Finding Faith ... in the spirit of the law being just as important

EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 2.5 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and the deepening of my theological mind. This sermon originally took place on Feb. 16, 2020.

I have an admission.

I know I’ve spoken about this before, but I’m ashamed to admit that I’m not a very gracious person when I’m behind the wheel. ... While in most facets of my life I am able to exude great patience with others, and to see them as beloved children of God despite whatever brokenness may be present .... but put me in the driver’s seat of a vehicle and I can become a jerk.

I’m quick to judge. ... I think the other drivers who are slower than me are always idiots, and the drivers that are faster than me are fools. … I chastise drivers who don’t use their blinkers, and if you don’t perform the proper four-way stop etiquette, oh-h-h-h … watch out! … You are going to draw my wrath!

Finally, for those of us of a certain age, you may remember this story about former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a deeply devout Christian man.

In 1976, Carter was a then-Democratic presidential candidate, and he agreed to a long interview with a certain men’s magazine. … If you do not know which one, you can ask after church.

Likely the most famous one-liner that resulted from that interview was when Carter admitted, “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.”

It was an admission from a public leader that shocked many, and probably confused those who weren’t fairly familiar with their gospels. … I mean, wasn’t that a pretty benign admission? Certainly there were presidential candidates who had acted in much less Christian ways?

But we now know, after hearing today’s gospel, that President Carter, of course, was referring to Matthew 5:21-37.

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

And the other two of my seemingly unrelated stories this morning are doing the same. … Pointing to this gospel.

Well ... this is a challenging one, isn't it? … Where is the “Good News” in Jesus’ scolding today?

We Lutherans -- even us pastors -- tend to focus on the kind and loving Jesus that tells us that everything is going to be OK, and that we are loved no matter what.

And for most of the gospels, that’s how he behaves. … But then he follows up with this blistering admonishment about our failings, all of the times that we fall short of the high bar that is set in the Old Testament’s Ten Commandments.

But wait a minute, you might ask, “I thought that Jesus replaced the law. You’ve even said that before in your sermons.”

“You’ve said that the Ten Commandments were given to the Israelites to give them a life-giving code by which to live until their savior came, and that Son of God would be given to us to take away our sins.”

Well, yes, that is true. …. Jesus’ birth meant that the 600-some laws mentioned in the Old Testament were no longer the only criteria regarding our eternity and our final judgement. … Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross did mean that our sins are forgiven.

But Jesus’ harsh message in today’s gospel is a two-fold warning: First, it is a warning against piousness. … And second, it is a warning that just because we are given grace, that doesn’t give us a license to behave in whatever manner we want in this world and it’s not a license not be in relationship with others.

So let’s tackle that first warning.

We’ve all met that pious person before. … Haven’t we? … They aren’t a very likable sort, are they? … “I’m a better Christian than you. … I know exactly what the Bible says, and I follow it to the letter. … Nothing less.”

Ugh, am I right?

“Well, of course, I’m a good Christian. I follow the Ten Commandments. … I don’t murder. … I’m not an adulter. … I don’t lie, cheat or steal. … I honor my parents. … Of course, I'm a good Christian … unlike that person over there.”

You know that we all know THAT person … even when we tend to forget about the times that WE are that person.

And so, in response to how we act, Jesus’ says, “Whoa, whoa … whoa. … Hold up there, you sinner. … Yep, you!”

“Sure, you might not be guilty of killing anyone, but what about the fact that right now you’re feuding with your sister or brother. … Or your neighbor or maybe your parents, for that matter. … You know that grudge you have been holding onto for years, yeah, well,” Jesus says, “that’s no better than if you HAD killed someone.”

But Jesus doesn’t stop there, does he? … He reminds us that getting to the kingdom is not just about the famous Top Ten Commandments.

No, it’s about all the gradations in between as well. … He tells us that even if we call someone a “fool” in a fit of anger, then we too “will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Yes, Devlyn, this means you … when you’re sitting there at that stoplight and quietly cursing that other driver under your breath. … Isn’t that a wonderful example for your children riding in the passenger seat? … Yep, you might not have killed anyone, but you’ve still been unkind, and it’s no less of a sin.

Tough words indeed. … and they only get tougher as Jesus goes on to chide us: “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.”

Now, that’s not a Jesus we are used to hearing. … Not only is he setting a really difficult standard by which we are to live, he’s reminding us of the consequences to us if we don’t.

And he does it unabashedly, because you have to remember that in the 1st century, Jesus saw religious leaders and the most pious of the pious ruling elite use the letter of the Hebrew laws to allow them to get away with the murdering of those at the margins, allowed them to get away with not feeding the poor and housing the homeless and not taking care of the widows.

Jesus saw how the religious elite and the wealthy Romans used the old laws to justify their adultery and their divorces, holy crimes that took place frequently against women in those times.

Jesus saw all of this, and he wanted his followers to know that it wasn’t just the letter of the law that mattered. … But that the spirit of the law that was just as important.

Yes, it’s important that we acknowledge and obey the Ten Commandments, but our work doesn’t end there. … There are other degrees to which we separate ourselves from others and thus commit a sin that is just as great as murder, just as great as adultery.

Every time we do not patch up those broken relationships with others, and we allow them to fester year after year. … And every time we utter unkind words about others and make judgments about them.

Every time we act in a less than Christian manner in any way we are committing a sin, and in today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us with his harsh rebuke.

He gives us no wiggle room. … He’s adamant that there is no difference between the act of murder and being estranged from the loved ones in our lives -- or estranged from anyone for that matter.

There’s no difference between murder and calling someone a fool, even.

But the good news is that we are not left alone in this difficult challenge. Jesus doesn’t abandon us when we are failing, even if he sounds a little terse in today’s gospel.

He’s terse, because he is acting in the manner that a parent or another loved one does when they are trying to get a lesson to sink in. … Trying to get our attention.

“Hey, you, there! … Yeah, you! … These laws are meant to be life-giving. … They aren’t ultimatums that seal your future … but they also aren’t shades of gray. … I mean, stopping short of killing someone, only to estrange them from your life, is not OK.”

And while this gospel sets a high bar for our Christian living, thank God … literally … we know that we have Jesus on our side, and he’s here to help. We just have to ask.

And that is the good news this Sunday. … Amen.