Feb 16, 2020                  The Law and the Spirit                          

This past Valentine’s day, both Kris and I had to work, so when I got home Thursday night, I watched one of the great romance stories of all time, “The Princess Bride”. For those who have not seen the princess bride, it is the story of about a princess, princess Buttercup, and her servant, a stable boy named Wesley. Throughout the early part of the movie, the princess enjoys bossing around her servant Wesley, telling him to do all kinds of extra tasks, waiting to see if he will disobey her, but all Wesley will say is, “As you Wish”. In time, Buttercup comes to realize that what Wesley means by, “As you Wish”, is “I love you”.

In Matthew’s gospel lesson this morning, we continue to read from Jesus Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, it seems that Jesus is asking us to do more than remember what God said, he seems to ask us to seek to understand what God meant.

Now I have preached on God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath day, and I have pointed out that while many believe this commandment is about taking a day off from work, it is really about taking a day off from all the things that consume our lives. Taking a day to love our neighbor as, or even more than ourselves.

I have also preached on God’s commandment to honor thy father and thy mother, so that your days in the land may be long. I have pointed out that this means more than doing whatever mother and father command, but instead calls us to honor their sacrifices for us, and listen to what they learned from life, their experiences, and the consequences of their actions – so that we may avoid them and live a long and prosperous life.

This morning Jesus reminds us what God said about murder, and then calls us to understand what God meant. God didn’t just mean the act of murder, but also murderous intent. When we act towards other as if we wish they were dead, seeking vengeance against them, rejoicing in their failures and problems, or even just not caring for them when they are in need. In addition to this, when we do have enemies, we are called to quickly seek peace with them, lest our division escalate and the people and judges of this world, rule against us.

Part of the gospel lesson this morning that I did not read, was about divorce. Jesus reminds the people that Moses allowed for men to write certificates of divorce. And Jesus makes it clear that this was entirely about male lust, lust for other women, and lust for divorced women. The reason I didn’t read the passage is that so many divorced people blame themselves for spousal abuse, infidelity, and betrayal. That misses the point of Jesus teaching. Jesus calls us not to be doormats, or to be abused, but for our motivation to be about living in a relationship of mutual respect and trust, and working through our disagreements with love. I don’t know of any marriage that lives up to that ideal, but I know many where people keep trying, and some where it would be better for them to separate. Not advocating divorce, advocating a healthy marriage.

Finally, Jesus speaks about the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain. It is about more than honoring the vows we have made in God’s name. Indeed, we often see people using God’s name to further their own interests or agenda. The purpose of a vow in God’s name, is supposed to be that we are telling the truth. So Jesus basically says, you don’t need to make a vow, just tell the truth. Yes if Yes, and No if No. Anything else is trying to use God’s name for our own purposes.

In short, the Pharisees have made the law a means of power and control. We have Pharisees today who try to do the same thing. But the goal of the Law is to point out sin in the world, so that we may steer clear of it, or as Paul says, as a guide. The law does not save, only through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is the law fulfilled, through Jesus grace, forgiveness, and steadfast love in our lives. And that is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Amen.