Kingdom Relationships

What are your thoughts about this Sunday's gospel? This was sent to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.

Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37
 [Jesus said to the disciples:] 21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But 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. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If 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. 30And 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.
31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But 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.
33“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.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

Doesn’t this sound harsh? The commandments of the Old Testament are one thing, but it seems like Jesus is demanding even higher standards of obedience to God. What do you make of this?

Jesus goes to the heart of the matter concerning each of the commandments mentioned. The actions, the sins committed, are nothing but symptoms. Murder grows out of anger. Adultery begins in the heart, the lingering, lust-filled look. No one out of the clear blue sky decides one day to be unfaithful to their spouse.

And Jesus turned everything upside down in his day when it came to divorce. Women were like property and could be discarded for any number of reasons, some of which were very trivial—like the husband didn’t like his wife’s cooking. If the woman didn’t have a family to go back to, after the divorce, she was out on the street. There was no protection for her. And a woman couldn’t divorce a man no matter how horrible he may be. Jesus changed that. Men were not to divorce their wives over trivialities. Additionally, this refers to men disposing of one wife to marry another. The first wife is left out in the cold—literally. The standard of loving relationships in the kingdom of God is greater than that.

Jesus goes deeper into all the regulations of the law by showing how they all have to do with relationships—with God and each other. This is the way the community of faith, those living in the reign of Christ are to live their lives—and it’s not easy. That is where we trust in God and the power of his Holy Spirit at work in our lives, in our relationships, to live the lives that would please the Lord. We will mess up and when we do there is forgiveness aplenty for us and we start all over again.

Loving Lord, you long for your people to be a demonstratable example of your presence. Just as there is the loving relationship at work in the holy trinity, may we live incarnational lives that demonstrate your love to the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.  

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