The Great Antitheses
Sermon
Jane had marriage problems. She and her husband weren't getting along too well together, because Simon had a lady friend. Maggie was only a friend, someone Simon had met at work and saw every day, but it had advanced beyond that. Simon and Maggie often went out together. They shared the same interest in the theatre, an interest which didn't appeal to Jane at all. Naturally Simon and Maggie had a meal together after the theatre. Jane didn't object to any of that, but when Simon took Maggie shopping, it was too much.
"That's my place," Jane exploded. "He should be taking me shopping, not her."
"I don't know what you're worried about," Simon retorted. "I'm not having an affair. We haven't been to bed together, so I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't committed adultery."
For Simon, sex constituted adultery. Nothing else counted. Any relationship was OK, as long as there was no actual sex, and Jane should put up with it. Jane didn't see Simon's relationship with Maggie in quite the same way, and eventually Simon and Jane were divorced.
Human relationships are some of the most difficult things to handle. In today's reading from Matthew's gospel, Jesus attached such importance to good human relationships, that he put the resolution of our human conflicts above our worship of God. That is, worship of God is meaningless as long as we live with broken human relationships. Persons matter so much to God that he requires that we mend our relationships with other people before bringing our gifts to him, yet I have known many people who would regard themselves as staunch Christians, but who never speak to a sibling because of some row many years previously. They take no notice at all of Jesus' words, as though such words don't apply to them. And perhaps we are all guilty of this in one way or another. We choose the words of Jesus which suit us and conveniently both forget and ignore the others.
This makes today's reading hard to hear. Together, today's and next week's gospel are called "the great antitheses" because the format is Jesus quoting an Old Testament law ? you have heard it said by those of old ? and following it up by a reinterpretation of the law by himself ? but I say to you... The strange thing is, that Jesus' reinterpretation actually makes adhering to the law harder rather than easier, because Jesus moves beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. In this sense, Jesus restores the Law to its God-intended purpose, which was to help people live lives which would bring them happiness and fulfilment.
Jesus wades straight in by addressing the topic of anger, but he links it with murder. ?eYou have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder"; and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgement." But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, "You fool", you will be liable to the hell of fire.
Strong words, and scary words too, for which of us has never been angry? Perhaps Jesus isn't talking about the emotional reaction we have when we are hurt or when our sense of space and worth is violated. He may be talking more of the ways in which we nurture anger and keep the flames of it alive within ourselves, so that we become unable or unwilling to forgive, or too proud to apologise. It's no good trying to worship God, Jesus says, if that sort of anger is deep within your heart. Can't be done. First, you have to sort out your anger problem and restore your relationships (something which becomes more and more difficult as more and more time passes.) Otherwise your worship is a waste of time.
Jesus then moves on to the topic of adultery, and here he completely changes the custom of the day by saying quite clearly that men are as responsible for the sanctity of marriage as women. In the paternalistic society in which Jesus lived, men were never considered to be at fault in a marriage relationship. Hence the story in John's gospel of the woman taken in adultery. No mention is made of the man involved. If you lust after another woman, Jesus tells the men, then you are committing adultery just as surely as if you'd leapt into bed with her. And Jesus isn't only talking about sex here. Any relationship with someone else that undermines the marriage relationship, he says, is wrong. This is what Jane instinctively felt over Simon's relationship with Maggie.
Marriage problems often lead to divorce, so divorce is the next topic Jesus addresses. Divorce in the first century was even easier than it is today, and was granted for the most trivial of reasons. Naturally it was granted to men, not women. A man could divorce his wife if she burned the dinner or if she wasn't attractive enough, so if a woman lost her looks, she could be thrown out onto the street while her husband took a younger and prettier model. In those days, because women had no rights and were little better than cattle, a woman couldn't survive without a man to support her, so here Jesus is championing the cause of women by his harsh words on divorce. They are words which we largely disregard today, but it seems to be fairly clear that our society is suffering through the breakdown of marriages. There can't be a family in the land today unaffected by divorce and the misery it brings. And of course, Jesus' words apply to any long term relationship, whether or not it has a marriage certificate. Once you've made that commitment to a relationship, you don't just walk out when it suits you.
Finally, Jesus has something to say about oaths. We tend to take Scriptural teaching on oaths as a prohibition on swearing or any profane use of God's name, but in the biblical context oaths referred to the use of God's name to affirm the truthfulness of what one had said. It didn't include other profanity or vulgar language. There was a pattern of deceitfulness prevalent in Jewish society in Jesus' time. In some circles, habits had developed in which people felt free not to tell the truth unless they swore by God's name that they were telling the truth. It was a bit like crossing your fingers behind your back. Judaism had several mechanisms by which they could refer to God without actually mentioning his name, such as by mentioning heaven or God's throne instead. Jesus said that wasn't good enough. He said that kingdom people's word must be reliable in all circumstances. There are no get-outs, and oaths are inappropriate for people of integrity. Our culture today has many different ways of justifying lying. People are described as being "economical with the truth", or merely telling a "little white lie", as though that's a good and honourable and acceptable thing to do.
This teaching of Jesus on anger, adultery, divorce, and lying, is hard to take, because it's so relevant today. We live in a society where all those things are not only regarded as normal and OK, but which are actively encouraged through our media. But we are kingdom people. We stand apart because of the way we are, rather than because of what we say. We are people of integrity, people who live our lives according to God's law. And that makes us very blessed indeed.
"That's my place," Jane exploded. "He should be taking me shopping, not her."
"I don't know what you're worried about," Simon retorted. "I'm not having an affair. We haven't been to bed together, so I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't committed adultery."
For Simon, sex constituted adultery. Nothing else counted. Any relationship was OK, as long as there was no actual sex, and Jane should put up with it. Jane didn't see Simon's relationship with Maggie in quite the same way, and eventually Simon and Jane were divorced.
Human relationships are some of the most difficult things to handle. In today's reading from Matthew's gospel, Jesus attached such importance to good human relationships, that he put the resolution of our human conflicts above our worship of God. That is, worship of God is meaningless as long as we live with broken human relationships. Persons matter so much to God that he requires that we mend our relationships with other people before bringing our gifts to him, yet I have known many people who would regard themselves as staunch Christians, but who never speak to a sibling because of some row many years previously. They take no notice at all of Jesus' words, as though such words don't apply to them. And perhaps we are all guilty of this in one way or another. We choose the words of Jesus which suit us and conveniently both forget and ignore the others.
This makes today's reading hard to hear. Together, today's and next week's gospel are called "the great antitheses" because the format is Jesus quoting an Old Testament law ? you have heard it said by those of old ? and following it up by a reinterpretation of the law by himself ? but I say to you... The strange thing is, that Jesus' reinterpretation actually makes adhering to the law harder rather than easier, because Jesus moves beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. In this sense, Jesus restores the Law to its God-intended purpose, which was to help people live lives which would bring them happiness and fulfilment.
Jesus wades straight in by addressing the topic of anger, but he links it with murder. ?eYou have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder"; and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgement." But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, "You fool", you will be liable to the hell of fire.
Strong words, and scary words too, for which of us has never been angry? Perhaps Jesus isn't talking about the emotional reaction we have when we are hurt or when our sense of space and worth is violated. He may be talking more of the ways in which we nurture anger and keep the flames of it alive within ourselves, so that we become unable or unwilling to forgive, or too proud to apologise. It's no good trying to worship God, Jesus says, if that sort of anger is deep within your heart. Can't be done. First, you have to sort out your anger problem and restore your relationships (something which becomes more and more difficult as more and more time passes.) Otherwise your worship is a waste of time.
Jesus then moves on to the topic of adultery, and here he completely changes the custom of the day by saying quite clearly that men are as responsible for the sanctity of marriage as women. In the paternalistic society in which Jesus lived, men were never considered to be at fault in a marriage relationship. Hence the story in John's gospel of the woman taken in adultery. No mention is made of the man involved. If you lust after another woman, Jesus tells the men, then you are committing adultery just as surely as if you'd leapt into bed with her. And Jesus isn't only talking about sex here. Any relationship with someone else that undermines the marriage relationship, he says, is wrong. This is what Jane instinctively felt over Simon's relationship with Maggie.
Marriage problems often lead to divorce, so divorce is the next topic Jesus addresses. Divorce in the first century was even easier than it is today, and was granted for the most trivial of reasons. Naturally it was granted to men, not women. A man could divorce his wife if she burned the dinner or if she wasn't attractive enough, so if a woman lost her looks, she could be thrown out onto the street while her husband took a younger and prettier model. In those days, because women had no rights and were little better than cattle, a woman couldn't survive without a man to support her, so here Jesus is championing the cause of women by his harsh words on divorce. They are words which we largely disregard today, but it seems to be fairly clear that our society is suffering through the breakdown of marriages. There can't be a family in the land today unaffected by divorce and the misery it brings. And of course, Jesus' words apply to any long term relationship, whether or not it has a marriage certificate. Once you've made that commitment to a relationship, you don't just walk out when it suits you.
Finally, Jesus has something to say about oaths. We tend to take Scriptural teaching on oaths as a prohibition on swearing or any profane use of God's name, but in the biblical context oaths referred to the use of God's name to affirm the truthfulness of what one had said. It didn't include other profanity or vulgar language. There was a pattern of deceitfulness prevalent in Jewish society in Jesus' time. In some circles, habits had developed in which people felt free not to tell the truth unless they swore by God's name that they were telling the truth. It was a bit like crossing your fingers behind your back. Judaism had several mechanisms by which they could refer to God without actually mentioning his name, such as by mentioning heaven or God's throne instead. Jesus said that wasn't good enough. He said that kingdom people's word must be reliable in all circumstances. There are no get-outs, and oaths are inappropriate for people of integrity. Our culture today has many different ways of justifying lying. People are described as being "economical with the truth", or merely telling a "little white lie", as though that's a good and honourable and acceptable thing to do.
This teaching of Jesus on anger, adultery, divorce, and lying, is hard to take, because it's so relevant today. We live in a society where all those things are not only regarded as normal and OK, but which are actively encouraged through our media. But we are kingdom people. We stand apart because of the way we are, rather than because of what we say. We are people of integrity, people who live our lives according to God's law. And that makes us very blessed indeed.
