Epiphany 6A-23
Immanuel Lutheran, Chicago
Sometimes announcing, “the gospel of the Lord” feels like it should be followed by a question mark. I know Christians have hurled these words of Jesus like rocks to bruise, shame, and torment one another. I know Christians quote verses like these to paint a picture of God as a rule-obsessed tyrant, waiting to zap us if we make a mistake. Will you protect me, Lord, if I am pious? Will you comfort me if I am good? Will you reward me with a long-lived life if I say extra-long prayers?
We know, intellectually, something’s not right about this. It’s wrong to use religion as a weapon to afflict others or our self. We know God is not a tyrant. We know in our head God does not withhold special favors as a reward for personal piety. “But most of us have a God-related misconception or two lurking in our hearts, and even if we try to get rid of them, they cling” (Debi Thomas, But I Say To You, Journey with Jesus, 2/09/20).
So, where’s the good news in today’s gospel? Jesus said, ‘You have heard it said of old, do not murder…but I say to you if you are angry will be liable for judgment…and liable to the hell of fire’ (vs. 21-22). “You have heard it said, do not commit adultery, but I say to you anyone who has looked at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart’ (vs. 27, 28).
For help we step back and remember where today’s reading comes from. It’s an excerpt from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5-7 which includes the beatitudes we read two weeks ago (blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers), instructs us to love our enemies as ourselves, and to pray the Lord’s prayer. Those who first heard Jesus preach would have rightly understood. Jesus was not threatening them with God’s wrath but calling forth a new community. A blessed community. A beloved community. A community to incarnate divine love in a world hungry for hope and healing.
Another thing we must remember, or learn if we don’t already know, is what Jesus is saying about hell, and what he is not. Our bible (NRSV) uses the word ‘hell’ 13 times in the entire New Testament, and 12 of them translate the Greek word “Gehenna,” a valley south of Jerusalem some say was a smoldering landfill at the time of Jesus, a place of human-made fires of burning refuse. Jesus was not talking about a place of eternal punishment God sends people after they die. But rather, he is pointing to the place, mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah, also known as the Valley of Slaughter because it was once the site of child sacrifice. People listening to Jesus would have known he was talking about a place associated with the highest form of idolatry against Yahweh. (Paul Nuechterlein, Girardian Lectionary). The idea of hell which we have today confronts us with a type of violence wrapped in religious clothing which Jesus came to unveil as human violence, and not God’s violence. “It must be forgiven, let go of, if Christianity is to be faithful to Jesus.”
Now we begin to see the good news. We hear Jesus’ invitation to become part of a new humanity, to break the pernicious cycle of violence, and to step out from the hell of our own making. The path to renewal lays behind the door to deeper reflection, radical honesty, and self-examination. Jesus commands raise the bar. “I tell you,” Jesus says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
To become children of a new humanity we must be willing to open the door to what is hidden inside our hearts and minds. We must be honest with ourselves and others about the swelter of internal dynamics going on there: anger, derision, slander, false generosity, litigiousness, arrogance, lust, temptation, alienation, sexual immorality, and weaponized religious speech. This is the terrain Jesus and the Holy Spirit work within us to transform our hearts and minds little by little, and sometimes, all at once. Do not be afraid and be of good courage. “Everyone has done something wrong; everyone has broken the law; everyone has chosen poorly. You are still the light of the world. You are still blessed” (Diana Butler Bass, Sunday Musings, 2/12/23).
A pastor wrote about a young mother she knew who was severely abused as a child. She and her children lived in daily chaos. She was getting help but a pattern kept appearing. Just when her life began to “stabilize,” she created a situation that caused her to be thrown into chaos again. It was almost as if chaos was her place of comfort, control, power, and security. It was where she found her identity. (Rev. Jolene Bergstrom Carlson, Executive Director/President Ministry Mentors, 2/07/17)
“A trauma therapist would say: ‘What is not repaired is repeated.’ What revival means biblically is not simply that there is a burst of success after a fallow period that comes from people doing the same things they were doing before. Revival shakes everything that we thought before was solid. And God does something completely new. These moments come when there is a kind of desperation to seek it. And a willingness to shift in whatever way God seems best.” (Dr. Russell Moore, Editor-In-Chief of Christianity Today.)
Often this means we must not be afraid, run away from, or too quickly try to fix and wipe away, conflict. We must draw upon Jesus to give us the courage and patience to learn. We take comfort knowing Jesus walks with us as we take the necessary time and energy to be reconciled to one another and at peace within ourselves. “…conflict in and of itself is not a problem. The electricity of tension, and of naturally-occurring difference, make conflict essential and generative in our closest relationships. Conflict is a force in learning, growth, and advance of every kind” (Krista Tippet, The Pause, The On Being Project, 2/11/23). What might happen if, rather than rushing to solve every conflict we instead chose to hone our skills at being present to conflict in a way that is life-giving? (Tippet)
Jesus takes us beneath the surface of things to give birth to a new humanity, to establish true harmony among us in the Beloved Community, and to restore integrity that redeems our faith. Continuing the observance of Black History Month, we end today with Howard Thurman, distinguished theologian, pastor, social activist, and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King. Thurman wrote, “By some amazing but vastly creative spiritual insight the slave undertook the redemption of a religion that the master had profaned in his midst” (Howard Thurman, Deep River).
“It was clear to Howard Thurman, as he helped to lead the Civil Rights Movement, that a fundamental element to achieving their goals was to work for the redemption of the Christian religion. In books like Jesus and the Disinherited, Thurman sought an interpretation of Jesus and his message that makes central the healing of human divisions, and so also the salvation of a Christian religion that has been profaned by an intertwining with white supremacist racism” (Nuechterlein). Fifty years later this task of redeeming the Christian religion from racism has become nothing but more clear and focused and urgent. To get there we will need to draw upon Jesus for the courage and patience for radical honesty and self-examination.
Our own Richard Anderson prepares a weekly email of prayers and reflections intended for silent prayer before worship. It now goes out to 60 or 70 people. This week Richard shared a prayer, written by Howard Thurman.
O Lord,
Open unto me, light for my darkness
Open unto me, courage for my fear
Open unto me, hope for my despair
Open unto me, peace for my turmoil
Open unto me, joy for my sorrow
Open unto me, strength for my weakness
Open unto me, wisdom for my confusion
Open unto me, forgiveness for my sins
Open unto me, tenderness for my toughness
Open unto me, love for my hates
Open unto me, Thy Self for myself
Lord, Lord, open unto me!
Amen.