In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus made it clear
that he had not come to destroy the law of God but to make sure that it is
fulfilled in any and every way that it needs to be fulfilled (5:17-20). He
concluded this section affirming the permanence of the Old Testament (lit.
“the Law & the Prophets”) with the charge to his disciples that “unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees” that they would never,
no not ever, enter the kingdom of heaven. Those were shocking words then and
still are today! The thought that their righteousness would have to exceed that
of the most legalistically righteous people in their world must have driven
home their spiritual bankruptcy to them to their benefit (“blessed are the poor
in spirit” v.3).
However, the righteousness of the Pharisees was legalistic
and legalistic righteousness is flawed in that it goes to great lengths to
precisely define the dos and don’ts in order to actually relax the real demands
of God’s law on their lives. As R. Kent Hughes once wonderfully preached,
“The
Pharisees’ righteousness was not so great. It was merely external. It focused
on the ceremonial. Its man-made rules actually were unconscious attempts to
reduce the demands of the Law and make it manageable. Those rules insulated
them from the Law’s piercing heart demands. These men were self-satisfied….[but
Jesus] was explaining in the most dramatic terms the impossibility of salvation
apart from grace.”[1]
It was this Pharisaic tendency to attempt to make the Law
“manageable” that prompted Jesus to address six examples (Matthew 5:21-48) or antitheses where there had come
a relaxing or corruption of the original heart of God communicated in the law. He
uses the formula, “You have heard that it was said…But I say to you…” to
delineate each of the six examples.
“You have heard that it was
said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be
liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry
with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his
brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be
liable to the hell of fire. (v. 21-22)
Jesus was saying
that murder starts in the heart when we act out our anger towards others
because they get in the way of our having what we want when we want it. Such
outbursts fail to recognize the image of God present in each and every person
we meet. Our bullying words assault, abuse, and assassinate character long
before blood is shed. Jesus says that waiting for blood to be shed is too easy
and not worthy of the kingdom of heaven.
The only way we can
enter and exist in the kingdom of heaven it to repent of our selfish pride, and
its offspring—angry outbursts, verbal abuse, and inward contempt. Remember that
this repentance is relational; it is not just a change of behavior but a
returning to the Lord Himself! Jesus gives two examples of how we should apply
this commandment and they both center on the urgent need for reconciliation—with
our brothers and sisters that we have offended, and with our God to whom we owe
more than we could ever pay. Jesus desires relationships to be healed not
severed. In fact, 1 John 4:19-21 makes it clear that we cannot love God if
we hate people.
I am reminded that Psalm
133:1-2 says,
Behold, how good and pleasant
it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
The “precious oil”
was the oil used only for anointing
the High Priest, the Ark of the Covenant, and the furniture and utensils of the
holy place—the sanctuary of the Lord. This olive oil contained large quantities
of myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and other fragrant ingredients (Ex. 30). Why do I
mention this here? Because the word picture powerfully communicated to the
ancient worshipper (on his way to offer his gifts at the altar of the Temple)
the same message Jesus returns to in his examples. Simply put, when brothers
dwell in reconciled unity it smells like heaven! O Lord Jesus, please bring the
scent of heaven to our relationships today! Let heaven’s work be done in this
community!
Jesus spoke with
authority, not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Will
we let him do that in our hearts, minds, words, and actions this week?
Greg, this whole process for unity and renewed fellowship came home to me personally just this last week. Though I am close with my two daughters and treasure our times together, especially since my one daughter and her family live with us currently, while on furlough from Papua New Guinea. What I can add to your comments is how hard it is to have sincere and honest fellowship in the search for unity. Even with my daughters, when I am confused about an interaction between us, fear will rise up because I don't want to lose what I already have with them. But when we risk because we know that God is leading us to address certain misunderstandings, I believe it is Christ leading us to a greater righteousness. I am one who could easily just be happy with the status quo. But when Christ leads and we follow, to my surprise, it often brings about an even greater unity. Once my daughters and I struggled through the misunderstandings and mishearing of our issues, such joy flooded our souls, It is apparent in our behavior toward one another! So when we control our anger and fear and move toward those who may have misunderstood us, God blesses our kingdom efforts on his behalf, and unity results. Why am I surprised? Perhaps one day I will move toward others with less fear? That is my prayer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jody!
ReplyDeleteI know that those times of reconciliation often come only after a long drive over a bad road. Thanks for being willing to risk the drive!
Such a bittersweet state you leave me in with your post. The hope is there. The methodology is there. (I am a firm believer in the efficacy of The Matthew 18 Protocol, when it is fully implemented.) But I fear that the answer to your closing question would be “no,” except for my fleeting feeling of solidarity with the Apostle Paul.
ReplyDeleteI don’t mean that lightly, since it seems absurdly presumptuous, even for prideful old me, there in words like that. But his desire for his people, even to his own exclusion from the kingdom, to be reconciled to God led to an exclamation that is, in fact, accurate. Yes, all Israel shall be saved, in that there will be saved from within both halves of the Israel he describes.
In the same way, Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions may allow a positive answer to your question instead. He is quoted as saying, “Resolved first, that all men should live for the glory of God. Resolved second, whether or not others do, I will.” So, as one of your faithful readers, all that is necessary is for me to affirm that I will let God fulfill His law in my heart, mind, words, and actions this week.
I would like to believe that I will. But I know myself too well. So, rather than trust in my petty proclamation of intent, I throw myself on the grace and mercy of Christ, and the conviction of His Holy Spirit. Lord, make the hard places in my heart to clear to be ignored. Give me not the courage, but the trust I need to follow through in reconciliation with my brothers and sisters, and love toward my neighbors.
Thank you Greg for the reminder of unity. I have seen two examples in our church where the brother was mistreated yet stayed in the church and is experiencing reconciliation and a greater voice for God while another sister left the church after being mistreated and there is no chance for reconciliation. In both accounts, words were the cause and words are the healing. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteIt is a blessed thing when brothers (and sisters) dwell together in unity. I had an interesting conversation with a colleague of mine in ministry in our town. I run in a variety of ministry circles, and our town is small enough (40,000) that most people know some of the positions and choices I have made in ministry (setting aside my ordination in a denomination I felt was getting away from orthodox Christianity), and yet I am fairly well accepted across a broad theological spectrum. The pastor I was meeting with was lamenting those churches that never seem to do anything with the more liberal churches for fear of associating with those they don't deem "true Christians." I agreed with him that this is a sad state of affairs, as there is much we could work together on and further the gospel together, even when we disagree about the application of that gospel in people's lives! I think that the Lord has helped me remain patient in suffering and handle the conflict I have endured well enough that, though not perfect, people know where my heart is at. How we engage others with whom we disagree with proves out of true motivation-to love or to be right. After seeing that being right was not enough for me in relationship to others and to God, I have mellowed my stance towards those who do not hold my convictions. I think it has made me a more effective minister of the gospel.
ReplyDeleteif only we did not lord ourselves up over others. if only we desire more that relationships be healed. if only we were less willing to let relationships be severed. who can change our hearts? cohort jp
ReplyDeleteThanks for this provocative post, Greg. You nailed it with this comment:
ReplyDelete"Such pride deceives us into thinking that we are righteous in our own strength, ideas, and worth…killing our ability to enter the kingdom by grace through faith."
(I corrected your spelling of "trough" for this comment, BTW - just sayin')...
To that point, I think it was the primary point of Jesus' concern — not so much that they had reduced it to behaviors, but that they had determined what behaviors made God indebted to them! They were "owed" Heaven - and God could not refuse them since they had earned it. This is still the issue with behavioral Christianity — of which there is way too much in our American Christian culture. It promises that if I learn the behavior/mantra/confession then I am as good as gold. We have even turned Jesus' appeal to the heart into a popular kind of behavioral response (WWJD).
Relationally coming to Jesus — learning to love one another — being true Kingdom people — is not going to indebt God to us, but us to Him - by grace through faith. Hallelujah and Amen.