Perfection
Commentary
I am certain that when I hear some people speak of the Christian life, I am hearing them say that nothing less than perfection is allowed. We are regaled with the rules; then we are reminded that if we depend on the presence of the Spirit, there will be no problem. It seems as though we are being driven into a corner from which there is no escape.
As one reads the New Testament, in the order in which it was likely written, one discovers that there is a great concern for personal behavior. There is no compromising the call to perfection, but there is also the acknowledgment that it is not likely to happen.
For instance, take another look at Matthew's Parable of the Weeds or the Parable of the Net and you will see that he is struggling to define the nature of the church as a fellowship
in which both good and bad exist together and that judgment is God's business.
Paul writes to the church at Philippi about perfection and then confesses that he is not there yet. Reread what he does say and it becomes a bit more possible for the rest of us.
A call to perfection is always there. But there is an acknowledgment that when we falter, there is One who understands. Reread Hebrews 4:14ff and contrast it with Hebrews 6:4ff. It is clear that the early church was struggling with this matter and that we ought not to be surprised if we struggle with it too. The truth is that most of us wish for ten handy rules that will guarantee that all is well with our soul. The Good News is, as Paul makes clear in Romans 7, that in the final instance our hope is in the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE I
The Perfect Man
Psalm 15
Introduction:Many of us these days see hymn singing as a sort of recreational part of worship. We want to sing the old favorites; we wish to mouth the words that give us comfort. We complain when some new tune is introduced or the words are not familiar. We act the same way with regard to the Psalms of Israel. Most of us know about Psalm 23 and many know about Psalm 121, but when we are beyond these two we are in deep water. It is clear that there are other purposes for singing than enjoyment. Psalms and hymns are also meant to teach us, to bring reminders, and offer instruction. For instance:
Note that this is an antiphonal song. Perhaps the cantor could sing verse 1 and then the people could respond with verses 2-5a. Then the last part, verse 5b, would come as a promise or an assertion about such people.
B. Who has a right to come to the temple in Jerusalem? The answer has a lot to do with how one conducts oneself in relationship to others. Psalm 1 and Psalm 15 carry this same message.
C. The answer has to do with where one goes, what one does, what one says, what one avoids, what one approves, how one keeps promises, and whether one has a sense of concern for others. That is not a bad place of beginning. Of course it is not the whole of morality or ethics. There are many who imagine that because they cannot find a clear rule regarding everything they must encounter from day to day, there is not much sense in worrying about such things. Most of us can use some simple statements that refer to the kind of persons we need to be in order to witness to others about our relationship to God. For instance, there are many who imagine the Sermon on the Mount to be the ultimate statement regarding ethics and rules. The truth is revealed in the first statements in the Sermon, the Beatitudes, where there is a description, not of rules that must be kept, but of the kind of person we are expected to be.
Conclusion: Try reading this Psalm responsively with the congregation and see what new meanings begin to come to mind.
OUTLINE II
No Laughing Matter
Genesis 18:1-10a
Introduction:Sometimes I think that when we read the Old Testament, we do what we were trained to do as children and go to its pages to find new heroes. Nothing could be farther from the mind of the editors. They did not mean to set up role models for us. Rather it is clear that the writers did mean for us to see God at work and to call to our attention what he could do with some pretty sorry material. While we spend much time telling about the greatness of such people as Abraham and Moses, the writers are always pointing up their weaknesses and telling us what God did through them anyway.
Tell the Story. I know. I say that all the time, but it is important. Most of the people we address every week are ignorant of the Bible. It is hard to tell them a story with which they are familiar. I am constantly surprised by the way in which many are surprised at what is in the Bible.
B. Here intermediaries come to Abraham with good news. It is too much for this old couple to take. Sarah laughs to herself and then denies that she did so. Abraham will be 100 years old when Isaac is born. The writer in chapter 18 tells us that Sarah has long since ceased menstruating and thus she did not think she could bear children.
Conclusion: The truth is that the writer is taking every pain to show that Abraham and Sarah understand and that we understand that what happens here, happens only because God is involved. The name Issac means laughter. His name will always serve to remind this couple that they doubted God and that they laughed at the news of his coming birth. Perhaps we, like them, ought not to be so ready to rush to judgment in such matters. If God is anything to us, he is a God of surprises.
OUTLINE III
A Bit of Sisterly Competition
Luke 10:38-42
Introduction: I must confess that this is not one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. On the face of it, it seems to make Mary Jesus' favorite and to not give hardworking Martha the credit she deserves. It also seems to put Jesus in a bad light. It sounds as if he is unappreciative of his host and a bit other-worldly and not quite real. Now that I have confessed this, we need to see if there is anything more.
Not by Bread Alone. We must make the best of this text. It seems to me that one of its meanings can be related to something Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy when he was undergoing temptation on that mountain. The reminder that had been given to the children of Israel was a reminder that was also given to his disciples: you cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. See Deuteronomy 8:3.
B. One of the things that can be deduced from this passage is that not everybody is cut from the same cloth or made up the same way. Mary was Mary. Apparently she was quite taken with Jesus and wanted to be with him enough to be a bit rude to her sister. Martha is a homemaker, intent upon making her guest comfortable. Both had good motives and both are to be commended. I cannot imagine what the writer meant to say at this point when he put it down this way.
Conclusion: I think that some of us ought to take our brains with us when we read the Bible. We are not expected to believe what appears not to be very useful. We are required to be honest with what we read and that is what I think we have done here.
As one reads the New Testament, in the order in which it was likely written, one discovers that there is a great concern for personal behavior. There is no compromising the call to perfection, but there is also the acknowledgment that it is not likely to happen.
For instance, take another look at Matthew's Parable of the Weeds or the Parable of the Net and you will see that he is struggling to define the nature of the church as a fellowship
in which both good and bad exist together and that judgment is God's business.
Paul writes to the church at Philippi about perfection and then confesses that he is not there yet. Reread what he does say and it becomes a bit more possible for the rest of us.
A call to perfection is always there. But there is an acknowledgment that when we falter, there is One who understands. Reread Hebrews 4:14ff and contrast it with Hebrews 6:4ff. It is clear that the early church was struggling with this matter and that we ought not to be surprised if we struggle with it too. The truth is that most of us wish for ten handy rules that will guarantee that all is well with our soul. The Good News is, as Paul makes clear in Romans 7, that in the final instance our hope is in the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
OUTLINE I
The Perfect Man
Psalm 15
Introduction:Many of us these days see hymn singing as a sort of recreational part of worship. We want to sing the old favorites; we wish to mouth the words that give us comfort. We complain when some new tune is introduced or the words are not familiar. We act the same way with regard to the Psalms of Israel. Most of us know about Psalm 23 and many know about Psalm 121, but when we are beyond these two we are in deep water. It is clear that there are other purposes for singing than enjoyment. Psalms and hymns are also meant to teach us, to bring reminders, and offer instruction. For instance:
Note that this is an antiphonal song. Perhaps the cantor could sing verse 1 and then the people could respond with verses 2-5a. Then the last part, verse 5b, would come as a promise or an assertion about such people.
B. Who has a right to come to the temple in Jerusalem? The answer has a lot to do with how one conducts oneself in relationship to others. Psalm 1 and Psalm 15 carry this same message.
C. The answer has to do with where one goes, what one does, what one says, what one avoids, what one approves, how one keeps promises, and whether one has a sense of concern for others. That is not a bad place of beginning. Of course it is not the whole of morality or ethics. There are many who imagine that because they cannot find a clear rule regarding everything they must encounter from day to day, there is not much sense in worrying about such things. Most of us can use some simple statements that refer to the kind of persons we need to be in order to witness to others about our relationship to God. For instance, there are many who imagine the Sermon on the Mount to be the ultimate statement regarding ethics and rules. The truth is revealed in the first statements in the Sermon, the Beatitudes, where there is a description, not of rules that must be kept, but of the kind of person we are expected to be.
Conclusion: Try reading this Psalm responsively with the congregation and see what new meanings begin to come to mind.
OUTLINE II
No Laughing Matter
Genesis 18:1-10a
Introduction:Sometimes I think that when we read the Old Testament, we do what we were trained to do as children and go to its pages to find new heroes. Nothing could be farther from the mind of the editors. They did not mean to set up role models for us. Rather it is clear that the writers did mean for us to see God at work and to call to our attention what he could do with some pretty sorry material. While we spend much time telling about the greatness of such people as Abraham and Moses, the writers are always pointing up their weaknesses and telling us what God did through them anyway.
Tell the Story. I know. I say that all the time, but it is important. Most of the people we address every week are ignorant of the Bible. It is hard to tell them a story with which they are familiar. I am constantly surprised by the way in which many are surprised at what is in the Bible.
B. Here intermediaries come to Abraham with good news. It is too much for this old couple to take. Sarah laughs to herself and then denies that she did so. Abraham will be 100 years old when Isaac is born. The writer in chapter 18 tells us that Sarah has long since ceased menstruating and thus she did not think she could bear children.
Conclusion: The truth is that the writer is taking every pain to show that Abraham and Sarah understand and that we understand that what happens here, happens only because God is involved. The name Issac means laughter. His name will always serve to remind this couple that they doubted God and that they laughed at the news of his coming birth. Perhaps we, like them, ought not to be so ready to rush to judgment in such matters. If God is anything to us, he is a God of surprises.
OUTLINE III
A Bit of Sisterly Competition
Luke 10:38-42
Introduction: I must confess that this is not one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. On the face of it, it seems to make Mary Jesus' favorite and to not give hardworking Martha the credit she deserves. It also seems to put Jesus in a bad light. It sounds as if he is unappreciative of his host and a bit other-worldly and not quite real. Now that I have confessed this, we need to see if there is anything more.
Not by Bread Alone. We must make the best of this text. It seems to me that one of its meanings can be related to something Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy when he was undergoing temptation on that mountain. The reminder that had been given to the children of Israel was a reminder that was also given to his disciples: you cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. See Deuteronomy 8:3.
B. One of the things that can be deduced from this passage is that not everybody is cut from the same cloth or made up the same way. Mary was Mary. Apparently she was quite taken with Jesus and wanted to be with him enough to be a bit rude to her sister. Martha is a homemaker, intent upon making her guest comfortable. Both had good motives and both are to be commended. I cannot imagine what the writer meant to say at this point when he put it down this way.
Conclusion: I think that some of us ought to take our brains with us when we read the Bible. We are not expected to believe what appears not to be very useful. We are required to be honest with what we read and that is what I think we have done here.
