Rev. Dustin ParkerA Matter of the Heart
Concordia Lutheran Church
Sixth Sunday Epiphany, February 13, 2011
It’s a Matter of the Heart
Matthew 5:25-37
In Jesus Name
May God’s peace draw you to repentance, comfort and assurance of His love and forgiveness, as He takes our broken and battered hearts, and makes them whole and His!
Did God really say that?
When the gospel was being read, you might have noticed how… brutal the words seem to be. Did Jesus really say that we are to cut off a hand, if it causes us to sin? Did He really say we were to gouge out our eyes?
What kind of good news is this?
He also raised the standard outrageously high! Most of us got through this week without killing anyone, (pause) right? How many of us called someone else a name, or got angry with someone? None of us probably committed adultery, yet the standard is raised pretty high there as well.
I can almost hear the serpent from the garden of Eden, trying to convince us that these are not the words of a loving, tender, compassionate God. Did God really say that? Did He really indicate that it was better to mutilate yourself, rather than burn in hell? Will He really enforce a standard so strict about anger and lust and even divorce?
Would He punish those who turned away from Him in the Old Testament? Could a loving God really do that?
Can’t we simply skip over this section, and get to Chapter 6 and the Lord’s prayer and the part about seeking first the Kingdom, and everything shall be added to your life! Do we need to deal with this, brutal passage?
It isn’t just about deeds
This is one of those passages that you look at over and over again. We get it, a little, sin is more than just our actions that are contrary to God’s will, or destroy the peace He created for his people. There is something more for murder and adultery are not usually just random occurrences.
Jesus words about murder and our anger and name calling, about adultery and divorce rip open the very fabric of our heart, our soul and mind. They reveal our heart, and the fact that one our own, we are powerless against the sin that ensnares us. To the people of that day, it struck even harder – they thought because they were the descendants of Abraham, they were automatically “good” people.
We get that, I think. We grasp that this is about the heart, and we can agree with Jesus that it is not what goes into a man that corrupts him, but what lies within, and comes out in our thoughts and words and deeds. We get that..
But Jesus words, they cut deep… getting to the core of our heart, and the overwhelming temptations that try to shatter it. His word will cut even deeper… as He removes our excuse.., in a very dramatic fashion.
Drastic Actions Called for? Or?
Let’s look at verse 29 again, and try to grasp why Jesus is being so graphic, why He calls for such drastic action.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV)
This passage has always bothered me, and it was only this time it made sense. Is Jesus really trying to advise us to mutilate ourselves? I’ve heard and read those who say this is to motivate us to sin less, or that Jesus is just using exaggeration about the extent to which we should try to overcome temptation.
It struck me that while our eyes and hands can be involved in sin, they are not the cause of the sin. Any more than Eve was the cause of Adam’s sin in the garden. Or seeing Bathsheba naked on the neighboring roof caused David to sin. The parts of our body aren’t the cause of our sin, our soul is, our heart which desires what please, our mind which says if we had it our way, and then tries to make our way.
I know some guys who would, having gotten caught lusting after women, would go, well, I am just a guy, to appreciate any woman’s beauty is part of being a guy. I think of the millionaire starts who shoplift, stealing things they could buy with what they get paid per second, and blame it on needing the thrill, the rush, and that they cannot overcome it.
To those who would blame others, and not take responsibility, Jesus calls them to take responsibility. To those who blame lust on their eyes, as if the eyes are the cause, Jesus says get rid of it – toss the eye out. Cut the hand off. If that part of your body is truly the cause of our sin. What is unheard is that there is cause to our sin… our hearts….and the hearts of mankind has always been the cause of sin.
we hear the words of Jeremiah,
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah 4:4 (ESV)
Paul will echo the sentiment in his words to the church in Rome.
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. Romans 2:28-29 (ESV)
What Jesus is calling his disciples to, is not mutilation, but the realization that we have no answer, on our own, to moral failure. We cannot claim that we are “good people” because we did a couple of things right in life. We need to deal with the sin, the thoughts and words and deeds, and not force excuses that project responsibility elsewhere. For if it were elsewhere… for if it was our hand, our eye, our little toe, we could remove it, and be free. But how do we circumcise our hearts, how do we remove our souls and minds?
This seems almost as impossible as the raised standard, and being judged, not just on deeds, but on thoughts and words.
Why Can’t We Swear an Oath?
It is there, as we look at our words, that we find our answer. Again, we often here this as the harsh law, but it is of the sweetest gospel. Hear the words again…
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)
We have to ask the question – why did Jesus tell them they could not swear by these things. As that is answered, we see the gospel break through.
We cannot swear by heaven, we have not the authority, only God does. It is a place where He reigns
We cannot swear by the earth, for in noting that it is God’s footstool, we realize that He has made it all subject to himself. We don’t reign, He reigns
The same goes for the Holy City, Jerusalem, the city of God’s great king – and according to Psalm 2, and so many other places that is Jesus the Messiah!. It is symbolic as well – not of just the Jewish race, but the reign of God as He establishes His new covenant, the light that calls the gentiles to worship, and the thing the Jews who trust in Him glorify in!
And finally, you and I. We do not belong to ourselves, for He reigns over us. He freed us from the sin that ensnares, and Christ went to the cross to pay that price, that as we were baptized into him, that uncircumcised heart of stone was broken, and we are transformed.
The call of Jesus in this passage – wich sounds so harsh at first is give up your false claim to being “good”. Give up blaming others for your sin. Let Jesus reign, let His love cleanse you, let His peace flood you. Let Him heal your hearts, here, now as we receive His body and blood….
AMEN?
Sixth Sunday Epiphany, February 13, 2011
It’s a Matter of the Heart
Matthew 5:25-37
In Jesus Name
May God’s peace draw you to repentance, comfort and assurance of His love and forgiveness, as He takes our broken and battered hearts, and makes them whole and His!
Did God really say that?
When the gospel was being read, you might have noticed how… brutal the words seem to be. Did Jesus really say that we are to cut off a hand, if it causes us to sin? Did He really say we were to gouge out our eyes?
What kind of good news is this?
He also raised the standard outrageously high! Most of us got through this week without killing anyone, (pause) right? How many of us called someone else a name, or got angry with someone? None of us probably committed adultery, yet the standard is raised pretty high there as well.
I can almost hear the serpent from the garden of Eden, trying to convince us that these are not the words of a loving, tender, compassionate God. Did God really say that? Did He really indicate that it was better to mutilate yourself, rather than burn in hell? Will He really enforce a standard so strict about anger and lust and even divorce?
Would He punish those who turned away from Him in the Old Testament? Could a loving God really do that?
Can’t we simply skip over this section, and get to Chapter 6 and the Lord’s prayer and the part about seeking first the Kingdom, and everything shall be added to your life! Do we need to deal with this, brutal passage?
It isn’t just about deeds
This is one of those passages that you look at over and over again. We get it, a little, sin is more than just our actions that are contrary to God’s will, or destroy the peace He created for his people. There is something more for murder and adultery are not usually just random occurrences.
Jesus words about murder and our anger and name calling, about adultery and divorce rip open the very fabric of our heart, our soul and mind. They reveal our heart, and the fact that one our own, we are powerless against the sin that ensnares us. To the people of that day, it struck even harder – they thought because they were the descendants of Abraham, they were automatically “good” people.
We get that, I think. We grasp that this is about the heart, and we can agree with Jesus that it is not what goes into a man that corrupts him, but what lies within, and comes out in our thoughts and words and deeds. We get that..
But Jesus words, they cut deep… getting to the core of our heart, and the overwhelming temptations that try to shatter it. His word will cut even deeper… as He removes our excuse.., in a very dramatic fashion.
Drastic Actions Called for? Or?
Let’s look at verse 29 again, and try to grasp why Jesus is being so graphic, why He calls for such drastic action.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Matthew 5:29-30 (ESV)
This passage has always bothered me, and it was only this time it made sense. Is Jesus really trying to advise us to mutilate ourselves? I’ve heard and read those who say this is to motivate us to sin less, or that Jesus is just using exaggeration about the extent to which we should try to overcome temptation.
It struck me that while our eyes and hands can be involved in sin, they are not the cause of the sin. Any more than Eve was the cause of Adam’s sin in the garden. Or seeing Bathsheba naked on the neighboring roof caused David to sin. The parts of our body aren’t the cause of our sin, our soul is, our heart which desires what please, our mind which says if we had it our way, and then tries to make our way.
I know some guys who would, having gotten caught lusting after women, would go, well, I am just a guy, to appreciate any woman’s beauty is part of being a guy. I think of the millionaire starts who shoplift, stealing things they could buy with what they get paid per second, and blame it on needing the thrill, the rush, and that they cannot overcome it.
To those who would blame others, and not take responsibility, Jesus calls them to take responsibility. To those who blame lust on their eyes, as if the eyes are the cause, Jesus says get rid of it – toss the eye out. Cut the hand off. If that part of your body is truly the cause of our sin. What is unheard is that there is cause to our sin… our hearts….and the hearts of mankind has always been the cause of sin.
we hear the words of Jeremiah,
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah 4:4 (ESV)
Paul will echo the sentiment in his words to the church in Rome.
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. Romans 2:28-29 (ESV)
What Jesus is calling his disciples to, is not mutilation, but the realization that we have no answer, on our own, to moral failure. We cannot claim that we are “good people” because we did a couple of things right in life. We need to deal with the sin, the thoughts and words and deeds, and not force excuses that project responsibility elsewhere. For if it were elsewhere… for if it was our hand, our eye, our little toe, we could remove it, and be free. But how do we circumcise our hearts, how do we remove our souls and minds?
This seems almost as impossible as the raised standard, and being judged, not just on deeds, but on thoughts and words.
Why Can’t We Swear an Oath?
It is there, as we look at our words, that we find our answer. Again, we often here this as the harsh law, but it is of the sweetest gospel. Hear the words again…
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. Matthew 5:33-37 (ESV)
We have to ask the question – why did Jesus tell them they could not swear by these things. As that is answered, we see the gospel break through.
We cannot swear by heaven, we have not the authority, only God does. It is a place where He reigns
We cannot swear by the earth, for in noting that it is God’s footstool, we realize that He has made it all subject to himself. We don’t reign, He reigns
The same goes for the Holy City, Jerusalem, the city of God’s great king – and according to Psalm 2, and so many other places that is Jesus the Messiah!. It is symbolic as well – not of just the Jewish race, but the reign of God as He establishes His new covenant, the light that calls the gentiles to worship, and the thing the Jews who trust in Him glorify in!
And finally, you and I. We do not belong to ourselves, for He reigns over us. He freed us from the sin that ensnares, and Christ went to the cross to pay that price, that as we were baptized into him, that uncircumcised heart of stone was broken, and we are transformed.
The call of Jesus in this passage – wich sounds so harsh at first is give up your false claim to being “good”. Give up blaming others for your sin. Let Jesus reign, let His love cleanse you, let His peace flood you. Let Him heal your hearts, here, now as we receive His body and blood….
AMEN?
