Laws are funny things. They’re meant to help us live together, meant to help keep the peace, meant to improve society by setting common limits and expectations. You know the old quote, "fences make good neighbors". We can substitute the word "laws" for fences, culturally approved and practiced laws are supposed to make good neighbors. But....sometimes laws aren’t such good things, they don’ t uplift us and make us better people, better neighbors…Think the segregation laws of the Jim Crow south….or the intolerant laws of Hitler’s Germany.
And sometimes laws are just plain absurd…
For example in New Orleans it’s against the law to gargle in public. In Minnesota women may face 30 days in jail for impersonating Santa Claus.
In Memphis, Tennessee it’s illegal to take unfinished pie home from a restaurant—-all pie must be eaten on the premises. We’d be hard pressed to believe and claim that these laws do anything to improve our culture, enhance our community , or benefit our families. This is why Laws are constantly being challenged, reviewed, interpreted and sometimes, changed.
Today's Gospel continues our readings from the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus looks at three of the commandments given by God to Moses for the benefit of the Hebrew people— you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely. In the Sunday school curriculum Godly Play, the ten commandments are called the “10 Best Ways to Live.” And indeed, that's what they’re meant to be.
Jesus has some interesting commentary on those ancient proscriptions. He introduces each law with the phrase "you have heard that it was said.” He then quotes the commandments “you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely” ending each with… "but I say..."
It’s what he says after each commandment that sets Jesus apart from all of the Old Testament prophets that those gathered were used to hearing from.
Jesus knew that it was possible to abide by the letter of the law and still wreak havoc on the lives of others . Most of us will never be murderers, adulterers or perjurers. Jesus is saying that's not good enough. Obeying the bare bones restrictions of the laws isn't good enough.
Jesus says that to follow Him we must shift from focusing on the letter of the law to focusing on the realm of the heart.
We’re called to uphold the dignity and humanity of our companions in this world, not just to avoid killing .
We’re called to treat each other with respect, to listen closely and to not speak hateful words that are insults, gossip or back-stabbing or just plain false.
We’re to recognize the humanity of others and work toward reconciliation whenever possible.
[examples given of reconciliation and how, in the short-run, just writing off someone with whom we have a disagreement, of hurt, of disappointment, of anger is “easier,” but how in the long run when we hold onto the negative feelings, we fuel the darkness instead of making room for the light]
Likewise we cannot just avoid the betrayal of adultery. We’re called to avoid objectifying people and turning them into nothing more than objects for our own pleasure and satisfaction, to not treat others as property to be discarded when we’re finished with them.
Jesus is giving us "best practices". He goes beyond just naming the problem giving us a better way to live out those ancient proscriptions passed down from Moses. Instead of stopping with “don’t” he gives us examples—-measurable behaviors which, if we pay attention, will lead us into a better way of life. Jesus isn't disrespecting the law given in the Hebrew Scriptures. He’s not saying that the laws are worthless or wrong.
No, Jesus believes in the real and ongoing presence of God and wants that presence, that nurturing spirit, that grace, to be more clearly recognized than just the "shall nots.”
Jesus knows that giving folks rules without specifying what kingdom worthy behavior is, just isn't good enough. He wants us to understand that the rules are not just meant to list behaviors that are not acceptable, but are meant to help us develop practices of the heart that will lead us into creating God's kingdom here on earth. Jesus turns the "shall nots" into strategies for living differently in the world.
And that's the real point of the Sermon on the Mount passages, Jesus showing us how to live differently, in a counter-cultural way; not merely obeying laws but discovering how to be a member of the community of believers. Jesus wants an inwardly transformed person, not an outwardly obedient one.
Gathered here as a community we are called to be the learning lab where this inward transformation takes place. That's where prayer, bible study, worship, ministry to others, and above all the nourishment of the Eucharist takes us; to a place where we go beyond rules to truly loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves. For when we do that, when we take the nourishment of this community of love out into the world, we will change the world, one act of loving acceptance at a time. Amen.
