Psalm 119: 1-8; Matthew 5: 21-37
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
February 16, 2020
Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me. - Psalm 119: 1-8
‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But 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. 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.
Concerning 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 unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths
‘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'. - Matthew 5: 21-37
The text today from Matthew’s Gospel is from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which spans from Matthew Chapters 5-7. The great crowds and the disciples gathered to hear Jesus preach. The meditations from Jesus’ heart and the words from his mouth were reinterpreting the Law, the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses (Exodus 19-24), and the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible attributed to Moses.
Jesus revealed the kingdom of God holds our faith to high moral and ethical standards. Just before our text began this morning, Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Sobering words, aren’t they?
Jesus pushed the envelope as he preached about how we relate to one another. Within his comparisons of anger, adultery, divorce, swearing oaths it seems like Jesus is meddling, doesn’t it?
I once had a colleague that would say, “Do you ever get something in your craw?” He meant when you experience something that aggravates you and you don’t know what to do about it.
Well sometimes what Jesus says gets in our craw. But our Savior and Teacher of the faith was striving to use that friction to restore us to God’s goodness regarding right relationships.
Have you ever considered angry words stealing the life of another?
Is being reconciled to another a requirement to worship God?
Are wandering eyes in violation of marriage vows?
Is seeking divorce because of a spouse’s minor faults unfaithful?
Is the virtue of honesty greater that taking an oath?
If we take courage to allow the gravity of Jesus’ words to weigh upon our hearts and minds, then we will likely answer these questions with “Yes.” However, the gravity of Jesus’ words urges our faith to dig deeper. When Jesus meddles he is stirring our spirits to become reoriented to the Law of God’s Love.
The Law of God’s Love calls us to righteousness – or right relationships. God’s love is rooted in the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22: 37-40). Our neighbor is both the one we know and the one we don’t know.
The first letter of John tells us, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4: 8-12).
Friends, Jesus is the One who "calls us to righteousness" [1]. Jesus is the One who calls us to live into higher moral and ethical standards than any worldly influence does.
Therefore, the love that Jesus preaches of seeks to reconcile. Love seeks the image of God in the other. Love seeks another way forward when it is wounded and betrayed. Love seeks to live truthfully.
We are blessed when we seek the Law of God’s Love with our whole heart, as the Psalmist say (Psalm 119:2).
Some of you have heard me talk about Brene’ Brown before. She is a researcher on human behavior. She shares what her research has revealed about what it means to live with our whole heart.
People who live with a whole heart have three things in common: courage, compassion, and connection.
They have courage – which the original definition in Latin means to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. These are the people who had the courage to be imperfect.
They have compassion to be kind to themselves first and then kind to others because the truth is we cannot practice compassion with others if we don’t treat ourselves kindly.
And the last is they have connection. And this is the hard part – connection is a result of authenticity. These people were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they are – which you have to absolutely do that for connection.
We are not perfect people. We do not always live up to God’s ways and God’s will. You and I know this all too well. And Jesus knew this too.
But Jesus did not come to condemn the world; God sent his Son so that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17). When Jesus calls us to right relationships he is calling us to let go of who we have been – letting go of our behaviors that do not honor God. We are to have the courage to let them go in order to be who God created us to be.
So when we find ourselves in complicated situations that test the authenticity of our faith, may we let Jesus’ words create some friction in us and remind us who God created us to be.
We are created and named as God’s beloved child.
We are created by God’s perfect love that will never let us go.
We are created to reflect God’s truth, God’s goodness, and God’s righteousness.
We are created to be connected to God and one another. We are created to be an instrument of grace and an agent of God’s love in the world.
And if we bear the scars of humanity’s brokenness, then God is at work to create us to be wounded healers that shine the light of God’s grace into the darkness.
Is Jesus getting in your craw? Is Jesus meddling in the ways you relate to others? Then Jesus just might be grabbing your attention to guard and reorient your heart to the only thing that brings life: God’s love.
In the name of God of Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sermon Preparation Influenced by the Following Resources:
[1] Eric Barretto, "Commentary on Matthew 5: 21-37," Working Preacher
[2] The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary: Volume VII - Jesus and the Goosples - Matthew, Mark (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), pp. 117-122.
[3] Dan Herrinton, S.J. "Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Matthew" (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991), pp. 85-92.
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