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I walked to the bank the other day. I made my way over to one of the desks and sat down to talk to a guy whose name tag said "Andy." I said, "Andy, I need some money, and was wondering if you could help me?" Andy smiled and said he would be glad to do what he could. I told him what I needed and he left the room for a few minutes to run the credit check and whatever else it is that they do at a time like that. Minutes later he walked back in and said, "No problem, John. I've got your check right here!" He slid the money across the table. I was impressed with how easy it had been and as I started to get up Andy said, "Just a second John, I need your signature in a couple of places."

"For what?"

"Well, this one shows that you received your check, and this one shows that you understand the payment schedule."

"What payment schedule?"

"Uh, for the note. See, for our part, we give you the money, and for your part, each month you pay it back in ..."

"Pay it back?" I interrupted. "You mean I have to pay this back? I hadn't counted on that. We'd better just forget it then." And I left.

I walked down the street to another bank I knew and sat down to talk with Howard. I explained the need I had, and the fact that I wasn't able to get the help over at the other bank. Howard said he would be glad to check it out, and moments later returned with check in hand.

"I'm not sure what the problem was down the street, John, but it looks great here. Here's your check."

Now that's more like it. I shook Howard's hand, picked up my check and turned to go.

"Wait just a second, John, I need your signature on a couple of things here."

"Signature, for what?"

"Well, this one shows that you received your check, and this one shows that you understand ..."

"You mean the payments?"

"Right. It's just a formality to show that you understand about the interest rates and everything."

"Interest? You mean I have to pay interest, too?"

"Of course. For our part, we loan you the cash. For your part ..."

I was out the door before I heard the rest.

Jesus sat in the middle of the crowd on the hillside. Some of them had been with him for days, even weeks, but many of them were new today. They had all come to hear his teaching. The rumors were running wild about what he was going to say. Most of the rumors were about this new kingdom he had been hinting at. Everyone was interested in a new kingdom. The one that the Romans had offered wasn't working out at all. But the age-old kingdom overseen by the priests, scribes and Pharisees had become pretty unbearable, too, what with all those laws that no one could ever hope to follow. So the rumors of a new kingdom brought them all out. Whatever he offers will be an improvement. No more old laws. No more Pharisees. That's what Jesus is going to do for us.

As far away as that day is, we can still hear the excitement in their voices as they wait to hear from him. "Shhhhhhhhhh!" He finds a rock in the middle of them, sits down, and speaks.

"Some of you are under the impression that I am going to do away with the old laws. Well, don't ever get the idea that I have come to abolish the law. In fact, not one comma or apostrophe will be changed."

The crowd was stunned.

"In fact, with me it is going to become even harder than it has been. Yessir, you see those teachers standing over there?" He pointed to a group of Pharisees watching the whole thing from a safe distance. "Do you see them? I tell you the truth, if you want in my father's kingdom, you are going to have to become even more righteous than those guys over there!"

The Pharisees smiled to each other, "More righteous than us? Who is he kidding?"

The crowds looked at the group and chuckled, "More righteous than them? We get the point. Those guys certainly know the law, no doubt about it, but righteous? No way."

The people respected the Pharisees as the keepers of the law. They kept it. They kept it tightly. They memorized it, and taught their disciples to memorize it. But follow it? That's another matter. As experts in the law, they were also experts in the loopholes.

As an example, for one of the annual holidays all Jews had to clean their homes, and throw away any foods that did not fit within the old, very rigid, dietary laws. This included any prepared foods, many spices and items the "modern" Jewish family used the rest of the year. When the holiday passed, everyone had to go to the market and repurchase items they had thrown away. It was becoming an expensive law. The Pharisees had found that with a little creative thinking it could be made cheaper. The law actually said that Jews could not own those items, or have them in their homes during the holiday. So, why not just pack the things up, take them to a non-Jewish neighbor, sell the box to them for a buck, then, buy it back after the holiday? Quick, efficient, much cheaper, and perfectly legal. If you understood the law. They were many things, yes, but righteous was not necessarily one of them.

Jesus continued, "You have heard that you shall not kill." He gazed at the teachers in the distance, and they shifted uneasily under his stare. No fewer than three previous rebel-teachers had met with crucifixion in recent years at the hands of these keepers of the law. Loopholes. These three men had come from the south teaching that God loved people more than laws. But they had been branded rebels and blasphemers, which the law said must be punished by death. Righteous? Probably not. But legal, absolutely.

The crowd, however, had its mind on the Romans. No one had made the streets flow with blood quite like the centurions had. God would certainly get them for breaking his law. "Preach it, Jesus!" someone shouted.

"You have heard that you shall not kill. But I tell you that even if you are angry with your brother, you are liable. Get angry enough to call someone "empty-head," or in other words, "air-head," or blurt out a bold "your momma!" and you are liable. Burn inside with a grudge and you will end up thrown into the fires of the Hinnon Valley, the valley at the edge of Jerusalem that burns 24 hours a day with the garbage and trash of the city, and resembles Hell itself.

"When you bring your gift to the altar, and remember that your brother has something against you, put down the gift, go fix what needs to be fixed, and then present your gift."

There. There it is. Can you imagine that? Can you picture in your mind what would happen if everyone here, before we went any further with what we are doing, got up out of their seats, went and mended all their broken relationships? Picture it. Every person in this church who has a grudge gets right up, goes to the person and gets it all settled, then sits back down. (Or every person reading this book, sticks a bookmark right here, closes the book, picks up the phone or walks out the door, gets it all worked out and settled, and then reads on?) Can you see it? That's what Jesus called for that morning on the hillside. No more hassle. No more law courts. No more!

Can you hear the people of the crowd? For some on the hillside it was too much. This is where Jesus became impossible for them. They stood, and slowly walked out of the crowd, and went back home. Many people went up that hillside to hear Jesus but could not walk back down it with him. They could be Christian on the inside, with the spiritual highs, the warm fuzzies, the deep thoughts, but not the outside. To go and forgive, or confess? To do their part? Too much. This was not the freedom they had expected.

Jesus offered a kingdom. He did his part. What remains is our part; the acting, the forgiving and the confessing. The rebuilding of broken relationships, that is our part. We have come to the hill. We have heard the "Blessed art thous" and have now been asked to sign on the line. For some of us this is where it becomes too much. Here Jesus becomes impossible for us. Inside, we have gotten up out of our seats, slowly made our way out of the crowd, and have gone home. We just won't sign for the check! Relationships remain broken, grudges continue to burn holes in our stomachs, and we wonder why Christianity just doesn't do for us what it does for others.

There is good news. The offer made on the hillside then, still stands now. The papers are still on the desk.

You can sign at any time.