Sermon: "An Honorable Weight"

6th in the "Stone Tablets in a Wireless World" series.
Delivered July 12, 2009 by Andy Gathman.
Sermon Text: Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-22

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Good morning. Well, so we're in the middle of our series on the Ten Commandments... week six... the sixth commandment. Now, two weeks ago at the 8:30 service, Bart Houseman... and there is a little bit of irony to this, I don't think any of us realized it at the time... said that having been given the fourth commandment, he would like to have traded for an easier assignment. And Bart, I would have taken that trade because this wasn't an easy assignment. None the less, let's seek God for guidance and ask him to open our hearts to his Word.

Lord, we come before you as your people and ask by your Holy Spirit that you would open our hearts, open our ears, open our minds to your Word. May the words that I speak and the words that we hear from your Scriptures be more than simply sayings but your true and living Word to us today. In Jesus Christ, Amen.

Hear God's Word to us today from Exodus 20, verse 13.

"You shall not murder."

The Word of the Lord; thanks be to God.

So did you catch that? DON'T MURDER.

I was thinking I might just end the sermon right there because there is really not much else to say. Maybe that's what Bart had in mind when he suggested this would be an easy sermon.

"You shall not murder." How does one begin to preach a sermon on that anyway? Not from life experience... not in my case anyway. Most of what I know from murder comes from Law & Order, or thanks to living in Baltimore for 10 years, the late local news.

So besides the murder mystery... "Who done it?"... side of the story, what really catches your attention, I think, in a lot of these stories is the pain and anguish that the families who've lost loved ones go through, when someone has been taken from them by murder. And certainly, we can imagine how horrible it would be if someone we loved were murdered. That's a nice, light thought for a Sunday morning.

But at least anecdotally, we can understand why this particular commandment made it into God's top ten. That at least is our context. But let's think about for a moment the context in which the commandments were originally given. Because God doesn't give this particular law in a vacuum, but rather he speaks it to the people of Israel at a particular moment in history at the foot of Mount Sinai.

So for 400 years, the Israelites had been living in Egypt as foreigners and outsiders. And not long after they settled there, they were enslaved by the Egyptians. You can just imagine the abuse they experienced each and every day. In fact, Pharaoh's contempt for the Hebrews was so extreme that he initiated a ruthless form of population control, commanding that Egyptian midwives were to kill any boy born to a Hebrew slave. It's in this context that God hears the Israelites'' cry. He brings them out of Egypt, and he delivers them from all their suffering.

Now, if you think about this for a second, we know through the study of psychology that when someone is rescued from an ongoing abusive situation, the damage caused by that abuse doesn't stop simply because they've been removed from that situation. In many cases, it requires lifelong therapy and intervention to help that person function normally. So, how much more an entire society?

See, God's plans for Israel is far greater than to simply rescue them from Pharaoh and drop them in the desert. He wanted to create a people who would represent him to the world. And so, after generations of institutionalized, societal abuse and murder, God gives them this command. "You shall not murder." So now we can begin to see God's deep theological purpose behind this commandment to center Israelite society around God's reverence for human life.

The purpose of this command is to remind them in the starkest of terms regardless of what treatment they saw in Egypt, that it is God's place alone to judge and to end human life. And that as God's people, they are called to uphold the sanctity of human life. And now because of the history of the evangelical movement, I can't say those last few words without a particular set of issues coming to mind.

So considering that none of us are murderers that I'm aware of. None of us, I hope, are contemplating murder. Is this then the path of application for us to engage in right-to-life issues? And I want to suggest that we probably shouldn't just think about abortion but also consider the death penalty, war, bioethics for both reproductive and end-of-life issues, not to mention global health issues, hunger, poverty, and the larger global and economic systems that create these problems.

There are a whole host of issues that we have a responsibility to think about and to act on according to our consciences in light of this commandment. We could easily spend a whole month of sermons talking about how to honor God's reverence for human life politically, socially, and economically. So for the next four weeks, I'm going to... No, I'm just kidding.

Actually, I'm afraid that obedience to God's Word, "You shall not murder" that it's going to exact a far greater personal toll than simply debating or defending a particular philosophy or political view. Because Jesus himself addresses this commandment. And though he preached the message of peace, he doesn't use the occasion to tell his followers conclusively to avoid war or to lay out the principles of just war. Nor when he talked about this commandment did he use the opportunity to discuss the death penalty or bioethics or socio-economic theory. Even though he often expressed God's deep love and concern for little children, he doesn't even use the occasion to talk about abortion.

Listen to the words of our Lord in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 21.

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

Well, let's just stop there for one second because I want you to catch what Jesus is doing here. He is about to give us an authoritative reinterpretation of the sixth commandment. It would be one thing if Jesus had said, "You've heard the scribes and the Pharisees tell you." But that's not what he does.

Notice, "You have heard (past tense) it was said (past tense) to the people long ago." He is not trying to correct some contemporary misunderstanding. But he is addressing the very word that God gave to his people at Mt. Sinai. So here is Jesus on his own authority with no proof, no supporting claims, no outside justification telling us the way he wants us to view this commandment.

Now to be clear, Jesus is not setting aside the original commandment. Just a few sentences earlier in Matthew 5:17 he says, "Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Still, as biblical scholar Frederick Bruner says, "Jesus does assume Messianic place over Scripture as Scripture's authorized interpreter."

And this is how Jesus interprets this commandment.

"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 that anyone who is angry with a his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a his brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. And But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22)

Well, now we're getting down to it because what Jesus has done here is he has reinforced the original commandment. He has filled it full to include the meaning of even being angry as falling under its scope. So if some of you were feeling uncomfortable before, I imagine that you may be feeling even more uncomfortable now. Because if we take Jesus' words at face value, then they are very troubling indeed.

I know that as I get older, I find more things to be angry about and more people to be angry with. For one thing, I'm a parent. I'm just kidding... I don't get angry at my kids... or my spouse. But beyond the challenge of raising kids, I've also tasted more personal injustice. I've been wounded by my friends. I've been wounded by my family, and I more easily expect to be hurt by other people. So, murder? No. But resentment and anger? Most definitely.

I'm afraid without Jesus' words here, I find it all too easy to take comfort in my own anger. So, it makes me pause. Even so, I can imagine some of you are thinking, "Come on. Are we really going to make such a big deal out of this? I mean, are we actually going to compare murder and anger? Am I really supposed to believe that in Jesus' eyes, being angry with someone is on par with murder?"

So let's take a closer look. One thing we should look at is what kind of anger Jesus is talking about here. In the Greek language from which our English translation comes, there are two possible words for anger. And this one is "orgizmenos." There you go. And this particular word for anger implies an intense or a harbored anger. What's more, it's in the form of a present passive participle, which as you'll all recall from middle school English means "continuing action." That's right. Very good.

Okay, so Jesus here isn't talking about a single moment of anger (not that he would condone us flying into a rage), but rather a continuing or a smoldering anger. And the translation might be a little better if it said, "I tell you anyone who remains angry with their brother or sister." Or perhaps more descriptively, "Anyone who is nursing a grudge toward a brother and sister will be subject to judgment."

In giving us a new interpretation of this commandment, Jesus does not so much address the verbal flare-ups that come in the heat of an argument. But he is imminently concerned with what we do with those emotions following the initial conflict. Jesus is condemning the resentful attitude that all too often we carry with us long after the original incident.

And this attitude is not just an emotion or an inner matter. Pay attention because this attitude of carried anger reflects a decision to live this way. It's a decision to bring it around with us. And it is this decision made countless times in untold situation that Jesus is confronting so strongly.

Now I imagine that most of us don't see ourselves as angry people. But boy can we hold a grudge. By our mid-twenties, most of us have turned it into an art form. So when we decide to remain angry at someone, to nurse that grudge, how does that manifest itself in our lives? And one of the things you'll eventually see as Jesus points out is verbal contempt. The kind of words that flow from this inner attitude as Jesus points out are words that belittle someone's humanity, much the same way that the Egyptians must have thought of their Hebrew slaves. Because if you're less than human, I don't have to respect your rights, do I?

So the first insult, "Raca!" impugns someone's intellect, the way we might call someone today an "idiot" or an "airhead." The second insult impugns their character. "Fool" is far too weak a translation. I'm sure without bringing vulgarities into church, you can think of the kind of words we have in our society like this. Words that compare people to animals or body parts or excrement.

Well, let's think about the other side for a second. What does this kind of anger whether it's internal resentment or external contempt really do to the people it's directed at? Think for a moment how you feel when someone is angry with you. Well you get upset too, don't you? Why is that? I mean, the other person doesn't have to physically harm you. Simply being the recipient of their anger is punishment in itself. Because anger is first of all a way of asserting myself over another person. Anger says, "I've decided I have a right to dismiss you. I have a right to veto your concerns, to ignore your needs, to cast off your perspective."

When I decide to be angry with someone, I'm emotionally cutting them out of my life. Here is how Dallas Willard talks about the relational violence done by anger.

"To belong is a vital need based in the spiritual nature of the human being. Contempt spits on this pathetically deep need, and like anger, contempt does not have to be acted out in special ways to be evil. It is inherently poisonous. Just by being what it is, it is withering to the human soul." (The Divine Conspiracy, p.153)

Anger, resentment, contempt... these things though often unseen are toxic pollutants in the sea of human relationships. And though most cases they may not lead to physical death, if left unchecked, they have deadly power to weaken relationships, to destroy friendships, to lay waste to families, and to ruin entire communities. And for Jesus, this is unacceptable.

This commentator Frederick Bruner concludes his section on this passage. He says:

"We think anger and dismissive words relatively trivial and unimportant. No big deal. This command retorts, 'Big deal!' Anger carried and vented according to Jesus' astonishing assessment is Last-Judgment-and-hell-deserving crime."(Matthew Commentary, p.211)

I can't claim to be innocent here, can you?

Where the commandment about murder left most of us from personally feeling its scope, who here today can escape the weight of this new command? And if we were to attempt to be the kind of people who would lay down our anger and resentment, if we would hope to deal with the twisted nature of ours that half enjoys wallowing in our resentment, well, we'd have little hope of achieving this on our own.

Much more than the commandment about murder, Jesus' command is a clear call to turn to him in the ins and outs of our daily life. What day goes by that we don't encounter difficult people or frustrating situations? So every confrontation, every angry moment, is an opportunity. It's an invitation by Jesus to turn back to him in humility and repentance. For we can't effect the inner change that we need to on our own.

But beyond turning to Jesus in repentance... and we do need to repent... we can also turn to him for guidance. Because I don't believe that he meant us simply to throw up our hands at this new command simply because it's so hard simply because he is calling us to a higher standard.

See, if you look with me at the verses that follow, he actually gives us some instruction on how we might proceed if we were to be serious about living out this teaching. Picking up in verse 23, he says:

"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny." (Matthew 5:32-26)

So Jesus gives us two pictures to think about. Even though there are a couple of different things we could talk about, I just want to focus on the main point, which is the priority and the urgency of moving toward reconciliation wherever there is conflict. In the first case, Jesus wants us to imagine ourselves interrupting a ritual act in the middle of a religious service.

Now to put this in perspective, the scene described here is a lot more somber and serious than simply attending a church service. One of the commentators I was reading said, "Think of it more like a wedding ceremony." So just imagine a groom as he is standing up with his bride and the wedding party, and all the guests are there. And he is just about to get to his vows, and he says, "Excuse me. I just realized that my friend Ted is angry with me. I'll be right back."

It's a little ridiculous, don't you think? And yet that's how urgently Jesus suggests we ought to feel our burden to reconcile broken relationships. Similarly, in the second case, he has us imagine trying to settle a lawsuit while we're still on our way to court. And the point is the same, which is lay down your right to be right. Make a priority of reconciliation before it's too late.

Now, I'm not going to ask you to leave church right now if you have some reconciling to do. Some of you are thinking, "Aww, nuts!" Because if I did, a lot of you would leave. I would leave too, and someone else would have to finish the sermon. Debbie is not here today.

The point is not to follow this like a prescription like it's a new set of laws. But I think Jesus is pointing us in the direction of developing a habit within ourselves, developing a commitment to seek reconciliation whenever conflict arises rather than letting it spill all over our lives and the lives of those around us. That we would drop everything and make our best effort to tend to that relationship. This is the kind of person that Jesus is inviting us to become. This is the kind of person that he has shown himself to be.

Now some of you, I hope, feel like this is a breath of fresh air. Some of you, I hope it's the encouragement you need to take that next step, make that effort, and reach out to a friend or a family member who up to this point, you've been reluctant or haven't had the courage to do. Even as I'm talking here, I imagine for some of you, God is placing a particular person or a particular circumstance on your heart, and he is prompting you to take action. And I want to encourage you to follow that prompting and to be obedient and to believe that God will go with you as you seek to restore that relationship because he will be with you.

But there are others here who are saying to themselves, "You don't know what's been done to me. You don't know what I've been through. And I just can't imagine letting go of this anger, much less seek reconciliation." And you're right... I don't know what you've been through. And I wouldn't have you think that Jesus is asking you to put yourself or your family in harm's way to attempt to reconcile with someone who is abusive or dangerous in some way.

But I do know that Jesus is concerned for all of our relationships. Most of all, for the ones where we've been hurt deeply. Just like we can seek him in repentance for our anger... just like we can seek him for guidance on how to move forward... we can also seek him for the strength to lay down our anger, even in the most hurtful of circumstances.

When I was in college, a close friend of mine did something that hurt me very deeply. And his actions angered me to the point that I cut off all communication with him. And the fallout from the breach of our friendship rippled through both of our lives. I stopped going to the church that I was attending. I stopped going to the fellowship group that I'd been attending so I wouldn't have to run in to him. Our friends, not too long after, started choosing sides. For his part, he felt such shame over it that he actually dropped out of school for a little while. And personally, my life withered under the emotional burden because no matter how much I knew I ought to, I just couldn't let go of the anger that I felt.

Then one day in the course of reading my Bible, I came across the parable of the unmerciful servant. And in it, a servant who owes his king a huge debt... literally millions of dollars... goes to the king and begs him for mercy. And to his surprise, the king gives him mercy, and he cancels the debt entirely. But right after that, even though he had just received mercy for a debt that he could never hope to repay, he runs into a friend of his who owes him a few dollars. And rather than showing him the same mercy, instead he has him thrown into jail.

So the king hears of this, and he summons his servant. And this is what he says. Matthew, chapter 18, verse 32.

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 15:32-34, TNIV)

And after reading that, I had to ask myself, "Could I honestly say that the debt my friend owed was greater than the debt that I owe to Christ?" Whatever has been done to me, what Jesus suffered was worse and at my expense. Because even though I deserve death for the weight of my sins, in the ultimate act of mercy, Jesus gave up his divine right. He became human, only to be tortured and crucified so that he could take my place, and instead, I could have eternal life with God.

How can I receive his grace and not pass it on to others? In those moments, all my anger and my bitterness crumbled. And not long after, we met, and for the first time in six months, I spoke to my friend, and I offered forgiveness. Now, did that make everything go back to normal? No. This is life... not a fairy tale. But it did lay a foundation for healing and for moving forward in each of our lives.

In studying this passage, I have come to believe that Jesus really does take our anger seriously. He is authoritatively reinterpreting the sixth commandment because like God was doing at Sinai, Jesus is creating a community. And we are that community. And to make this community, he has rescued us from slavery, the slavery of our sin, which includes the sin of harboring our anger that has the power to destroy our community. And in a very real way, how well we deal with this command has everything to do with how well we'll be able to pass on and share the gospel and grace of Christ to those around us.

If you hear Jesus' words today and you have some relationship work to do, follow his lead. Take the first step. He didn't wait for us. But before we loved him, he showed his love for us, pouring out his life for us on the Cross. And if you'd like some spiritual help in taking those first steps, I want to invite you to come up after the sermon today. And we have prayer ministers who will be standing at either side of this space, who will be willing to pray with you about whatever relationship or circumstance God has put on your heart.

We live in a world that is mired in relational baggage. Just think how our neighbors and our friends and our colleagues might respond to a community who is chiefly characterized by love, by grace, by humility, and forgiveness. Not just niceness which we're pretty good at around here. But deep love and costly forgiveness.

I think people would experience a measure of the love of Christ. I think that if with great effort, we began to truly live into this command, ours would be a community where people would find healing for their broken relationships, where people would find release from the bondage of anger and resentment, where people would experience the very real and tangible presence of Christ and the wonders of his mercy and love. And by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, may it be so. May it be so even in us. Amen.

Let's pray: God, we have heard your Word to us today. And whatever way it lodges in our heart, I pray that you would not allow it to dwindle and be forgotten. But prompt us to move towards you, by your grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us and encourage us to walk in obedience and follow you. We pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

© 2009, Andy Gathman
Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org