These two statements provide clues about what Jesus as rabbi or teacher tried to accomplish in explaining what he expected of those who followed him. Jesus' teaching we heard from Matthew indicates that he set the standard for his disciples' behavior quite high. Two questions should interest us, particularly because some of his teaching appears quite outrageous—tearing out your eye and cutting off your hand to prevent you from sinning. The two questions are these: First, what in the world was Jesus doing here? And, second, why did he do it? Answers to the first question help us interpret a rather upsetting scripture passage. Answers to the second can help us figure out how this teaching could hold meaning for us today.
Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament at Vanderbilt Divinity School, says Jesus was “building a fence around the Torah,” something rabbis regularly did. Because violating the Torah meant violating the covenant God made with Moses, rabbis would discuss how to avoid such a serious transgression. Defining, for example, what “killing” truly meant, rabbis helped the Jews more completely and carefully keep the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill [or murder].”
In the passage we heard this morning Jesus takes a commandment or tradition and “radicalizes” it. “Radicalizing” in this sense means getting to the root of the commandment or tradition. What is the intent of the commandment? And what should the intent be of the person keeping it? After radicalizing it, Jesus creates examples of situations that may face his disciples—both then and now.
In the first teaching Jesus equates getting angry at someone or insulting them with murder. When you murder, you are destroying another human being. According to Jesus' teaching, anger and insults lie at the root of wanting to destroy another human being. If in your anger you intend to hurt someone, that intention violates the commandment not to murder. The fourth chapter of Ephesians addresses this concern with the teaching, “Be angry but do not sin . . .” Finally, come the examples: “ . . .leave your gift 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.”
After the teaching on murder and anger, Jesus taught with the same three-fold pattern on adultery, divorce, and oath-taking. First, the commandment or tradition was named; then it was radicalized; finally, examples were given. Despite the fact that some of Jesus' examples are a bit over the top and despite the fact that much his teaching seemed designed to make the listener uncomfortable, after hearing or reading this gospel passage, all of us should be able to leave church this morning with a clear list of “I shalt nots.”
The question then becomes why did Jesus teach this way? Did Jesus intend to create uncomfortable, anxious people trying not to offend God? I would not be standing here trying to preach the gospel if I believed that were true. Neither do I believe the passage we heard this morning should be ignored, just because Jesus was using outrageous examples of self-harm and suggesting that things the first century Jews—and we—consider “normal” were indeed offensive to God.
What Jesus intended, I believe, was to move the disciples a bit off center—to move them away from a sense of certainty about what is right in God's eyes and what is not. A person's intentions made a difference. Righteous-appearing behavior would be hypocritical, if the good of the other person was ignored. Jesus wanted us fully to understand God’s covenant with us based on self-giving love. First, God loved us. Then, God hoped that we would love God in return and love our neighbors as ourselves.
This morning we heard about a covenant in Moses' farewell address from Deuteronomy. In it Moses describes the covenant God offers God's people: “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him . . .”
But often, in this covenant relationship with God, keeping our part becomes so, so difficult. Sometimes we do get angry and sin. We badly treat those we have promised to love, wondering why they are not meeting our needs and if we'd be better off without them or with someone else. All too readily, we break our promises, even those we have made to God. For what then can we hope? We cannot merit the covenant blessings God promises.
But thank God, we do not have to earn God's love and God's blessing. As the disciples probably did that day on the mountaintop, we need to lose our certainty. We do not need to have it all figured out. We do not need to be perfect. Because God came to live among us in Jesus, our hope rests not on certainty, but on our faith in Jesus. As St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Jesus died for us.” Let us live then, as best we can, loving God and loving our neighbor, as best we can—yet depending at all times and in all situations on God's gracious love for us. Thanks be for God’s grace!
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