You Are What You Think

You Are What You Think: <-- Audio file to sermon based upon Matthew 5:21-37.

Good morning and welcome. As I began to prepare for this Sunday I did as I always do and started with prayer and scripture. When I read the lectionary, I was nearly overwhelmed by all the directions we could go. And when I settled on the Matthew text specifically, I was no closer to a focus.

You see, when I read such a power packed text I have to make choices about what to bring to you and I do so by trying to listen for God’s direction. You know… what does God want us to hear today? But as far as how I do that, there are many methods. I can cut pieces out and then focus in on a small but deep part. I could also look at it as vignettes to be shared in sections. Another way is to do what I’m going to try today which is hold out a big picture view and then look more closely at a few sections. So, I hope you’ve got your thinking caps on because this is going to be a lot to digest.

When we read this passage, we’re jumping into a broader section we call the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus shares what many consider to be his centerpiece teachings. The beatitudes come before this and many more teachings about the how to live an abundant and righteous life come after that. This is really the beginning section of a kind of guide on how to live. Jesus is signaling a change in how people might think about what is good and right. You see, Jesus is a Jewish man 2000 years ago and he would have been part of a family and community that took Jewish law and observances very seriously. They would have taken part in many faith practices and lived by a moral code of rules because it is what God had commanded of the Israelites from the earliest time.

So, let’s talk real quickly about Jewish law. You see, Jewish law rose out of a time when a group of slaves who had not managed their lives were set free from Egypt. The laws, including the 10 commandments were a way to teach them order and a way to build and be community together. They were also about honoring the giver of moral awareness, God. These laws covered all kinds of things. For example, laws about handing blood of animals were really about public health because they did have a sink to wash it all down the drain. They had to be careful about not spreading illness. But following these laws not only made them healthier, it also honored God by showing good handling and stewardship of their blessings. So, when you study Jewish law, it is easy to see that these rules are for people’s benefit on multiple levels.

However, Jesus is taking this to a deeper level. He is saying in these passages, it is not enough to conform our actions to the law; we must also have hearts and minds to match. He’s not saying there is anything bad about the law or that it is of no use. But he is concerned that there are people who spend their lives following the letter of the law but never reaping the benefit of the spirit of the law. Coming back to the example of handling animal’s blood, It would be like Jesus saying that handling blood correctly might make for a good cut of meat but you missed all the growth and wonder in being grateful and praising God who gave it to you.

Being connected to the spirit of the law, reveals that our insides matter too. When we follow God’s law, we are not being called to merely conform our actions. We are being called to grow and become more than we were before. So, let’s look into a few of these places where Jesus is calling us to be more than we are on the outside. Verses 21-24 read,

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Let me first offer a word of caution. In the verse that reads, “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment,” the word angry is a bit misleading. This is not talking about the feeling of anger. Feeling angry is a natural response to injustice, hurt, and many other things. This is talking about holding onto anger and letting it fester. A more appropriate translation might be the word resentment.


But beyond that, this section clearly calls us to see that our inner thinking, feelings, and beliefs are also to be scrutinized rather than just our actions. We need to deal with our resentments and grudges before our outward actions really mean anything at all. And when it says, “first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift,” I think we could extend that reconciliation to ourselves too. In a culture that teaches us to internalize our shame and guilt, we must recognize that holding onto those things keeps us from growing and becoming all that the spirit of the law wants for us.


In the next section, verses 27-32 read,

‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Here, we might be tempted get entangled in how harsh this language is. We’re going to get to how all this fits together in a few minutes. But for now, let’s think again about Jewish law, God’s law. I think God’s intention was that we would do the right thing because it’s the right thing. But the law helps us by guiding us even when we don’t feel so upright or moral. These rules were put in place to hold together communities and families. They kept women and children from being abused and helped communities keep their moral compass true.


So Jesus is stepping into a sensitive area but just as in the previous passage, Jesus is concerned with what’s going on inside of us, not just on the outside. What’s becoming clear as we read on is that we are what we think. That eye that offends or hand that sins did so because of the inner motivations and intentions of the person, not because eye or hand is bad. So, why did Jesus say to rip it out when ultimately we know that Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”?


Well, most importantly, I don’t think Jesus was being literal. He was being instructive. Jesus repeatedly shows that he has a real understanding for human nature and our struggle to do what we know to be right but can’t quite will ourselves to do. See, I think Jesus was talking about the need to constantly rebuild, reform, and transform ourselves. We must keep growing or we’ll only have eyes that see with lust and hands that act with offence. We must tear down old ways and habits if they did not help us change our insides too.


And this same notion carries into the next section as well as we read in verses 33-37,

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Here we see Jesus being attune to human nature again. We want to be lofty and more than we are. That’s a good thing because it keeps us growing. But the surest path to true growth is through keeping it simple and staying humble. It’s also the surest path to transforming our inner thoughts and our outward actions.


For example, wedding vows are beautiful things. But they are full of all these clauses and what if’s. What truly makes a marriage work is not the oath but getting up every day and saying yes to love with that person. Or when we look at oaths of nationalism like the Pledge of Allegiance, what we see is something honorable in its hope. But what really makes civic pride work are the individual moments each and every day when we say yes to upholding people and love and no to injustice and hate.
 Okay, let’s pull all of this together. The law helps us see how to keep ourselves going when we’re not able to act from a place of love. For example, when we’re grief stricken, we might make choices of retaliation or self-harm in the midst of our pain. So, when we are at our weakest, the law stands strong as a guide for not making things worse. But the hope of the law is that we come to know God, from whom all goodness flow. When we know God, our starting place is not just in conforming our actions. Our starting place is the love of God that is in us.


But the law serves another function. It proves just how broken and flawed we truly are and makes us even more keenly aware of our need for God’s amazing grace. No one will ever live fully into the law. Our very best intentions still leave us making mistakes and sometimes outright doing the wrong thing.


Ultimately, we need to know that this is the lesson from Christ. Over and over he shows us that we need grace, grace, grace. We offer our best and are most definitely called to grow and keep building and rebuilding. We are called to make the individual decisions, moment by moment to say yes to love and no to hate. But just as we try, God actually does. God’s work of grace brings true completion to all that we are unable to attain.


So when we’re struggling with making ourselves do the right thing; or when we are carrying resentments that burden and cut us off; or when focusing on making that next simple, humble decision becomes difficult, trust that God’s grace will pick up where our best efforts fall short. And thanks be to God for that.


Amen