September 21, 2028 Matthew 5:17-48 Revolutionary
Matthew 5:17-48 Revolutionary
Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott Blevins
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “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 sexual immorality, 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. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also, and if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, give your coat as well, and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Today we continue the three-part series on the Sermon on the Mount . . . those radical words of Jesus that are as challenging for us today as they were when they were first spoken over 2,000 years ago. In last week’s sermon, we found Jesus putting forth a completely upside-down value system that contradicts worldly wisdom—a world in which the meek and the mourners are the blessed ones rather than the powerful and successful. We talked about how these teachings of Jesus are so countercultural that some modern Christians have rejected them as “weak” or ineffective, preferring political ideologies over Christ’s call to love enemies, turn the other cheek, and respond to hatred with love.
Today we hear more upside-down wisdom from Jesus as we continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount. In fact, we begin to get the idea that Jesus has a vision of completely reordering society—a truly revolutionary vision for our world.
When I think about revolutionary visions, what comes to mind immediately for me is the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. speech in front of 250,000 people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. You know the speech. King articulated a vision for what he believed could be reality in America: equal rights for all. What was the most famous line from that speech? “I have a dream.”
In this most famous speech, King, a tremendous orator, employed a rhetorical device called “anaphora,” in which the orator repeats a line or a phrase at the beginning of a sentence to create emphasis. What was the anaphora—the phrase King repeated throughout the speech? Again, “I have a dream.” Now, I don’t have King’s oratory skills, but listen to his revolutionary speech, in which he imagines a reordering of society.
· I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
· I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
· I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
· I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
· I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
· I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
These revolutionary words from Dr. King set forth a vision of a complete reordering of society to be more in line with God’s vision of the world as articulated in the Old Testament book of Isaiah 40:4-5:
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Dr. King’s revolutionary speech reminds me of Jesus’ words from our scripture lesson today in both style and content:
· As for content, like Dr. King, Jesus is articulating a vision of a complete reordering of society.
· As for style, like Dr. King, Jesus uses an anaphora in this section of the sermon. What is the anaphora Jesus uses? “You have heard that it was said . . .” AND “But I say to you . . .”
What’s Jesus talking about when he says, “You have heard that it was said?”
He’s talking about the Jewish law. That’s how he begins this section of the Sermon on the Mount, by talking about the law:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matt. 5:17)
Religion in Jesus’ day had devolved into following the 613 laws of Judaism. The zeitgeist was, “Follow the law and that’s enough.”
Let’s think about laws for a moment. Why do we have laws? Laws are created to help a society order itself and to keep peace among its residents. A modern law is, “Stop at red lights.” No one wants to stop at a red light, but we all do it. Why? Because it’s the only way to order or manage thousands of cars going every-which-way. (The other option is a roundabout. Enough said.)
Here's a little background about the Jewish laws in Jesus’ day. When the Hebrew people escaped from Egypt, well over a million people according to scripture, they were suddenly a lawless society. They no longer wanted or needed Egypt’s laws. But they needed some kind of law. That’s why Moses came down the mountain with a set of 10 Commandments or laws. They had to have some way to order themselves. The 10 Commandments were a starting point. But they were just a starting point. Along the way they added laws—603 to be exact. For a grand total of 613 laws. Now the law was complete, right? No. Even with 613 laws, it was just a starting point. The bare minimum for ordering life together. For living in community.
Think again about red lights. There’s a law mandating that we stop at red lights. But when you’re slowing down to stop at a red light, and there are a million cars behind you, and that poor bloke is trying to get on the road, pulling out from the gas station, do you leave a space in front of you and let the guy get out? There’s no law mandating you do that. But it’s the nice thing to do. It’s the kind thing to do. You might even go so far as to say it’s the “right” thing to do. Even though there’s no law to compel you to such kindness.
Laws exist as the bare minimum for ordering life together. Jesus was clear that his intent was not to abolish the law:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Jesus’ words in the sermon on the mount were an affirmation of the law, and a layering on top of the law meant not just to order society, but to reorder society, to make it more like Isaiah’s vision in which:
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
Everything in this difficult passage about anger, adultery, divorce, swearing—it’s about creating a society that doesn’t just adhere to the letter of the law but begins to understand the spirit of the law. My summary of this text? “Following the law is the bare minimum. Be kind as well.”
In fact, as we continue reading the sermon on the mount together, we will find the “Golden Rule” right there within:
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you,
for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
A famous presidential campaign slogan in the early 90’s was, “It’s the economy, stupid.” And for Jesus in the sermon on the mount, we can sum it up this way: “It’s kindness, stupid.” Kindness over and above the law’s bare minimum is the pathway to deep and profound community. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
Got it?
Now keep that in mind (it’s all about kindness) as I take a deep breath and tackle these teachings from Jesus point by point.
VERSE 22: 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.
Jesus goes on to talk about insulting people and reconciling with people when there’s conflict. He uses hyperbole throughout this part of the text. The hyperbole here is when Jesus says that if you call somebody a fool you will be liable to judgment, or what most translations call the “fire of hell.” The word for “hell” is from the Greek “Gehenna.” Gehenna was a literal place during Jesus’ day—a valley to the southwest of Jerusalem where there was a fire, day and night. The people of the big city of Jerusalem would take their trash to Gehenna and burn it there. It was a gross, disgusting, despicable place. It would become a metaphor for the place where the ungodly would receive punishment for their sins.
But what’s the point Jesus is making here? Kindness!
Don’t murder. That’s the bare minimum. Kindness means you refrain from name-calling. Kindness means that you resolve conflicts—you reconcile with your sister and brother. Why? It’s the way—the only way—to deep and profound community. This teaching is . . . revolutionary. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
How you doing? OK so far? Let’s continue.
VERSE 27: 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.
Oof. This one’s difficult, right? What’s this about?
First of all, let’s consider the fact that “adultery” meant something different then than it does now. We tend to think of “adultery” as any kind of sexual relations outside of the marriage covenant. What you may not know is that a married man in Jesus’ day could have sex with an unmarried woman, and this would not have been considered adultery. Why? Women were property. So long as a man was not taking another man’s property, a woman was fair game. That was the letter of the law.
Jesus was saying, “You shall not commit adultery” is the bare minimum. Kindness honors women. Kindness does not objectify women. Kindness means treating people—all people—as humans instead of objects. This teaching was mainly for men in Jesus’ day because they held all the power. Today, however, this teaching is for women, men, anyone who holds power. Do. Not. Dehumanize. Another. Human. Period. This teaching is . . . revolutionary. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
You still good? Take another deep breath, because here comes divorce.
V. 31: 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 sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This, again, comes down to kindness—particularly kindness toward those who have no power. I’ll say it again—women were property. A divorced woman would often be left impoverished and destitute, with no way to earn a living. Divorced women would often turn to prostitution as a means of survival. Prostitution leads to unwanted children. Jesus is saying here that giving a woman a certificate of divorce is the “bare minimum.” Kindness won’t leave women and children destitute. The kingdom of God requires more of us than the “bare minimum” that the law requires. This teaching is . . . revolutionary. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
Now let’s tackle the last difficult teaching from this part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.
V. 33: 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.”
This isn’t about “cuss words,” this is about making promises you can’t keep. Be a person of integrity. Keep your word. The bare minimum of the law is to deliver what you promise. The better way—the higher way—is to do right by other people and let your actions speak louder than your words. Promise little. Deliver much. This teaching is . . . revolutionary. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
V. 38: You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.
This was the slogan-esque way Jesus taught nonviolent resistance. This “turn the other cheek” isn’t about weakness. You see, the Jewish people to whom Jesus was speaking lived under the brutal Roman occupation. It was commonplace for a Roman soldier to “backhand” a Jewish person as a deliberate display of power and superiority. In fact, the “backhand” was often used by a superior to rebuke or discipline an inferior, such as a slave, a child, or a subject under Roman rule.
To “turn the other cheek” was a way to show defiance to an abuser. Again, most of these teachings are about power dynamics, about elevating those without power even when the law doesn’t require it. This teaching is . . . revolutionary. Kindness is Jesus’ revolutionary vision for the world.
OK, that’s it for these hard teachings that really aren’t that hard once we understand what Jesus wanted for his followers—he wanted his followers to catch a vision for a different kind of society—he wanted his followers to catch his revolutionary vision for the world.
Friends, I fear he’s still waiting for us to catch this vision.
· Jesus is still waiting for us to catch the revolutionary vision of . . . kindness that goes beyond the bare minimum of what law requires.
· Jesus is still waiting for us to catch the revolutionary vision of . . . a society where we treat all people as fully human rather than objects to be used.
· Jesus is still waiting for us to catch the revolutionary vision of . . . valleys lifted up and mountains made low—true equality for all God's children.
· Jesus is still waiting for us to catch the revolutionary vision of . . . love that transforms enemies into neighbors and strangers into family.
· Jesus is still waiting for us to catch the revolutionary vision of . . . heaven, right here on earth.
So here we are, friends, 2,000 years later, still grappling with these revolutionary words of Jesus. Still trying to figure out what it means to live beyond the bare minimum. Still wondering if we have the courage to embrace Jesus’ upside-down kingdom where kindness reigns supreme.
The truth is, we live in a world that desperately needs this vision. We live in a time when anger dominates our discourse, when people are reduced to objects for our use, when the powerful exploit the powerless, and when our promises ring hollow. We live in a world where mountains of privilege remain untouched while valleys of need go unfilled.
But what if we actually caught Jesus’ revolutionary vision? What if we stopped settling for the bare minimum and started living with radical kindness?
This week, I challenge you to pick just one area where you’ve been living at the bare minimum and ask yourself: What would kindness look like here? In your marriage, choose kindness over being right. In your workplace, choose to see colleagues as humans rather than obstacles. In traffic, leave space for that person trying to merge. In conflict, choose reconciliation over retaliation.
Start small, but start revolutionary. Because the world is still waiting. Jesus is still waiting. And maybe, just maybe, if we begin to live this vision one small act of kindness at a time, we might just discover that the kingdom of heaven isn’t some distant place—it’s right here, waiting to break through wherever love dares to go beyond the bare minimum.
I close with the story of the old Cherokee grandfather who told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.” The boy thought about it and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”
Go forth, beloveds, and feed the Good wolf.