Sermon; Epiphany 6A; Matt. 5:21-37

Today we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount. You will recall that last week's section – You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world – was delivered as a corporate “you.” “Y'all are the salt of the earth. Y'all are the light of the world. And these two things, salt and light, had to do with our function, not our status.

Today, however, Jesus redirects his comments from the corporate body to us individuals. The “you” Jesus uses really is you personally. Not only should you not murder, but you shouldn't be angry with a brother or sister, nor should you insult them. Work toward reconciliation. Not only should you not commit adultery, but you shouldn't even look at another with lust. Don't swear oaths on the name of God. Jesus here is laying out guidelines for our individual behavior. But this section is more than just a list of behavioral dos and don'ts.

If you remember from last week, I said that Jesus was working on transforming the law. Remember, the law was given to a people who had no idea how to live in freedom, their only experiences was that of living in slavery, so the law helped form them as a people. Jesus came not to abolish the law, because by abolishing it those early Jewish disciples of his would have no foundation. Nor did he come simply to fulfill the letter of the law, because that would allow and require us to execute those who worked on the sabbath (among other things.) Instead, he came to transform the law. He came to show that living under a law given to help the Israelites live should be lived in such a way that leads to life, not death.

Jesus continues his work of transformation in this section of his sermon. He is not only transforming it, but also showing that, by the authority vested in him, he is authorized to make this transforming interpretation. We see this in the style he uses when talking to the crowed – “You have heard it said, but I say to you . . .”

You have heard it said, “You shall not murder.” But I say to you that if you are angry with your brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment. And if you say, “You fool,” you will be liable to the hell of fire.

Obviously we shouldn't kill or murder. One reason is that life is sacred and all people . . . ALL people . . . are created in the image of God. Killing/murder does damage to God's creation. Killing/murder is the ultimate act of damage we can invoke on another human being and on God as well.

In saying, “But I say to you,” Jesus goes beyond the written law to its heart, and it is there where transformation begins. Killing is very rarely a totally random act. It may seem like it at times, but very few people decide willy nilly to go kill someone. Anger plays a part in why people kill other people. Insulting them and calling them “fool” also plays a part. We may hear that and not take it seriously (I've called people fools many times), but put it in today's context of bullying. Whether in real life or electronically via cyberbullying, abuse of all kinds – physical, mental, emotional – often pushes people to violent extremes. These are things which also devalue and damage other human beings. By acting this way, never mind actually killing someone, we pave the way to seeing them easily disposed of. Or we create such anger in them that it is then taken out on others.

Jesus immediately moves to the topic of reconciliation. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, go and first be reconciled to them. Anger, insults, and taunts will condemn you to hell, says Jesus, but forgiveness and reconciliation is possible and returns both individuals and the corporate body to a state of grace. If we don't first apologize to one we've hurt to pave the way for reconciliation, we will allow anger to fester. If we don't pursue reconciliation, how long will we let our anger burn inside us? How long will we continue to damage another person? This is another way Jesus is transforming the letter of the law into something that provides life for all. We cannot allow ourselves to continue to live in anger. This has implications for the corporate body as well, for how can we be the light of the world if we keep trying to burn each other up?

From here Jesus moves onto adultery and divorce – everyone's favorite topic. You've heard it said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you, if you even look at another woman with lust . . .

This section isn't as much about sex as it is about doing damage to another. As much as murder and hateful words do damage to individuals, the community, and God, so to does misplaced sexual behavior. Adultery damages all involved and breaks relationships. Like saying, “You fool,” lusting after another is a step down the wrong path. Among other things, it destroys trust. And once trust is destroyed, how do we get it back? Or how do we ever fully trust one who has broken our trust? Damaging relationships has consequences, and this is something Jesus is taking seriously.

The final example I want to look at is the swearing of oaths. You have heard it said, “Carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say, do not swear at all. When we talk about swearing oaths, it might be similar to us saying, “I swear on a stack of Bibles,” or, “On my mother's grave,” or, “As God as my witness.” The issue isn't promising or vowing to do something, the issue once again goes back to doing damage to another.

God is a mystery. The throne of God is surrounded in mystery – see Isaiah and Revelation. When we worship, we partake in these holy mysteries. God is beyond our understanding.

What Jesus is getting at here is that when we swear an oath in God's name, or by God's name, we have taken away the mystery. We have taken away God's power because we now claim to control God. We may even claim that by using God's name this way, God will help ensure the oath gets fulfilled. Like murder, insults, adultery, and lust demean other people, using God's name this way demeans God. It makes God no more than a household idol. In using God's name this way, we do damage to the true nature of God.

In all of this, Jesus is fulfilling the law – don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't swear falsely. But Jesus is also transforming the law to get us to see it more deeply. Don't harm people by your actions and words. Don't do damage to God. The law was given to set boundaries and help the Israelites move from slavery to freedom, from death to life. Jesus is transforming the law in such a way that we move beyond the black and white edicts toward fulfilling the heart of the law so that we begin to recognize when we might be doing damage and harm to others and God.

In this sermon we have Jesus addressing both the corporate “you” and individual “you.” As we move forward, let us read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest how we function both corporately and individually to provide light, blessings, kindness, and healing to those around us. Because it will be through these acts that we will be transformative.

Amen.