery” meant something different then than it does now. We tend to think of “adultery” as any kind of sexual relations outside of the marriage covenant. What you may not know is that a married man in Jesus’ day could have sex with an unmarried woman, and this would not have been considered adultery. Why? Women were property. So long as a man was not taking another man’s property, a woman was fair game. That was the letter of the law.
Jesus was saying, “You shall not commit adultery” is the bare minimum, fellows. Kindness that leads to community honors women. Kindness that leads to community does not objectify women. Kindness that leads to community means treating people—all people—as humans instead of objects. This teaching was mainly for men in Jesus’ day—they held all the power. Today, however, this teaching is for women, men, anyone who holds power. Do. Not. Dehumanize. Another. Human. Period.
You still good? Take another deep breath, because here comes divorce.
It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This, again, comes down to kindness—particularly kindness toward those who have no power. I’ll say it again—women were property. A divorced woman would often be left impoverished and destitute, with no way to earn a living. Divorced women would often turn to prostitution as a means of survival. Prostitution leads to unwanted children. How can this lead to deep community? It can’t. Jesus is saying here that giving a woman a certificate of divorce is the “bare minimum.” Kindness that leads to community won’t leave women and children destitute. The kingdom of God requires more of us than the “bare minimum” that the law requires.
Now let’s tackle the last difficult teaching from this part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you: Do not swear at all.”
This isn’t about “cuss words,” this is about making promises you can’t keep. Be a person of integrity. Keep your word. The bare minimum of the law is to deliver what you promise. The better way—the higher way—the way to deep community is to do right by other people and let your actions speak louder than your words. Promise little. Deliver much.
OK, that’s it for these hard teachings that really aren’t that hard once we understand what Jesus wanted for his followers—he wanted his followers to experience deep, profound, and lasting community. And to build a movement like that, it was going to require that they do more than follow the letter of the law. They had to embrace kindness and compassion, integrity and peacemaking.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Wouldn’t the world be so much nicer, so much better if we could get everyone to live by these standards? But until that day comes, each of us can live by these standards. And if we live by these standards, we will be on the track for creating deep and profound community. If—when—we live into that, people will come from miles around to experience it. They’ll even suffer the roundabout to get here!
I’m not going to swear to it. But I’m going to try my feeble best to live it.
And I hope you’ll join me.