Tag Archives: law

Is that better?

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“Nice people don’t do things like that”.  I wonder how many of us were brought up to avoid the bad manners of childhood with such words – and grew to apply them to adult crimes.  Murder, adultery, lying for advantage are often spoken against.  Most religions forbid such things in one way or another, and the ten commandments of the Old Testament are no exception.  (See Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21)

In today’s gospel (Matthew 5:21-37) Jesus seems to want more.  He is not content that we should avoid the action, but reaches further for the underlying motive.  Anger, lust, and self-centredness are the problem, whether or not the opportunity for action is present.  The idea that these (and other) attitudes might be replaced by the love, justice and mercy of God is wonderful, and very demanding.

In other places, Jesus will speak words of hope that murder, adultery, fraud and bitterness (as well as their underlying attitudes) are forgivable.  But he will not suggest that the sins can be combined with the holiness of character which is important to God, and to the life of God’s people.  The disciples he gathers will not all be exemplary characters, but cannot be content with their failures. We find hope in the fact that they continue to need grace and forgiveness, if the patience needed by the community is more difficult.

So how do we hear Jesus words?  We need to deal with our anger and disrespect of other people.  It doesn’t only become offensive if we are able to hurt them physically – the attitude is already a falling short of God’s standard – a sin.  Similarly with dishonorable relationships, whether unfaithful, or simply manipulative; and words which do not tell the truth in love (as in Ephesians 4:14-16).  This is something we shall fail constantly.  Yet this standard helps us remember the difference for those of different family background and life experience.  Christians are not called to be “nice”, but to become like God in our attitudes to all sorts of people and situations.

Rotten?

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We seem to find it easy to point out what is going wrong.  Whether it is in the wider world, or locally to us, we know what we don’t like.  We complain, and gather people who make the same sort of complaints, but don’t often do anything positive.

Jesus will not let us get away with that.  “You are the salt of the earth . .” he says at the beginning of today’s gospel (Matthew 5:13-20).  Salt was vital when it preserved food – and Christians are still meant to stop things going rotten. They should, even in small amounts, prevent corruption and decay.  Of course salt is less popular in diets now, as Christian ideas seem to be in some parts of society.  We might want to moan about the cost – in broken families, or lives endangered by addictions, but again, Jesus won’t encourage moaning.  If we are to be salt, we have to preserve what is good.

“You are the light of the world . . ”  It is so much easier to criticise than to live a better way.  But that is our calling.  Be light, show the way, bring hope – not to make a personal reputation or build an ego, but to bring glory to God.  This is not easy reading, but an invitation to be part of the solution.

God has been working on that solution for a long time.  Jesus will build on Old Testament Law and prophecy – but will avoid some of the tradition that has build up around religion.  He is more faithful to God and the promises, yet heavily critical of those confident of their own goodness.  How can we hope to do better than those known for their devotion to “professional religion”? Only by knowing our need of forgiveness and grace.  “Religious observance” is not enough.  We have to let God do what we cannot – forgive, transform our motivation, make us part of the family together bringing light and hope.

Being nice and the gospel (Pentecost 8c, Proper 10c)

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The Parable of the Good Samaritan, well known, often quoted, easily misunderstood.  Luke 10:25-37 is another trick question, well answered by Jesus.  The questioner, who knows his scripture, seems to want a limit.  It is almost as if he asks, “Who can I tell to get lost, because they don’t qualify for my help?”

It is, of course, the wrong question.  But, like annoying children, we are good at asking the wrong questions – the ones with answers too complicated to understand, the ones which don’t fit our situation, or our need, or are more concerned with making us look good, or others look bad.  “Why is this happening to me?” may be a question like that, but there are plenty of others.

Jesus doesn’t sulk or get angry.  He may know that this question is meant to get him into trouble, but his answer will have grace, combining continued usefulness with a real attempt to let this questioner, and his listeners, understand.  We can imagine that the ordinary people in the crowd enjoyed the criticism of the priest and the Levite.  Of course, important people today are never too preoccupied, frightened, or lazy to offer appropriate help – are they?  A warning there, for those of us who think we might have important things to do.

What is the story really about?  No, it is not being nice to strangers.  No, it is not about race relations.  No, it is not about generosity, or the importance of first aid (not that I am against any of these things!)  What Jesus says is, “Life with God, the good life, the holy life, is never just about keeping within the behaviour not forbidden.  If you want to live for God, the question is not ‘What have I got to do to make the pass mark?’, but ‘What opportunities does God give me to reflect the love, grace, generosity and mercy that show God in action?’

The Samaritan doesn’t “do well enough to go to heaven” – none of us do – but he shows more of God than the religious professionals manage in this story.  Jesus invites us to live a new life, in the forgiveness and love of God, and in that life to look for opportunities to be like Him.

Proper 10, year c