Sufficient for the day is its own trouble

 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

- Matthew 6:25-34

We are now reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  For the earlier readings and commentary on this Sermon, see  The Beatitudes;  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven;  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;  I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment;  Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect; Do not be like the hypocrites and Our Father in heaven.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!  No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"  My study bible tells us here:  "Severe anxiety, not thoughtful planning and care, is what is warned against here.  Physical growth and length of life is dependent upon the providence of God more than upon food, drink, and clothing.  Persistent anxiety over the things of this world demonstrates internal insecurity and a weak or superficial faith."  It seems to me that Christ is calling us once again to put our "house" or rather our faith in order, and to focus on what is uppermost, the central things of our lives.  He is calling us to remember God, to focus first on the kingdom, and away from a purely material-minded perspective that omits or forget to trust in God first.  Worrying alone can't fix things!

"So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Jesus gives us the example of God's love and care, and teaches us about God's love, reminding us that this is what we are to be mindful of in our lives.  He seems to suggest that a purely material perspective causes anxieties that do nothing to help us or even to achieve the things we want.  The antidote is to remember the love of God.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek."  My study bible tells us that "the pagan worship of the Gentiles did not deliver them from their earthly cares, because it was focused upon nonexistent gods, that is, idols."

"For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  My study bible teaches, "The kingdom of God is the central theme of the teaching of Jesus, and His righteousness is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount.  Calling us to be set free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, to this greater 'country' which will be received at the Day of the Lord, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings."  Let us note the focus of Jesus' teaching here:  we focus on the Kingdom first, and on God's righteousness that Jesus teaches, and "all these things shall be added to you."  He is teaching us about faith, and right-relatedness to the things of this world.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  Again, we're cautioned against over-anxiety here.  We have to remember Jesus' teaching style; it is full of aphorisms and brilliant images for us to understand what He is driving at.  He's not necessarily saying we don't think at all about "tomorrow" -- but He's cautioning us about excessive anxiety and dwelling on things that turn them into a kind of idol.  We're better off focusing on the Kingdom, and putting everything else second to this, in the proper place.

It seems to me we live in a time that is deluged with anxieties and worries about tomorrow.  We're integrated into a modern age in which all kinds of media saturate us with images of what we are to be like, what we must look like, what we must have, what kind of house we need, what we must dwell in and how it must look, and what we must wear, eat, consume - in all sorts of senses of that word.  As we become more materially prosperous as a world, so anxiety sets in not only about the things we have but about what we think we must have because others have these things.  But Jesus calls us to something different, deeper, and a better perspective.  He's suggesting that such a focus only leads us to greater anxiety; indeed, I believe that in modern industrial societies the effects of modern life tend to be confirmed in the widespread pharmaceutical use of prescriptions for anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications.  What Jesus calls for from us is a radical shift in our perspective on life:  put the Kingdom first.  Remember God's love first.  Let that understanding temper our ways of thinking about what we have, what we wear, what we eat.  Let the remembrance of God's love put those things into perspective for us.  Excessive anxiety isn't healthful nor is it helpful in changing our lives and gaining us a better quality of life.  All through the Sermon on the Mount, He's asked us to go deeper into ourselves, to examine our motivations, to watch our thoughts, to be aware of who we are on the inside.  For His kind of righteousness, this is what we need.  Here, He's telling us about excessive worry and anxiety.  And He's teaching us what we should do to counter that:  focus on the Kingdom, on the things that moth and rust can't ruin, that thieves can't steal from us.  Focus especially on God's love for us.  Look around at the incredible beauty of the world, the care and love and mercy in that beauty that we see all around ourselves.  He's telling us to give ourselves a break.  To focus on love and beauty is to focus on the mercy which gives us joy, which sets our perspectives in order.  Let us consider what we do with our time, how we focus, what drives us, and most of all, what softens and truly adds to our lives.  Let us focus on the real treasure.  Where does God's love come into the picture for you?  What does it teach you about where your worth lies?  We don't need to add to our troubles by this perspective that omits all these things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

- Matthew 6:19-24

In the lectionary cycle, we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  For the earlier readings in the Sermon on the Mount, see The Beatitudes;  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven;  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;  I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment;  Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect; and Do not be like the hypocrites.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught us about prayer:   "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  My study bible says that "by attaching themselves to treasures on earth people cut themselves off from heavenly treasures.  They become slaves, not free in Christ.  The heart of discipleship lies in (1) disentangling ourselves from the chains of earthly things, and (2) attaching ourselves to God, the true treasure.  We have need for certain material things, but we use them according to God's will and purposes."  Let us remember these teachings come just after the teachings on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting -- and especially the emphasis on the warnings against hypocrisy.  Here, Jesus takes us to the real step He has in mind:  our focus is on God and the love of God, and the real treasures in that bond of love.

"The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"  My study bible tells us:  "Jesus refers to things within the reach of the senses so that we might more easily grasp His teaching.  We all understand the value of light in our lives.  As the eye is the lamp of the body, so the mind (Gr. nous) is the spiritual eye of the soul:  it illuminates the whole inner man.  Keeping our spiritual eyes good, that is, wholesome and pure, is fundamental to a Christian life."  If we recall, Jesus very early in the Sermon on the Mount, spoke of salt and of light.  Here, the light is taken to that deeper internal level of unification within ourselves:  the idea is that this bond of love in God, our real Master, is what illumines our own sight in the first place.  Without that, how are we to shine into the world?

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  My study bible notes:  "As slaves serving two masters, people attempt to maintain an attachment both to earthly and to heavenly things.  But this is impossible, for both demand full allegiance.  Jesus calls mammon a master, not because it is by nature evil, but because of the absolute and wretched servility it exacts."

Here's the real conflict, what do we choose to serve?  A completely material-minded perspective, that has the outward "appearance" in mind, is going to miss the point.  Or worse, in Jesus' teaching, one cannot serve both our real and true inner relationship to God and the relationship to a material-minded perspective.  In this sense, these teachings take us even deeper into what it is to truly live as a hypocrite, focused on the outer life or appearance alone.  Instead, it is the light of the eye that must inform how to live in the world, what to do with our possessions and our worldly lives.  Jesus presents such a stark picture because He's trying to get us to understand the stark reality of our choices.  It all depends on what we put first.  Which master do we serve?  If we first consider the things of heaven and the precious treasures there, then we are on a good road in our lives.  He likens that treasure to the light of the eye, the thing we really need to see by, so that what we do with our lives will be illumined by that light.  The absence of this light, He implies, conveys an incredible darkness -- without it, there is no light at all.  It is God who gives the light that illumines us, and we may shine that light in the world.  It all depends on what we hold first and best in our hearts, what we truly treasure, what we love.  Whatever that is, it becomes our master.  It is the first and most important thing.  Elsewhere, in the parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks about "the deceit of riches."  Here, He implies that you really can't rely on material life alone as if it were God, the true master.  Material treasures can be eaten by moths and rust away, or stolen by thieves.  But what we gain as the internal light of real wisdom, in a faith in something of true substance, we don't lose; it will see us through our lives, especially the times of uncertainty, apparent failure, and the letdown of position in a worldly sense.  Who do we love?  What lights us up?  Who do we truly serve?  God made the world and all in it good; let us remember how we use what we have as stewards called to be children of God.  What is our true treasure?  Jesus calls us to take good care to discern what it is we truly love, and what will truly love us back with our best interest at heart!  What master will truly care for us?

Our Father in heaven

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

"Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and
the power and the glory
forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

- Matthew 6:7-15

We are currently in the middle of reading the Sermon on the Mount.  For the previous readings in the Sermon, see The Beatitudes;  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven;  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;  I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment;  Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No' and Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." ~~~ "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:  "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.   Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Of these verses, my study bible notes, first of all that Jesus doesn't condemn repetition per se, but "vain repetition."  Of Our Father in heaven, it tells us:  "The  Father-Son relationship between God the Father and God the Son reveals the nature of our relationship with God.  For Christ Himself, the Son of the Father by nature, grants us the privilege of calling the Creator our Father by the grace of adoption.  As a 'son' of God in Christ, the Christian is called to love, trust and serve God, as a son would his father.  The emphasis in Scripture is not on a universal Fatherhood of God through creation, but on a saving and personal relationship with Him who is our Father by adoption through the Spirit (see Romans 8:14-16)."  In our prayer taught by Christ, let us note that the first thing we pray to is "Our Father in heaven," establishing this relationship my study bible speaks about.  As God is our heavenly Father, we are workers in and inheritors of His kingdom, which we heartily pray be established in the world, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

 "Give us this day our daily bread."  My study bible tells us, "Daily is a misleading translation of the Greek epiousios, which is literally 'above the essence' or 'supersubstantial.'  The expression daily bread indicates not merely bread for this day, taken for sustenance of life; it is bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for sustenance of our immortal life.  It is living, 'superessential' bread.  This bread, prepared by God in the beginning for the immortality of our nature, is the Bread of Life which will triumph over the death brought about by sin.  Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God (v. 33).  Here He tells us to ask not merely for material bread which keeps us in good physical health, but for the spiritual bread which gives us life -- the Living Bread, Christ Himself, given in the Holy Eucharist to those who receive Him."

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study bible tells us, "We request God to forgive us . . . as we are to forgive others.  By using the plural, Jesus directs each of us to pray for the Father's forgiveness of all, and for all of us to forgive one another.  Although God's forgiveness is primary, Jesus clearly teaches that there is a reciprocal relationship between divine and human forgiveness.  We request God to be to us as we are to our neighbors.  Debts refers to spiritual debts:  when we sin, we 'owe' restitution to our offended neighbor and to God."

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  A note explains, "We pray not only that our sins be forgiven (v. 12, above), but that we not yield to temptation.  God tempts no one (James 1:13), temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  They are aimed at the soul's willful yielding to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one can live without at some time encountering temptation.  But to yield to temptation and commit sin is blameworthy.  Thus we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13), should not come our way."

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Another note explains, "Once again Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  those who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This teaching is repeated by Jesus in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:23-35), which concludes with virtually the same words.  The opinion that even unforgiving Christians are forgiven by God is contradicted by Christ Himself.  The moral action of the faithful, when they forgive others their trespasses, is bound with the love of God:  not to forgive others is to willfully alienate ourselves from the forgiveness of God."  This conditional or reciprocal statement is one which mirrors many others in the Gospels, particularly on the topic of mercy.  Christ asks us to treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated, and wish to be treated by God.

On the subject of forgiveness, it seems to me that forgiveness above all means first of all not seeking revenge or vengeance of any kind.  We really have to watch our responses to injustices.  It's important how we react.  "Forgiveness" in the Greek is a kind of "giving up" or perhaps more closely, "letting go."  Since this action or this sentence comes in prayer, it's important to think of letting go as what we give up to God.  In this sense, we not only keep God in mind as Judge of all things, but we also keep God central -- in between, so to speak -- to all our relationships in the world.  There's nothing better than prayer to lead us when we feel hurt or trespassed upon or harmed in some way. Prayer gives us a chance to take a breath, and to let go, and to ask for a better frame of mind from which to consider not just the situation and our relationship to whoever has harmed us, but also how we wish to wisely respond in our lives.  I don't believe that's possible without this step back of "letting go" or "giving up."  Having Our Father in heaven as the Person we give things to makes us a part of something greater than ourselves.  It helps us to get the perspective that is necessary for a wise life, a response not conditioned only by what others do.  I don't believe that forgiveness means simply that we return to a relationship that is harmful to us as if nothing has happened, but it does correct our perspective in the sense that we turn to God for the proper response, that we give up our own take and perspective, and seek God's instead.  When we turn to Our Father in heaven, we're seeking to please God in the way that we live our lives, in the ways in which we respond to the things in this world, and we are also turning to the Person who is aware of all that we need.  Let us consider today what "giving up" really is and what it really means in the context of pleasing God, finding the way through difficult situations, seeking a just and righteous way to create the true peace of reconciliation with God.  Jesus does not call us to be doormats, nor to be unaware, but rather to be forbearing, to cultivate the strength of a better perspective, the sense in which He teaches us to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.  His Way is the best path.  Let us remember that when we pray for our daily bread, this Gift is what we pray for. 

Do not be like the hypocrites

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

~~~

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

- Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which began at the beginning of chapter 5 of Mark's Gospel.  We have read The Beatitudes;  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven;  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;  I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'    Yesterday, we read Jesus teaching, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."  My study bible explains that, "In this chapter, Jesus calls us to practice three basic aspects of spiritual discipline, or righteousness:  (1)  charitable giving (vv. 1-4), (2) prayer (vv. 5-15), and (3) fasting (vv. 16-18).  These three disciplines relate directly to uprightness in the sight of God." 

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study bible tells us, "God is not impressed with what other people think of us, or even with our own opinion of ourselves.  He sees who we really are, and He knows our motives as well as our deeds.  Everything will be judged, and our good deeds will be rewarded openly."  Some manuscripts omit "openly," but the basic understanding and commandments included here remain the same.  Regarding the word hypocrite, a note tells us:  "The original meaning of the word 'hypocrite' was 'actor.'  Hypocrites are play-actors practicing theatrical piety.  They put on their show in synagogues and in the streets to please men, not God.  Wearing masks of compassion, inwardly they are heartless.  Their reward is the applause of men -- nothing more."

 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  My study bible says, "The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which involves an intimate, personal relationship with God and leads to the vision of His glory (1 Cor. 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out both the relationship and the vision. . . . When we pray, we do not lecture God or make demands, but we are (1) humble (go into your room, v. 6), (2) personal and intimate with Him (pray to your Father), and (3) sincere."  In tomorrow's reading, the lectionary will include the verses regarding "vain repetitions" in prayer.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  My study bible says that, "Keeping a sad countenance while fasting, so that everyone can see how one is suffering, is mere external display.  Jesus rejects such hypocrisy.  For the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines physical discomfort:  joy overshadows sorrow.  . . .  And fasting is not merely abstaining from eating.  Physical fasting works together with spiritual fasting, or self-denial:  it is a liberation of the spirit from its voluntary enslavement to sinful passions.  Fasting is for the glory of God, not to impress people around us."  Fasting is meant to be making time for God, a time when we relax our struggle for the best food, the great effort we put into our favorite delicacies or dishes, and focus on God and what God wishes from us, including practicing charity for example, and fasting from sin in the sense that Jesus teaches in this entire Sermon.

Jesus focuses on three central pillars of worship and religious practice for individuals:  charitable giving, prayer, and fasting.  But there is an important common thread running through all, and that is His condemnation of hypocrisy in religious practice.  None of these things are to be done for the "praise" or "glory of men."   A hypocrite is an actor who, in the ancient theater, was under a mask; it was someone wearing a particular "attitude" when underneath the real person was in fact someone quite different and separate from the action or attitude viewed by others.  So the thread that is common to all of the Sermon on the Mount continues here:  Jesus is focusing on our inner selves, on the things that really make us who we are, and He asks us to focus there as well.  By drawing us in to a more intimate relationship with the Father, He's also asking us to "get real" -- it is a similar teaching to what we will read in a few verses further on in chapter 6:  "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Jesus wants us to get sincerely to the place of the heart, and the ways in which we do that is through an intimate relationship with God the Father.  Over and over again, He encourages us to think about what is really essential, and how we cultivate this relationship first in life.  He counterbalances it with the "praise of men" or "glory of men" -- which is the thing that can get us into a whole lot of trouble in life, and take us away from the state of the heart, where we and God's love truly dwell.  In the Old Testament, it's very common to hear images of infidelity, harlotry, in chasing after other gods.  Here, we can apply Jesus' teachings on true intimacy with God to something very much like a marriage.  What belongs in private, with the One we truly love?  Is it really just for show to others?  How do we nurture and care for the state of that relationship?  There is One who knows our hearts better than all others, One who may direct our hearts, and heal them and cleanse them.  That's the One we work to please, the One who really and truly loves us with a love that teaches us what love is, and the proper way to practice it each in our own lives.  There's a deeper practice here that gets to core of all of Jesus' teachings, and that is about the state of the heart, and our most intimate relationship -- in that secret place -- where we live with God and make our peace with God, and nurture that relationship.  It is a message that runs through the whole of the Sermon on the Mount, in His careful teachings that we must be aware of what goes on in our hearts, in our inner person, and finally in this secret place with our Father.  Tomorrow's reading will include the prayer He teaches that we should pray to Our Father.

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

- Matthew 5:38-48

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount.  For the earlier readings, see The Beatitudes,  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven,  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, and I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  Yesterday, Jesus continued:  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."  My study bible says, "Jesus warned His disciples not to resist violence with more violence (contrary to Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21).  Evil, and the evil person, can be overcome only by good.  This keeps us free from anger -- from being poisoned by the evil directed against us and its destructive forces -- and instructs others through Christian forbearance.  It brings both us and our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  This teaching does not, however, contradict a state's right to protect its citizens and to punish criminals."

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?"  Again, my study bible helps us with a note:  "Here is another radical command of Jesus:  to love our enemies as a true expression of the life of the Kingdom.  Having freed us from hate, sadness, and anger, He offers the greatest possession of all -- perfect love.  That is a gift which can only be possessed by the one who, by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, manifests God's love for all.  Such love calls us to bless, do good, and pray -- even for enemies.  Love of neighbor is the sign of having become a true child of God.  Love is not merely an emotion.  It is a divine grace -- an uncreated divine energy -- which inflames the soul and unites it to God and to other people (see 1 John 4:7-21)."

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study bible tells us:  "This verse summarizes Jesus' teaching on God's standards.  The Christian should grow into the perfection of the Father (Eph. 4:13).  Christ is our guide, and He is able to bring us to participate in the very life of God, which is love."

My study bible focuses in on love as the cause and raison d'etre of all we do and all Jesus teaches us to do.  It's also important to understand and keep in mind that the Mosaic teaching of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" came in response to excessive violence and particularly retaliation.  In the Old Testament, Lamech, a descendant of Cain, sings about vengeance:  "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold” (see Genesis 4).  So, in this sense of a world growing increasingly violent, Moses' command was to limit vengeance to a sort of just understanding of debt.  In that sense, Jesus continues and fulfills the Law by teaching an even higher standard of rectitude.  Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, He taught about the statute on murder, expanding it to include our own actions and thoughts and behaviors that lead to such violence, that perpetrate a kind of violence in the heart (see I say to you that whoever is angry without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment).  Indeed, to teach that to be angry with a brother without a cause creates danger of judgment suggests to us the story of Cain and Abel, the root that leads to Lamech's song of vengeance.  So, once again, the roots of Jesus' teachings on righteousness here are a kind of pointing to the causes of violence, on lack of peace and the things that make for our peace, that are within ourselves.  It is a focus on what we can do, on the things we're capable of doing and being, and not on what others do that we can't change and can't control.  Love becomes the point because it's the essence of being "like God."  Again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, this is something that involves a lifetime of working at it, what it means to be and to become more truly a disciple of Christ, how we fulfill our baptism.  It's important, I think, that my study bible quotes from Ephesians 4:13:  "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."  What Jesus' teachings are aiming at, it seems to me, is that unity of the faith that is our aim and our goal as Christians.  Again, it suggests to us that salvation isn't a one-time-only sort of offer with one-time-only deal-breakers attached to it, but rather that we are each a work in progress, and we're given both means by which to measure our own standards day to day as we struggle along the path or way of discipleship, as well as an ultimate goal of perfection, so that we see what we are aiming toward.  When Jesus tells us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" it's good for us to understand that in Greek, the word for "perfect" has at its root the word for "end" -- meaning complete, fully grown, so that it implies the "full knowledge" of Christ which St. Paul speaks of to the Ephesians.  It's also the word used for "fully grown" in the same quote from Ephesians.  What Jesus is teaching us is about a maturity of discipleship, a way to grow, so that baptism is just the beginning of this journey of faith, and the things of love, the things that make for peace, the ways to be "like Him" are the commands He teaches us.  He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, but His desire is to teach in order to raise us up with Him to be "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

- Matthew 5:27-37

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount.  We began with the Beatitudes.   Next Jesus taught about salt and light, saying, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven,"  He then taught that He came to fulfill the Law, saying, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  Yesterday, we read Jesus' expansion on the statute against murder:  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' Shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  My study bible tells us:  "God sees the hidden desires which motivate our actions.  The issue here is lust, not simply the God-given mutual attraction of men and women.  Sin does not come out of nature, but out of internal self-indulgence.  He who feasts on lust within himself brings sin into his heart through his thoughts.  (Thoughts which enter the mind involuntarily are temptations, not sins.  They become sins only when they are held onto and entertained.)"   As with the statute against murder, Jesus goes to the "heart" of the matter rather than the letter of the Law, expanding on the Law to teach us about how we may cultivate sinfulness, and teaching us about the importance of self-awareness.

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."  A note says, "Jesus is speaking in vivid imagery, not literally, using the physical body as an illustration.  To remove an eye would be to reproach the Creator."  If you think about it, Jesus' illustration here is quite vivid (as my study bible says) in teaching us about how we see, and what we reach for -- or perhaps what we covet.  To cut off these things is an illustration of how we should cut ourselves off from thoughts that cultivate temptation.

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."  My study bible says, "In contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in that day, Christ repeatedly condemns divorce (19:8-9; Mark 10:2-9; Luke 16:18) and emphasizes the eternal character of marriage.  However, the possibility of divorce on grounds of unchastity, for example, clearly shows that Christ considered that the marriage bond is not absolute:  it can be destroyed by sin."  It adds that the Orthodox Church "thus allows divorce as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has unfortunately been broken.  Human freedom implies the possibility of sin; sin can separate husband and wife from each other, and ultimately from the body of Christ and from God Himself.  Sexual immorality is a grave sin against the divine Sacrament of Marriage."  The early Church would expand exceptions for divorce, on the grounds of a threat to a partner's life, desertion, and forced prostitution.  But Jesus' main point here is about the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, a point He makes elsewhere regarding the "hardness of hearts" of the men which was the cause of such a Law.  Women were dependent upon men in marriage and in the society; Jesus' aim here, as with His expansion on the Law against murder, is for peace which is right-relatedness; He asks us to take relationships more seriously, and gives us to understand this is the view of our Creator.

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is His footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."  My study bible says, "Jesus speaks against casual use of God's name and superficial oaths.  The words of Jesus have not only a negative meaning, but a positive one also.  They not only forbid us to swear, that is, to bind ourselves with an oath; they also command us to speak the truth and to keep our promises." 

"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."   A note tells us, "This is a well-known saying in the New Testament (James 5:12).  Trust is secured not by an oath which exceeds Yes and No, but by inner integrity.  Jesus teaches us to live in the simplicity of the present moment."

In all of today's teachings, it seems to me that Jesus' aim here is to teach us about integrity (as the last note I quoted also says).  He asks us to take our marriage bonds seriously, not simply as if they're only worth the piece of paper a marriage license or contract might be written upon.  We're responsible for dealing with our own capacities for fidelity to the marriage, for working on the marriage itself, and doing our best to make it worth something, worthwhile.  That takes an awareness of what is going on inside of ourselves, and a responsibility for how we might be contributing to the destruction of a bond into which we've entered.  Although Jesus is speaking of the Law here, and emphasizing our own responsibilities, inherent within each of these teachings is also the possibility of repentance, forgiveness, and starting again.  These teachings aren't simply one-time deal-breakers; instead they're commandments that are with us all the time, something we continue to practice at, to learn, to discipline ourselves through.  I think it's essential to keep this model in mind, because Jesus is really talking about a lifetime pursuit of a way of living, in which our integrity isn't just a matter of external conformity to something, but an internal way of life and working at something.  A too-easily tossed off marriage is simply an invitation to harm our partner in some way (in this case, the socially powerless partner).  Strength and integrity, therefore, come to rest on an inner discipline, an awareness and acknowledgement of how we operate in the world; how we're looking, what we are wanting.  The statute regarding swearing has a similar kind of meaning, because we're talking about bonds here, covenants, and personal integrity.  Our words should simply be our bond, and mean what we say.  We shouldn't need to add power to them if our own aim is true; our own integrity in that case can speak for itself.  All of Jesus' commandments teach us about right-relatedness,  the things that make for real peace, inside ourselves and in our relationships with others.  Again, Jesus' purpose, to my mind, is always therapeutic.  These statutes and teachings on the statutes aren't a mere desire to condemn, but to ask us to vigorously participate in something, and God is right there in the midst of our relationships.  Whether or not we work at what kind of person we are, what our integrity is, is also a matter of relationship to Christ -- and that is ongoing.  That is something we work at throughout a lifetime, and it's not over because we stumble.  Ultimately, in this model, our relationships to other people are inseparable from our relationship to Divine Persons, to God; and it is the love of God that binds all in all.  It is God's love that teaches us about relatedness, about truth, about personal integrity.  If we see these teachings in that light, then we understand that Christ is inviting us into a personal struggle for our own health, our own healing and purity of heart, our real integrity and how it affects the rest of our lives.  Let us remember it's God's love that helps us and informs us about how we are to proceed, God's love that forgives and asks us to start again as we keep trying to do it His way, and God's love that helps us to do so.

I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' Shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

- Matthew 5:21-26

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount, which will continue through chapter 7 in Matthew's Gospel.  Jesus began with the Beatitudes, then  He taught His disciples that they are to be the salt and light of the world, and said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."    On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' Shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study bible says that "But I say to you indicates Jesus' authority (7:28-29).  Jesus, the Son of God, acting with the Father, created human nature and gave the Law of the Old Testament.  As the Old Law is fulfilled in the New Law, so human nature is healed by Christ.  Jesus forbids sinful anger (see Ps. 4:4 and Eph. 4:26 for anger, or righteous indignation, that is not sinful), identifying such anger with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell (Greek Gehenna; see 10:28) is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace."  "Raca" literally means "empty head" in Aramaic.  Interestingly, in the Greek the word for "You fool!" is the same root for the word Jesus uses of salt that has become enfeebled, or lost its savor in the earlier reading on the salt and light of His disciples. 

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  A note tells us that "peace with other believers takes primacy over duties of worship (Mark 11:25).  In early Christian worship the liturgical 'kiss of peace' at the beginning of the Communion prayers -- not after -- was a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, preparing the Church to offer and receive the Eucharist (1 Cor. 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14)."

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  My study bible tells us, "Luke 12:57-59 places this teaching in a context dealing with the end of the age; here it is in the context of reconciliation.  In both cases, it is clear that quarrels must be settled quickly, not allowed to continue.  Delaying reconciliation and good works gives room for the working of more evil (Eph. 4:26-27)."

In today's reading, Jesus comes first to the subject of anger in His expansion on the Law.  He takes the statute against murder and expands it for us to understand more deeply.  To my mind, Jesus doesn't just expand "sinfulness" to include our thoughts, but rather expands an understanding of what leads to sinful acts -- especially here, murder.  To provoke others to anger unnecessarily, to assassinate others' character without a cause, to unjustifiably accuse, all of these things are akin to murder in our hearts in some sense.  Moreover, reason tells us that these things are the roots that lead to violence.  A quarrel that begins out of nothing can escalate to include the violence of murder.  We have only to witness the statistics on murder here in the United States, where most often the culprit may be a member of our family, our household, one of our neighbors -- this becomes more likely where there are weapons of violence at hand, which proves the point that Jesus is making here.  But there is a deeper level of murder in the heart, and that is a hatred without a cause, the unrighteousness that Jesus points out here.  There's something else similar to this type of murder, and that is a form of envy that simply wants to cut out the other person, substituting oneself in their place.  I believe that Jesus speaks of these things not out of a spirit of condemnation of each of us for what is in our hearts, but more out of a sense that He is teaching us what it takes to make for peace.  It's interesting that my study bible points out that His final teachings in verses 25 and 26 appear in Luke in connection with the end of the age.  We find a similar connection with the intent to teach on peace in Luke's Gospel when Jesus laments over the fate of Jerusalem:  As He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes."  (See My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.)  Jesus expands the teachings on righteousness for us to understand that righteousness is right-relatedness.  Peace isn't simply a matter of two people agreeing, or even the absence of violence, rather it is a situation of reconciliation that includes God, that includes Christ, because true right-relatedness or righteousness includes much more than we think it does.  It goes more deeply into the heart of us than a mere focus on the outside of the cup, or what toeing the line of the letter of the law would include.  If we really want to get to the roots of our own violence, we need a kind of self-awareness that allows us to understand and to take responsibility for how we contribute to it, what we do to incite a bad situation rather than heal it, and more especially to examine our own role in what goes on around us.  Peace isn't just something between people, it's also a state of mind -- of reconciliation -- within ourselves, and in this Sermon Jesus will also teach us about prayer as a kind of reconciliation, a way to deal with our own pain and hurt and even anger, placing it in God's hands.  For today, the focus is on a kind of righteousness that is willing to practice accountability, and encourages us to be aware of ourselves.  Where do you stand in the things that make for your peace?  How does God help you with the kind of righteousness Jesus asks of us here?

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:17-20

We are reading the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5 - 7 in Matthew's Gospel.  We began with the Beatitudes, or blessings.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study bible tells us that "Jesus fulfills the Law in His Person, words and actions by:  (1)  performing God's will in all its fullness (3:15); (2) transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30); (3) declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He was about to deliver to them, (4) granting righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Rom. 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by carrying out fully what they had foretold about Him."

 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  My study bible explains, "Assuredly is amen in Greek, meaning 'verily,' 'of a truth,' 'so be it.'  Christ uses it as a solemn affirmation, a form of oath, even using it to preface certain proclamations.  He takes an oath by Himself to underline the authority of His words.  A jot is the smallest letter in the Greek and Hebrew alphabets; a tittle is the small stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  Thus, the whole of the law is the foundation of the new teaching.  It is fulfilled by Christ and will not pass away till heaven and earth pass away (Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17)."

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  Another note tells us:  "Righteousness which is according to the Law is a unified whole:  the observance of the least of these secures the observance of the greatest, while the violation of the very least is equivalent to the violation of the greatest."  Additionally, "To teach what one does not practice condemns the teacher (Romans 2:21), to do right without guiding others lessens the reward of righteousness.  Jesus Himself set the doing before the teaching.  We ought to do right and teach ourselves, before we attempt to set others right."

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  My study bible says, "Righteousness is more than proper behavior, such as the scribes and Pharisees were advocating, and holy thoughts.  It centers upon our relationship with God."

In the readings that follow, Jesus will clarify what He means by the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.  He will take the Law to new levels, and new ways of seeing and doing.  But I think that the things we take from today's reading that are important to understanding the text are Jesus' central place in all of the Scriptures.  He is not just here to fulfill all righteousness (as in His allowance of the baptism in the Jordan by John) but He is present as authority itself, as the Person embodied in the Law, and the much more that He will give through His ministry.  Therefore God the Word isn't limited to Jesus as we think of Him as a person or even as a divine Person, but rather Scripture is also in this sense the "living Word."  As a human being, He will embody all righteousness, the word of Scripture, and we come to understand the presence of the Son throughout the spiritual history of Israel. (See John 5:39 for Jesus' testimony to this, and John 5:46-47.)  My study bible points out that Jesus "swears by Himself" as an indication of authority; it's not just here in Matthew's Gospel that this happens, but throughout the Gospels there is great contention about Jesus' authority, and people remark that His teaching style is as one of authority, although He hasn't studied under a famous rabbi and made Himself a name this way.  He also confers authority upon the disciples.  So the verses in today's reading prepare us for Jesus' authoritative reading of and expounding upon the Law which will come in next week's readings.  Jesus has just finished proclaiming His disciples to be the salt and light of the world, giving them courage to go forward with boldness embodying the gospel message, glorifying God through the light their good works are to shine in the world.  His encouragement, even through persecution for His sake, is followed by His own boldness in preaching, in declaring authoritatively His doctrine, this gospel.  Jesus sets His own example after His word in preaching to others.   It's a kind of hidden circle in His teachings today when He declares, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven," and then He Himself proceeds to fulfill His own command through His vigorous, bold and courageous preaching and declaration of His own authority.  He sets the example for His disciples.  So, in so many ways, Jesus embodies the things He teaches about, even the righteousness of the Scriptures and the things He says Moses wrote about Him.  He doesn't just call us to discipleship, but embodies the things He teaches first, so that we can follow.  This is not just the example of true authority, it's not just the example of the great teacher, but it is the mark of true leadership, and will remain so for the rest of us for all time.  He doesn't just embody this authority and teaching and leadership, but invites us to come along on this same journey toward imitation, being like Him, as adopted sons and children of God.  So let us understand what true authority and leadership mean, and set our own accordance in understanding how it is we are to live our lives and think of what leadership and authority is among ourselves.  His commandments of love will follow in the readings to come.  We will also read His word on hypocrites.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."

- Matthew 5:11-16

In yesterday's reading, we began the Sermon on the Mount, which will continue through this and the next two chapters of Matthew.  These initial teachings, or blessings, are called the Beatitudes.  Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study bible tells us:  "In willingness to suffer persecution, the Christian shows his loyalty and unity with Jesus Christ.  He walks the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek for be exceedingly glad means to 'leap exceedingly with joy.'  Suffering for Christ is attended with inexpressible joy." 

"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."  Jesus speaks of salt and light in the next few verses.  These terms, according to my study bible, indicate the role of the disciples in society:  "They are to manifest the light of patient goodness, bringing glory to their Father in heaven.  Because of its preservative powers, necessity for life and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance.  It symbolized the making of a covenant.  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty.  Thus as the salt of the earth, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give proper flavor to society."  Jesus emphasizes here the flavor of the salt, its pungent, potent and complementary influence on whatever it is sprinkled on; this is the character of His disciples that must be maintained for real worth.  Salt enhances the flavors already present in food -- this is the quality of magnifying and enhancing the good qualities that may be found naturally in human beings.

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study bible tells us, "Light is a symbol of God who is the true, uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament light is symbolic of God (Is. 60:1-3), the divine Law (Ps. 119:105), or Israel in contrast to the Gentiles.  In the New Testament the Son is called 'light' and 'the light of the world' (John 8:12).  Light is necessary not only for clear vision but for life.  Consequently, the life of faith relies on the divine light and on the revelation which makes the believers 'sons of light' (Luke 16:8).  With this knowledge of God in their hearts, Christians shine as lights in a perverse world (Phil. 2:15), stimulating others to look to God and His righteousness."  Another note adds:  "Christian virtues have not only a personal but also a public function.  By living according to the gospel, by doing the truth (John 3:21), we will bear good works and show the goodness of the Father to every person (see 1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Pet. 2:12)."

Salt and light become the themes for today's reading.  Salt is important in a number of ways, but most of all in its potency, its power of preservation and as a complement to bring out the "hidden flavors" (St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers) in the things it enhances.  The word in the Greek that is translated to "lose its flavor" also means a kind of foolishness, perhaps passivity, rooted in a word that implies "infantile" in modern Greek (moros, from which we derive "moronic" in English).  So the implication here for the flavor of the salt is one of full-fledged responsibility, bearing something into the world, and asserting a kind of potency.  The image is one of courage implied in the earlier verses about being reviled and persecuted for Christ's sake.  So, salt here gives us an image of a kind of vigorous assertiveness in character, its action being to enhance the good qualities of what is around it, and in the ancient world to act as a preservative -- keeping things from rotting, including preserving the aroma of the prayerful when associated with sacrifice in worship.  Light is for illumination, and the way that Jesus uses the image of the lampstand here that must light all who are in the house, and instructs His disciples to let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven, gives us another image of vigorous courage and assertiveness, a grown and powerful character in pursuing and living the things of the Gospel and the Kingdom.  Even through persecution, He tells us, this is the way to live our lives, as salt and light which are meant not simply to be good in themselves but rather to enhance and complement, to preserve and illuminate others, and the rest of the world.  The good qualities of discipleship are those things that are meant to bring the flavor of life, to bring out the "hidden flavors," to illuminate what is dark or difficult to see, to give blessings in many ways for everyone.  Salt and light are things that human life cannot flourish without; take them away and we cannot survive.  These good things and their good effects are the ways in which His disciples must be a part of the world, and allow their good qualities to flavor and enlighten life around them and to do so with boldness.  How do you live this gospel today, this teaching?  In what way can you enhance and preserve the life around you, and show a light that glorifies God?

The Beatitudes

 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:1-10

Yesterday we read of the calling of the disciples, and the growth of Jesus' ministry.  Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: . . .   Today, we begin reading the Sermon on the Mount, which will comprise the next two chapters of Matthew's Gospel.  My study bible tells us that "seated is the traditional position of Jewish rabbis while teaching.  Some early Christian preachers (St. John Chrysostom, for example) sat, while the people stood.  To understand this sermon is to recognize this Rabbi is the one true Teacher of Israel."

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  My study bible says, "Blessed in this context indicates heavenly, spiritual blessedness rather than earthly happiness or prosperity.  In Hebrew, 'poor' means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God's people.  The poor in spirit, the humble and lowly, have the heart of the poor and their total dependence upon God.  These are truly the 'spiritually rich.'"

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  My study bible speaks of "holy sorrow," linked to repentance and to sadness at the suffering of humankind.  This is a type of sorrow that leads to considerations of God, and not to despair, but rather to a true source of hope -- in this way it is distinguished from an earthly (or ungodly) kind of sorrow.  Later on in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will speak figuratively of a cutting off of hand or eye or foot, meaning temptation to sinfulness in one way or another.  Spiritually, we may also "mourn" over necessary losses on the path to God's great love, the things we need to leave behind us.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  My study bible tells us that "meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor.  It is an imitation of Christ who said, 'Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart' (11:29)."  Through meekness in this sense we practice humility before God; as my study bible puts it, "the meek are God-controlled, and through their prayers God gives them mastery over their passions -- especially anger.  Meekness is not passive gentleness, but strength under control.  Jesus' promise of future blessings is not for the powerful, the rich and the violent, but for those who are meek and humble:  they will inherit the earth, the new earth which is everlasting."

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."  My study bible says, "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Greek dikaiosune, also translated 'justification' [or in modern Greek, justice]) see the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in their lives (see 6:33)."

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  A note says, "Mercy is love set in motion, love expressed in action.  God's lovingkindness, His mercy in taking our sufferings upon Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom, sets us free from captivity to the evil one.  In view of God's lovingkindness (Luke 6:36), we in turn are to be merciful to all others."

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  My study bible explains:  "To be pure is to be unmixed with anything else.  The pure in heart are devoted to the worship and service of God.  With the aid of the Holy Spirit, they (1) practice all virtue, (2) are not conscious of any evil in themselves, and (3) live in temperance -- a stage of spirituality attained by few in this life."  To be truly pure in heart is to have a full desire for God, and the things of God.  To be pure in the Greek is also a word for clean, or cleansed.  In an important sense, to be pure in heart is to fully love God with an undivided loyalty and passion.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  A note here tells us:  "Being Himself the source of peace, the Son of God found no price sufficient for peace but that of shedding His own blood.  In doing so, Christ reveals Himself to us as the Reconciler, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6; Eph. 2:14,16).  The Holy Spirit gives peace, the sign of God's presence, to those who meditate on Christ and imitate Him.  Peace brings communion with God and concord with all creation, the sign of our sanctity.  Thus, peacemakers share God's peace with those around them, participating in the work of God's Son and becoming, by God's grace, sons of God themselves."

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  My study bible teaches here:  "Children of God uphold God's truth and refuse to compromise with the ways of the world.  They give themselves to no other (6:24, 33; see 1 Cor. 6:19-20).  It is not surprising then that they, like Jesus, should be persecuted for righteousness' sake.  For Christ's kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous."

Jesus' Beatitudes are among the most famous passages in all of Scripture.  If we look at it one way, the Beatitudes are the teachings of Christ that tell us of the good life of the Kingdom.  We all may think we have rules to live by, maxims to live out in our lives, like rules or helpful prescriptions about exercise, or working hard, or studying diligently.  But Jesus' Beatitudes give us the blessings of a Godly life, a life in which we "seek first" that Kingdom of heaven which He will preach about in this Gospel.  Instead of a set of rules, He gives us a set of blessings, the blessings that follow the life of the pursuit of this Kingdom, this place in God's love, and what we do to get there with an unmixed passion for the love of God.  Let us understand that this model of righteousness is about a blessed way of life, one that confers the kind of blessings which moth and rust can't destroy, nor can thieves steal.  These are the things that walk with us in our lives no matter what else is happening, no matter what others may think or believe, no matter what fortune or the fickleness of others may bestow in a worldly sense.  The Kingdom that He promises is comprised of those things that are a part of us if we but seek them in the ways in which He teaches us, a set of blessings for the way of life He implies when He teaches that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  When we think of these laws of love and blessings that He teaches us, let us keep in mind that this is a message about God's love, and that it is couched in blessings and promises.  The good news of the Kingdom is here.  Let us keep this in mind as we read through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, and read Jesus' precepts for the life He promises.