doing whatever it was that
Beyond Reason
Matthew 5:21-37 - 2-12-17
Rev. Gary Shoemaker
Bellingham F.C.C.
I couldn't have shared this
story a few weeks ago when
my Mom was visiting, she'd
never forgive me. But now
that she's safely back two
states away I can share it.
Many summers ago, we were
packing up to spend a week
out at the lake. I was
probably in grade school. We
weren't being very helpful, in
fact we were being very
unhelpful and Mom was
getting frustrated. Even Dad
was getting on her nerves.
My brother and I were no
doubt bugging each other
and running to Mom every
minute or two asking her to
make the other one stop
seemed like a Federal Crime
to the other.
You could tell that she was
about ready to scrap the
whole idea of the trip as her
face grew redder and her
steps became more like
stomps as she tore through
the house. It was at that
moment when I decided to
ask her what I should do
with my fishing pole. (Pause)
Now in hindsight, as I look
back through the lens of
passing time, I realize that all
the classic signs were present
that should have told me that
she was about to lose her cool
and the last thing I should
have done was give her that
little nudge that pushed her
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over the edge. But hindsight
is always 20/20 isn't it? So I
asked, and guess what? She
told me what I could do with
my fishing pole.
I remember that story
because it was so out of
character for my Mom to be
anything but loving and kind.
But on that day, we had
pushed her beyond the limits
of human endurance. And
her response is forever etched
in the not so deep recesses of
my mind.
Jesus says, you've heard it
said that you are not to
commit murder. But I say
unto you, don't even get
angry. Don't get angry?
Don't ever get angry?!? Are
you kidding me? If Daisy
Shoemaker can lose her cool
every once in a while, there's
no hope for the rest of us. In
fact, it makes me angry just
thinking about trying to
never get angry!
And then on top of that Jesus
goes on... you've heard it
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."
Oh come on! That's beyond
impossible. If you're human,
you're going to get angry and
if you're human your going to
think, "Hubba, Hubba,
Hubba", every once in a
while. I know I said hubba
hubba hubba, but I've got
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grandchildren present and I
have to be careful these days!
What's Jesus talking about?
He's making it impossible to
be a follower, his demands
are too high, his standards
are impossible. It's beyond
reason!
It's beyond reason. And that
may be the point here. When
we try to reason our way to
correct behavior, we end up
with a code of law and
conduct that is too heavy to
carry.
It weighs us down, it's too
unwieldy. A good symbol for
the weight of the Law is the
story of Judge Roy Moore.
Remember him? Hes the
former Alabama Supreme
Court chief justice who
commissioned a 5,000-pound
monument depicting the Law
of Moses. And then he was
removed from office for
refusing to move it from the
State Capitol. What you may
not know is that the Rock,
as it has been called, went on
tour. That may not seem that
big a deal, until you think of
what it takes to lug around
two-and-a-half ton sculpture.
It rode on a flatbed truck and
had to be lifted off and back
again with a five-ton, fifty-
seven-foot crane! What a
perfect image to portray the
commandments as burdens,
weights and heavy
obligations.
And we often think of Jesus
coming to abolish the heavy
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burden of the law. And then
we read in the Sermon on the
Mount that Jesus very
specifically declares that he
hasn't come to abolish the
law, but to fulfill it. And then
he gives us some nearly
impossible examples of what
that means... never getting
angry, never lusting, never
divorcing, never lying. Some
fulfillment! He's just made it
harder to follow.
Or has he? I think that Jesus
has just freed us from a huge
burden - like a 5,000-pound
monument made out of
Vernon granite. But it's a
burden that never should
have existed in the first place.
God gave the law to free us,
to show us a better way, a
way that protects the dignity
and safety of all.
When God entered the
covenant with the Jewish
people, it was to form a
relationship. Not
surprisingly, what God was
looking for from the covenant
people was to commit
themselves to this
relationship wholeheartedly.
In that context, the purpose
of the commandments was to
define human life as an
expression of what it means
to love God. They were given
as the parameters within
which they could live their
livesparameters that were
intended to enable them to
enjoy a life that is full of
living hope, lasting joy, and
genuine love, both toward
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God and others. Viewing the
commandments as burdens
misses the fact that they
begin with the good news of
what the liberating God has
done (I am the Lord your
God who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery,) and then
they describe the shape of the
freedom that results.
In a very real sense, our
Gospel lesson shows Jesus
spelling out in very specific
terms what it looks like to do
Gods will on earth as it is in
heaven. For him it means that
we not only dont kill one
another, we also avoid
hatred, anger, and disrespect.
For him doing Gods will on
earth as it is in heaven means
that we not only dont engage
in promiscuity, we also relate
to others with pure hearts.
For him, doing Gods will on
earth as it is in heaven means
that we not only love our
friends, we also love our
enemies.
I think St. Augustine was
onto something when he said,
love, and do what you will.
I think he was saying that if
we truly love God and truly
love others, then we are free
to do whatever we want,
because what we want will be
an expression of love toward
God and others!
When we make the choice to
align ourselves with the
fulfillment of Gods justice
and peace in this world, we
become liberators of not only
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ourselves but liberators of
people around the world. The
law of love and justice goes
against the restrictions
imposed by any government
because we see all people as
our sisters and brothers.
There is no stranger, no
outsider when we are all
drawn together into one
family where justice and
peace prevail.

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