Sermon: "Jesus' New Morality"

Second in the "The Authentic Life" series.
Delivered October 16, 2005 by Rev. George Antonakos.
Other sermons in this series - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Theme: Jesus always went to the heart of matters. In this message Jesus' definition of righteousness is explored as well as some key tips for handling anger. Authentic Christianity is always an 'inside job.'

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We are going to talk about anger in just a little bit, but I wanted to say to those parents among you who have never seen "Anger Management" don't rush out and rent it for your family, okay? It's not the most wholesome movie and in fact I scoured this movie for a one-minute clip so that I could show it to you today. But it does focus on anger and we are going to be talking about that this morning as we look at Matthew, Chapter 5.

This morning I would like to read the scriptures in two separate segments because the first four verses of this text set up everything else and in fact they set up the whole Sermon on the Mount that follows. And so, we are going to look at this and just prior to doing that, (John has already prayed for us; I appreciate that;) I want to remind us where we are in this sermon series because you may not have been here last week. We are in week two of a seven-week sermon series called "The Authentic Life." In a world of multiple spiritualities, multiple religions, a major primary question surfaces. What is authentic spirituality? What is true religion?

And this is the very question that the gospel writer Matthew was posing to his community 2000 years ago. I mean obviously 2000 years ago there were multiple spiritualities and beliefs, maybe even more than today. But Matthew's church if you will was predominantly Jewish and it had embraced Jesus as the Messiah. And so Matthew in his Gospel is very busy trying to demonstrate how Jesus was not just another religious cult leader, but that he was the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies and promises. Matthew emphasizes Jewish roots more than any other gospel writer. He quotes the Old Testament more than any other gospel writer and he emphasizes how Jesus was everything that Israel hoped for. And so as we read the first four verses of our text today, Matthew 5:17-20 you will see and you will be able to hear I think this historical context.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Listen to Verse 20 carefully:

"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Now at first glance, it seems as though Jesus is teaching that we ought to still be sacrificing animals, but when we think of how many times Matthew uses the word 'fulfill' in his Gospel, we will see it in a different light. One example: just among many. After the announcement of Jesus' birth to Joseph when the angel comes to Joseph and he says, "Joseph take Mary as your wife. She is going to have a son and by the way I am going to tell you what you are going to name him. You are going to name him Jesus. Why are you going to name him Jesus? Because he is going to save his people from their sins." Verse 22, that's Matthew 1:21. Verse 22 then says, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet." So in other words, every time Matthew uses this word fulfill its again to show that Jesus is the embodiment of the promises. Jesus: what the law and prophets only announced has been realized or filled full by Jesus Christ. The moral aspect of the law remains in force and Jesus will go on to teach us exactly what that means from his point of view. What powerful preaching.

But if this meant that the Old Testament law was in force then in Acts, Chapter 15 in the early church they would have never given just the minimum requirements for what the Gentiles were supposed to do. They just gave three. Do you remember that? Don't eat anything strangled. Don't eat anything with blood and even those are gone now. And Paul didn't even think of anything like that. He just says accept people who are weaker in the faith. So this is not about the continuing in force Old Testament law. This is about the intent of the law. And all we have to do to see what the essence of the law is all about is to turn to Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 12. You know what, you know this verse by heart and you probably don't even know that you know this verse by heart, but you do. Matthew 7:12: "So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you." What do we call that? The golden rule. But it doesn't end there. "Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets." You see I didn't come to abolish the laws and the prophets. The literal translation is "this is the law and the prophets." The essence of fulfilling the law, the essence of pleasing God, authentic religion, every thing that follows in the Sermon on the Mount, is about the pursuit of relationship that reflect God's righteousness.

The pursuit of relationship that reflects God righteousness. What does that mean? What is a relationship that reflects God's righteousness? In Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 17 Paul says that in the Gospel, the righteousness of God has been revealed. In the good news of Jesus Christ, about the cross and the resurrection, the righteousness of God has been revealed and what is that? The righteousness of God is God's incredible love for sinners that just won't stop. It was pointed to in the Old Testament through ten million second chances that God gave. That's a little exaggeration, but it was pointed to in all the ways that God showed his mercy and love over and over again to his people, but it's seen in its total fulfillment in the cross of Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God is pursuit of sinners: his unwillingness to let people just go their own way, has revealed how much he loved us. And it explains the pivotal Verse 20 of Matthew, Chapter 5. This verse is key to everything. The pivotal verse: "Unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees and the teachers of the law you are never getting in to the kingdom of heaven."

Now here's the deal. You would never be able to surpass a Pharisee in keeping the law. None of us here would be able to do it. They were unbelievably scrupulous about keeping the law. No one could surpass them, but here's the deal. The Pharisees had lost sight of God's righteousness in his covenant pursuit of wayward people. They had lost sight of how much God loved Israel and other sinners. So Verse 20 really makes sense when we say it this way. "Unless your attitude towards sinners surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Why? Because your attitude towards sinners including toward yourself reveals your own understanding of what righteousness really is. Faith from the heart that accepts God's loving gift in Jesus Christ.

Look with me at Romans, Chapter 3 in Verses 20 to 23. Listen to what Paul says.

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the law. Rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God apart from the law has been make known to which the law and the prophets (there's that phrase again) testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Those are the words of a converted Pharisee; a man who finally understood what the intent of the law was: to bring us to Jesus Christ.

Now when we pursue relationships that reflect God's righteousness, it's the main way that we are going to be salt and light to the world around us. Just before this passage that I read for you, even though we didn't read it last week or this week, Jesus said you are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world. Well how are you going to be the salt of the earth and light of the world? By pursuing relationships that reflect God's righteousness. By being a community of faith, which loves, forbearers, forgives, pursues, reconciles with one another.

Now we are ready to read Verse 21 of Matthew, Chapter 5 where Jesus hammers at the inadequacy of an external religion and he does so by getting us to look deep inside of attitudes and motives that can drive externally driven acts of murder and adultery. He is dealing with two of the commandments, but he goes much deeper than just not having murdered or committing adultery, as you are probably aware of already. Verse 21 to the end of the text is Verse 30.

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you..."

Let me just stop there for a second. You see even the way Jesus teaches it's so different from the way that teachers of the law taught. If somebody was a teacher of the law, they would have stood up and they would have said, "It is written you shall not commit murder." And then everybody would have looked at everybody else and said, "Hey have you committed murder? No, not me. You? I'm good. Are you good? Jesus doesn't teach that way. He says, "You've heard that it was said;" he's at another level. He says, "You've heard it was said that you shouldn't commit murder, but I tell you ..." He's the fulfillment of everything that Israel was looking for.

He says, "That anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca' or empty head is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. (that's really not in the Greek text) Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

Everybody have both hands today and both eyes? Okay, good. Nothing can get in the way of relationships and holy community more quickly or more seriously that unresolved anger. Some of the most difficult times of my ministry have been when people just would not be willing to work out anger. And I am not saying that I was always doing everything in a way that would invite them to do that, but not working out our anger, Jesus said, is such a cancer in the faith community that we must pay attention to it.

Parenthetically, let me just make some general comments about anger. First, it's universal. You know the "Anger Management", the whole movie is about him denying his anger. He is saying "I am the guy in the frozen food section, dial 911, I don't have any of that." It's universal. Anger can be healthy. It really can. It's psychic pain that's telling us that something needs to have attention paid to it. Anger is not a primary emotion. Anger is a secondary emotion. I will tell you how I remember the four things that are primary in motion that lead to anger. Right, left, fat thin or left, right, fat, thin. That's the way I remember. Now you don't have to remember right, left, fat thin, but if you can remember that you can remember the four things that are primary causes of anger. Loss, rejection, fear, and threat. Loss, rejection, fear and threat usually are the primary causes of which anger is a secondary cause.

The main point here is that Jesus is trying to teach about Godly righteousness in relationships and he's trying to get us to focus. It's not just about anger management, he's trying to get us to focus on how our interior thinking and attitudes keeps us from being a reconciler with others. It's exactly what God was. God was a reconciler towards us, and this unresolved anger will keep us from pursuing a relationship that reflects God's righteousness. There are three degrees of anger that he talks about. There is an anger that just sits there. If you are angry with your brother... you know it's funny how later copyists will add things to the Bible to soften what Jesus is saying. And so some copyists say 'if you are angry with your brother without cause,' so some people say that if you've got a good reason then you can be angry, but that 'without cause' was added later. If you are angry with your brother; if there is anger that just sits there, its unhealthy. And then secondly he said, if there is an anger that says 'Raca' or your empty head or just writes people off like I really don't need to deal with you, that's kind of a second level. And then a third level, which is the highest curse that a Jew could place on another: calling somebody a fool, why? Because a fool with an expression says that you are out of touch with God and you are not even like a human. So you dehumanized somebody else and that's what causes things like the Holocaust. It's a dehumanizing, like you don't exist on the same level with me. You are not human and if you act that way you are in danger yourself of judgment.

Now let me just give you a couple of tips on how to deal with anger. First, you have to hear it in yourself. Jesus is hammering this home. There is something internal that's going on that you need to pay attention to. So you have to hear it in yourself and you have to own it, like with what God said to Cain. "Cain, anger is crouching at the door and you have to master it." Cain did not master it and it led to murder. So the first thing is you have to not deny that that's there. I am the guy in the frozen food section, calling 911. You don't deny that its there. Own it, name it and say what is actually wrong. What are the primary feelings behind my anger? Is it lost, is it rejection, is it fear, or is it threat? What's going on that I need to trust God with?

Then to underscore the depth of how important reconciliation is, Jesus says if you are sitting in worship and there you remember not that you are angry with somebody else, but that your brother is angry with you or your sister is angry with you, he turns he right around to emphasize how reconciliation is so critical. He says, "Leave your gift at the altar" and what did he say? Go be reconciled to that person. And then come back and offer your gifts. Commit to resolving it. You must deal with it as quickly as possible too Jesus says. That's the second thing. You have to deal with it quickly. The longer you let it go the more difficult it gets. You know the Pharisees would never interrupt an act of sacrifice to go and deal with a relationship. They might interrupt an act of sacrifice for some other reasons, but they would never interrupt an act of sacrifice, because they would want it to be unsullied and pure, and the idea of just going and talking to somebody would never be a reason for leaving the act of placing a gift or sacrifice on the altar. Notice how in Verse 24 Jesus again emphasizes that reconciliation. "Be reconciled and then come offer your gift." And then he repeats it he says, "Settle the unresolved anger quickly because in essence you will be the one who suffers the most emotionally and spiritually if you don't deal with it." Now dealing quickly with unresolved anger and relationship precedes worship in God's economy so it would be a sad thing if God were to look at any of us today and say "you know what, you are basically wasting your time here." Wouldn't that be sad? You are basically wasting your time because I desire mercy and not sacrifice. This is the law and the prophets that the pursuit of godly relationships reflects a relationship with God.

Now it's true that you cannot pursue a reconciled relationship with someone who will not dance. You won't be able to. You can't force somebody to be reconciled, but again you can send signals that may invite it to happen. I like the way Stephen Covey puts it in his book "The Eighth Habit" maybe some of you have read that book. He talks about reconciliation in all kinds of entrenched situations and conflicts and he talks about a two step process in his seminars and he has actually had people come out of the audience on two separate sides of an issue and put them through these two steps and its been amazing what happens. The two steps are basically this: if you are entrenched or in a difficulty, and again somebody is willing to do this, he said would you agree ahead of time before you try to solve anything to come up with a third option that neither of you are thinking of right now as a goal to work toward and that you would both be satisfied with this third option. You both agree ahead of time that you are going to work hard to find a third option that neither of you are thinking of and that you will both when its over and done with say "you know what I am satisfied, more satisfied with the third option than I am with either of ours." That's the first thing because it demonstrates the depth to which the work goes and then he says, now in getting there are you willing to state the other person's position to the level of their satisfaction before you state your own. Not just listen and say it back, but say it back in a way that the person who is sending the message says I am satisfied that you have understood what I am trying to say. Now, what would you like to say and then that keeps going back and forth. And he says that time after time after time with those two steps he has seen amazing things happen. He does give one example where he says he tried to do it and the people said they would do these two things, but it just disintegrated because they really weren't willing to get there and to give up their way.

Now the same steps and I don't have time, but the same steps are true for lust. We recognize it as an internal violation and then do whatever is necessary as quickly as possible to deal with it. Again, Jesus is using hyperbole to talk about what authentic spirituality is. It's an internal sense that desires the benefit of others. It's not a focus on law keeping or self-gratification.

In another century two monks were walking along and there was a hard rain in the city and they were going and they noticed a young woman who was trying to traverse a puddle and one of the monks picked up the young woman and carried her across the puddle to the sidewalk even though it was against the law for them to touch a woman who was not their wife or would not be their wife. And they are walking along for 10, 15 or 20 minutes after this happens and the guy that did not pick up the woman finally can't hold it in any longer and he says, "How could you do that? How could you violate our laws our way of being?" The one who picked her up looked at him and said; "I put her down a long time ago. Are you still carrying her?" Internally. What's going on inside. Jesus is trying to teach us.

Now again, this passage isn't about anger management or sexual purity per se, rather its about Jesus lifting up the intent of the law to get us to see how needy we are. and come to him for help with these internal forces. The law was given as a tutor Paul says to lead us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith. And since God has so reconciled us with himself, let's commit today to pursue any reconciliation necessary that in effect is reflecting God's righteousness. I want to ask us to go in to a mode of prayer and I am just going to walk you through something to help try to cement this in our minds and maybe get even more motivation to do something if it applies in your life. Okay?

Let's just pray. Let bow our heads and close our eyes. It's something I have done before, but right now just take your hands and place them palms down on your lap and in so doing as you take your hands and place them palms down on your lap you are letting go of whatever it is that is troubling you today in terms of relationship. So just follow my lead in prayer. Just silently to yourself: "Lord today with my palms down, my hands open, I let go of my need to be right. I let go of my anger. I give to you Lord this day this struggle." Now if you just turn your palms upwards so that they are facing up to the ceiling, palms up, follow my lead again in prayer. "Lord now I receive from you the strength that I need to be a pursuer of righteousness and of reconciliation. Help me to see that this is what you desire inside. Again Lord I ask your help because I can't do it apart from your Holy Spirit. I pray it in Jesus' strong name. Amen.

© 2005, Rev. George Antonakos
Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org