St. Matthew 5:21-37 Dearly beloved,
The gospel this morning is comprehensive and far-reaching. It is not done justice by one’s having to preach on all of it at once. The words of Jesus are rich and deep, and they are meant to be for the church as she lives out her life on this earth. This portion of Christ’s sermon on the mount is very reminiscent of the themes in the Ten Commandments. It doesn’t follow the pattern of the Ten Commandments, however. Jesus treats of differing themes. The themes of this gospel appear to be for Christians in their dealings with one another. Running through the gospel is the emphasis of the condition of one’s heart. It is not enough, Jesus says, to refrain from killing someone with your hands or committing adultery with the body. The sin is committed if the heart ponders it. If we ever thought we had a chance at holiness on our own, this would shatter all hopes on self-righteousness. Jesus tells us that even our use of words improperly will lead us to stumble. If we say to someone, “Raca,” we shall be in danger of the council. If we say to someone “you fool,” then we shall be in danger of judgment. Jesus says that this is the case if a brother is angry without cause. With cause, he or she is not in danger of the council nor judgment. There are fools in the world, and they are those who hate God or speak wrongly of Him. “Raca” is Hebrew, meaning “empty.” These same despisers of God are in fact empty while they live. So if we call someone “empty,” or, “you fool” without a cause, then we find ourselves in trouble. Jesus is talking about brothers and sisters in the faith. You cannot call a Christian “empty” for he is a vessel of the Holy Spirit. One who confesses Christ is no fool in God’s eyes. What the Lord is hinting towards is how the people in the body of Christ deal with each other. Jesus says that if you bring your gift to the altar and remember that you and a brother have a quarrel, then leave your gift at the Lord’s altar and go reconcile with your brother or sister in the faith. Then, after this has been handled, go back and give your gift to God. The Lord shows us how we are to live in this faith. By being so concerned about reconciling with other Christians, we are learning something about the life of holiness in the church. We are to be deliberate in our dealings with each other. St. Paul speaks enough about Christian living in his epistles. One must look carefully for St. Paul’s words of Christian living. When one does, he will see that St. Paul often speaks of the life of the church as a quiet one. He tells the Thessalonians, “to make a point to live quietly...”1 Thessalonians 4:11. St. Paul even says to mind your own business. He is talking about life in the church. Not only are you not to use your tongue wrongly, but St. Paul even likes to remind us that we are to use our tongues sparingly, but primarily for the praise and honor of God. You have been given a tongue for one reason--to confess God’s name and pray to Him. This is also why Jesus tells us in the gospel that we are not to swear by heaven nor by earth. Let your yes be yes and your no, no. Anything else is from the evil one. Why does Jesus speak this way? He is trying to warn us and encourage us to lives of humility and trust. The sermon on the mount starts out, after all, with the Beatitudes (St. Matthew 5:3-12). What stands out in regards to this gospel today is the Beatitude-- “Blessed are the meek.” The Greek word for “meek” gives us insight into what this is. The “meek” are gentle spirits, not quarrelsome. The “meek” are prayerful, and slow to utter words. The “meek” will stop, think, and ponder things before they decide how something should be said or done. This is seen as a weakness in the world but a virtue in the church. Why? Why is Jesus urging us in between the lines to be cautious with our words and actions? Hastily spoken words and thoughtless actions will lead to sin. This is what Jesus is speaking about in the gospel this morning, specifically. The problem with sin is that sin begets sin. The person who is the worst off is the one who mindlessly sins and never gives it any thought. Such living perpetuates sin and the person is found to be up to their neck in sin and problems. Sin affects the sinner, deeply. If we think that sin has no affect on our souls, then we are to be pitied. Sin is like baggage. The further we walk without confessing our sins and amending our sinful lives, the heavier the baggage gets. We become so burdened by our baggage of sin that we can longer find any good in our lives or in the lives of others. We soon forget that their is a better way, and if we don’t rectify the situation before it consumes us, we will eventually forget that there is a God who loves us. Jesus teaches and preaches these words to the disciples and the church in order to urge caution. As God’s holy saints, we are to watch our lives. We are to guard them carefully because we are not “empty.” You have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you, who you received in baptism. Jesus teaches and preaches also to remind us that we do not live for ourselves but for God who has redeemed us. The baggage of sin which weighs down on your shoulders is not meant to be there any longer. Jesus took the weight of your sin and removed it from your shoulders. He did this for the whole world. As Jesus took the weight of sin off of mankind, He placed the whole world’s sins upon His own shoulders and buried them with Himself as He died on the cross. The weight is lifted. The church is at peace because of the merits and love of Jesus. What the church experiences is the love, peace, and mercy of the heavenly Father through the blood of His Son. And we are all one in Christ. We live not for ourselves. Jesus has become the church’s life. This means that what goes on in the world is meant to stay in the world as it makes way for the quiet, meek, and gentle life in Christ. Jesus lives in you and you in Him, because you are His baptized children who have been freed from the bonds of sin. So, the disciples listened to these words of Jesus. For the first time, no doubt, they were learning a new way of living that would grow and develop in the churches as they continued to preach and teach. God is in our midst, and we live in Him. It is done by grace; by the precious love and compassion of our Lord for His creation, which renders you holy, just, free, and in His garden which bears the quiet and contentment of His love. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
