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A look at the appointed gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary for February 9, 2020.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.””
My Two Cents….
What? Unless my ‘righteousness’ exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, I will never enter the kingdom of heaven? I thought the scribes and the Pharisees were the bad guys, the ones who were always opposing Jesus’s ministry. Wasn’t the point of Jesus’s teaching NOT to be like them? What gives?
Next Sunday’s gospel from Matthew comes from the sermon on the mount and follows the beatitudes that we had last week. This is the first of five major teaching sections in Matthew’s gospel. Speaking to a largely Jewish Christian audience, Matthew tells the story of Jesus in such a way as to suggest that he is like a ‘new Moses.’ Recall, Moses received the law from God and according to tradition was the author of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
The key verse in this section is “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” According to Matthew, Jesus’s ministry is NOT a departure from the tradition or the law of Moses. Instead, it is a reinterpretation. The law is fulfilled through the life and love of Jesus. We get to see the law in action and we are invited to follow it.
Follow it with all the dedication and passion of the scribes and Pharisees! This gang had the determination right, even if they were misguided in their application of scripture. Their big mistake came in losing track of God’s call to love amid all the rule-following.
Within these passages is a call to discipleship, a turning and living in the direction of God. This is a good message for us to hear, less we misunderstand God’s grace as a license to go whatever we’d like. The freedom of the gospel is not ‘anything goes.’
Love toward neighbor (and self) is what ought to be on our minds and hearts. Love provides the law that is needed to ground our life and guide our actions in the way of Jesus. When we misstep, and we will, we are invited to turn to God and the forgiveness that Christ offers.
How can you practice the law of love this week? What actions can you take to shine the light of Jesus into the life of someone who is going through a dark time?
In Christ's Light,
Walt
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2020. Walt Lichtenberger
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