Harmony #25: Righteous and Unrighteous Judgment (Matthew 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42)

“Do not judge [as if you knew who is wheat and who is chaff] and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. For by the standard you judge you will be judged. Give [forgiveness and hospitality from your heart], and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap.

What happens if a blind man leads a blind man? Won’t both of them fall into a pit? [You know the saying]: you can’t turn out better than your teacher; when you’re fully taught, you will resemble your teacher.[1] [Don’t be a blind teacher.]Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while you yourself don’t see the beam in your own?

You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” [2] [But…not everybody is ready for that kind of corrective teaching.] Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample [your attempts to help] under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Jesus clearly said in this passage (and others), "Do not judge." But He also said, "Stop judging by appearance, but instead judge correctly." (John 7:24)  In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the believers in Corinth that it’s actually their job to judge other believers (as opposed to judging those outside the church). In the section we just read, right after Jesus tells us not to judge, we are told to discern who those are who are might tear and trample us.

So there must be two kinds of judging: one that is wrong to do, and one that is right. I think the difference is this (these are my definitions; I’m sure there’s room for improvement):

·      Unrighteous Judgment: Arrogant and hypocritical attack that functions as an authoritative judgment on one’s identity, character and potential, done for the purpose of condemnation rather than restoration.

·      Righteous judgment (discernment): Humble intervention motivated by a loving desire to see the other person stop sinful and destructive behavior, grow in maturity and holiness, and be restored in reputation and community fellowship.

UNRIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT

Is self-prejudiced.  Note the advice in Romans 14:1-5:

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.  The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”

We must not judge people’s progress. We cannot read the heart; we cannot truly know why people act as they do.  We also shouldn’t compare them to ourselves. We can easily be inclined to think, “I’ve got this figured out. If they could just be like me. Wait – in fact, they should be like me if they want to be truly spiritual!”

Is unmerciful. 

"God has told you what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

"Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you"(Ephesians 4:32).

Unrighteous judgment is not exercised for the good of the other. It’s done for condemnation rather than restoration. Having someone walk away humiliated, ashamed and broken is a feature, not a bug. This kind of judgment finds satisfaction in making sure someone knows their place, which is going to be lower than you.

Is Uninformed. Sometimes a situation is too confusing to make a sound judgment without a lot of work. The writer of Proverbs gives us good advice:

“The person who tells one side of a story seems right, until someone else comes and asks questions.” (Proverbs 18:17)

For the past two summers, I have done teaching for an organization downstate that works with high school and college-age students. Two years ago they asked me to talk about COVID. Oh, boy. In one of my sessions, I offered this for discussion:

Person A has worn a mask all the time, social distanced, and sanitized because they did not want to get the coronavirus or spread it to others. Person B has been taking Vitamin D, some herbs, and essential oils, and they have been working on building their immune system naturally because they do not want to get the coronavirus or spread it to others. Do you think that:

1. A is living in fear.

2. B is living in fear.

3. A and B are both living in fear.

4. Neither A nor B are living in fear.

5. Maybe I shouldn’t rush to judgment.

Person A gets the vaccine because they do not want to get the coronavirus. They think that possible side effects from COVID-19 are worse than potential side effects from the vaccine, and they will take their chances. Person B does not get the vaccine because they think it will make them sick, create long term side-effects, or even kill them.

1. A is living in fear.

2. B is living in fear.

3. A and B are both living in fear.

4. Neither A nor B are living in fear.

5. Maybe I shouldn’t rush to judgment.

The answer is, of course #5. There could be lots of reasons people make decisions, and jumping to conclusions about what does or even should motivate people never ends well.

Lacks humility. Unrighteous judgment has a sort of, "This is the final answer" feeling. There is no room for, “I could be wrong, and I might need to reevaluate my perspective or opinion.”[3]When you lack humility concerning your perspective, that usually means a narrative has been created about what has happened and what the people involved were not only doing, but thinking and feeling. And when there is no humility, nothing will change the story you have in your head, fair or unfair.[4]

Judges the heart/motivations

In 2021 what’s being called ‘The Great Sort’ began.[5] When I do a puzzle, I sort through the pieces first and separate them by sameness. It was like that but with people and churches. What was once a local church box of followers of Jesus began to separate into piles. Those who study this movement usually cite three key reasons: COVID responses, the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, and the election of 2020. Here’s where we talk about judging the heart/motivations.

• During COVID, it was so easy for those who felt it was responsible and loving to follow the guidelines and recommendations to see those who didn’t as unloving, proud or rebellious. And how can you be in fellowship with them? For those who viewed the guidelines or restrictions as unnecessary, unhealthy or oppressive, it was so easy to see the others as fearful sheeple. And how can you be in fellowship with them?

• In response to the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was so easy for those joining their voices to support those causes to see those who didn’t do the same as harboring at least some degree of racism. And how can you be in fellowship with them? For those whose had concerns about the official BLM organization or felt like political correctness was distorting the issue, it was so easy to see the others as woke Marxist stooges. And how can you be in fellowship with them?

• And then there was an election. And how can you be in fellowship with them, when they voted the way they did? Their hearts must be hard if not wicked; they clearly have lost all common sense. There can be no plausible reason short of them being moral idiots. And how can I be in fellowship with moral idiots?

Judging hearts and motivations of those within the church kills the unity and the witness of the church. When I do puzzles, all those pieces come back together to create the picture the puzzle maker intended. It turns out all that diversity in the same box was not only a good thing, but a necessary thing. May God do the same in His church.

Is hypocritical. Jesus noted this in the Sermon on the Mount, but here’s Paul in Romans 2:1-3:

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”

The point is not that Christians should never identify sin or call out injustice until they are perfect. The point is that massive self-analysis needs to be part of the process, particularly in the area one wants to address in someone else.

It’s like riding in a car with someone who bolsters your prayer life when they are driving, only to have them criticize a small mistake in your driving and give you advice on how to better help people feel safe. It’s so absurd. It’s like me challenging someone’s fashion choices or hairstyle. “I’m not sure that’s the right outfit for you.” Really?

But when the stakes get higher, it’s not as amusing. Jesus’ main point here has to do with hypocrisy in believers.

Something I am currently grieving is how the broader American church is perceived to be ignoring the beams in our eyes while calling out the specks in the eyes of the world. Poll after poll and conversation after conversation reveal variations on the same theme: Christians in the United States are viewed as hypocritical judges.

• They hear the church call out the culture for not loving well (which is a fair assessment of the culture), and then see Christians adapt an “us vs. them” mentality and treat “them” with contempt and fear, creating demonic monsters where they should be seeing broken image bearers of God who need God’s people to represent the hope and redemption of Christ.

• They hear us judge the culture for forsaking truth (and rightly so – it has), then see us spread ridiculously false and at times slanderous rumors when they paint a picture of a person, organization or party that we don’t like.

• They see us judge the culture for coarseness, incivility and dishonesty (which is a well-deserved critique) while we follow and applaud people who are coarse, uncivil, and dishonest.

Notice in every example I gave, it wasn’t the claims that were the problem. They all offered something valid. It was the judgments and the hypocrisy that accompanied them.

RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT[6]

"Reproves, rebukes, and exhorts..." (2 Timothy 4:1-2). This is done to "turn a sinner from the error of his ways"(James 5:19-20). Galatians 6:1 notes: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.” In order to recognize that someone is caught in sin, we are exercising discernment based on the standard for righteous actions as outline in the Bible. To go back to my definition, this is when we use humble intervention motivated by a loving desire to see the other person stop sinful and destructive behavior, grow in maturity and holiness, and be restored in reputation and community.

Practices humility. Speaking of humble interventions, righteous judgment requires us to be aware that that our perspective may not be as closely aligned with reality as we think it is. And while this is subtle (and challenging to our ego), it is very important as it might change how we relate to a situation. Have you ever gone into a situation with a head of steam only to realize you entirely misunderstood? Yeah….

We don’t know everything. When it’s not a glaringly clear situation, we must consider that there are circumstances and context that to which we are not privy, and we might be about to render a thundering righteous judgment that’s going to leave us really embarrassed when all the details come out.[7] It’s a long and painful fall off that high horse we so excitedly saddled.

Protects victims. We are to "mark those who cause dissensions and stumbling" (Romans 16:17-18). I suspect the primary reason is to protect those impacted by sin. Note that it is a judgment of visible actions, of fruit we can see, by which the Bible says people will be known.[8] There are times when we must intercede for victims. The Bible is full of this admonition.

“Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:4)

“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.” (Isaiah 1:17)

That doesn’t require us to weigh in on the motivations or the hearts of the people who do the things from which people need deliverance. It’s looking at how someone’s actions are landing in the world, then looking through the lenses of scripture to discern if it’s good or bad. The prophet Micah told God’s people that one thing God required of them was to do justice. This requires identifying what is just and what is not, and responding appropriately.

We do this with our children all the time: “Stop taking your brother’s snacks. Stop hitting him. Stop everything you are doing right now.” We can judge the action and do justice without judging the entirety of the child.  That principle does not go away just because people get older.

Settles arguments. Paul said a mediator should be appointed to "decide between his brethren" and settle a dispute (1Corinthians 6:1-5). Someone’s going to have a make a call. Sometimes, two parties can’t both be right. This is, once again, not a judgment on thoughts and intents of the heart, which only God knows fully and what His Word does in us.[9] This is about observable situations where God has given his image bearers the ability to discern truth from a lie.

Strengthens community. What I remember from the moments when friends exercised righteous judgment in my life is that I KNEW THEY LOVED ME. I knew they were for me. They wanted Anthony (and the people around him) to flourish. I knew they were not my enemy (and sometimes they used those exact words). I knew they came from a place of humility and love. It helped me mature, and it surely blessed those around me who have to put up with me.

WASTED RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT: Protecting Holy Things From Desecration

As odd as it sounds, Jesus’ comment about swine and dogs provides a caution: it’s not always wise to help others remove the speck from their eye. It’s a caution found elsewhere in Scripture.

“Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” (Proverbs 9:8)

“Don’t answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” (Proverbs 26:4-5)

Paul once said to an audience, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am clean. From now on I shall go to the Gentiles.” (Acts 18:1-6)

When we put the beam/speck imagery together with the pearls/swine imagery, we see Jesus’ teaching in its entirety more clearly:

• Giving humble, gentle correction (righteous judgment) to someone in the church is like giving a valuable gift.

• First, check yourself to see what you need to deal with in order to approach them with integrity.

• Second, discern if someone will embrace what you offer or trample it, tearing you up in the process.

• If the former, offer it. If the latter, don’t. [10]

There are times when we don’t waste something of great value upon someone who is not willing to recognize that value. Sometimes, the wisest thing we can do is let a fool flounder in their foolishness until, like the Prodigal Son, they come to their senses.[11]

I imagine the disciples feeling overwhelmed at this point. “Okay, so, don’t judge unrighteously, but do judge righteously, but then not every time, and honestly I don’t think I'll ever not be hypocritical or a little prejudice, and I have no idea who the swine are.”

But Jesus isn’t done. The righteousness, sincerity, humility, and love to which the Sermon on the Mount calls us is beyond our abilities, but remember: when God calls us, he equips us. Jesus assures his followers that he provides the means for making the impossible possible.[12]

 “Ask [for the character to do this] and it will be given to you; seek [wisdom and discernment] and you will find; knock [at the Father’s house] and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

___________________________________________________________________________________

[1] The parable speaks of being blind to one’s own faults while judging others (compare Rom. 2:19–21).(Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[2] Romans 2:19-21  “If you stand convinced that you are chosen to be a guide to the blind, a light to those who live in darkness,  a teacher of foolish wanderers and children, and have in the law what is essentially the form of knowledge and truth— then tell me, why don’t you practice what you preach? If you are going to sermonize against stealing, then stop stealing.”

[3] Great point from Amber Campion. http://www.ambercampion.com/blogpost/judging-vs-discerning

[4] Why might we fall into the trap of unrighteous judgment? I found a list somewhere and I can’t remember where. So, just know this is not original with me.

§  Low self-esteem | If you are terrible, I feel better about myself.

§  Deflection | Your sin is “worse” than mine. Whew.

§  Peer pressure | My tribe judges like this, so to fit in….

§  Bitterness | I got called out on this issue, so you are going down too!

§  Pride| As I see it from my pedestal…

[5] https://outreachmagazine.com/features/leadership/68856-3-trends-shaping-the-post-pandemic-church.html

[6] I got the basis for this list from Ron Graham at simplybible.com. I have modified it for my purposes.

[7] Another great point from Amber Campion.  http://www.ambercampion.com/blogpost/judging-vs-discerning.

[8] See Matthew 7:15-20 as an example of how this works.

[9] Hebrews 4:12

[10] I built on the insights found in “Matthew 7:6 Meaning.” This is not the only place that talks about it, of course, but it’s a good, clear explanation. https://thebiblesays.com/commentary/matt/matt-7/matthew-76/

[11] Luke 15:17

[12] Expositor’s Bible Commentary

Harmony #24: Choosing A Master (Matthew 6:19–34; Luke 12:22-34)

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body.[1] If your eyes are healthy (generous? sincere?), your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy (stingy?), your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness![2] 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.[3]

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the nations run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 

34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness[4], and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Heads up: I want to unsettle us this morning like Jesus unsettled his original audience. What he is offering here is an extended look at the connection between money, worry, and trust. Let me explain some of the imagery first, then we are going to try to let the weight and importance of what he said get into our souls.

THE EYE IMAGERY

The Jewish community used “good eye” to describe people who were morally sound, and often associated it with generosity:

'He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor' (Proverbs 22:9).

Sirach, a Jewish book of ethical teachings written about 200 years before Jesus was born, declares: 

Evil is the man with a grudging eye; he averts his face and disregards people. A greedy man's eye is not satisfied with a portion, and mean injustice withers the soul. A stingy man's eye begrudges bread, and it is lacking at his table.  (Sir 14:8–10)

The book of Tobit (which is included in the Catholic and Orthodox Bible), written a little before Sirach, notes this:

Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it.. If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. For charity delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness; and for all who practice it charity is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High. (Tobit 4:7–11)

Jesus is using imagery his audience understood. If the eye is healthy, it shows that someone is sincere, generous and helpful. When the eye turns bad, the person is stingy and envious, even to the point of wishing that the wealth of others be destroyed.[5]

After that image, Jesus describes those two contrasting kinds of people as serving two masters. In the final paragraph we read, note that all the sources of worry could be solved financially (food, water, clothes).

All this leads me to believe our Sermon on the Mount portion today is specifically about trusting God over our money and with our money. Though the application can be expanded, I want to keep our focus narrow this morning on how wealth competes with Jesus for our loyalty and trust.

Jesus is putting it on the line.. Either money will matter the most and you will let it order your life, or God will matter the most and you will let God order your life. You will live for one or the other. You will fix your eye on one or the other. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. This isn’t the only time Jesus made this connection.

17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”  

20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.” 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed[6] at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:17-25)

The issue is not that the man has money. Plenty of other people with whom Jesus interacted had money, and he didn’t call them on it. He’s calling out something in the ruler that was deeply attached to his money.

·      Was he wealthy because he wasn’t generous?

·      Did he find his security in his money?

·      Was it a point of pride?

·      Was he building trust in himself rather than in God?

The text doesn’t say. We just know that he was seriously committed to following God, but he had a huge blind spot that was keeping him from following God like he thought he was. Lest we think he was an outlier, the disciples immediate response is telling:

And they were exceedingly astonished (“dumbfounded to the point of emotionally ‘shutting down’), saying among themselves, "Then who is able to be saved?" (Mark 10:26)

It hit a nerve. Prosperity was often linked to God’s blessing in the Jewish community; now Jesus is warning that, if you aren’t careful,  prosperity might be the very thing that hinders you from fully following God. Jesus told a parable that riffs on a similar theme.

“Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 

19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21)

Jesus is not forbidding successful farming. He is calling out the pride that comes with arrogant self-reliance and the lack of generosity in the farmer’s heart. And as he points out in the end, what does it matter if you gain the world and lose your soul? [7]

Here’s where I note that Jesus never said that wealth itself is inherently evil, or that financial planning reveals a lack of trust. Money, wealth, and possessions have purposes in Scripture. The Bible: 

·      requires people to provide for relatives if they are capable (1Timothy 5:8)

·      commends work and provision for the future (Proverbs 6:6-8),

·      encourages us to enjoy the good things that God has given us (1 Timothy 4:3-4; 6:17)[8]

·      cautions not to hoard riches in the last days (James 5:2-3), which suggests it is a good thing to have accumulated resources to share.

·      Commands generosity to those who are in need, and that generosity comes from resources.[9]

Wealth is a tremendous gift if used properly, and a terrible master if not. Paul combines the upside and downside of wealth in his letter to Timothy:

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17–19)

You know I like Adam Clarke’s commentary. Here’s an example of why that is so:

“A heart designed for God and eternity is terribly degraded by being fixed on those things which are subject to corruption. "But may we not lay up treasure innocently?" Yes. First, if you can do it without setting your heart on it, which is almost impossible; second, if there be neither widows nor orphans, destitute nor distressed persons in the place where you live. 

"But there is a portion which belongs to my children; shall I distribute that among the poor?" If it belongs to your children, it is not yours, and therefore you have no right to dispose of it.  

"But I have a certain sum in stock, shall I take that and divide it among the poor?" By no means; for, by doing so, you would put it out of your power to do good after the present division: keep your principal, and devote, if you possibly can spare it, the product to the poor; and thus you shall have the continual ability to do good. In the mean time take care not to shut up your bowels of compassion against a brother in distress; if you do, the love of God cannot dwell in you.” (Adam Clarke)

I suspect God’s work of freeing us from the tyranny of the love of money – and freeing us from all the worries associated with it - is deeply intertwined with practicing generosity.  I want to bring this together by looking at what Paul wrote the church in Corinth about generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:1-9

 “Now, my brothers, we must tell you about the grace that God had given to the Macedonian churches. Somehow, in most difficult circumstances, their joy and the fact of being down to their last penny themselves produced a magnificent concern for other people. I can guarantee that they were willing to give to the limit of their means, yes and beyond their means, without the slightest urging from me or anyone else…     

 Now this had made us ask Titus… to complete his task by arranging for you too to share in this grace of generosity. Already you excel in every good quality—you have faith, you can express that faith in words; you have knowledge, enthusiasm and your love for us. Could you not add this grace to your virtues?  

     I don’t want you to read this as an order. It is only my suggestion, prompted by what I have seen in others of eagerness to help, and here is a way to prove the reality of your love. Do you remember the generous grace of Jesus Christ, the Lord of us all? He was rich beyond our telling, yet he generously became poor for your sakes so that his poverty might make you rich." (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)

The Corinthian church had going for it: faith, knowledge, diligent obedience, and agape love. Awesome! But there is a virtue missing from this list: generosity.  A couple things stand out in this portion of Paul’s letter.

The Macedonians gave as much as they were able  - and beyond.

The Macedonians could have said, "Don't talk to us about the problems in Jerusalem. We’ve got our own problems." Paul says that their lack of resources became a motivation for giving. They determined what they could comfortably contribute - and then went beyond this figure.  Basil (329-379), bishop of Caesarea, preached a blunt sermon on Jesus’s parable of the Rich Fool. In it he said,

“The bread that you hold back belongs to the hungry. The coat that you guard in a chest belongs to the naked. The shoes that you have left wasting away belong to the shoeless. The silver that you have buried in the ground belongs to the needy. In these and other ways you have wronged all those you were able to provide for.”[10]

1500 years later, Charles Spurgeon (1800s) received an invitation to preach at his rural church as a fundraiser to pay off some church debt. The man who contacted him told Spurgeon that he could use one of the man’s three homes (he had one in the country, the town, and by the sea). Spurgeon wrote back, "Sell one of the places and pay the debt yourself."

When we realize that others are in need, and we have the resources to alleviate that need, the Bible states that we should generously and joyfully do so. It is a sign that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives.

Of course, it will cost something. David wrote in Psalms, “I will not give God sacrifices that cost me nothing.” The story is told of a man who was giving money for a good cause, and he said to a friend, “I think I can give $100 and not feel it.”  His friend said, “Why not give $200 and feel it?”

It’s a daunting challenge, but one that God uses for our good.

2. They gave entirely on their own, by a free choice.

They were not pressured into giving. Paul did not use guilt to motivate them.  It was gratitude in response to the grace of God. The actual amount is not mentioned. That’s because it wasn’t about the amount; it was about the heart. They didn’t even wait until they had a lot to give God; they gave from what they had. God is good with that approach.

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  (Mark 12:41-44) 

God cares about motives more than amount. God does not want you to be generous out of fear or because you are concerned about what people will think. You can’t buy favor with God, and you shouldn’t try to buy favor with others. These Macedonians gave because their hearts were moved by the generous grace of God through Jesus, and wanted to pass it on in a practical way.

Did you know that Paul never commands Christians to tithe? It is not a New Testament teaching. The tithe functioned much like a tax on the Jewish people (as much as 20% tithe some years, and perhaps higher). There is no tax on the New Testament.

This does not mean our money is ours. The opposite is true. God is no longer laying claim to 10%; He is laying claim to all of it. We are stewards of what we have, not owners. 10% is too simple. It allows us to pay our tax to God and then do whatever we want with the rest. When we do that, we miss the point.

The question is no longer, “How much do I get to keep after I give God his tax?”  The question is, “How much am I able to give back into the service of the Kingdom of God?”

10% let’s us off the hook. There is no need to analyze the thoughts and intents of our heart, to see if money is an idol, to be honest about if we are greedy or if we have placed our trust in material things rather than God.

10% lets us avoid how we think about money in our souls.  Jesus constantly moved The Law inside. It’s not just, “Do you kill people or cheat on your spouse?”  It’s, “What do you desire in your heart? What do you want to have happen? What are you really thinking?” We are to give generously and voluntarily as we understand and are moved by the grace and generosity of God.

Here’s my challenge this week: re-examine your relationship with money in light of God’s Word. Examine your heart. This isn’t about whether you are rich or poor; it’s not about amounts; it’s not about how you are doing compared to your neighbor.

It’s about whether our money is a tool we use for God’s purposes or a master that controls us. It’s about checking where our trust, our hope, our assurance is grounded.

Then, consider what God’s call is in your life to commit to generosity. I’m not going to tell you what that is, because I don’t know your situation or how God will lead you. You get to wrestle with God about what responsible stewardship looks like as you balance responsibilities at home and responsibilities in the church and community.

But one thing I know, because the Bible makes it clear: there are treasures of the Kingdom waiting for those who can let go of the love of treasures on earth.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] “The good eye looks to God as its “master” (v. 24) and fills the person with the “light” of God’s will. The bad eye looks to “treasures on earth” (v. 19) and admits only the “darkness” of greed and self-interest. The person’s whole life will be determined by the kind of “light” the “eye” lets in.” (Reformation Study Bible)

[2] “The eye (similar to the “heart” in Jewish literature) is a lamp that reveals the quality of a person’s inner life. A healthy eye (clear vision) suggests loyal devotion to God. A bad eye (impaired vision) suggests moral corruption.” (ESV Global Study Bible)

[3] Materialism may be God’s greatest rival competing for the allegiance of human hearts, not the least because constantly striving to secure one’s life via possessions produces anxiety. (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[4] By definition includes sharing one’s surplus with fellow Christians who lack the basic necessities of life or the ability to acquire them. When God’s people worldwide do this, “all these things” (food, drink, clothing) will be given to them as well. This is not a promise that faithful believers will never starve to death, but there need never be any poor among them (Deut 15:4)” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[5] A contextualised reading of Matthew 6:22–23: 'Your eye is the lamp of your body.' Francois P. Viljoen. School for Biblical Science and Ancient Languages, North-West University, South Africa

http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222009000100023

[6] “Dumbfounded to the point of emotionally ‘shutting down.’” (HELPS Word Studies)

[7] His warning in Matthew 16:26?

[8] Expositors Bible Commentary

[9] See “Bible Verses About Generosity,” biblestudytools.com

[10] I found this anecdote in John Dickson’s Bullies And Saints.

Harmony #23: The Reward of Righteousness (Matthew 6; Luke 11)

In Matthew 6, Jesus addressed three common Jewish practices of devotion to God: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. In each one, Jesus said of people who do things for show, “They have their reward.” Then he noted that for those who do them as genuine acts of devotion, “Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”

Last week we noted that righteousness is not for show. It’s not a vehicle to impress others or to make our name great. We are called to live out our righteousness as a sincere and humble response to God’s grace. 

This week, let’s talk about how does doing these things “in secret” brings about a reward. I think that happens on two levels.

• The practice of righteousness has its own reward. God has designed in such a way that when we go through life as God intends, we flourish in ways we didn’t expect.

• The presence of God is a reward, as captured in the Lord’s prayer, the pinnacle of the Sermon On The Mount.  

 #1. The Practice Of Righteous Has Its Own Reward

GENEROSITY. When we sincerely practice generosity and compassion, it changes us.

• victory over the power of money and covetousness, possessions #commercialism #rat race

• victory over addiction to comfort (trusting money over God).

• growing prayer life when generosity requires faith for provision

• increasing love for the those toward whom we give our treasure, because "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).

PRAYER. The discipline of prayer reorients us.

• our hearts will change as we fellowship with God #transformed #likenessofJesus Conversation + time = change that comes from experiential  knowledge.

• we gain a Kingdom focus, a break from the world’s priorities

• we find refuge, comfort and peace by giving God our burdens

• we become more aware of our need for God and more likely to recognize what He is doing #Hisstrengthperfectedinweakness

• our love for others grows as we pray for even our enemies

FASTING/SELF-DENIAL. I believe fasting can involve more than food, though food is certainly included. Bible first, then a Bible commentary. 

“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58)

“Fasting also is not merely abstinence from food, but consists of self-denial in all areas of life in order to escape the control of the passions. On the eve of Great Lent, we sing, “Let us abstain from passions as we abstain from food.” St. John Chrysostom writes, “What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?”  (Orthodox Study Bible)

When a believer practices Spirit-led self-denial, practical strength over the appetites of the sinful flesh grows; after all, the formative power of habits are a thing designed by God. Fasting, or other forms of self-denial, allow us to more fully experience the abundant life God offers to us.[1]

________________________________

#2 The Presence Of God Is A Reward

Jesus offered what we call The Lord’s Prayer[2] to his disciples as sort of a model. What Jesus offered was not was not new ground. Adam Clark (among many others) notes that every line of this prayer was already being prayed in common Jewish eulogies, such as this one:

"Our Father who art in heaven, be gracious unto us! O Lord our God, hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified in heaven above, and in the earth here below! Let thy kingdom reign over us now, and for ever! The holy men of old said, remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done against me! And lead us not into the hands of temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing! For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever and for evermore."[3] 

While Matthew simply records the prayer, Luke records that the disciples made a common request from disciple to rabbi: “Teach us to pray.” Considering how Jesus compiles known prayers into a concise version (like when he was asked to summarize the law and the prophets), I think Jesus may have been affirming to his disciples that they already knew how to pray.

Remember last week how praying, fasting and giving were not the problem but it was the heart with which they were practiced? Jesus had just told them not to pray for show, not to try impress God with wordy, impressive prayers to get Gods attention. Just pray. You don’t need something new that will get God’s attention better. Just pray. Simple prayers can be profound and meaningful too.

Our Father, Who Is In Heaven…[4]

“Our Father” starts us off with good theology. God is not a deistic God, aloof and uncaring. God is not a pantheistic God that is just part of nature. God is not the Force. God is person who is a relational, immediate, and accessible God. The word for Father is a very relational and personal word, used only in a relationship of safety, trust, and love.[5] There is reward in remembering God is personal.

“Our Father” reminds us that he’s our father. Not mine; ours. We cannot forget when we pray this that we are raised from spiritual death into new life in a family, a Christian community. In this, we are recognizing that while God is for us, He is for all of us. I cannot be content to simply think of God in terms of “me and God.” It must be “us and God.” The Bible has no view of “loner” Christians disconnected from a local church. If we are going to pray the language of “us”, we must live the life of “us.” There is reward in remembering we are part of a community.

Hallowed be Thy Name

“Hallowed be thy name” is a plea, not a statement of fact. It’s saying, “Please, make your name  - character, nature and reputation -  revered or held holy.” It’s asking for God to start the process in a world full of people – including the one praying – who take Jesus too casually. It’s asking that God’s character and nature be recognized as great by all who dismiss, insult or ignore it. This should humble us, because that includes us.[6]

It’s a plea of both humility and hope. “Help me not to take the reality of who you are lightly or casually. Help me to appreciate the majesty of God. I want the entirety of my life to reflect the great weight and value I give to you; with your help, all I think, say and do will offer an accurate representation of you.”  There is reward in remembering the greatness of the God we serve.

May Your Kingdom Come And Your Will be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

This is another phrase of hope and humility. Whenever we pray for justice, mercy, hope, love, truth, and holiness, we are praying with hope that these heavenly realities will actually manifest here and let us see in part now what we will see fully in the life to come.

It’s humbling in that we are asking God to reign in our lives in ways He does not now in our emotions, desires, thoughts and commitments. We want His desire to be our desires; His will to be our will; His loves to be our loves; His holiness to be ours. It’s also a reminder that, at the end of the day, we want God’s will to be done, not ours.

It’s also challenging. What if I am the thing God uses in answer to someone else’s prayer?

• When the poor pray for finances, will I be willing to help?

• When the lonely pray for a friend, am I available?

• When the desperate pray for help, am I ready?

 This part of the prayer reminds us that others are praying this too. If we are excited to see God’s will for us accomplished through others, buckle up. It’s not possible for us to see all that God sees, so in many situations our best prayer is one where we show hope and trust, prayer in which we surrender our desire to the will of a God who has faultless wisdom, live and power.[7]

There is reward in remembering to align our heart, soul, mind and strength with the values, priorities and practices of the kingdom of God.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread…[8]

The word used is only found in the Bible in all of ancient literature, and it is used only twice, so there is some uncertainty about how to translate it correctly. Luke seems to focus on present, practical provision, while Matthew seems to ask for the spiritual bread we will share at the banquet in God’s coming kingdom.

The main idea is this: trusting God to provide what we need to sustain us in every way now and into eternity.[9] We can take for granted that we can take care of ourselves. If that fails, our family, church or government will provide. This part of the prayer a reminder that everything happens under the sovereignty of God; all our blessings find their source in him. For that reason, we thank God ultimately for supplying for our needs.

It’s a constant reminder that life is saturated with the presence and work of God, and even in our greatest accomplishments or in the most generous deeds of others it is God who sustains and provides.

There is a future hope here as well. We are trusting that God will sustain us into and through eternity, which will require the true “bread of life,” Jesus Christ.

There is reward in remembering that our creator is our sustainer in the way that matters most both now and through eternity.

Forgive Our Sinful Debts As We Have Forgiven Those Who Have Sinned Against Us.

Here is the first acknowledgment: We have all sinned against God, broken His law and harmed others, and we are in desperate need of forgiveness of an unpayable debt we owe. This is a plea for God, in His mercy, to cover the cost of our sins. There is reward in remembering that God so loved the world… 

The second acknowledgment is that we must forgive those who sin against us. This is much tougher than praying that God forgives us of our sins. We must forgive those who have sinned against us: our spouse, our parents, cruel people at work or school. This list includes users and abusers, manipulators and liars. We all have sinned; we all are in desperate needs of God’s forgiveness. We want God to forgive us; as representatives bearing His name – if we are to ‘hallow’ his name -  we must offer forgiveness as well.

This portion of the prayer is what Augustine called “a terrible petition.” If we pray these words this while harboring unforgiveness, we are actually asking God not to forgive us. We would be saying, “I haven’t forgiven my friend/spouse/neighbor yet, so please don’t forgive me.” 

Forgiveness is a crucial spiritual marker that says something about the sincerity of our ongoing surrender and discipleship. There is, of course, a HUGE difference between moments of unforgiveness and a settled position of habitual and intentional unforgiveness. We must be committed to being deliberately and habitually forgiving.[10] There is reward in experiencing the freedom of forgiving and living in a community committed to forgiveness.

Lead Us Not into Trials (“trouble sent by God and serving to test or prove one's faith, holiness, character”), And Deliver Us From The Temptations (“an enticement to sin, arising from outward circumstances, within, or from Satan”) Of The Evil One.[11]

Sometimes God leads us into trials, because we are a proud and rebellious people for whom God in his love will send trials to refine and mature us if that’s necessary. Here, we pray for spiritual maturity in any other way, but just by praying it we acknowledge that our hard hearts sometimes need to be broken. Please, dear God, if at all possible, let this cup pass from me. Jesus prayed it; we can too.

But if a trial is what it takes to transform us into the image of Christ – if we must drink that cup -  keep us from giving into the temptation from the Evil One[12] that would turn those trials for our good into sins to our harm. It is so easy for a maturing test to push us away from God instead of toward God. Deliver us, Lord, from the Evil One, who would turn what you plan to use to bring us spiritual life into something that brings spiritual death.

But there is the hopeful reminder in this request: we know that God is a Deliverer. The Old Testament shows us that, time after time, God faithfully guides his people through trials and delivers his people from the snares of sin and power of temptation.[13]  There is reward in the purifying refinement of the fire.

For Yours Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory Forever, Amen.

N.T. Wright says,

“If the church isn't prepared to subvert the kingdoms of the world with the kingdom of God, the only honest thing would be to give up praying this prayer altogether, especially its final doxology.”

After focusing on our needs, our troubles, our frailty, we return to the glory of God. All kingdoms answer to God. All power comes from God. All glory belongs to God.  In a world where empires rise and fall, and power corrupts, and glory is tarnished and fleeting, it’s a reminder that God is uncorrupted, lasting, powerful and good, and true glory is found only in him.

* * * * * * * * * *

How should we pray?

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. May your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day the bread of life both now and for eternity. Forgive our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us. Lead us not into times of testing, and deliver us from the temptations of the Evil One. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

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[1] Though I added some modificatons, the lists and the quote at the end are from Nate Holdridge, How Is A Relationship With God Rewarding? (Matthew 6:1-18).  https://www.nateholdridge.com/blog/how-is-a-relationship-with-god-rewarding-matthew-6-1-18

[2] To connect the Lord’s Prayer with the three practices of righteousness Jesus mentioned, praying reminds us that God’s name and Kingdom is to made great, not us and ours; generosity is God’s preparatory program for trusting him for provision; fasting is God’s preparatory program for times of testing.

[3] “In his book Jesus and the Judaism of His Time, University of Toronto scholar Irving Zeitlin cites line-by-line parallels between the Lord's Prayer and the Jewish mourner's prayer, the Kaddish ("May (God) establish His kingdom during our lifetime and during the lifetime of Israel"), the Eighteen Benedictions ("Forgive us our Father, for we have sinned" is the sixth blessing), Talmudic prayer ("Lead me not into sin or iniquity or temptation or contempt," goes one) and other Hebrew scriptures in which we find "Give us this day our daily bread." (“The Radical Truth Behind The Lord’s Prayer,” https://www.thestar.com/life/2008/02/23/the_radical_truth_behind_the_lords_prayer.html

[4] Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father!’ ” Romans 8:15, 16: “You received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

[5] “Patḗr ("father") refers to a begetter, originator, progenitor – one in ‘intimate connection and relationship.’” (HELPS Word Studies)

[6] I pulled some ideas about the radical nature of the Lord’s Prayer from this excellent article: “The Lord’s Prayer Advert Has Been Banned For Being Offensive - Which It Is.” http://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/the_lords_prayer_advert_has_been_banned_for_being_offensive_which_it_is\

[7] Even Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22)

[8] “In Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer the verb “give” in Greek is a present imperative, which means something like “keep on giving.”   Also the verb “day” is a Greek expression that means “each day.”  So this part of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke’s version says literally, “Keep on giving us each day our daily bread.” But Matthew’s Greek reads differently. In Matthew’s version the verb give is an aorist imperative, which in Greek is a one-time decisive action, which we might translate “Give us once and for all.”  Also, Matthew’s version uses a different word for “day.”  It’s not a phrase that means “each day,” but a word that means “this day, today, right now.”  So Matthew’s version, translated literally says, “Give us once and for all today here and now the bread of tomorrow.”   In Matthew, Jesus reminds us to pray for the bread of tomorrow, the bread we will share at the banquet in God’s coming kingdom.  Pray for that bread to come into our lives and world today. I think the Bible gives us two versions of the Lord’s Prayer because Jesus wants us to practice praying both.” (From a sermon called “Tomorrow’s Bread Today,” http://spcdesmoines.org/spcsermons/2019/9/3/tomorrows-bread-today

[9] Tim Keller suggests that it’s also a prayer for justice. If one does not have bread, particularly in Jesus’ day, it wasn’t because of a lack of resources. There was either oppression from the Romans or disdain from the Jews, whom the Law required to take care of the poor. It’s a plea for justice to be done to yourself; it’s a prayer for society.

[10] If we claim to love God and hate our brother, we are liars (1 John 4:20).

[11] Both these words use the same root word; translations will differ on the usage at times. http://biblehub.com/greek/3986.htm.  In this case, the commentaries I have been reading are noting that “lead us not into temptation” is better understood as “lead us not into trials”; the second part of the phrase focuses on temptation.

[12] Luke 4:13; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8

[13] Every weekday morning in synagogues around the world, Jewish People open their siddurs (prayer books) and read a prayer like this: “May it be Your will, HaShem, my God and the God of my forefathers, that you rescue me today and every day from brazen men and brazenness, from an evil man, an evil companion, an evil neighbor, an evil mishap, the destructive spiritual impediment [‘Satan’], a harsh trial and a harsh opponent, whether he is a member of the covenant or whether he is not a member of the covenant.” (From “Discover The Very Jewish Lord’s Prayer,” https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/lords-prayer-jewish-prayer/)

Harmony #22: Righteousness And Reward (Matthew 6; Luke 6, 11)

If you are a Bible nerd like me, or you think the art of good literature is really cool, you may enjoy seeing where we are at in the Sermon on the Mount. If you think of the sermon like a mountain (like the literal one Jesus ascended and descended at the beginning and end of the sermon), we are at the high point this week.

To add another layer of nerdiness/coolness to how this sermon is constructed, check out this pattern.[1] After starting with the Beatititudes, the rest of the sermon is unpacking them in reverse order.

We are at Matthew 6 today, which is unpacking, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Jesus is expanding on what it means to have righteousness that exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees.

Quick reminder: because of Jesus, the debt of our sin has been paid and we are placed in right relationship with God. This righteousness is a gift, freely by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus. The $10 King James word is that righteousness was ‘imputed’ to us by Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

In today’s passage, “doing” or “practicing righteousness”[2] has to do with participating in religious practices that are the outworking of the righteousness given to us. Think of how a doctor “practices medicine.” Doctors don’t practice medicine to become doctors; it’s what they do because they are doctors. That’s what this passage is talking about: in particular, what righteous people do in response to Jesus making them righteous. 

Jesus addresses three common Jewish practices of devotion to God: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. Don’t think of this as the only three things. It’s just three examples. You will see a pattern emerge. In each one, Jesus will say of people who do things for show, “They have their reward.” Then he will talk about how, for those who do them out of the spotlight, “Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”

 (Matthew 6:1-18; Luke 6,11)

“Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet before you,[3] as the hypocrites[4] do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners[5] so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles,[6] because they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.[7]

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[8]

 “When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.”

I want to come back to the verse that started this section:

 “Be careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.” 

Let’s talk about righteousness, and then reward. It’s going to take two weeks J

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Jesus assumed his disciples would do the things he talked about here, but he wasn’t asking the disciples to outdo the Pharisees or even give, pray or fast more than they were. Jesus was asking them to make God the only audience that mattered. Righteousness is not for show.  It’s not a contest to be won or a platform to build our brand and be noticed. It’s not a vehicle to impress others or to make our name great. We are called to live out our righteousness as a sincere and humble response to God’s grace.  This isn’t the only time Jesus talked about the danger of turning the practice of righteousness into a practice of arrogant hypocrisy. 

“Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness….you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.” (Luke 11:39; 43) 

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers.” (Mark 12: 38-40)

In other words, they were not people of integrity. Their inside and their outside were not integrated into a unified whole. They pretended to be something on that outside that was sharply at odds with what was on the inside because they loved the attention. They displayed what appeared to be righteousness merely to be seen by people.

Practicing righteousness is not for show or applause or to get the best seats at the best places. It’s not intended to give us bragging rights about how amazing we are. It’s the way in which we live in humble response to the righteousness we have been given through Jesus.

I looked up all the times the Apostle Paul talked about bragging or boasting (and it’s a lot). Most of the time, he’s boasting about others. The one time he points out that, in a boasting contest on worldly terms, he would win it, he says, “But I boast in my weakness.” Why? Because God’s strength becomes clear as God works through that which is weak and broken.[9]

In addition, Jesus’ first audience would have heard this teaching through another layer: the warning of their prophets about hypocrisy in the camp of God’s people. The prophets talked about this A LOT. I want to give you a couple snippets just so we understand that simply mentioning that a religious person was acting as a hypocrite carried a lot of weight.

The Prophet Amos

“The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way… At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of God,they drink wine bought with unjust fines.’ (Amos 2)

“Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying at Gilgal.
Offer sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days. 5 Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do.” (Amos 4)

“I hate all your show and pretense - the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” (Amos 5)

“Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy!5 You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. 6 And you mix the grain you sell with chaff swept from the floor. Then you enslave poor people for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.” (Amos 8)

The Prophet Isaiah (Chapter 1)

13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations -I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 4 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! 6 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

God has some opinions about what is acceptable in His house and in His people. Blatant hypocrisy is not okay. Keeping up a façade of righteous practice (prayer, offerings, meeting in the temple/church) over a self-corrupted and baldly chosen moral desolation - God has some opinions about that.

If you are like me, I find hypocrisy really annoying:

• The outspoken environmentalist whose carbon footprint is a big is a small town’s.

• The free speech advocate who tries to shut other people down.

• The fitness guru who says he’s built like a brick outhouse because he’s all natural – and you find out he’s loaded on steroids.

• Leaders in the church who lead a double life of abuse and corruption. 

• People of God who claim to love God and others and then build a reputation of name-calling and meanness, a bit like the disciples who asked Jesus if he would call down fire on a city instead of asking if they could go tell them about Jesus.

• I’ve worked with youth most of my life. One of the most heartbreaking stories I hear is, “I’m done with Christianity. I saw my parents show up and look good on a Sunday – everybody admired them and told us how lucky we were - but the rest of the week was a nightmare. If that’s the kind of people who fill up a church, I’m not interested.”

Remember I noted that the Sermon on the Mount was unsettling? I assume there was a lot of soul-searching going on in that first audience – and maybe this one. “Is that me? That’s not me…. Is that me? I’ll bet it’s Bob, but it’s not me. Is it? My hands aren’t full of blood. Is that an image for hurting people in lots of different ways?”

“I hate all your show and pretense - the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” (Amos 5)

I’ve been thinking about this a lot this week. Have I turned anything in my faith into a show about me?

• When I pray at the end of my sermon, am I more interested in if you think of me as a great prayer than I am in if God sees my prayer as a sincere act of communion with Him?

• When I sing or play during musical worship, is my physical response ‘virtue signaling to others or is it my response to God?

• When I’m part of small groups, do I show up the way I do or say the things I do to impress others or to faithfully present as I serve God?

• In conversation, do I choose words that make me sound more spiritual than I am? (Like saying I’ve been praying about something when all I’ve been doing is thinking about it).

• Do I misrepresent myself here? Am I the same Anthony here that I am at home and at the gym and coaching basketball or do I put on the kind of show I think a pastor needs to put on?

I guess I want us all to let those same kinds of questions simmer in us this week.

* * * * *

Here’s where I want to anticipate a question you may have - because I have the same question. This is going to be the point that brings the sermon to its conclusion.

“Does this mean that ‘going through the motions’ of practicing righteousness when I’m not feeling it puts me in this category of people that the prophets railed against? Or if I’m struggling during the week to turn my heart and mind toward Jesus, does this mean I shouldn’t bother showing up on Sunday because God’s disgusted with me?”

There is a world of difference between a principled commitment to “going through the motions” and a hypocritical deception of “going through the motions.”

Let’s say Sheila and I are angry and frustrated at each other, or we are in a season in our marriage where we feel distant and disengaged. Should I still treat her with all the loving actions I do when it feels like we are on a second honeymoon? Absolutely. I should care for her with my words, action and attitude. I should help with family responsibilities like I normally do. I should go out of my way to love and serve her.

Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so. It would make me a husband who knows how to honor my commitments. It would mean I have a principled commitment to displaying my covenant love, and so I do these things in spite of how either one of us feels. Am I going through the motions? Sure, but they are valuable motions motivated by a commitment to do the right thing. Meanwhile, Sheila and I shouldn’t be pretending everything is okay. It’s not. We can simultaneously not be okay and still be faithfully committed to honoring each other as we work toward being okay again.

That’s entirely different than if I start an affair and keep going through the motions at home. Now, my actions when I am with my wife say, “I am honoring our covenant with my actions,” while I am most definitely not. That’s a hypocritical deception of going through the motions. Jesus didn’t say,

“If you are struggling with questions or doubt, don’t be singing and praying until you get it all figured out.”

“If you don’t feel like giving to the needy, don’t help anybody in need until you feel like it.”

“If God feels distant and disconnected, don’t bother coming to church until you feel tight with God again.”

“That practice of self-discipline (fasting), it’s worthless if you don’t feel like it. Indulge until you feel like practicing restraint.”

That’s not what Jesus was saying. Hypocrisy and show is very different from a principled commitment to do the next right thing no matter how we feel. This is about being humble and honest about who and where we are in our relationship with God and others, and remembering why we committed do what we do in the first place. How do I know this? This parable.

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 

 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his chest and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

 Note that the problem with the Pharisee was not that he fasted and tithed. It was his arrogance. The tax collector brought no show, no pretense. He was honest. “He would not even look up to heaven” as he stood at a distance. The most important thing he brought was himself - in humility and transparency.

David wrote Psalm 51 after he took Bathsheba and killed her husband to cover up his sin. He notes in that Psalm of repentance that right then, God wasn’t interested in David sacrificing something on an altar in a formal, public display of righteousness. God was interested in David bringing the same thing the tax collector brought.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

Most of us can figure out the game of impressing people by taking good things – bible memory, prayer, singing, sacrifice for and service of others – and making them a show about us. If you want to bring a show, you’ll get the reward you want: people’s attention. It will chip away at your soul and your sanity and create a church that loves show.

What does God want? First and foremost, He wants you. When you go to God or come to church, you don’t need to impress anybody. We don’t form churches to build public platforms for popularity. It’s all about Jesus – seeing who He really is, surrendering our lives to His glorious work of saving us and making us new, then living in and living out the righteousness He has so graciously given us, and at such great cost. And in living like this there is great reward.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. That’s the reward we will consider more fully next week.

______________________________________________________________________________

[1] I could not figure out how and who to cite for this source, as I found it on a Prezi online.

[2] 1 John 2:29. “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

[3] “Some learned men have thought that the word shopher, a trumpet, refers to the hole in the public alms chest, into which the money was dropped which was allotted for the service of the poor. Such holes, because they were wide at one end and grew gradually narrow towards the other, were actually termed שופרות shopheroth, trumpets, by the rabbins… An ostentatious man, who wished to attract the notice of those around him, would throw in his money with some force into these trumpet-resembling holes, and thus he might be said שופר σαλπιζειν, to sound the trumpet.”  (Adam Clarke) 

[4] This word referred to Greek actors who wore different masks in the same play to present themselves as different people.

[5] “The Jewish phylacterical prayers were long, and the canonical hours obliged them to repeat these prayers wherever they happened to be; and the Pharisees… contrived to be overtaken in the streets by the canonical hour, that they might be seen by the people, and applauded for their great and conscientious piety.” (Adam Clarke)

[6] Pagans repeated the names of their gods or the same words over and over without thinking (1 Kings 18:26; Acts 19:34). (ESV Global Study Bible)

[7] “Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, and to put him in mind that THERE is his Father, his country, and inheritance.” (Adam Clarke)

[8] The very learned Mr. Gregory has shown that our Lord collected this prayer out of the Jewish Euchologies, and gives us the whole form as follows: -"Our Father who art in heaven, be gracious unto us! O Lord our God, hallowed be thy name, and let the remembrance of Thee be glorified in heaven above, and in the earth here below! Let thy kingdom reign over us now, and for ever! The holy men of old said, remit and forgive unto all men whatsoever they have done against me! And lead us not into the hands of temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing! For thine is the kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever and for evermore." Gregory's Works, 4to. 1671, p. 162. (Adam Clarke)

[9] https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Paul~s-Boasting

Advent: Joy

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)

 “I bring you good news of great joy for all people”: not some, not a select few, not just the best and the brightest or just the worst and the dullest. All people. It’s a remarkably sweeping claim, and it’s our focus on this 4th Sunday of Advent.

Where Do We Get Joy?

When the children of Israelite faced exile and captivity, Isaiah wrote of a time when God would raise a new prophet like Moses who would deliver his people out of whatever Egypt they were facing. On that day,

“the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 51:11).

It wasn’t that they had not ever experienced joy (more on that in a moment). It had just been temporary and fleeting in their experience. The Israelites waited for hundreds of years for the Messiah who would bring everlasting joy. This messiah arrived in the person of Jesus, who brought everlasting joy to both Jews and Gentiles (1 John 2:2) – read, “all people” like the angels said J  

But this wasn’t going to be never-ending temporal pleasure. It was something much deeper and greater. This Messiah came to set us free from the bondage of sin, death, and judgment; brought peace between us and God (2 Corinthians 5:21); and demonstrated the fullness of his grace to the world. That sacrifice, ‘once’ and ‘for all’, was going to last forever.

So where do we get joy? This is where the classic Sunday school answer works really well: Jesus J I just want to note before we move on to defining joy how often the Bible uses language of joy or rejoicing when someone is reconciled to God through Jesus, or when one enters into life in the Kingdom of God.

”We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11) 

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

 “In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forervermore.”  (Psalm 16:11) 

“You have put joy in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased.  I will lie down in peace, and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:6-8) 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  (Matthew 13:44) 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. – Galatians 5:22

 What is biblical joy?

I have often been inclined to separate joy from happiness, but the Bible doesn’t make such a clean distinction. When the Bible talks about joy, it uses a broad range of words or expressions to describe it. In the Old Testament, that’s gladness, mirth, brightness, rejoicing, leaping, and dancing. It can be a response to something good now (Esther 8:15-17) or a reference to something good in the future that helps us endure the present (Hebrews 12:2).

If you're a human being, regardless of your spiritual state, God has extended what we call “common grace”[2] such that all people experience good things that come from God for the world. Jesus noted that everyone gets the blessing of rain and sun (Matthew 5:45). David wrote that, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:9) And then there are very specific verses about joy.

• When Paul and Silas were confused with Zeus and Hermes, they took the opportunity to tell the crowds about the true God: “ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14)

• David wrote, “You have put more joy in my heart than when grain and wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7)

This “fading joy”[3] is rooted in God's common grace to all people. These blessings include talents, family, possessions, health, the beauty of a sunrise, a cozy evening around a fire pit, game night with people you love, the satisfaction of a job well done. This is a lovely form of joy experienced by all people; but it is a fading and temporary joy.[4] Talents fade; possessions break; health leaves; relationships fall apart or people die. It’s lovely while it lasts, but it doesn’t last. 

Then there is the kind of joy from God that transcends all the momentarily good things and lasts into eternity. As I was reading how others tried to define joy this week, I found lots a different ways Christians tried to wrap their minds around it.

• Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God.

• Joy is confidence in God, nurtured by the Holy Spirit.[5]  

• Joy comes from confidence in being a daughter or son of God, who loves us tenderly and will never abandon us.[6] 

• Joy is how we feel in a life going well and being lived well. 

• Joy comes from delighting in that which delights God.[7]

• Joy comes from loving the right things in the right way.[8]

 I think they all probably work to some degree. One thing I know: true biblical joy is grounded on something permanent and transcendent. Its foundation will not be a “fading joy,” though those can be built on top of that foundation.

Here is where word studies are helpful. The Greek word chara (joy) is closely related to charis, which means “grace” or “a gift.” Charles Spurgeon said,

“Believers’…joy comes not from what they have, but from what they are, not from where they are, but from whose they are, not from what they enjoy, but from that which was suffered for them by their Lord.”

Chara (joy) is the normal response to charis (grace). So what if we define biblical joy this way:joy is living with confidence and delight in God’s grace. When that happens, we are all those things mentioned earlier:

• in right relation with God (because of Jesus).

• nurtured by the Holy Spirit.

• living well (in light of eternity). 

• delighting in that which delights God.

• loving the right things in the right way.

When Do We Rejoice? 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks about the Christian's duty to “rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice” (4:4). This leaves no room for not rejoicing. We don’t do it occasionally or when we feel like it. It’s an ongoing, steady outlook on life.

This can’t be about being dishonestly positive about our circumstances. Paul wrote this epistle from prison, and he notes he may well be martyred, “poured out as a sacrifice” (2:17). Yet even then, he insists this is a time to rejoice. It’s so counterintuitive and countercultural. This would be the time I would be inclined to be very complainy.

• I can barely drive through town without finding yet another reason to think people are stupid and the world is ridiculous.

• My internet lags and I’m instantly annoyed.

• I spent months recovering basic strength after my heart  attack, and years more adjusting to the new me, and just not being happy about a lot of it.

• I spent years grieving my father, and I still miss him.

• I hate the way even the people of God have been split apart by politics and culture wars. 

• My friends in Ukraine are fighting for their lives.

 Rejoice? Really?

Yes, but note how Paul very carefully phrases this: rejoice “in the Lord.” Elsewhere, Paul notes of the readers of his letter to Thessalonica that “you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

The Lord always gives me a reason to rejoice.  I am glad God is who God is. I rejoice in the person and work of Jesus. The Spirit of God at work in me reminds me of and focuses me on the goodness of God. This is why Paul says we can be “full of sorrow and yet rejoicing” in “all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 6:10; 2 Corinthians 7:4.)

James has another reason to find joy: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) In this case, the joy is not the trials, but what God will bring about on the other side: maturity.

Peter notes this future aspect too, but points toward eternity: “If you partake of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice that when his glory shall be revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”  (1 Peter 4:13) We see this idea of future joy in Jesus himself, who “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame…” (Hebrews 12:2)

There is a “near” and a “far” aspect of joy, what some have called the “now and not yet.” We do experience forms of joy in this life – happiness, gladness, pleasure, an overwhelming appreciation for the goodness of God and His creation. There are likely seasons where you experience a lot, and seasons where you experience it only a little.

Joy “now” is the one minute trailer for the 3 hour marquee movie that you have been waiting to see. The trailer itself is a ton of fun; if you are like me, you will applaud after the really good ones until your wife makes you stop. And if I like the trailer that much, you can imagine what I will think about the movie.

Joy “now” is the signpost, a billboard on the road to glory, like the old Burma shave signs. Lewis wrote in Surprised By Joy of the role of fading joy ‘now’ as signposts or pointers beckoning us toward the eternal joy ‘not yet’:  “It [fading joy now] is valuable only as a pointer to something other and outer…He who first sees [the pointer] cries, ‘Look!’ The whole party gathers round and stares. But when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles, we shall not stop and stare. They will encourage us and we shall be grateful to the authority that set them up. But we shall not stop and stare, or not much; not on this road, though their pillars are of silver and their lettering of gold. ‘We would be at Jerusalem’.”

True joy is a mashup of the near and the far,[9] and all that we experience now is a signpost for what is to come. It is because of the joy set before us that we  Christians learn to respond to the ‘near’ in light of the ‘far’.  

The ‘far,’ the ‘not yet,’ is the joy that awaits us in the life to come, fully in the presence of a God who loves us in a heaven and earth remade in its uncorrupted fullness. That is the vision that sustains us when the “now” is sketchy. These are the “far” things that are always “near.”

During the Christmas season of Advent, we celebrate the “now”, the world changed because of the Incarnation, the ‘unveiling’ of Emmanuel, Christ with us, the hope of glory. We also joyfully expect the “not yet,” the day when we will experience the fullness of His joy either because we go to be with God or God returns for His children. David Mathis notes:

“The incomplete joy in Jesus we have now — with its roller-coaster ups and downs, its twists and turns, its frustrating enigmas and pleasant surprises — is not separate from the fullness of joy that is coming. Today’s seeds and stalks are organically related to the coming flowers and fruit.”[10]

Joy to the world; the Lord has come. Joy to the world; He will come again. Let us receive the King, the Messiah, into our hearts and homes.

__________________________________________________________________________

[1] Here is a huge list of bible verses about joy. You will see “blessed, happy, rejoice, joy” – depending on your translation, different English words capture the same idea. https://god.net/god/bible-topics/blessings-for-those-who-love-god/true-joy-and-happiness-comes-from-god/

[2] Read more at “What Is Common Grace,” by Tim Keller. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53189f41e4b0ee73efed7b5a/t/533ea67ce4b05289c3da94dc/1396614780413/What_Is_Common_Grace.pdf

[3] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/superficial-joy-vs-true-joy

[4] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/superficial-joy-vs-true-joy

[5] https://fcfamily.org/blog/2020/06/23/is-true-joy-possible-3-principles-of-finding-joy-in-chaos

[6] https://www.hprweb.com/2012/06/prayer-as-the-channel-of-celestial-joy/

[7] https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/09/what-is-true-joy/

[8] https://www.citieschurch.com/journal/what-is-true-joy

[9] https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/09/what-is-true-joy/

[10] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-greatest-joy-is-still-to-come

Love (Advent)

1 John 4:7-21 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows (has first hand acquaintance with[1]) God. 8 Everyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.[2] 9 By this the love of God is revealed within and made visible among us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live a life worthy of His name through him.  

10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.11 Beloved (divinely loves ones), if God so loved us, then we owe[3] love to one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love reaches its final, perfect goal in us.[4] 13 By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.  

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone professes/confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe[5] the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.  

17 By this, love is brought to perfection within us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fearful fleeing[6] in love, but perfect love – love that reaches the end goal - drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears the punishment of the day of judgment has not been perfected in love. 

 19 We love because he loved us first.20 If anyone says “I love God” and yet detests and devalues his fellow Christian, he is a liar, because the one who does not love his fellow Christian whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.21 And the commandment we have from him is this: that the one who loves God should love his fellow Christian too.

* * * * *

During Advent, we talk a God who ‘put on flesh’ (incarnated) and became what John called an atoning sacrifice by taking the penalty for our sins against Him upon himself (John 3:16-17), thus bringing about peace. In many different places, the Bible is clear about why that happened: Jesus loves us (1 John 4:19; Romans 8:35-39; John 3;16, etc).  

This is pretty straightforward, but to understand what it means that God loves us, we have to understand what love is. So let’s talk this morning about how we get past our filters and misunderstandings to better appreciate God’s love for us and better pass on God’s love to others.

First, God’s love is supernaturally sourced. In the New Testament, the word for the love God has for us is the Greek word agape.[7] In the Greek literature we have recovered, there is very little use of this word because it wasn’t a kind of love they valued that highly. In the New Testament, agape is used 320 times. The church took a seldom used Greek word, refined it, and introduced a radical new way of understanding love in light of God’s love for us.[i] 

Agape love… is the most self-sacrificing love that there is.  This type of love is the love that God has for His own children. This type of love is what was displayed on the cross by Jesus Christ.  In John 3:16 it is written that “God so loved (agapao) the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”[8] 

"Agape love is unconcerned with the self and concerned with the greatest good of another. Agape isn’t born just out of emotions, feelings, familiarity, or attraction but from the will and as a choice. Agape requires faithfulness, commitment, and sacrifice without expecting anything in return.” (Alyssa Roat)[9]

Second, we don’t have to earn it. God loves people: not because he needs us; not because we complete him; not because we are worthy, or lovable, or pure, or spiritually impressive; not because we please God or represent Him well. As one pastor noted,

While eros and philia thirst, agape simply overflows. This means – please stay with me here – that God’s love for us, in the end, has absolutely nothing to do with us. In other words, God does not love us because of who we are. Or because of what we do, or can do for God. Or because of what we say, or build, or accomplish, or change, or pray, or give, or profess, or believe… God simply loves us...[10]

When I pray regularly and passionately, God’s love does not fail. When I don’t, God’s love does not fail. When I was chained in sin and when I was freed; when I ignore Him and when I am enamored with Him; when I am depressed or happy, anxious or at peace, self-loathing of self-loving; when I pastor well and when I do it terribly; when I am loved by others and despised by others…

If you ever think, “How can God possibly love me? I’m a disaster,” take heart: God specializes in loving and saving disasters. God has never waited to love people until they were good enough to be loved. He loves people because He is that kind of God. And that gives me great hope indeed.

 Third, God’s love will never be seen perfectly in people. None of us are Jesus. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit in surrendered lives, we are being transformed into his image, and we are becoming more and more like Christ. But we won’t nail it until we are in Heaven, so on this side of eternity we will fail to adequately represent what the love of Jesus looks like. We have to be ready for this. We will inevitably distort the genuine nature of godly love, and so will others. I don’t mean to be depressing; I’m just trying to be honest. With God’s help, we will often represent God’s love well, but we will never be perfect.

That doesn’t bring me despair; that actually brings me hope. God’s love is better than even the best love that I have experienced when it comes to human love. God’s love is deeper, more faithful, more present, more life-changing, more holy and pure. Awesome. I love the glimpses I get from others, but I’m never going to mistake them for the fullness of the kind of love God has for me.

That gives me the freedom to see failure in others and not be disillusioned. It gives me the freedom to take people off a pedestal and let them be people instead of wishing they were perfect like God. And it gives me hope that people who do it so badly still bring such tremendous love into the world.  If there is this much good in a fallen Earth, I can’t imagine the goodness in the New Heaven and Earth.

Fourth, God’s love helps us love others well. Christ’s love was focused on us. As we become more like Christ, we will find that our live is focused on others.

·      “This is my command: (agape) each other.” (John 15:17)

·       “Anyone who does not (agape) does not know God, because God is (agape).” (1 John 4:8)

When we have trouble loving God or others well, we often focus on how to love better. That’s a good and necessary focus, but it’s the wrong starting point. We need to first refocus on the one who loves us. We need to experience and understand God’s love.

If a person is not loving, John says, he or she does not know God (1 John 4:8). How will that individual become more loving, then? Can we grow in love by trying to love more? No, our attempts to love will only end in more frustration and less love. The solution, John implies, is to know God better. This is so simple that we miss it all the time: our means for becoming more loving is to know God better. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12) 

The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans. Something mysterious, even supernatural must happen in order for genuine love for God to grow in our hearts. (Francis Chan, Crazy Love)

“We are thirsty, thirsty people. We long to know that we have worth, and value, and beauty. We ache to belong, to be included. But we run around our whole lives going after the sorts of love which will never completely satisfy this thirst. But in Christ, in the agape love of God, we find a love, the only love, which can fill us, and satisfy us so that we find ourselves, now overflowing, finally able to also love in a way that no longer seeks to take, but only to give.

Yes, Jesus wants you to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. Jesus wants you to love your neighbors as you love yourself. He wants us to love with agape love. But if we try to love others, even God, like this without first realizing that we are already loved like this, all our efforts will only lead to despair. You see, agape love never flows from us. It only flows through us from the one who loves like we, on our own, never could.[11]

Fifth, love is costly. Paul talks about Jesus taking on humanity and “becoming obedient unto death, even a death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8). David said that he would not give God a sacrifice that cost him nothing (1 Chronicles 21:24).

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”  C.S. Lewis

 Love will be costly because it will break our hearts.  It will force us to walk into the hard work of life when all we want to do is wrap ourselves carefully with hobbies and luxuries and silence and entertainment and selfishness. 

• I cannot love my wife without a cost to myself:  conversations about hard things; late nights and long days because of work, or household chores and juggling responsibilities; forgiveness. I can wrap up my heart, or I can be broken for my wife.

• We cannot love our friends without a cost to ourselves.  Sometimes it’s messy (hurtful things said or done).  We can wrap up our hearts and never let them see us, or we can be vulnerable.

• We cannot love our neighbors without a cost to ourselves. If my neighbors are far from Christ, then a lot of things they do, say and love will be far from Christ. Love – real love – will be costly as we get to know and understand, as we listen and love, as we speak truth with love and grace, and we seek to represent Christ and with humility and boldness surrounded by hospitality of head, heart and hands.

• We cannot love the church, the body of Christ, without a cost.  We are not perfect people.  We will have to “bear each other’s burdens,” because we all bring burdens that other people will have to bear.  It is not a question of if.  It is a question of when.  Showing the kind of love to others that God showed to me demands something of my life.  Love is costly.

Jesus at times WEPT.  His heart was wrung out and broken. When we set out to love people with the love Christ showed to us, it will cost us something.  Like Paul said, there will be times we are poured out like an offering (Philippians 2:17).

Sixth, God’s love is transformational. The cost is only part of the story of love, and by itself, sounds hard.  But what love offers – what Christ offers -  in exchange for that cost is transformation. It’s tough to find one verse that encapsulates all the ways. Sharla Fritz compiled a list:[12]

1.    God’s love banishes fear. 1 John 4:18:  “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

2.    God’s love gives us strength against Satan’s attacks.  Psalm 59:10,17: “My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies…O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”

3.    God’s love helps us trust. Psalm 13:5: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

4.    God’s love leads us to contentment.  Psalm 90:14: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

5.    God’s love draws us to worship. Psalm 5:7: “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.”

6.    God’s love enables us to stay on His path. “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness” (Psalm 26:3).

7.    God’s love gives us the confidence to pray. Psalm 69:13: “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”

8.    God’s love motivates us to obey. Psalm 106:7 tells us the reason for the Israelites’ rebellion: “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.”

9.    God’s love helps us to love others. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

If I were to summarize what that looks like on a personal level, it’s the exchange of the beauty Jesus brings for the ashes of our lives.

• The disciples – from petty, self-centered cowards to martyrs

• Mary Magdelene – from demon possessed (7!) to eyewitness to the Resurrection

• Paul -  from persecutor to follower

Is there anything else that captures this transformative power of God’s love better than this commentary Paul offered on the church in Corinth:  “All these things you once were…” (1 Corinthians 6:11) he says after listing off the sins that had defined their lives.

And as we are transformed by the love of God, we transform things around us through the love that passes through us.

My marriage looks different when I love my family as Jesus loves me. My friendships change if I love my friends as Jesus loves me. This church changes when God’s love passes through me to you and permeates our relationships. My witness changes when I love everyone with the same kind of love Jesus showed me when I was dead in my sins.

When Jesus came, he offered LOVE, and in this love was the hope of transformation of the world that is also played out in individual lives all the time. It wasn’t some generic “Heal the World” campaign, it was a deeply personal offer to transform you into something new, and keep transforming you until you are perfected in eternity.

MERCY TREE (Lacey Sturm)

On a hill called Calvary, stands an endless Mercy Tree
Every broken weary soul -  find your rest and be made whole.                                       

Stripes of blood that stain its frame shed to wash away our shame
From the scars, pure love released, salvation by the Mercy Tree.

In the sky between two thieves hung the blameless Prince of Peace
Bruised and battered Scarred and scorned, Sacred head pierced by our thorns.               

"It is finished, " was His cry, the perfect lamb was crucified
His sacrifice, our victory - Our Savior chose the Mercy Tree

Hope went dark that violent day, the whole earth quaked at love's display
Three days silent in the ground, this body born for heaven's crown.                                   

 And on that bright and glorious day, when heaven opened up the grave
He's alive and risen indeed - Praise Him for the Mercy Tree!

Death has died, love has won Hallelujah!, Hallelujah!
Jesus Christ has overcome; He has risen from the dead!

One day soon, we'll see His face, and every tear, He'll wipe away
No more pain or suffering, oh praise Him for the Mercy Tree

____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] HELPS Word Studies

[2] “From a grammatical standpoint this is not a proposition in which subject and predicate nominative are interchangeable (“God is love” does not equal “love is God”). (NET Bible)

[3] 3784 /opheílō ("owe") refers to being morally obligated (or legally required) to meet an obligation, i.e. to pay off a legitimate debt. [3784 (opheílō) "originally belonged to the legal sphere; it expressed initially one's legal and economic, and then later one's moral, duties and responsibilities to the gods and to men, or to their sacrosanct regulations. . . . opheílō expresses human and ethical responsibility in the NT" (DNTT, 2, 662.663).] – HELPS Word Studies

[4] 5048 teleióō – to consummate, reaching the end-stage, i.e. working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (conclusion).  See 5056 (telos).

[This root (tel-) means "reaching the end (aim)." HELPS Word Studies

[5] “In the Gospel of John the two verbs frequently occur together in the same context, often in the same tense; examples may be found in John 6:69; 8:31-32; 10:38; 14:7-10, and 17:8. They also occur together in one other context in 1 John, 4:1-2. Of these John 6:69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”, Peter’s confession, is the closest parallel to the usage here: “We have come to believe [πεπιστεύκαμεν] and to know [ἐγνώκαμεν] that you are the holy One of God.” It appears that the author considered both terms to describe a single composite action… describing an act of faith/belief/trust on the part of the individual; knowledge (true knowledge) is an inseparable part of this act of faith.” (NET Bible)

[6] Fear (5401 /phóbos) is commonly used in Scripture – sometimes positively (in relation to God) but more often negatively of withdrawing from the Lord (His will).

[Fundamentally, 5401 /phóbos ("fear") means withdraw (separate from), i.e. flee (remove oneself) and hence to avoid because of dread (fright).] – HELPS Word Studies

[7] The Greeks used a number a words for love:  there is one for erotic love (eros), one for friendship love (philia), one for family affection (storge) and one for self-sacrificial love (agape).

[8] http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/05/02/what-is-agape-love-a-bible-study/

[9] https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-does-agape-love-really-mean-in-the-bible.html

[10] http://faithpresby.org/archives/sermons/written/files_4d2a59265361b.pdf

[11] [11] http://faithpresby.org/archives/sermons/written/files_4d2a59265361b.pdf

[12] http://www.sharlafritz.com/2021/08/10-ways-gods-love-changes-you/

Advent: Peace

When we read of the Genesis account of God’s creation of the world, a Hebrew word, shalom, is used to describe the state of peace Adam and Eve were in. The root word means "to be complete" or "to be sound." They were at peace: with God, within, and with others. We often use the phrase, “It’s all good.” Well, it was. It’s a word that implies wholeness, completeness, unbrokenness.[1]

So, it’s a good start for the world. And then they lost it. #sin. Now, to quote Kenny Wayne Shepherd, “everything is broken.” Look what happens in the first few chapters of Genesis after the Fall: sin crouching at our door, inner turmoil, murder, a world in which everything is “evil continuously” (Genesis 6).

And here we are, thousands of years later, and we still feel the ripple effect of this. We live in a broken, sin-ravaged world. We see it in the news: the scandals surrounding World Cup Soccer; the turmoil in Ukraine; the exposure of sin in the church; the trials covering the sins of Hollywood. We see it in our marriages, families, work, friendships, and even church. We see it in the ways in which we deal with depression, anxiety, guilt, shame… The nursery rhyme was right: this world is Humpty Dumpty, and no kings or people will put it back together again.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, they proclaimed a message of peace:

“Glory to God in the Highest; and on earth, peace to those on whom His favor rests.”  (Luke 2:14)

So what is this favor? And what is this peace?

The shepherds were probably watching a temple flock destined for sacrifice as they watched them from a tower called the Midgal Eder, the 'watchtower of the flock,' a lookout and a place of refuge close to Bethlehem for their flocks in case of attack. Shepherds brought ewes there to give birth. The priests maintained ceremonially clean stalls, and they carefully oversaw the birth of each lamb, many of which would be used in sacrifices.

So in one sense the thought that these shepherds were favored made sense. They were God’s people whose lives were being used to further God’s purposes in the world. But being ‘favored’ had not brought them the peace they were expecting. There was hardly a more obvious reminder than the palace that cast a shadow over their tower.

Herod’s mountain fortress, the Herodian,[2] overlooked the town of Bethlehem. The Herodian was built on top of an artificial mountain that Herod had created specifically for him. According to Josephus, there were originally two hills standing next to each other. Herod paid thousands of workers for years to demolish one of the hills and level off the other. He built his massive palace-fortress into the top of the remaining hill. This seven stories high palace contained a garden, reception hall, Roman baths, countless apartments, an enormous pool, a colonnaded garden, a 600-foot-long terrace. The buildings alone covered forty-five acres. The Herodion’s circular upper palace could be seen for miles and literally overshadowed surrounding villages.

• Herod made his name when he smoked out refugees hiding in cliff side caves, pulled them out with long, hooked poles and dropped them down the sheer cliff.

• Herod once laid siege to Jerusalem. The soldiers raped and slaughtered the women and children, and the Jewish soldiers were tortured and chopped to pieces.

• Hundreds of friends and family members and political rivals were tortured or slaughtered on the slightest of accusations. 

• Herod went to Jericho to die in agony, hated by everyone. Fearing that no one would mourn his death, he commanded his troops to arrest important people from across the land and execute them after he died. If people would not mourn him, at least they would mourn.

 It’s in this context that the angels said they were there to proclaim peace on earth to those on whom God’s favor rests. So what is this favor? Where is the promised peace? 

The Romans were still in control when Jesus died, and for a long while after. In the first century alone there was massive slaughter of the Jewish people during a rebellion put down by the Roman army.

Look at the life of the disciples. When you are run out of towns and sawn in half and crucified upside down, we wouldn't normally think about that as peaceful, and yet Jesus promised them, “Peace I give and leave to you – just not the kind the world gives.” (John 14:27) He follows that up with an encouragement not to be troubled or afraid – which suggests that troubling and fearful things would happen around them.

The angels and Jesus had a view of peace that is different from how we tend to think of it by wordly measures or standards (which just means that it’s how the empires train us to think about peace in distinction to the Kingdom).

Kingdom peace won’t be self-help techniques. I keep seeing the idea in Christian articles that psychological practices will bring the peace God promised. I just don’t see that in Scripture. I have nothing against different things we can do to focus our mind or calm our body – I’m not opposed at all to medication helping us when used properly - but let’s not confuse that kind of calm with the peace that passes understanding, the peace that only the Kingdom can offer.

Kingdom peace won’t be merely circumstantial. The Bible constantly talks about finding peace in the midst of the storm.  David is sent to the battlefield to check on his brothers’ shalom.[3] Jesus tells his followers that they will have trouble in this life, but they will have peace because God loves them.[4] This peace won’t be dependent upon what happens around but within those who have God’s favor. Though peacemakers as salt and light will bring a peacemaking presence into the world, it’s different from having the peace of the presence of Jesus of which the angels sang.

  Kingdom peace won’t necessarily be emotional. It may be, and it is indeed lovely when we feel it strongly. However, neither the biblical testimony nor 2,000 years of the church history has shown that followers of Jesus are guaranteed unrelenting mental and emotional health in the sense of feeling calm and collected all the time. I think biblically it’s possible to be at peace without feeling peaceful. And if that caught your attention….let’s go!

Here is my summary of what I think the Bible is revealing about the kind of shalom the angels announced: Kingdom peace arrives when whose I am clarifies who I am and reveals who you are. 

Let’s start with whose I am.

“God was pleased . . . through [Christ] to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through [Christ’s] blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19–20).  

“ If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) 

“To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) 

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 1:3)

What is the foundation of peace? Reconciliation with God through Christ.[5] Peace begins in us when we are in right relationship with Christ.[6] The biblical analogy is that of being drawn into his family. Thanks to the work of Jesus, we are given the status of righteous children, which we could never earn on our own. This is whose I am. Peace, then is something much deeper and greater than the feeling of being at peace. Being at peace is a state, a status, a standing of righteousness before God and within His family.[7] No matter what happens or how we feel, we stand in a reconciled space. The foundation of my peace never shifts. The peace that Jesus has provided for us with God never leaves me.

* * * * * 

Peace arrives when whose I am clarifies who I am and reveals who you are.

How does knowing whose I am clarify who I am? Well, I now have a primary way of thinking about myself. I am a child of God, adopted into the family of the King, an heir of the spiritual riches of the Kingdom.

The fact that we as human beings are image bearers of God already means we have an inherent value, worth and dignity, but this is something more. This is a reminder that God gave himself in Jesus to save us broken, sinful image bearers, mend our broken peace, and proudly claim us as His own. 

No matter how I feel about myself, it doesn’t change the status I have. To use another biblical analogy, I am a temple in which God dwells. His Spirit lives in me, transforming, empowering, changing. I am not simply the sum total of my successes and failures, as if doing the math of my life = value. Something far greater is at work, and it is a far greater thing than any earthly things that are part of who I am.

There are lots of things that fight for the right to characterize us (another way of thinking about identity). There are the things that make us go, “Ah, so this is who I am.” We may or may not want to be known for them, but they feel so overwhelmingly a part of us that this is what it means to be Anthony (substitute your name here). You might think, “Thank you God for me! This is amazing!” or, “What is happening? Why is this me?” And when we arrive at conclusions about “who I am” in this way, we are in trouble.  

• It becomes easy to excuse our failures; we say, “That’s not who I am!” when everybody around us knows it’s exactly who we are because #experience.

• It becomes easy to magnify our successes; we say, “That’s who I am!” when everybody around us knows that’s not our usual self because #experience

• It becomes easy to identify with our failures; we say, “That’s who I am- a failure!” as if we are failures rather than being a person who sometimes fails.

But when we really grasp whose we are, we realize that none of those things are the starting point of who we are. We start with whose we are. We begin with, “God has claimed me as His own. How does God see me? How would God define me?” And when we are part of the family of God, that answer to who we are is simple: “A loved child of the King, an heir of the Kingdom.”

I think we all struggle, at least at some point in our life, with the question of identity. In our world we usually here these terms associated that with sexual or gender identity, but that’s just one way people work through questions about who they are or try to establish something in or around them which to orient their life.  But it all swirls around the questions of, “What matters in me, what characterizes me, and why do I matter? What is the True North in the compass of m life???” We do it with all kinds of things:

• Money (I am rich/poor, and thus I matter/I am a failure)

• I am a good looking human being (or an ugly one) and I add value to the world (or detract from it)

• People respect and like me (or don’t) so I must be a good person (or bad person).

• Look at my job! Only smart and talented can do this (or I’m dumb, and anybody could do this.)

• I have multiple degrees/ I can fix anything/ I am unusually strong and relentlessly healthy/ I am a great musician/I run a household that should be featured in magazines…

Please hear me. Success in these areas are not bad things, but they are foundations of shifting sand. They are part of you, but they are accessories. They may be wonderful, but they are not the core of who you are.

If you are a human being - rich, poor, beautiful, ugly, smart, dumb, strong, weak, sick, healthy, popular, lonely, depressed, happy - you are an image bearer of God. And if you are a follower of Jesus - rich, poor, beautiful, ugly, smart, dumb, strong, weak, sick, healthy, popular, lonely, depressed, happy - you are at reconciled peace with God because of the person and work of Jesus. You. Are. A. Child. Of. God.  This is whose you are. This is who you are above all else. [8]

* * * * *

Peace arrives when whose I am clarifies who I am and reveals who you are.

When Paul was writing letters to the start-up churches helping them to better understand the true message of the gospel, he wrote to the church in Ephesus, which was having trouble forming a church community with both Jewish and Gentile converts. Here we begin to see an explanation of peace that ripples out from us and into the world: 

“Remember that at that time you (Gentiles) were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace…. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.“ (Ephesians 2:12-17)

The reconciling peace Jesus offers expands the family, reconciling us with those who feel “far away.”[9] God calls out the human barriers (the ‘isms’[10]) that divide us (Ephesians 2:11–22), dissolving the antagonism across those lines and giving us the resources to reconcile with others in unity and love through continual forgiveness and patience (Colossians 3:13–15).

We live in peace with others when we relationally enter into the “ministry of reconciliation” that God began in us (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)[11] And that peace happens when we are committed to paying forward the reconciliation God has given to us through Jesus.

Blessed are the peacemakers; they will be called children of God.[12]This is what it looks like when the favor of God rests on us, and the peace He offers to the earth changes the world for our good and God’s glory.

____________________________________________________________________________________

[1] The Greek word for peace in the New Testament comes from a verb (eiro) which means to join or bind together that which has been broken, divided or separated. It’s where we get the word “serene” (free of storms or disturbance, marked by calm. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/peace/

[2] Picture from Eitan Ya'aran.

[3] 1 Samuel 17:18

[4] John 16:33 – read the whole chapter for context.

[5] In both the Old and the New Testament, spiritual peace is realized in being rightly related—rightly related to God and rightly related to one another. From the Holman Bible Dictionary. “Peace, Spiritual.” www.studylight.org

[6] God, "Yahweh Shalom" (Judges 6:24 ). The Lord came to sinful humankind, historically first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, desiring to enter into a relationship with them. He established with them a covenant of peace, which was sealed with his presence (see  Num 6:24-26 ). Participants were given perfect peace (shalom shalom [l'vl'v]) so long as they maintained a right relationship with the Lord (see Isa 26:3; 2 Thess 3:16). https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/peace/

[7] “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Ro 14:17-note)

[8] I wonder if this is the “perfect peace” (or shalom-shalom) that brings “quietness and confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17) to those who steadfastly set their minds on God (Isaiah 26:3). (As noted by Tim Keller in “The Meaning of Shalom In the Bible”)

[9] There is a cultural/societal implication to this, but I don’t have time to talk about it today. “An end to physical violence. Shalom can include the end of hostilities and war (Deuteronomy 20:12; Judges 21:13),” but at least once in the Old Testament it’s peace when at war,[9] so it has to be more than that. “An end to oppressive injustice.  Peacemakers help to establish socially just relationships between individuals and classes. Jeremiah insisted that unless there was an end to oppression, greed, and violence, there can be no shalom, even though false prophets insisted there was (Jeremiah 6:1–9,14; compare Jeremiah 8:11)” Read more in Tim Keller, “The Meaning of Shalom In The Bible.”

[10] Racism, sexism, classism, etc. Differences that people use as an excuse to judge, divide, and oppress.

[11] Shalom experienced is multidimensional, complete well-being — physical, psychological, social, and spiritual; it flows from all of one’s relationships being put right — with God, with(in) oneself, and with others. (Not an exact quote, but from Tim Keller)

[12] Matthew 5:9

Advent Begins In Darkness (Isaiah 9:2-7)

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy ;they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6  

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.  

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

_______________________________________

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

_____________________________

Advent begins in darkness. 

* * * *

Hope is probably the key underlying theme in Advent – advent, after all, points toward the “arrival” of something or someone- in this case, offering hope in the face of evil that assail the world during what Paul calls “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).

In this sense, Advent is apocalyptic – a  “revealing” or “unveiling.” Unfortunately, apocalypse has become primarily associated with a terrible end to all things, but that’s not necessarily what the biblical writers meant when they used the word. Revelation, for example, is not an apocalypse simply because of what it says about the unfolding of terrible things in world history. It does unveil that, to be sure, but it’s an apocalypse primarily because of what it reveals or unveils about Jesus. In other words, an apocalypse may unveil terrible things, but it can also unveil wonderful things. In the Bible, apocalyptic literature like Revelation and Daniel does both.

So, Advent is about an apocalyptic time. The prophets in the Old Testament had ‘unveiled’ two things: what kinds of things God’s people did that was bringing judgment on themselves, and what a God of both justice and mercy was going to do about it.

The Israelites were God’s covenanted people; God had promised them that life lived within the framework of the covenant would bring great things. But they had a track record of remarkable disobedience, and they ended up living in exile in Babylonian.

Read Jeremiah’s Lamentations - or any of the Old Testament prophets, really. They unveiled the people’s continuing unfaithfulness to God and their covenant with God. There’s a gap of hundreds of years between the Old and New Testament where the Jewish people believed God was silent.  There seemed to be no hope.

It would have been easy to believe they had been abandoned by God: maybe he just wasn’t powerful enough to defeat the other gods; maybe He didn’t even exist; maybe he was angry beyond the breaking point. A God who existed and who proved himself a God without peers had promised not to abandon them, but despair can drive us to places where how we feel about life becomes confused with what we believe must be true about life.

This must have been a time when their faith was tested in ways that are hard to understand.  Or…maybe we do. It’s not as if followers of Jesus have stopped struggling with feelings of despair, abandonment, disillusionment, or loss of hope. 

But Jewish prophecy wasn’t simply about predicting something and then waiting for the fulfillment. It was often about pattern: showing how God has worked and is working so that the people will know how God will work. There was a constant uncovering of the eyes, constant apocalyptic glimpses of what is to come.[1]

The prophets made clear that their exile, and the silence of God for the centuries between the end of the OT and the beginning of the NT, was the reaping of what they had sown. God had told them what to expect if they broke the covenant to which they agreed. Now, they know He’s serious. And if that were the end of the story, that would be a grim story indeed.

But the prophets also helped them dream of a new world, a new way of life in faithful covenant, a time when a messiah sent by the God who had not abandoned them would rescue them from their unfaithfulness and exile. God was faithful with all His promises, after all, not just the grim ones. He had promised that they were His people and that He would be faithful - that, too, was unveiled.

Isaiah has pleaded, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” (Isaiah 64:1) And on the cross, there was indeed a rending – not just of the skin of the Savior, but of the curtain in the temple, decorated with stars to represent the heavens, the curtain the separated sinful, unwashed, morally impure humanity from the Holy of Holies.

The Messiah had come. Those who live in great darkness will see a great light. (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16) The hope of an age to come in which they lived in the light of God’s blessing shone with increasing urgency.

“Advent is a season of being caught between the way things are and the way they will be. Or, perhaps better said, between the way things seem to be and the way things really are. In other words, Advent is a season during which we long for apocalypse. But as the preacher of Hebrews reminds us, “Faith is the reality of what we hope for, and the evidence of what we can’t see.”  Advent is a season of faith. We light candles and trust that, as God has come before, so will God come again. We trust that no matter how dark the night, dawn is coming. We choose to hope. We choose to believe.”[2]

It turns out that the apocalypse is about a hope found in something beyond human history, something that is bigger than our personal or national cycles of optimism and despair. It is found in an incarnate God, one who arrives in the person of Christ (that’s the first advent), and one will return (that’s the second one).[3] During Advent season, we find hope in two arrivals: the one that changed history with a new covenant for His people, and the one that will wrap it up and make all things new.[4]

But we are in the middle of those two arrivals. And in that middle, it’s messy. And between the two bright lights of advent hope there are a lot of things that cast shadows. There are a lot of things that feel like exile, that feel hopeless, that cause us to question God’s goodness, or power, or existence. Advent season reminds us that we are asked to do something important:

“Stand a watch…as the ever-encroaching darkness draws near, and to ultimately give witness to the victory of light over night. And then to stand in its glorious beams and see all things be made new.[5]

Advent is about light emerging from darkness.[6] Advent is about the apocalypse, the unveiling of the truth about the world – which involves an honest look at not only the grim circumstances of a groaning world, but also the truth about the glorious Savior who has come to redeem and save.

“Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” This is as Advent a proclamation as I can imagine. We live in the ‘is’, between the remembrance of Christ’s death and the expectation of his coming again at the end of all things. This means we live in the fact of his risen-ness…We cannot always clearly see Christ, but knowing that Christ is risen means we can stand up and welcome Christ in the crisis. Death no longer has dominion over him. Death has no dominion over us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus—not the past, not the present, not the future. We wait for the end of all these things, but we look for Christ now, risen and gathering us for the end.[7]

We live in the ‘is’, between the remembrance of Christ’s death and the expectation of his coming again at the end of all things. I want to linger here this morning.

I read an article written by a Catholic who was acknowledging the terrible cost of the ‘apocalypse’ in the Catholic Church over the past few years, particularly the scandal of sexual abuse. He was noting the discouragement, disillusionment and anger in Catholics who were leaving the church. There was something about how he summarized it that has lingered with me.

“Some people can only handle as much as they believe they can handle, and it is no easy thing to stand where we are and watch darkness grow where the light is fading. It is unsettling, disorienting. Despite the risk of injury, we want to run, get away from the dark, because we can’t bear to stay within it. 

But that is what Advent is asking us to do: to stay. To stand a watch in the [twilight] as the ever-encroaching darkness draws near, and to ultimately give witness to the victory of light over night. And then to stand in its glorious beams and see all things be made new. 

And so this is what I want to say to my friends who have left, or who are struggling; those who are halfway out the doors, or think they soon will be: My dear sisters and brothers, Hold on! Hold fast, and don’t run at the revelation! Don’t try to run through the fearsome darkness! 

Stay for Advent and stand the watch with me, with your family, with all of us... Be willing, for now, to keep company with Christ, so deeply wounded by his own Bride. Consent, for now, to share in the hard times before us (they will yet get harder, the darkness will grow deeper, still) and help us to hold, to hold fast! 

Because the light is coming; the darkness will never overcome it. Remember that Isra-el means “struggle with God.” We are all little Isra-els right now, wrestling, wrestling within his house and seeking our Jerusalem, our Abode of Peace. Hold on! Hold fast! 

Because an Advent promise has been made to us, and God is ever-faithful, so we may trust in it: Your light will come Jerusalem; the Lord will dawn on you in radiant beauty. This is for all of us. It is for you, and for me. It’s for every little Isra-el struggling. Your light will come. Just hold fast.”[8]

 What is going on your life right now? What is your struggle, perhaps even your struggle with God?

Is politics or culture wars overwhelming you? Does every election now feel like an apocalypse in the Hollywood way, an unveiling of the disastrous end of all things? Do it feel like America or the church as we know it is being upended, or that the future will hold only pain? An Advent promise has been made to us; God is faithful, so we may trust in it. Our light which rose as a Savior from the darkness of death and will come again, This is the hope revealed in the Advent that was and is to come.

Did you lose a loved one this year through death, or through abandonment, or through relational distance that feels like a death? Do you wonder if this grief and emptiness will ever end? An Advent promise has been made to us; God is faithful, so we may trust in it. Our light which rose as a Savior from the darkness of death and will come again, This is the hope revealed in the Advent that was and is to come.

Is your mental and emotional health on the line? If studies and private conversation are indication, a lot of us are struggling with depression, loneliness, and anxiety. Especially as winter moves in, things can feel bleak and lifeless. We wonder when we feel alive again. An Advent promise has been made to us; God is faithful, so we may trust in it. Our light which rose as a Savior from the darkness of death and will come again, This is the hope revealed in the Advent that was and is to come.

Is your family in crisis? Maybe a few apocalyptic years have simply unveiled cracks in family foundations that had been easy to cover up. We wonder if what has been broken can possibly be repaired. An Advent promise has been made to us; God is faithful, so we may trust in it. Our light which rose as a Savior from the darkness of death and will come again, This is the hope revealed in the Advent that was and is to come. 

Has being part of church been hard? Have you been frustrated with the way the church is present in the world?  Have you felt like God’s people are unsafe, or unpredictable, or just frustrating? An Advent promise has been made to us; God is faithful, so we may trust in it. Our light which rose as a Savior from the darkness of death and will come again, This is the hope revealed in the Advent that was and is to come.

I want to close with a famous Christmas song written as a result of the Civil War. It captures this in-between time, the reality of waiting in a life that is hard for a hope that is sure.

I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY[9]

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come, the belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way, the world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each dark, accursed mouth, the cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent the hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn the households born of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head ; "There is no peace on earth," I said ; 
"For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead ; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!"

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[1] “Advent, the Apocalypse: A Constant Uncovering Of The Eyes.” https://www.patheos.com/blogs/sickpilgrim/2016/12/advent-the-apocalypse-a-constant-uncovering-of-the-eyes/

[2] “Anna And The Apocalypse And Advent.” https://www.reelworldtheology.com/anna-and-the-apocalypse-and-advent/

[3] “Why Apocalypse Is Essential To Advent.” https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/december-web-only/advent-apocalypse-fleming-rutledge-essential-to-this-season.html

[4] “Advent Apocalypse.” https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/3388/advent-apocalypse

[5] “AMIDST OUR APOCALYPSE, ADVENT ASKS US TO STAY.” https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/amidst-our-apocalypse-advent-asks-us-to-stay/5962/

[6] This darkness to light motif is thick in Scripture. We see the glorious beams of light that shine on new things over and over. Creation.: “Let their be light” and there is light that shines in the darkness; It’s in a plague of darkness in Egypt, God shows his freeing power; on a dark and stormy mountain, God reveals his covenant commandments to His people through Moses; Jesus’ birth was at night, in the shadow of the Herod’s palace, yet the light of the star and the Resurrection happens at night, and is revealed in the morning. The disciples are fishing before dawn, and the Resurrected Jesus appears in the morning.

[7] “Advent Apocalypse.” https://www.mnys.org/from-pastors-desk/advent-apocalypse/

[8] “Amidst Our Apocalypse, Advent Asks Us To Stay.” https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/amidst-our-apocalypse-advent-asks-us-to-stay/5962/

[9] Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written while nursing his son back to health after a grievous injury in the Civil War.

Harmony # 21: “You Have Heard It Said” (Matthew 5)

Envision, if you will, a mountaintop scene. Jesus is sitting and teaching, and his disciples are sitting around him. It’s a typical scenario 2,000 years ago for a rabbi and his disciples. The disciples are ready to receive wisdom.

But keep in mind that this kind of teaching was often intended to not only to convey truth, but to inspire discussion. It was going to stir up something in the audience. Unsettle them. At times they were going to think, “Of course. I knew it!”  Other times it was going to be, “What? Seriously?”  When this Sermon on the Mount was over, they were going to talk excitedly among themselves as they dissected and argued what had been said. Perhaps this sermon had pauses built into it so that conversation could happen while the sermon was unfolding.

Think, perhaps, of what we try to do here with Message+. We unpack the message: confirm, challenge, dissect, workshop it together. In fact, I will sometimes say in the sermon, “Let’s talk about that in Message+, but just hear me out for now.” I know there is much more to be said, but to follow all the rabbit trails would distract from the main point.

One way teachers during Jesus’ time accomplished this was through hyperbole, an “extravagant exaggeration.” I like this definition:

“Hyperbole is, without a doubt, the single greatest thing in the history of the universe.”

We use hyperbole all that time. It doesn’t lessen our communication; it enriches it with colorful and thought-provoking images. “I’m so hungry I can eat a horse.” “My feet are killing me.” “Those chili peppers are fire.”

Jesus and other biblical writers are simply reflecting how people talk when they used exaggeration or colorful imagery  to make a point.

• Mark said of John the Baptist (1:4-5) that “all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him...”

• “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated” (Romans 9:13) is the language of priorities.

• The Galatians were so generous that “if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.” (Galatians 4:15) 

• The Pharisees strain out gnats and swallow camels (Matthew 23).

• “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil… sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3)

• John said that if he recorded everything Jesus did, “even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21)

 This kind of hyperbole is at work in the Sermon on the Mount.  Here are some obvious ones, three we will cover today and two that will come up later.

• Gouge your eye out if it causes you to lust (Matthew 5)

• If someone demands your tunic, offer to give the rest of your cloths and go naked (Matthew 5)

• Give to EVERYONE who asks (Matthew 5)

• “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matthew 6)

• You have a log in your eye (Matthew 7) while others only have a speck.

 The point of hyperbole was to make a jarring point about a profound principle by using extravagant language or imagery. Because hyperbole is interwoven with literal language, it takes work to think through how Jesus intends us to understand his language. I think that part of the point.  This approach shakes people out of complacency and self-satisfaction and unsettles them, hopefully uprooting them from one place spiritually and moving them to a new place.

It almost certainly drove them to conversation: praying, thinking, reading their Scripture, arguing, agreeing, diving into the simplicity and complexity of what kind of people God would have them be, and what kind of life God called them to live.

So today I want to read from the Sermon on the Mount, starting with the Beatitudes again for context and then moving into new territory. I am going to work in the commentaries with the Scripture to help us better understand how the first audience of disciples would have processed this teaching. There are a boatload (#hyperbole) of footnotes that show my sources and add a ton J of information. Please, please read the un-commentaried version in your Bible in comparison to what I offer so it is clear where I am trying to add helpful commentary.

I’m not going to wrap it up neatly. I just want to let it set. I want us to let it unsettle us, and in that unsettledness drive us to process together in community.  To quote myself from earlier, “Let’s talk about that in Message+, but just hear me out for now.” J

* * * * *

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you are poor and humbled in spirit, realizing you are no more than a beggar before God's door. The kingdom of heaven is made up of spiritually humbled folks just like you."

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you are broken-hearted, mourning because you realize how far you are from what you should be spiritually. God will bring comfort by making things right between the two of you."

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you are willing to meekly have your time and energy harnessed in the Kingdom.  You have become one of the true inheritors of the promise of God to humanity."

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you are hungry for righteousness, with a burning desire for justice for all, for you shall be satisfied in that desire.

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you reach out to others in merciful compassion, because in your turn you will receive compassion from others and from God in your time of need."

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you view the world out of a pure heart that only God can give. You will begin to see the world as God sees it, and see Him at work in it.

"You are blessed, participating in life with God when you work to bring true peace and reconciliation, for then you are acting as what you are--a child of God."

"You are blessed, participating in life with God whenever people mock, insult, harass, and lie about you because you belong to Jesus. The kingdom of heaven is made up of people like you.

“You are the salt of the earth, a preservative whose virtuous life God uses to embody His kingdom.[1] Don’t lose this saltiness; it delays decay and compromise in the church and the world. If you lose it, how can its purpose be restored? Useless salt will be thrown on to the roads and be trampled on by people.”

“You are the light of the world, like a city on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a basket or jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. In the same way, let your light of God’s truth and hope shine before people in a sin-darkened world, [2] so that they can see your righteous lives and give honor to your Father in heaven.”

Some of you have heard that I am here to overthrow the Law, but that’s not true. I have not come to overturn or do away with the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them, to bring them their intended purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will become void or pass from the law until everything needed to fulfill the purpose of the law takes place.

You know to keep the ‘weighty’ commands (don’t commit idolatry, adultery, murder, etc).  Anyone who disregards even the most obscure of the “light” commands (like tithing your garden produce) and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. However, whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Don’t confuse which are weighty and which are light – and be committed to them both.[3] I tell you, unless you understand what matters to God, and why, your righteousness will not go beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, and you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And \now, I will tell you the standard of righteousness that matters to God.

21 As you know, long ago God instructed Moses to tell His people, “Do not take the life of the innocent; those who murder will be judged and punished in the courts.” 22 But here is the even harder truth: anyone who has a vindictive, fixed anger toward his brother or sister, desiring more to destroy the other person[4] than to make an offense right,[5]deserves to go before the court of seven[6] (Deuteronomy 16:18, 2 Chronicles 19:5) for his anger.

Anyone who taunts their friends, speaks contemptuously toward them, or calls them slanderously insulting names will have to answer to the higher court, the Sanhedrin. Anyone who calls someone a morally worthless fool, destructively attacking a person’s moral character[7] to kill their reputation is guilty enough in the eyes of the highest court to warrant the fires of Gehenna[8] in the valley of Hinnom.[9]

Anger contains the seeds of murder, abusive language contains the spirit of murder, and language that kills reputation and self-worth implies the very desire to murder.[10]23 With this in mind, you should also consider the potentially sinful anger that your actions may incite in others.

If you are bringing an offering to God at the temple and you remember that someone is angry at you or holds a grudge against you, 24 then leave your gift before the altar, travel whatever distance it takes to go back home to them (even if it takes days), and be reconciled so that (as much as in your power[11]) you convince them to dismiss their grudge against you[12]. Then return to the altar to offer your gift to God.[13]

If you have done wrong, be quick to admit it and make things right.[14] 25 If someone sues you because you have wronged them, don’t be defensive and make up excuses. Settle things with him quickly. Talk to him as you are walking to court; otherwise, he may turn matters over to the judge, and the judge may turn you over to an officer, and you may land in jail. 26 I tell you this: you will not emerge from prison until you have paid your last penny.

Speaking of wronging people, 27 as you know, long ago God forbade His people to commit adultery. 28 You men sitting here may think you have abided by this commandment, walked the straight and narrow because you never had an affair. Now I tell you this: any man who deliberately harbors a desire to fulfill his lust with a woman who is not his wife[15] has already committed adultery in his heart.[16] 

29 If your right eye leads you into this sin, and gouging it out and throwing it in the garbage[17] would save you, it would be better you lose one part of your body than march your entire body through the gates of sin and into hell. 30 And if your right hand[18] leads you into sin, and cutting it off and throwing it away would save you,[19] well, it would be better you lose one part of your body than march your entire body through the gates of sin and into hell.[20]

31 And here is something else to consider when it comes to how we wrong people and incite them to anger. You have read in Deuteronomy that any man who divorces his wife must do so fairly—he must give her the requisite legal certificate of divorce and send her on her way, free and unfettered.[21] You think following the letter of this pleases God, but it was not this way from the beginning.[22] Moses permitted this because your hearts were hard.

32  I tell you this: unless your wife has been sexually unfaithful, you must not divorce her. If you unjustly dissolve the marriage, she will be living as an adulteress when she remarries. Nor are you to marry someone who has been divorced unjustly, for you will be an adulterer when you remarry.

You have been told that God expects us to abide by the oaths we swear and the promises we make.  34 But I tell you this: do not even swear the kind of oaths you are swearing.[23] The Law told you to swear an oath by the Lord.”[24]Now you swear by lesser things, thinking it gives you an out so that you don’t have to keep your word.

 You think you can manipulate the oath when you say, “I swear by heaven” instead of the Lord of Heaven—but heaven is not yours to swear by; it is God’s throne. 35 And you say, “I swear by this good earth,” but the earth is not yours to swear by; it is God’s footstool. And you say, “I swear by the holy city Jerusalem,” but it is not yours to swear by; it is the city of God, the capital of the King of kings. 

36 You cannot even say that you swear by your own head, for God has dominion over your hands, your lips, your head. It is He who determines if your hair will be straight or curly, white or black; it is He who rules over even this small scrap of creation.[25] 

37 When you swear oath its from an impulse to be dishonest and evil, not to establish trustworthiness.[26] Do you think we do not need to be truthful except under the oath sworn to the Lord? [27] Ideally, you should simply let your “yes” be “yes,” and let your “no” be “no.”[28] Let your character speak for itself. You don’t need an oath if you are actually trustworthy.

38 You know that Hebrew Scripture sets this standard of justice and punishment: take no more than an eye when your eye has been taken, or a tooth for a tooth, so that justice is equitable and the punishment does not exceed the crime. 39 But I say this: don’t take personal revenge[29] or seek restitution in court[30] against the one who is laboring in troublemaking[31] against you.

If someone insultingly strikes you on the right cheek, don't take him to court for insulting you[32]; offer him your left cheek.[33]  40 If someone connives to get your inner tunic,[34] give him your outer cloak as well.[35] 41 If a Roman soldier forces you to carry his gear for a mile,[36] walk with him for two instead.

 42 If someone asks you for something,[37] give it to him.[38] If someone wants a loan from you, do not turn away.[39][40] Lk 6:30 And do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away.[41] 43 You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy.[42] 44 But I tell you this: The real direction indicated by the law is love, rich and costly, and extended even to enemies.[43] Love even those who are openly hostile to you.[44] Pray for those who torment you and persecute you.

 Lk 6:27 “I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat and persecute you,45 in so doing, you become like the peacemakers: children of your Father in heaven.[45] He, after all, loves each of us—good and evil, kind and cruel. In His common grace He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the unrighteous. 

46 It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. 47 And it is easy to welcomingly greet your friends—even the Gentiles do that! Lk 6:34 “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.

48 Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.  You are designed for a higher telos, a higher end-goal: mercy and love in the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the consumation of the heart of the law that revealed a lifestyle of spiritual maturity.[46] Lovingly seek the well-being of your neighbor,[47] and thus fulfill the Law and the Prophets.[48]

_______________________________________________________________________________________

[1] Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[2]  Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[3]  ESV Global Study Bible

[4] ESV Global Study Bible

[5] HELPS Word Studies

[6] Expositor’s Greek New Testament

[7] ESV Global Study Bible

[8] Note the progression: “(1) Feeling of anger without words. (2) Anger venting itself in words. (3) Insulting anger. The gradation of punishment corresponds; liable (1) to the local court; (2) to the Sanhedrin; (3) to Gehenna.” (Cambridge Bible For Schools And Colleges)

[9] “This is Gehenna, the “valley of Hinnom,” a trash dump outside Jerusalem where fires burned constantly. It was notorious as the location of human sacrifices by fire during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). Jeremiah called it the “Valley of Slaughter” a symbol of God’s fearful judgment (Jer. 7:32).”  (ESV Reformation Study Bible)  The noncanonical book of 4 Ezra describes the furnace of geenna being opposite of the paradise of delight. (NIV First Century Study Bible)

[10] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[11] Romans 12:18

[12] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

[13] “Again Jesus depicts the situation graphically, since his Galilean hearers might have to travel a considerable distance to leave the Jerusalem temple and then return (vv. 23-24).” (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[14] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[15] ESV Global Study Bible

[16] “Jewish writers often warned of women as dangerous because they could invite lust (as in Sirach 25:21; Ps. Sol. 16:7-8), but Jesus placed the responsibility for lust on the person doing the lusting (Mt 5:28; Witherington 1984:28). Lust and anger are sins of the heart, and rapists who protest in earthly courts, "She asked for it!" have no defense before God's court.” (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[17] “Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation; not the eyes or hands cause lust, but the heart and mind. Christians must not only avoid the act of adultery (“hand”), but also those things that would lead to a lustful attitude (“eye”).” (ESV Reformation Study Bible)

[18] “The "eye" is the member of the body most commonly blamed for leading us astray, especially in sexual sins (cf. Nu 15:39; Pr 21:4; et al.); the "right eye" refers to one's better eye. But why the "right hand" in a context dealing with lust? More likely it is a euphemism for the male sexual organ.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[19] This borrows from rabbinic imagery about when a man should cut off his hand. Note that there is no record of this happening. It’s hyperbole to make a point. “The Jews enjoined cutting off of the hand, on several accounts; if in a morning, before a man had washed his hands, he put his hand to his eye, nose, mouth, ear, &c. it was to be "cut off" (b); particularly, the handling of the "membrum virile", was punishable with cutting off of the hand. Says R. (c) Tarphon, if the hand is moved to the privy parts,"let his hand be cut off to his navel".'' That is, that it may reach no further; for below that part of the body the hand might not be put (d); lest unclean thoughts, and desires, should be excited.” (Gill’s Exposition Of The Entire Bible)

[20] This is hyperbole. One-eyed and one-handed people can still lust. I mean, people can lust quite easily with their eyes closed. If indeed the “right hand” is a euphemism for a sexual organ, it’s still hyperbole: castrated people can lust too.

[21] “Deut 24:1, cited here, spawned a debate between the two main Pharisaic rabbis in Jesus’ day, Shammai and Hillel. Shammai required divorce (and permitted remarriage) only for sexual infidelity; Hillel permitted divorce for “any good cause.” Typically, only men could initiate divorce. Jesus is actually stricter than Shammai because he only permits divorce and remarriage; he does not require them, even for marital unfaithfulness (v. 32), as both Pharisaic positions did.”  (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[22] Matthew 19:8

[23] Jesus says not to take oaths (Matt. 5:34-37), but in the Old Testament, God tells his people to take oaths in the name of the Lord; Paul takes oaths at least three times (2 Corinthians 11:31; Galatians 1:20; Philippians 1:8).

[24] Exodus 20:7

[25] “Jesus is particularly concerned about the Pharisaic practice of swearing by something other than God himself to create a lesser degree of accountability.” (NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible)

[26] “This passage also forbids any shading of the truth or deception. It does not, however, forbid taking an oath in a court of law. Jesus Himself testified under oath before the High Priest (Matt. 26:63ff). Paul also used an oath to call God as his witness that what he was writing was true (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 1:20).” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[27] ESV Reformation Study Bible

[28] “The Pharisees developed elaborate rules governing vows, and only those employing the divine name were binding. Jesus associates their deception with the very nature of the evil one and teaches that a vow is binding regardless of what formula is used. The use of oaths is superfluous when one’s word ought to suffice. Oath-taking is an implicit confession that we do not always tell the truth.” (NKJV New Spirit-Filled Life Bible)

[29] ESV Global Study Bible

[30] ESV Reformation Study Bible

[31] HELPS Word Studies

[32] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[33] Some are insisting that Jesus is to be so understood when he says: "Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt.

5: 39). But this utterance is only one of a class. Shall we then interpret Matt. 6: 3, 4 as forbidding all organized charity, Matt. 6:6 as forbidding all public prayer, and Matt. 6: 25 as forbidding all plans and provisions for the future?” (“Jesus Use Of Hyperbole,” The Biblical World,  https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/472937

[34] “Although under Mosaic law the outer cloak was an inalienable possession (Ex 22:26; Dt 24:13), Jesus' disciples, if sued for their tunics (an inner garment like our suit but worn next to the skin), far from seeking satisfaction, will gladly part with what they may legally keep.” Verse 40 is clearly hyperbolic: no first-century Jew would go home wearing only a loincloth. (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[35] :The very poor might have only a single coat; in such cases, surrendering both the inner and outer garments might leave one naked. In this case, an element of hyperbole might be involved, and/or (as some suggest) it might include shaming one’s aggressor with such extensive cooperation.” (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

[36] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[37] Balance “Give to anyone who asks of you” (Luke 6:30) with “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat’ ” (2 Thess. 3:10). #discussion

[38] “A saint of the desert once found his hut being looted of its paltry possessions, and he knelt in the corner praying for the bandits. When they left, the monk realized they had not taken his walking stick. This monk pursued them for many days until he was able to give them the stick as well. Seeing his humility, the bandits returned everything to him and were converted to Jesus Christ.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[39]  Likely has to do with interest-free loans (Ex 22:25; Lev 25:37; Dt 23:19) and a generous spirit (cf. Dt 15:7-11; Pss 37:26; 112:5). (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

[40] “Since it is impossible to know whether the need is legitimate in all cases, it is better (as someone said), “to help a score of fraudulent beggars than to risk turning away one man in real need.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

[41] “They are not required to give foolishly (see 7:6), to give to a lazy person who is not in need (2 Thess. 3:10), or to give where giving would do more harm than good.” (ESV Global Study Bible)

[42] Side note: The OT never says that anyone should hate his or her enemy. In this case, “You have heard it said” included not just Scripture, but tradition. “Hatred for one’s enemies was an accepted part of the Jewish ethic at that time in some circles (cf., e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls work, The Rule of the Community 1.4,10).” (NIV Case For Christ Study Bible)

[43] Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[44] “The fact that love is commanded shows that it is a matter of the will and not primarily of the emotions.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary) 

[45] “This must have left Jesus’ audience wondering if he was seriously advocating love of Gentiles, sinners and even Romans. No other voice from the first century quite parallels the radical vision of love outlined in these few verses. This certainly would have made little sense to the isolationistic Essenes or the radical Zealots.” (NIV First Century Study Bible)

[46] Luke 6:36; Matthew 7:12

[47] Tony Evans Study Bible

[48] “The OT prophets foretold a time when there would be a change of heart among God's people, living under a new covenant (Jer 31:31-34; Eze 36:26). Not only would the sins of the people be forgiven (Jer 31:34; Eze 36:25), but obedience to God would spring from the heart (Jer 31:33; Eze 36:27) as the new age dawned. Thus Jesus' instruction on these matters is grounded in eschatology. In Jesus and the kingdom, the eschatological age that the Law and Prophets had prophesied (11:13) has arrived; the prophecies that curbed evil while pointing forward to the eschaton are now superseded by the new age and the new hearts it brings.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)

Harmony #19: Fulfilling the Law & Prophets (Matthew 5:17-20; Luke 16:17)

In the Sermon on the Mount, so far we’ve had the following:

• The Beatitudes, in which Jesus talked about states in which we are blessed, because we participate in life with God.

• When that happens, we are salt and light, a people who function as a preservative in a world prone toward rot, and whose preservative presence shines like a light of hope in the darkness. Jesus ends his comments about light by saying, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Jesus connects the brightness of their light with the goodness of their deeds. God’s transformation isn’t just an inner reality; true transformation is inevitably expressed in an outer transformation. And it’s in the observation of these deeds – the proof of change - that God will be glorified by those needing to see the light of truth and hope that is found in Jesus. This brings us to today’s passage, which will build on the verse we just read.

“Do not think that I have come to overturn or do away with the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them/accomplish their intended purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will become void or pass from the law until everything needed to fulfill the law takes place.[1]

So anyone who breaks/loosens/dissolves one of the least/smallest/most obscure of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.[2] For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”[3]

So, let’s talk about the Law, and work our way toward Jesus fulfilling it.

First, when Jewish teachers sometimes spoke of the least and greatest commandments, it wasn’t to diminish the least commandments. For examples, some rabbis said that the least commandment was the demand that people free a mother bird (Deuteronomy 22:7), but that whoever kept this command received life, the same reward as one who kept the greatest command, honoring father and mother (Deuteronomy 5:16).[4] So when you hear this language, don’t think of it as dismissive. It’s honoring. Every little bit mattered.

Second, Jesus did not criticize the Pharisees for their strict observance of the law. He called them out in two very important areas that showed they didn't understand the purpose of the law, let alone how to fulfill that purpose.

• They didn’t understand that, while all of the law mattered, there were weightier matters of the law in the sense that breaking that law landed in the world in a heavier and more destructive way. In Luke 11, a Pharisee invites Jesus over for a meal – then gets deeply offended because Jesus didn’t wash his hands just right. This gets Jesus attention. “You are fastidious about tithing—keeping account of every little leaf of mint and herb—but you neglect what really matters: justice and the love of God! If you’d get straight on what really matters, then your fastidiousness about little things would be worth something.” (v. 42)

•  They emphasized what they did with their hands at the expense of what was happening in their hearts. From the same speech in Luke 11: You Pharisees are a walking contradiction. You are so concerned about external things—like someone who washes the outside of a cup and bowl but never cleans the inside, which is what counts! Beneath your fastidious exterior is a mess of extortion and filth. 40 You don’t get it. Did the potter make the outside but not the inside too? 41 If you were full of goodness within, you could overflow with generosity from within, and if you did that, everything would be clean for you.

The Dead Sea Scrolls (written 2 BC – 1 AD) refer to the Pharisees as “seekers after smooth things.” They accommodated and compromised the law to fit the way they wanted life to be – or how they wanted to live.

“The Sanhedrim had power, when it was convenient, to void a command…  to deliver many of the Israelites from stumbling at other things, they may do whatsoever the present time makes necessary… they even say that if a Gentile should bid an Israelite transgress anyone of the commands mentioned in the law, excepting idolatry, adultery, and murder, he may transgress freely, provided it is done privately.“ (Gill’s Exposition Of The Entire Bible)

That’s one way to “make the way smooth.”  You just change the understanding of what must be done with the hands in order to get what you want in your heart. A practical illustration has to do with divorce.[5]

Philo, Hillel and Josephus, contemporaries of Jesus, all said divorce could happen for any reason. It was a husband-friendly world, to say the least. Some rabbis went so far as to say husbands didn’t need a reason other than they were tired of their wife and wanted someone new. Shammai disagreed; it could only be adultery. Jesus, when asked, agrees with Shammia. In fact, when he makes this clear in Matthew 19, his disciples’ response is insightful about the mindset with which they were raised:  10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

That’s…insightful. They were used to the Law being workshopped until it made the way smooth and worked so they get what they wanted. They said they loved the Law, but they weren’t actually interested in the Law telling them what to do.

But Jesus won’t stop there. He goes on to challenge not just what they do, but how they feel and think. He’s going to demand something of their hearts. Jesus is in the process of restoring the true nature of God’s law as demanding total and radical holiness not just with our hands but in the orientation of our hearts.[6]

Jesus spells out the character of the kind of righteousness God is looking for in the six examples he gives in Matthew 5:21-48. In each case Jesus contrasts the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (who understood the law as a mechanical legal requirement with which they could seek smooth things for themselves if needed) with the exceeding righteousness that God demands. Jesus shows that God requires obedience from the heart. I like how Adam Clarke explains what was happening. It was,

“the development of what is not completed into something higher, which preserves the substance of the lower. The fulfilling is “showing the right kernel and understanding, that they may learn what the law is and desires to have.” (Adam Clarke)

As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, he gives plenty of examples to make his point.

          THE KERNEL                                                        THE TREE

Don’t murder Don’t desire to harm

Don’t commit adultery Don’t desire to commit adultery

Legally proper divorces Morally permissible divorces

Do oaths (so people trust you) Have unimpeachable character

Limit revenge Don’t get revenge at all

Love your neighbor Love your enemy also

Be generous Be humbly, quietly generous

Worship/pray Worship and pray with humility

Fast Fast humbly

The passage we started with today is basically a thesis statement for all those examples. Jesus says, "You thought the law was just about your hands. If you really want to be my disciples, give me your hearts."

Enter Jesus, who fulfills or accomplishes the intended purpose of the Law and the Prophets.

• Fulfills the specific predictions of a Messiah. The Law and the Prophets were always intended to point beyond themselves (see Romans 3:21; Galatians 3-4; Romans 8:4) to Jesus, which is where Matthew also intends the focus to be.[7] 

• Accomplishes the intended purpose of the sacrificial system. Sacrifices and other ceremonial laws foreshadowed events that would be accomplished in Jesus’ ministry in which he paid the price for the failed covenant keeping of Abraham and his descendants (see Galatians 4:10, Ephesians 2:15, and Hebrews 8-10).

• Fulfills God's will in all its fullness. Jesus establishes the true intent and purpose of the Law in His teaching and accomplishes them in His obedient life as the perfect lawkeeper (Matt. 2:15; 11:13; 12:3–6, 39–41, 42; Luke 24:27)[8]

• As the perfect lawkeeper, Jesus grants righteousness—the intended purpose of the Law—to us (Rom 3:31; 8:3, 4; 10:4).[9]

 So now, thanks to Jesus granting his righteousness to us, we can fulfill the purpose God intended the Law to accomplish in us. And it turns out that…the Law was intended to teach us how to love.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

 “In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Matthew actually provides a cool set of bookends in the Sermon on the Mount that explain what it means for the Law and the Prophets to be fulfilled.

Do not think that I have come to overturn or do away with the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill  their intended purpose. (5:17)

“In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets. (7:12)

When we disciples walk in love with the Spirit of God at work in us, we  share in the completion of the plan or outworking of God’s love, which is love. The commandments of the Law are simply examples of what it looks like, in day-to-day life and in various circumstances, to love God and love each other.[10] Tell me, in the examples Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount, does this not look like love?

• Don’t even desire to harm other people physically, emotionally, spiritually, reputationally.  Desire their flourishing in the good (hospitality of the heart and head J)

• Don’t even desire to commit adultery. Desire to honor you spouse even in your thoughts, not just your actions.

• Take your marriage vows very, very seriously. Love your spouse by offering the safety of covenant.

• Have unimpeachable character. Love others by being the kind of person they can trust.

• Don’t get revenge. Don’t demand en eye for an eye. Love those who harm you by challenging their evil with your kindness and goodness.

• Love your enemy. Pray for them, for their salvation and righteousness.

• Be generous, worship, pray, and fast, but be humble and do it in the way that doesn’t bring attention to you. Love other people by freeing them of the burden of comparing themselves to you.

 The Law was intended to teach us how to love, in the greatest ways to the smallest ways.[11]

_______________________________________________________________________________________
[1] In Shir Hashirim Rabba, are these words: "Should all the inhabitants of the earth gather together, in order to whiten one feather of a crow, they could not succeed: so, if all the inhabitants of the earth should unite to abolish one י yod, which is the smallest letter in the whole law, they should not be able to effect it." In Vayikra Rabba, it is said: "Should any person in the words of Deut. 6:4, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God isאחד achad, ONE Lord, change the ד daleth into a ר resh, he would ruin the world."[אחר achar, would signify a strange or false God.] "Should any one in the words of Lev. 22:32, Neither shall ye PROFANE תחללו techelelu, my holy name, change חcheth into ה he, he would ruin the world." [Neither shall ye PRAISE my holy name.]"Should any one, in the words of 1 Samuel 2:2, There is none holy AS the Lord,change כ caph into ב beth, he would ruin the world." There is no holiness IN the Lord.]   (Adam Clarke)

[2] The rabbis recognized a distinction between “light” commandments (such as tithing garden produce) and “weighty” commandments (such as those concerning idolatry, murder, etc.). Jesus demands a commitment to both, yet condemns those who confuse the two (see 23:23–24). (ESV Global Study Bible)

[3] The scribes and Pharisees took pride in their outward obedience but they still had impure hearts (see 23:5, 23, 27–28). Kingdom righteousness works from the inside out as it produces changed hearts (Rom. 6:17; 2 Cor. 5:17).  (ESV Global Study Bible)

[4] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[5] https://www.thetorah.com/article/when-is-a-man-allowed-to-divorce-his-wife

[6] ESV Reformation Study Bible

[7] Expositor’s Bible Commentary

[8] Thanks to the ESV Global Study Bible for these first three points.

[9] HT Orthodox Study Bible

[10] https://russmeek.com/2020/09/love-is-the-fulfillment-of-the-law-whats-that-mean-anyway/

[11] That is, the man that truly loves his neighbour, will contrive no ill against him, nor do any to him; he will not injure his person, nor defile his bed, nor deprive or defraud him of his substance; or do hurt to his character, bear false testimony against him, or covet with an evil covetousness anything that is his; but, on the contrary, will do him all the good he is capable of. Therefore. love is the fulfilling of the law.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible