"The RIght Life, #1"

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-32

The “good life” has been beaconing people for years, but how many have actually discovered it? It, supposedly, is a life that is care-free, one that brings satisfaction in all aspects of life - in career, in marriage, in family, in every possible endeavor. In essence, it is one that is totally different from the one you are currently living and one that you spend an inordinate amount of time searching for!

From an article in Homiletics OnLine:
Somebody was bound to come up with it sooner or later. The Barisieur is a bedside device that's a combination alarm clock and coffeemaker.
You know you have to get up on time. You also know you love the smell of coffee brewing in the morning. Why not combine the two, letting the sound and aroma of coffee-making ease you out of your slumber?
The Barisieur's advertising says it's all about "living slow even when times are fast."
--joshrenoufdesign.com. Retrieved February 17, 2015.

Now I enjoy a good cup (or even two!) every morning, and maybe I’m old fashioned, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to drink it while I’m still in bed! But I have to admit that this thing brings a whole new meaning to the advertising jingle “The best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup!”
The Barisieur may be part of the “good life”, but the “good life” is not always the “Right Life”. And that is what Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has always been about.

Read Matthew 5:21-26

The subtitle for the passage in my Bible says that these verses are about Anger, but I think that it’s more about “Relationships”. Jesus is exposing those attitudes and actions that destroy relationships, and provides his advice on how to begin healing the wounds caused by anger and hatred and egocentric attitudes.
His first charge is that unchecked and unaddressed anger is just as bad as murder. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that it is possible be become angry without sinning, but that we are not to “let the sun go down on our anger.” This is to say that while anger, per se, is not a sin, anger that is allowed to fester and grow and eat your life away must never be nurtured, or even ignored.
As an example, in Matthew 23:33-36, Jesus pronounces the Pharisees and scribes as being nothing short of snakes and vipers, and tells them that escape from their sentence of hell is highly unlikely! There’s a whole lot of anger in those words, as the Lord has been calling these learned men out for teaching one brand of “right living”, but living a totally different one in their own lives. (Matthew 23)
The latter part of verse 22, with its reference to “Raca” and “fool”, is actually about hurling insulting remarks toward others. Again, Jesus isn’t condemning anger as much as he is condemning the destruction of relationships. It doesn’t matter if the insults are coming as an angry outburst, or if they are the result of an arrogant and oppressive attitude – they are wrong. Jesus says that even though these verbally abusive attacks go against the law of Israel, they are in even greater danger of judgment from God.

Jesus then offers two examples of the breakdown in relationship, as well as a call for us to quickly and intentionally heal those breaks. The first is in a religious setting, while the second is in a legal context.
The Lord tells us that worship can never be satisfactory, or even completed, unless we have made amends to our damaged relationships. And as we read verses 23 and 24, he doesn’t seem to differentiate whether it is our failure or our “brother’s” – we can never truly worship unless we restore the bond, regardless of who damaged it, that once existed between us and that other person.
And the legal side of the matter is just as critical. Don’t go to court thinking that you will be able to wriggle your way out of judgment! You won’t, and the relationship will be harmed even more. Admit to what you have done, and set things right, before the judge bangs his gavel.

This is Jesus’ way.

Read Matthew 5:27-30

Exodus 20:14 is the commandment that Jesus is referring to – “You shall not commit adultery.” Adultery was the sin that a married woman committed when she had sexual relations with a man who was not her husband. The original law was about the woman, but Israel had expanded the judgment to include the man, which, obviously, is only right. But in John 8:1-11, the Pharisees, the very ones who knew the law inside and out, bring an adulterous woman to Jesus (without the man, of course) for Jesus’ judgment. He turns the tables on the legalists, and send them packing. And better yet, he shows love and forgiveness to the woman, while at the same time, condemning the act.
But in our passage for today, the Lord reveals the full implication of the law. It isn’t just the physical act that is sinful, but the man’s looking and planning to fulfill the act is no different than the physical act itself. Where before, it was implied that it was the woman who was primarily responsible for the sin, now Jesus is putting the blame on the man for even having a sexual desire for a married woman.

It seems that it isn’t only the physical act that condemns us before God, but it is the intention and desire of the heart as well.
And to put it all in perspective, he says that it is better to lose an offending part of your body than to keep on sinning. Now before anyone begins a program of amputation, Jesus’ words are not meant to be taken literally – he is simply showing the seriousness of simply planning to commit sin, not to mention the act of immoral sexual relations itself.

Read Matthew 5:31-32

In Deuteronomy 24:1-4, we read of a reference to a certificate of divorce. Prior to this, a man only had to proclaim that he divorced his wife, and it was done. There was no recourse, no appeal, no legal decision that had to be rendered – it was done. So the law of Israel that required a certificate, or letter, was a huge step up for the woman. The man now had to explain why he was divorcing his wife, and he had to put it in writing. It put more of an onus on him.
But Jesus says that not only isn’t a certificate sufficient, divorce itself is insufficient for living a “right life”. This teaching would stand in stark contrast to the Torah, as divorce was perfectly acceptable, within some restriction. Now, the significance, the value of the marital covenant has been taken to an all-time high.
Marriage is no longer just a convenience and justification for living together, it has become an unbreakable bond with only one exception – unfaithfulness. The New Interpreter’s Bible says this: “marriage and the family are not a contractual arrangement regulated by law, but a part of the structure of creation itself, the good gift of God to humanity, and therefore not at human disposal.” Marriage is not to be seen as a contract between two parties that can be broken for any number of reasons – it is an unbreakable covenant made with and through Almighty God. In offering these words, Jesus has elevated the very concept of marriage to one of a Godly relationship – one which is far more important and binding than any legalistic agreement could ever be.

Jesus has been teaching about “Right Living” in God’s way, and not about those “things” that bring a temporary sense of pleasure or satisfaction to our lives. He has been teaching us the importance of relationships, that they were never intended to be one sided, or beneficial to only one person, or to be temporary in nature, or to be defined and regulated by humanity. Relationships can be strained; they can be damaged; they can even be broken – but they must always be repaired, must always be healed, must always be taken seriously, must always be cared for within God’s will.

That is God’s desire for our lives, and so must it be for us.
More next week!