“Blessing will come from the most difficult journey.”
Raising the Bar
[Jesus taught them, saying,] “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; 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. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
~ the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 5, verses 21-37, from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. (Revised Common Lectionary Year A, Sixth Sunday After Epiphany, 12 February 2017)
“We agreed that you would be home by 10:00, young lady.”
“C’mon, Dad! It’s not like I was out at a party or anything.”
We have many defensive arguments for bad behavior. One of my favorites is the Hitler defense: If I can find an example of someone who behaves more poorly than I, then I don’t really deserve to be punished for my poor behavior. (Do you want to show that you or anyone else is “not that bad”? “It’s not like he’s Hitler.”)
“We agreed, son: No parties without your mother’s and my permission.”
“C’mon Dad! It’s not like I was out getting drunk.”
Do you see how it works?
“You’ve clearly been drinking, Miss, and your ID says you’re under 21.”
“Yes, Officer, but at least I wasn’t drinking and driving.”
. . . .
“Mr. W., you’ve been convicted of three DUIs and reckless endangerment.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like I killed anyone.”
Do you see how it works? By lowering the bar, we can at least plea for mercy or at most rationalize activities which, before we did them, we might never endorse.
Jesus does the opposite. He raises the bar for his disciples. It’s not enough to follow the commandment not to kill anyone (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17). Jesus tells us that harboring anger and contempt will get us punished. His teaching even makes us responsible for the effects of someone else’s anger: “if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you . . . .” If someone else of the community of faith is angry with us, then we must take the initiative to make amends. Jesus calls us not only to save ourselves from punishment, but also to try to save others from the consequences of their own rage.
So also for lust, adultery, and oath-taking. For students of Jesus, it is not enough to ask whether we have fulfilled the letter of the law. It is not enough to ask whether we have avoided doing overt damage to others around us. We must ask if we are sifting every action, every word, every thought to eliminate the evil and keep the good. To use Paul’s words, “we take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:2).
It is not enough to ask whether I turned in my math homework on time. It’s not enough to ask whether I tried every problem in the set. I must ask myself whether I tried my best to learn the lesson and do it well. That means paying attention to the finest detail in earnest.
This teaching has renewed weight in our digital age, when it is so easy with a tweet, a post, or a snap to broadcast our gut-level reactions to the whole world. Yes, I may be incensed at something that has happened. Yes, I may be livid at the latest political news. Yes, I may want to declare to the world that someone is a verifiable idiot. And doing so is, by and large, within our “rights.” But is it good?
How would our lives be different if instead of asking “Was I good enough to stay out of trouble?” we ask “Does this habit, this thought, this action contribute to the good?” And if the answer to the second question is No, then we get rid of it. If the answer is yes, then we cultivate that seed in our lives and let God grow something wonderful.
Master and Teacher, Jesus Christ, clear our eyes to see what is good, and what should be set aside. Empower us to lay bare our hearts before your light, so that the darkness may disappear. Give us courage to swim against the stream of a society which presses us toward self-indulgence. We thank you for carrying us up and over the high bar of righteousness, so that we may honor you in the eyes of the world. Make it so, by the power of your Holy Spirit!
~ emrys tyler