Week 4 - What Have You Heard: Part 1

Text: Matthew 5:21-32

MT 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
MT 5:23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
MT 5:25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
MT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
MT 5:31 "It has been said, `Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Wait a minute! I thought this was supposed to get easier!

We so often think that "freedom = easy." But as Thomas Jefferson once said, "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." In the Christian experience, freedom does not relieve us of responsibility. In these verses, Jesus reminds us all that we have a responsibility to our relationships, to purity, to commitment.

In a very real way, Jesus ratchets up the level of accountability that we face. As we are set free from a Law that defeats and constrains, we are now responsible to Christ and to each other for our words, actions, and attitudes. "Easy" is not a fruit of the Spirit, but thankfully neither is perfection.

Things to think about:

1. What is the difference between perfection and purity?
2. In your own words, what are the rewards of the Christian Life?
3. Why do you think Jesus is speaking in such extremes?

Week 3 - Better

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

One of the reasons I love baseball is that the tension in a close game is limitless. I remember Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, with the Boston Red Sox one out away from winning the whole thing. Through a series of fluke plays and timely hitting, the New York Mets managed to tie the game. Mookie Wilson came to the plate, and after battling the relief pitcher to a full 3-2 count, fouled off ten consecutive pitches. I vividly remember the knots in my stomach twitching with which pitch, wondering "How long can this go on?" Wilson finally connected on a routine grounder to first, gently rolling through first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, costing the Sox the game and eventually the Series. (You can read all about the game here: http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_86ws_gm6_bosnym)

This passage is kind of the same feeling. After destroying any expectation of a religious hierarchy in His New Kingdom, Jesus then goes on the attack, confronting the power base of the current religious establishment. As the powerful and the powerless listen in, He raises the stakes of the Game, taking away all that the Pharisees depended on for their security.

Jesus does that in all our lives. The things we so often depend on to make it through life, jobs, family, health, are suddenly gone, and we can find ourselves having nothing but Jesus.

That's what Jesus tells the Crowd at the Mount. If your righteousness isn't totally dependent on me, the One Who has Fulfilled all Law, then what good is it?

This passage is our first view of the Grace Clause in the New Covenant. We cannot look to ourselves to bring about the love of God in our lives. We must look to Him, the one that Hebrews calls "the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)." In that World Series Game, two sets of fans experienced very distinct journeys. The Boston faithful, after beginning to dream that their World Series drought would come to and end, now saw, like the Pharisees, their glory slipping away. The Mets fans, who just a few moments before were giving on any hope of greatness, now, like us, began to see that greatness was within their grasp.

Jesus did that. He took away an inaccessible Law that only the elite could trust in, and handed hope to everyone, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, in and out.

Things to think about:

1. Other than Christ, what in my life do I depend on?
2. What do I believe will get me into heaven?
3. How would you define grace?
4. What is righteousness to you?
5. How do you approach right behavior in balance with grace?

Week 2 - Salt and Light

Text: Matthew 5:13-16

MT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
MT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Someone once said that at least 66% of all Americans say they believe in God and pray regularly.

Its summer, you know, time for cookouts and BBQs. Imagine if you were over at a friend's house, kids playing, music blasting, cold drinks, and everybody laughing and having a good time. You're starting to get hungry, and you look up to see your buddy mixing the hamburger meat. It looks like a great recipe. It looks like he's got about three pounds of meat, plenty for everybody. Some pepper, some Worcestershire sauce, and then he gets out the salt. To your horror, he proceeds to dump two pounds of salt into the mixture!

Don't you think that if a hamburger was 66% salt, you would notice the difference? Why then does our culture seem completely unaffected by two-thirds of its citizens being Jesus-followers? We could say, "Are they really Christians?" or, "What do mean by being a Christian?" But ultimately, the task to affect change in our world is assigned to each of us.

When Jesus uses salt and light, He does not pick two symbols at random. Both were important commodities in an ancient world without electricity or refrigeration. The world depended on these elements to survive. Their presence is undeniable, you always know when they are there.

The world needs the Church. Not the Church as we want it, or even as we sometimes think we need it. The world needs the Church the way Christ designed it, functioning as an agent of grace, mercy, compassion, love, and purity. The key to functioning this way is not in the Church as a body, but in the members of that body functioning in alignment with the Head.

Questions to think about:

1. What does it mean to follow Jesus?
2. What would be the results of a fully devoted and committed Church?
3. How do I affect my world on a daily basis?
4. Like the presence of salt and light, is the presence of my faith undeniable?
5. How can I create an undeniable faith in my own life?

Week 1 - A Different Code

Here we go, finally! Blogger has had server problems all day.

Matthew 5:3-12

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Pretty tough set of words, isn't it? You would think that being set free from the rigours of the Torah Law might be easier, but the challenged just changed its focus.

With each statement, Jesus moves farther from Jewish expectations of His Messianic mission. As a result, He moves further and further away from people's conventional understanding of Faith and Religion. The world He offers looks more obscure, less stringent. But there's safety in rules, there's comfort in codes. The problem is when we put more faith in our rules and codes than in Christ's grace.

The hope of grace begins when we realize how poor in spirit we really are. Being poor in spirit has nothing to do with hating ourselves or not being "good enough," but everything to do with what we have to earn favor with God. Nothing.

Garce begins when we admit that we cannot earn God's love and freedom, but that it is freely offered to those who have nothing else. I wonder if the times when it is difficult for me to receive grace are the times when I feel I have other things to help me: talent, family, wisdom, money. God's grace seems most abundant when it's the only option. Perhaps we could start to put grace as the first option and really start depending on God. Just a thought.

Questions to ask yourself (or someone else):

1. How much is dependence on God part of my daily reality?
2. Why does it seem to be difficult to truly depend on God?
3. According to Jesus, what are the hallmarks of a God-dependent life?
4. Why are the Beatitudes so contradictory to cultural values?
5. What hope is there for me if I live the way Jesus asks me to?

Have a great week. I hope to read some comments!

This Summer

For the summer of 2006, I (Brian) ask you to join in an online journey. The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of Christ's Kingdom, and as its citizens, we need to explore, engage, and evaluate our lives in light of this great passage.

Each Sunday when you get home, check this site for some follow-up questions and comments. I hope that you will respond and give your perspective on the thoughts raised.

We are all on this journey together, and I know that we will show each other's comments and opinions the respect that Christ calls us to.