Thoughts going in, Sunday Feb 27th

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.
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 important than food, and the body more important 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 pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, 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. (Matthew 6:24-34, TNIV)

With this passage from Matthew 6 our extended look at the Sermon on the Mount comes to a close. Next Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday, followed three days later by Ash Wednesday and Lent.

There are many fascinating aspects to this passage, not the least of which is found in vs 24. When Jesus says “you cannot serve two masters,” no doubt there were those listening who knew exactly what that was like. Peasants working for rich brothers, or a slave who had been willed by a rich man to two of his sons would’ve known exactly what that was like. The odd part is the way the verse ends out—pitting God against money. Note, “money” is an unfortunate rendering. A more literal translation would be to say “you cannot serve both God and WEALTH.” Not only does that clarify the meaning in its first century context, but it also gives us a depth of meaning for today, as we all know that there is much more to wealth (and being slavishly devoted to it) than simple money.

The big question that comes to my mind is simply, was this a problem?? After all, if Jesus wandered into a prestigious Wall Street brokerage house **today it seems like a key component of his message to them would be, “hey guys.....wake up.....you can’t serve both God & wealth!” But whether we go with the ‘original context,’ or for that matter St. Matthew’s original readers (some 40-ish years after the time of Jesus), it’s very likely that the people being addressed are at the very opposite end of the Wall Street social set. In other words, poor Galilean peasants heard these words of Jesus, and Matthew’s original readers were also, likely, poorer types. Why beat them over the head about wealth?

In the end, I’m not sure, but it could boil down to this: if you count up the number of times a form of the word ‘worry’ occurs in this passage, it’s like 6 times. That’s a lot. In the end one could even say that the passage isn’t about money/wealth as much as it is about WORRYING; worrying about the *lack of money/wealth; worrying about how to get more; worrying about the current economic conditions; worrying about the bills that are due; worrying about **EVERYTHING surrounding money/wealth—especially when there doesn’t seem to be enough. In other words, Jesus seems to be equating this sort of fretting/worry with **indentured servitude** to wealth. That’s news to us. We generally think of the fat cat rich as being the only ones slavishly devoted to wealth, but as usual, Jesus turns the tables on what we generally think.

OF COURSE, as just about every commentator points out, **not worrying .....or better yet, **refusing to worry about wealth is certainly not the same thing as being lazy, being derelict in one’s family obligations, or poor stewardship. This is but ONE passage of the Bible. We don’t want to get to a place where we make it teach something that contradicts a myriad of other passages. As always, it’s helpful when we ask the question “where is the Gospel?” In the case of this particular passage the gospel is that worry over wealth is a POOR SUBSTITUTE for our Heavenly Father.

My closing thought today has to do with vs 33, which says: “But seek first his [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Not surprisingly, the “prosperity gospel” gurus pick up on verses such as this all the time & twist them beyond recognition. For the prosperity preachers, “ALL THESE THINGS” means a brand new Mercedes, boats, RVs, a palatial estate, a cabin in the north woods and a condo in Florida, etc. etc. etc. No, no, no. Look back at the passage itself. Jesus is talking about clothes to wear, food to eat, and stuff to drink. In other words, “all these things” means the basic necessities of life.

Cheers,

TM

Neat discovery, itunes U

Just a brief note here to mention a neat discovery I've made.

Actually, it's nothing new.
I've been seeing things about "itunes U" here & there for some time, but have never looked into it--until now.
I'm a HUGE fan of continuing education.
Those who know me know that I routinely take self-directed continuing education retreats at least once a year. I'd love to do something more formalized in terms of more academic studies, but the reality is that there's just no time for it while serving fulltime as a parish pastor.

Well, in my opinion, the next best thing would be the ability to audit classes. Auditing them for free would also be wonderful. Add to that the ability to audit them for free according to *my busy schedule, and you've got the closest thing to perfect that one could find. Enter itunes U.

I've just begun looking at everything they have to offer, but it appears to be a HUGE (and growing!) selection. These are free and downloadable directly to itunes on your computer (mac or pc) where you can either listen directly (or view--as some of these are videocasts), **OR** load them onto your ipod and listen on the move.

I **think** this is going to be a lot of fun.
I'm beginning with a set of lectures from Brown University entitled "From Israel to Jew (a series on the history of Jews & Judaism in Antiquity)," given by Professor Michael Satlow.
Much of this is, of course, 'review' for me--but I enjoy this scholar's perspective.

So, if continuing education is your thang.....and if you're busy and like free things, I'd encourage you to have a look at itunes U!

Cheers,

TM

Thoughts going in, Sunday Feb 20th

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Continuing with Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount....

The topic now is that of RETRIBUTION....REVENGE....COMEUPPANCE.
To begin, it might be helpful to understand where the concept of “eye for eye” came from. From the OT book of Exodus, chapter 21 we read:

23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

The setting was the very loosely amalgamated tribes of Israel during their nomadic/wandering days. During this time “the law,” as such was enforced as a matter of multi-clan agreement. Clan loyalties ran high and superseded everything else. Because of this, it is very easy to imagine scenarios where disputes could get out of hand and easily degenerate into blood feuds—a veritable ancient “Hatfields & McCoys” type scenario. The point of Exodus 21 was to put CONSTRAINTS on retribution—and everyone agreed to these constraints. Hence, if in a fight person A blinded person B, person A would or should never have to worry about person B’s family seeking him out and killing him. This is a very early example of the maxim that “the punishment should fit the crime.” Ideally, then, given the proper implementation of Exodus 21, wholeness and balance are restored to the community. Justice in the matter of these personal wrongs is done.

And then Jesus comes along.
And in a few brief sentences, Jesus tells his disciples that they don’t need to practice Exodus 21 anymore in order to have wholeness and balance in the NEW COMMUNITY that Jesus is establishing.

Now, at first it sure looks like what Jesus is counseling is that his followers should just be the world’s doormats. “Just let everyone walk all over you” is how it appears at first glance. But this is where we need to keep two things in mind: FIRST, Christ’s examples here have to do with personal insults and quarrels, not with criminal acts. The way one commentator puts it: “Christ is here not counseling a soft HEAD, but a soft heart….the slap in the face mentioned in vs 39 is intended as an affront, not a felonious assault. These counsels contain no prohibition against calling the police for being assaulted, only against harboring hatred in the heart as a result of it.”

SECOND, in the words of NT Wright, we need to remember that the sermon on the mount—this section included—is not “good advice,” but “good news!” In other words, WHO is it that ultimately turns the other cheek? WHO is it that ultimately has given both his shirt and coat off his back? WHO is it that ultimately has walked with us not just one mile or two, but every mile? Of course, the answer to all of those questions and more is Jesus our Savior! This passage, as well as all of the rest of the sermon on the mount is DESCRIPTIVE of the Christ-shaped life led by Jesus………FOR US.

Cheers,

TM

Thoughts going in, Sunday Feb 13th

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift. 25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary 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 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall 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 stumble, 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 stumble, 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. 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 sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.' 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Continuing with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus now begins talking about individual issues/commands.

To begin with, two things pop out at me right away from this passage. The first is that Jesus (and by extension The Church) calls us to support the IDEAL godly life. We talk a lot about grace, forgiveness, and the fact that God is the God of “second chances.” This is good. Wonderful. In our sinful condition, we need this to be true, otherwise we would despair. However, just because God is the God of second chances doesn’t mean that God has thrown in the towel on the ideal. This is probably most clearly illustrated in our day by what Jesus has to say on divorce.

In our day divorce has become so widespread that—with the exception of Roman Catholics and a few others—it seems hardly even considered to be a sin anymore. It’s just one of life’s little hickups along the way. We trade in our vehicles all the time, so now we also trade in our spouses. This attitude may make life seem easier, but it’s difficult to reconcile with what Jesus says in Matthew 5. Without demonizing either party (or both) in a modern divorce scenario, I think it is safe to say that if SIN=BROKENNESS, then divorce is the **result of sin. Certainly there were broken dreams, broken expectations, broken hopes and broken promises along the way—to say nothing of other potential examples of brokenness. The point I’m trying to make is that it is still possible (even commanded) to apply Jesus’ ideal view about marriage/divorce to our setting today EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN DIVORCED. The ideal is expressed by Jesus. Perhaps that didn’t work out for you the first time. We are, after all, broken people tainted by the brokenness of sin. Regardless, the call then is to devote yourself to the ideal of making the second marriage (or third, etc.) work. In other words, the fact that God is the God of second chances does NOT negate the fact that we are called to support God’s ideal …and not trivialize that which God has declared to be very important.

The second thing that pops out at me in this passage is very similar to the first, and that is that there is both a LETTER and a SPIRIT of the law, and God is much more concerned about the SPIRIT of the law—as that’s a matter of the heart.
This comes out most clearly in what Jesus has to say about murder/anger and adultery/lust. The point that Jesus is making here is that God is not fooled by mere outward compliance to the rules. I may THINK that I can be a “good Christian” AND nurse a hateful grudge against someone else, but Jesus corrects that thinking. Just as murder is the ultimate breaking of a relationship, hatred is relationship-killing, and Jesus came to HEAL BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS (first between us & God, and second, between each other). Just as adultery most often breaks the marital relationship, lust burning in the heart breaks the bond of affection that should exist between spouses.
In the end, this is much more than simply a compliance issue. This is not God, the Big Brother, telling us that in addition to expecting full compliance to the rules He also constitutes the Divine Thought Police. Rather, what he is saying is that we cannot be WHOLE individuals by mere outward compliance. Wholeness comes when the outward compliance emanates from a CHANGED HEART; a heart that doesn’t want to commit adultery because it’s not lusting; a heart that would never condone murder because it has hatred under control.

cheers,

TM