Homily 1
Deut. 30: 15-20
Psalm 119: 1-8
I Corin. 3: 1-9
Matt. 5: 21-37
The Old Testament reading is definitely a text that provides us with a choice. And it is an extreme choice – a choice between prosperity or adversity, blessing or curse, life or death. These options are polar opposites and we would struggle to find ideas that could ever be more opposed to each other - particularly the choice between life and death.
These options were in fact set before the Israelites by God. Not unsurprisingly they are told to “choose life”. And choosing life is the path laid out in the passage. This path of life has two steps. The first is to obey God – it is a radical obedience to match the radical nature of the choice itself. The Israelites were being asked to obey the commandments and decrees that God has laid out to them through Moses.
We have to remind ourselves that this call to obedience is near the end of the Book of Deuteronomy and in that respect there is a whole lot of commands given. This call to obedience is no small task and perhaps we sometimes forget the weight of it.
The second for the Israelites to turn their hearts towards God – which is necessarily bound to the first step. By turning their hearts towards God, they are told they will live out the promise of God – they will live in prosperity in the land God promised to Abraham.
However, on the flip side if the Israelites do not follow the commands handed down to them, they are already on the path of adversity and death.
Now, if we thought the choices presented in Deuteronomy were difficult and extreme then were are in for a shock when we turn to the Gospel Reading taken from the Sermon on the Mount.
In this passage Christ is taking the laws and commandments of Israelites and offering a deeper and developed interpretation. He takes the command “You shall not murder” and extends it further by saying “if you are angry with a brother or sister, you are liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council”.
To be angry with someone isn’t an act itself. It’s more a thought about someone and perhaps not even that – it is a mood. It’s a feeling we can enter into. And to insult someone, well, it is an act of speech, but certainly not a physical act. But this is precisely how Christ has developed things. The physical act of murder and the sin involved with it is extended into threats in the way we talk, and the very thought of hate and the very mood of anger. This is quite a radical extension of the law. And it applies not just to murder and hate, as Christ applies his radical extension to adultery and lust as well.
Now, I am firmly in the belief that Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important speeches ever given – one of the most important texts ever penned. I think Ghandi said it was one of his main inspirations. And even on a purely literary level it is influential.
The Russian novelist Dostoevsky, to me at least, seems to have the Sermon on the Mount running through his writing. In The Brothers Karamazov characters constantly insult each other by shouting “the devil be with you”. It seems an innocuous insult until one of the characters actually finds the devil sitting in his room and suddenly everyone is embroiled in a murder.
But perhaps it’s Crime and Punishment that is the best example and aid here. The main character Raskolinkov is a poor student with some rather interesting ideas – namely, he believes some human beings are naturally superior to others. And he conjures up a little plan. He decides to murder an old woman – the money lender. He thinks up all sorts of reasons to back his plan up: he could do with the money, she’s not a particularly nice person. In fact she’s a nasty piece of work and no one will miss her. It would also add proof to his theory that some people are better than others.
The point that Dostoevsky makes in the novel is that simply by thinking all these thoughts, simply by scheming and planning this awful act he has already crossed the barrier into evil and sin. He crosses the line into murder before he even physically commits the act. And so his mental and spiritual punishment begins with the thought. He could have called the novel Punishment, Crime and Punishment.
I think this really captures what Christ is getting at here. Following God’s commands is not just in action, but in thought. It is an entire orientation of being.
Perhaps Christ’s extension of the commandments is really just emphasising the second step that we found in Deuteronomy. It is a turning of your heart towards God.
And just like the Old Testament reading, we have to keep in mind the incredible weight of what this means.
If we look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we find a slightly different emphasis. I often think of Paul as someone laying down the line and tightening things up. But in this passage he is a little lighter – at least compared to the Old Testament and Gospel readings. Instead of being confronted with radical choices up front, Paul is sliding things in slowly. He tells the Corinthians that they “are not spiritual people”, rather they are “infants”, not yet ready for solid food. Perhaps not ready for the hard choices to come.
Adding to the weaning a child metaphor, he also uses a gardening metaphor. Planting and watering take time. God gives the growth – but it is paced and steady.
In effect, from this passage we won’t face the hard choices until we are fit and ready in God’s eyes. Radical choices are not thrown at us unawares, but are part of a process of preparation.
Perhaps then, the Sermon on the Mount is telling. Just must have had the utmost respect for the people listening to him. He was able to face them up to the choices he presented. The same goes with the Old Testament reading and the nation of Israel.
The question then, is where we ourselves are at. Are we ready to confront these choices?
Psalm 119: 1-8
I Corin. 3: 1-9
Matt. 5: 21-37
The Old Testament reading is definitely a text that provides us with a choice. And it is an extreme choice – a choice between prosperity or adversity, blessing or curse, life or death. These options are polar opposites and we would struggle to find ideas that could ever be more opposed to each other - particularly the choice between life and death.
These options were in fact set before the Israelites by God. Not unsurprisingly they are told to “choose life”. And choosing life is the path laid out in the passage. This path of life has two steps. The first is to obey God – it is a radical obedience to match the radical nature of the choice itself. The Israelites were being asked to obey the commandments and decrees that God has laid out to them through Moses.
We have to remind ourselves that this call to obedience is near the end of the Book of Deuteronomy and in that respect there is a whole lot of commands given. This call to obedience is no small task and perhaps we sometimes forget the weight of it.
The second for the Israelites to turn their hearts towards God – which is necessarily bound to the first step. By turning their hearts towards God, they are told they will live out the promise of God – they will live in prosperity in the land God promised to Abraham.
However, on the flip side if the Israelites do not follow the commands handed down to them, they are already on the path of adversity and death.
Now, if we thought the choices presented in Deuteronomy were difficult and extreme then were are in for a shock when we turn to the Gospel Reading taken from the Sermon on the Mount.
In this passage Christ is taking the laws and commandments of Israelites and offering a deeper and developed interpretation. He takes the command “You shall not murder” and extends it further by saying “if you are angry with a brother or sister, you are liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council”.
To be angry with someone isn’t an act itself. It’s more a thought about someone and perhaps not even that – it is a mood. It’s a feeling we can enter into. And to insult someone, well, it is an act of speech, but certainly not a physical act. But this is precisely how Christ has developed things. The physical act of murder and the sin involved with it is extended into threats in the way we talk, and the very thought of hate and the very mood of anger. This is quite a radical extension of the law. And it applies not just to murder and hate, as Christ applies his radical extension to adultery and lust as well.
Now, I am firmly in the belief that Sermon on the Mount is one of the most important speeches ever given – one of the most important texts ever penned. I think Ghandi said it was one of his main inspirations. And even on a purely literary level it is influential.
The Russian novelist Dostoevsky, to me at least, seems to have the Sermon on the Mount running through his writing. In The Brothers Karamazov characters constantly insult each other by shouting “the devil be with you”. It seems an innocuous insult until one of the characters actually finds the devil sitting in his room and suddenly everyone is embroiled in a murder.
But perhaps it’s Crime and Punishment that is the best example and aid here. The main character Raskolinkov is a poor student with some rather interesting ideas – namely, he believes some human beings are naturally superior to others. And he conjures up a little plan. He decides to murder an old woman – the money lender. He thinks up all sorts of reasons to back his plan up: he could do with the money, she’s not a particularly nice person. In fact she’s a nasty piece of work and no one will miss her. It would also add proof to his theory that some people are better than others.
The point that Dostoevsky makes in the novel is that simply by thinking all these thoughts, simply by scheming and planning this awful act he has already crossed the barrier into evil and sin. He crosses the line into murder before he even physically commits the act. And so his mental and spiritual punishment begins with the thought. He could have called the novel Punishment, Crime and Punishment.
I think this really captures what Christ is getting at here. Following God’s commands is not just in action, but in thought. It is an entire orientation of being.
Perhaps Christ’s extension of the commandments is really just emphasising the second step that we found in Deuteronomy. It is a turning of your heart towards God.
And just like the Old Testament reading, we have to keep in mind the incredible weight of what this means.
If we look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we find a slightly different emphasis. I often think of Paul as someone laying down the line and tightening things up. But in this passage he is a little lighter – at least compared to the Old Testament and Gospel readings. Instead of being confronted with radical choices up front, Paul is sliding things in slowly. He tells the Corinthians that they “are not spiritual people”, rather they are “infants”, not yet ready for solid food. Perhaps not ready for the hard choices to come.
Adding to the weaning a child metaphor, he also uses a gardening metaphor. Planting and watering take time. God gives the growth – but it is paced and steady.
In effect, from this passage we won’t face the hard choices until we are fit and ready in God’s eyes. Radical choices are not thrown at us unawares, but are part of a process of preparation.
Perhaps then, the Sermon on the Mount is telling. Just must have had the utmost respect for the people listening to him. He was able to face them up to the choices he presented. The same goes with the Old Testament reading and the nation of Israel.
The question then, is where we ourselves are at. Are we ready to confront these choices?
posted by Rainey at 3:56 AM
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