You shall 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 

 

In recent readings, we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "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."   The Sermon on the Mount covers chapters 5 through 7 of St. Matthew's Gospel.  We have just completed the readings in chapter 5.  In this chapter, my study Bible summarizes, Jesus presents the three most basic aspects of spiritual living.  The first of these is charitable giving (verses 1-4).  The second aspect Jesus offers us is prayer (verses 5-15); and the third is fasting (verses 16-18).  It notes that these three disciplines relate directly to God's righteousness.

"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."  My study Bible tells us that the original meaning of "hypocrite" was "actor."   It literally means "below the mask" as in the masks of attitude or character worn in the ancient plays.  So it denotes a two-faced behavior.  My study Bible says that hypocrites are actors practicing piety for show, who desire to please other people rather than God.  Some wear masks of compassion, who inwardly are heartless.  Their reward is the applause of people and nothing more.  

"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 comments that god is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  

"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."  The spirit of prayer is not understood by the hypocrites who live to be seen by others.  My study Bible describes prayer is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy acts as a block to this communion and vision.  Moreover, my study Bible says that true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it, nor is it appearing pious before others.  True prayer is humble (go into your room) and personal (pray to your Father).  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus continues His teaching regarding 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."  This is addressing the historical practices of fasting common to Jews and then to the Church, especially during the period of Lent.  To keep a sad countenance at such a time is to show off one's fasting, as a kind of external display for others.  Jesus rejects this form of hypocrisy also.  My study Bible says that for the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  During the fasting seasons of the Church the hymns call for the faithful to wash and anoint their faces (in the Orthodox Church there is no Ash Wednesday).  Fasting, my study Bible adds, is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not to be seen by those around us.  Let us recall also how Christ Himself prescribed fasting and prayer as going together (Matthew 17:21).  

The emphasis in today's reading, with all of these warnings against hypocrisy, is actually on sincerity.  This seems to be the deep intention of so many of Christ's teachings that we have read so far in the Sermon on the Mount.  If we start from the beginning, in the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).  What else does purity of heart indicate to us but deep, true sincerity -- from the deepest part of ourselves to the most outward?  Many of us may find ourselves in circumstances where we feel we have to wear some sort of a mask -- that may mean times when we need to be polite to people who may have offended in some way, and we want to avoid a clash.  But this is not the type of hypocrisy Jesus warns about, nor is telling everyone else what is wrong with them the type of sincerity He asks for.  Jesus speaks intentionally about wearing a mask without touching the heart, without opening up to a capacity for repentance, and in short -- without seeking God's help to grow in purity of heart ourselves.  All of these practices He names in today's reading are antidotes against the hypocrisy that blocks out a closer relationship to God and estranges us from our own inner lives and making the kinds of changes God would ask of us.  We pray in secret and hold fast to that place where our Father who is in the secret place can better become a part of our lives and the way we live, instead of the surface appearances of life alone.  We give alms in secret so that we focus on the inner awareness of our capacity for giving -- and our resilience and freedom that builds up in so doing.  We practice fasting to both learn discipline and also to "remember God."  Our own capacity for sacrifice again builds up resilience, teaches us that we are capable of more challenges than we thought we were, and gives us the freedom to understand the joy in so doing, that is, as my study Bible says, accompanied by the compassion of God.  Each of the things Jesus names teaches us sincerity, and helps to build our integrity.  When we do these things in secret, and not to be seen, we begin to be cognizant of their effects and a deepening sense of closeness to God that draws out our inner lives and deepens our awareness.  In so doing we become more capable of developing the fruit of the Spirit, especially when we give ourselves a break from an intense outward focus that is consumed with the impression we make upon others.  Jesus gives us the tools to develop the kind of sincerity that is necessary for true spiritual benefits, including drawing closer to Him.  When we become aware of our inner lives, we also become more capable of feeding that life with what we need - focusing on a truly nurturing life that builds up spiritual strength, expands our capacity for the gifts of the Spirit and God's real blessings, and entering more truly into communion with the Lord and all that lives to Him (Luke 20:38).  Let us continue in His way to discover all that He holds for us in the journey of faith, as He teaches us.  

 

 

But I say to you, do not swear at all

 

 "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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  " "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, 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 explains that the issue here is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but the selfish promptings of lust.  Sin doesn't come out of nature, it says, but out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  Thoughts which enter the mind involuntarily are not sins, they are temptations.  They become sins only when they are held and entertained.  

"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."  This imagery, of casting off an eye or hand, is meant to be illustrative of decisive action to avoid sin, and to continue in purity.  An eye may glance with covetousness and greed, a hand may reach out for what does not belong to it.  We must consider Christ's message as vivid in order to convey the importance of our inner state of mind and our awareness of where we are led.

"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 comments that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (Matthew 19:8-9) and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  The possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality is actually a very important teaching, because it tells us that marriage can be destroyed by sin -- indeed sin, in its very nature, is abusive to relationships and hence to community.  Broken relationships are part of what is often called the brokenness of the world.  The early Church would expand cause for divorce to include other specific abuses of the marriage relationship.  My study Bible comments that while recognizing divorce as a serious sin, the Orthodox Church allows divorce and a second marriage as a concession to human weakness and as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  A third marriage is permitted under specific, limited circumstances, and a fourth is never permitted.

"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."  My study Bible comments that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in the possession of human beings anyway, but only by simple integrity.

I'm intrigued by Christ's statement on swearing oaths.  Just like the significance of our inner thoughts and the importance of our awareness of them (and understanding of the potential in them), Christ is trying to teach us about the significance of our words and how important they are.  We don't need to swear oaths at all, according to Jesus.  Let us pay attention to the powerful things He wants us to recognize:  to swear by heaven is to implement the very throne of God into what we wish to attest to.  To swear by the earth is to put into our own oath God's creation.  Jerusalem is known still as the Holy City, the one that belongs to God the great King.   This phrase, "the great King," is found in Psalm 48.  It is one that praises God, and the "city of our God," which is Jerusalem.  The psalmist writes, "God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge."  It is the "city of the Lord of hosts."  As Christians, we understand the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in Christ has also meant that we understand the fulfillment of this spiritual history to be in the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God, and the place out of which the Gospel, the Word of God, comes.  This is the fulfillment of the Lord of hosts, the presence of God the Holy Spirit "in our palaces" indwelling the world as in the tabernacle.  Jesus is telling us that our own integrity must be substantial, equivalent even to these powerful things, of which we are not the author, nor are we in control.  But our own word, our own integrity, can be that powerful if we stick, in humility, with what is simple and true.  He says it more perfectly than anyone else with His own simple turn of phrase:  "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' "  And He adds, "For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."  What I take this to mean is that when we get beyond a simple focus on our own integrity, and in the humility we have in the light of God, we invite in the grandiose, the thoughts that lead us astray that He's already warned us about, all the things that gather about to tempt us to be more than we really need to be if we are following His word and command.  The whole world will seemingly conspire to ask us to be more:  to be more powerful, to have a greater looking spouse, or home, or attractive and impressive sounding job, and especially to carry more social clout in whatever way that might happen or manifest in our particular circle of the world.  But Christ asks us to get down to what really matters and count on that as all the world's wealth:  that our words -- even the simplest of them -- carry meaning and value through our own integrity.  This is the rock bottom of His call to cast away from ourselves the thoughts that lead us astray with selfishness or greed at their root, looking with the eye and grabbing with the hand what seems to be better, or where the grass must be greener.  We start off with the heart and learn to treasure integrity, a purity and simplicity He has preached from the beginning of this Sermon.  For this is where our real treasure and value will be, and this is all we really have in our control.

 

 

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

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught:  "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 that the issue here is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but rather the selfish promptings of lust.  This is a question of thinking in terms of acquisition.  My study bible adds that sin does not come out of nature, but rather out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  But it cautions us to recall that thoughts that enter thine mind involuntarily are not sins but rather temptations.  They only become sins when they are held and entertained.  Jesus asks us to consider the wholeness of a human being, not imply outward actions, but the fullness of the soul, of who we are.

 "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."   This imagery is given not to be taken literally, but Christ uses metaphorical language to emphasize decisive action to avoid sin and thereby protect the whole self.

"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 remarks that in contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, and because of the misuse of divorce in His time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see also 19:8-9), and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  Additionally, however, it must be noted that the possibility of divorce on the grounds of sexual immorality tells us something important:  that marriage -- as other relationships -- can be destroyed by sin.  It is a recognition of abuse resulting in broken communion.  My study bible says that the Church allows divorce as a concession to human weakness and as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken.  Let us note also that the possible reason for divorce Jesus names is simply that, a possibility.  This is not a command to divorce; in all cases relationships are redeemable but that depends on both parties.

"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."   My study bible comments here that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in humanity's possession anyway, but rather only by simple integrity. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to have an overarching theme of the integrity of the wholeness or fullness of a person.  He is encouraging each of us in a "not-so-simple" way to be what we can be, to become more truly and deeply, and with faith, what we are in God's sight.  He asks us not to settle for a worldly or selfish point of view, but for something quite different which is indicated by participation in the kingdom of heaven.  In this light, He gives us different goals than the world does, and asks us to pursue a life of blessedness, of a kind of joy that is the product of a fully-integrated spiritual life, not one separated from our worldly lives.  In today's reading, He emphasizes this kind of integrity by first of all separating out impulses that destroy or deny the wholeness of who we are.  In yesterday's reading (see above), He spoke of anger being akin to murder.  In today's He mentions lust.  Let us note that my study bible points out that lust in this context does not indicate a simple normal attraction, but rather a kind of covetousness, a selfish orientation that is nurtured or held onto.  It is here that Jesus first uses the language of surgery, such as might be applied in His time to an infection that might spread to the whole body, and so amputation is required to save the whole person although parts might be lost.  It is in this context that He speaks of the preference to lose an eye or hand rather than the whole body perish.  Metaphorically an eye covets what does not belong to the person, a hand reaches out to grasp or grab where it should not.  Jesus emphasizes integrity and wholeness by reminding us that if a small thing gets hold of us and takes all our attention and time and energy it can drag the rest of us down with it, making a mess of the whole of our lives.  Integrity is further emphasized through His warnings about divorce.  When is marriage worth sacrificing?  Should we easily cast something away that is good or does good?  In Christ's time, a wife could be cast off for almost any reason -- and we are given to understand through Jesus that such relationships are sanctified by God and should be cherished for what they are truly worth.  It's worth remembering also that He does not excuse abuse nor overlook the possibility of such a relationship being destroyed.  But in our fullness of integrity as human beings, we must remind ourselves what the goodness of communion means and especially in the context of the possibilities of marriage.  See also Jesus' view on marriage as two becoming one flesh for a fuller understanding (Matthew 19:3-6).  This concept of integrity is emphasized more fully through Christ's teaching on swearing oaths.  To "let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No' " is to act with the greatest integrity of all.  When Jesus adds, "For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" He is again giving us a sense of temptations that can lead to a contamination (so to speak) of the whole of one's integrity.  This teaching is an emphasis on what it is to be pure in heart as well, in which we are not duplicitous, but rather the same on the inside as the outside.  It seems that it is also in this sense that Jesus praises Nathanael, in John's Gospel, when He says, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" after Nathanael asks whether any good thing can come from Nazareth (John 1:45-49).   When our word becomes truly worth its meaning, it is in some sense "bankable."  That is a certain kind of fullness of integrity that Jesus encourages us to aspire to.  It is a worthy endeavor indeed.  All in all, today's passage gives us many ways to enhance our lives and our stature, ways of making our souls full of substance.  It's important that these concepts are not given to us simply as talents or things with which God enhances us or not.  Rather Jesus presents them all as things toward which we can work in faith.  They are all things each of us can develop, acquire, and build up through discipleship.  And that is a most important and essential component of our faith:  it is one of growth, change, forgiveness, and ongoing endeavor and mission.  Indirectly we can conclude a tenet Jesus will teach later, that of endurance, and a spirit of never giving up even in what seems like the darkest or most difficult of times.  Jesus teaches us that with God's help, all things are always possible.  Our Lord is our greatest cheerleader, if you will, His mission in our world is not simply one of redemption but of promise to all human beings with humanity held in the highest esteem for the things of which we are each capable.  This is the discipleship He offers to us.  Shall we take Him up on it, and follow Him to the goals He sets for us?

Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No"

Marriage of Virgin Mary and St. Joseph

"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 currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:   "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, an 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."   Once again, we understand that Jesus is speaking about a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (5:20).  This involves a depth of the self and knowledge of the self.  What is at issue here, my study bible says, regarding the statute against adultery, is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but rather the selfish promptings of lust.   Here, lust is a kind of greed, a desire for possession.  My study bible says that sin does not come out of nature, but rather out of the distortion of nature for selfish indulgence.  It adds that thoughts that enter the mind involuntarily are not sins, but rather temptations.  They become sins when they are held, entertained, made habitual through indulgence.

"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."   Christ is advocating quick action in order to avoid sin, and to continue in purity.   These images are not meant to be taken literally, but give us an image of what it is like to try to change ourselves.  What is habitual or usual can feel like we are cutting off a needed and useful limb, even our own right eye.  The eye is an important metaphor:  how we gaze upon the world determines quite often what we will do.  Do we look with lust, envy, greed, or honor?  Is our "eye" aggressive or does it judge good judgment?  Does our right hand seek to grasp what does not belong to us?  Even to cast off the things that seem most necessary is good if there is danger of dragging the whole of who we are where we would rather not go.

"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."  Under the Mosaic Law, men had easy access to divorce.  My study bible says this led to misuse of divorce, and hence Jesus repeatedly condemns it (19:8-9).  Christ instead emphasizes marriage as a spiritual union which therefore has an eternal quality.   But Jesus leaves a possibility of divorce on ground of sexual immorality, showing that marriage, like other relationships, can be destroyed by sin, abuse.  In the Orthodox Church, divorce and second marriage are seen as concession to human weakness and corrective measure of compassion in the cases where a marriage has been broken. 

"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."   As is consistent throughout these teachings on righteousness, Jesus emphasizes a personal integrity.  My study bible says that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in the possession of human beings in the first place.

Integrity seems to be the byword for Christ's teaching about a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees.   This is closely linked to purity of heart, in which one's inward state is mirrored clearly and plainly in the outer.  His prescription for faulty external behavior is to correct the inward parts, impulses and habits that lead to bad behavior, to the breaking of community in some way.  If we begin with Christ's teaching on adultery, He goes to the heart of the impulse to look outside of marriage and seek other partners.  Let us keep in mind from the language of the text that He's addressing primarily men ("whoever looks at a woman to lust for her"), and that when it comes to divorce, Jesus cites the Mosaic Law by saying "whoever divorces his wife."   But regardless of these aspects, the teaching that emphasizes integrity is for all followers of Christ.  He begins with the heart, where our focus has to be.  If lust -- or any form of selfishness, a desire to possess or take what doesn't belong to us -- begins in the heart, then there is where it must begin to be addressed, before it becomes an outward issue.  His prescription for any of our own tendencies which are undesirable for community, and lead to sin, is to directly go to the heart of the problem and "cast it off."  The metaphors to surgical removal of needed body parts teach us that He's quote aware of how difficult this can be.  Our own habits and desires seem like fully a part of us, necessary to identity and the ways in which we think of ourselves.  But what He is also telling us is that this is not so.  We do not really need that which will lead us to destructive behavior, no matter how integral to ourselves they may seem to be.  This is not an easy teaching.  But it does speak to the necessity of understanding ourselves as people with pliable, even "plastic" capacities for change.  It also speaks entirely to the concept of responsibility.  To use the metaphor of removing one's right eye or right hand is not to minimize the difficult of doing so.  And yet, His teaching is that this is the necessary thing to do, it is what is needful.  He moves from the concept of lust to divorce, and emphasizes the spiritual nature of marriage, which in its best and most perfect state is an eternal union.  In this text, Jesus recognizes the difficulties of fidelity, specifically where any kind of abuse or sinful behavior has caused destruction to the union.  But His emphasis is on rethinking the easy or facile nature of divorce.  The deeper consideration is about relationship and community, what makes for loving relation.  This is something we work at, put effort into.  It does not call us to selfishness, but to a kind of practice of consciousness of what we're supposed to be about, a shoring up of the good, and a casting away of what is harmful.  Everything in Christ's teaching is about love in action:  righteousness of this sort is what it takes to build relationships, the foundation and expression of community.  It begins with integrity, and this includes the type of integrity in which our own word might even be as powerful as His.  If our "Yes" is "Yes" and our "No" is "No," then we have achieved a level of integrity in which our very word is potent, and reflects a true personal integrity -- from the inside to the outside.  We need nothing else to swear by if our own integrity is as intact as His example.  This speaks to us clearly against hypocrisy and duplicity.  It teaches us something of an integrity that starts from the care of the heart.  Christ asks us for a careful understanding of ourselves, and a willing participation in seeking an integrity of the self that considers the heart.  He doesn't minimize the difficulties of separating ourselves from habits and proclivities that could lead us into problems, but neither does He minimize the potential for harm a careless life can bring.   Above all, He asks us for mindfulness, and awareness of what we are to be about.  Perfection seems to be contained not in having no flaws at all, but rather being aware that as human beings we're complex subjects -- there will always be a need for mindfulness, a consciousness that things to which we might normally never give a second thought (our"right eye", our "right hand") could lead where we'd be better off not going.  He asks us for a consciousness of discipleship, a commitment to integrity as model for discipline.  Let us bear in mind that as the disciples will encounter greater difficulty in their own and others' circumstances, it is God's help that we are assured is present to make all things possible, and the grace of the Helper He will provide.

You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

- John 8:12-20

Yesterday we read that on the last day, that great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does out law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   At the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, the great lamps were lit.  These were huge oil lamps that towered over the court of the temple and produced a light so bright it illumined the surrounding area of the city.  This took place at night, in remembrance of the pillar of fire that led the Israelites in the darkness.   My study bible explains that Jesus here declares Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, my study bible tells us, God the Father Himself is light (1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute which God bestows on God's followers (Matthew 5:14; Philip 2:15).  In the following chapter, Christ confirms His claim by performing the great sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind (9:1-7, esp verse 5).

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Here the central question is, as so frequently repeated in the Gospels, the identity of Christ and therefore His authority.  The Pharisees claim that He cannot bear witness of Himself.  Jesus has previously addressed this question of witness in chapter 5, when at the Feast of Weeks He healed a man on the Sabbath, and so began this controversy and accusation with the leaders.  There, He offered four witnesses to Himself (see this reading).  In the Law, two witnesses were required, and here Jesus offers two:  Himself and the "Father who sent Me." 

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  My study bible comments here that because the Son and the Father share the same divine nature, one cannot be known apart from the other (14:7-11).

How can Jesus be a witness to Himself as Christ?  This is an interesting question, even a puzzling one -- or at least one that opens up different kinds of answers.  Jesus is witness to Himself as Son, not as human being.  He more or less makes this kind of distinction when He says that He judges no one:  "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me."   All authority for Jesus rests with the Father; it is His alignment with the Father that creates authority.  His witness is not "of the flesh" but rather a divine witness to the reality of the Son and the Father.  His witness is true because He comes from the Father and knows that He will return to the Father.  This is an important understanding for ourselves both of humility and of integrity.  How is our witness true?  Jesus says also in today's passage that He is the light of the world.  He is here to illuminate all things, to give us meaning in our lives, insight.  Moreover, His is the light of life -- His illumination is life itself, even life abundantly.  It is in this light that we take on our own integrity, just as Christ's witness and judgment is true because of His alignment with and loyalty to the Father.  In humility we accept His light and grace, and we also know where it comes from.  We accept that light in order to grow ourselves in our own capability for taking it on, shining it back into the world, glorifying the Father in so doing.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes so far as to tell His disciples, "You are the light of the world" (see Matthew 5:13-16).  In all these statements, we can read a kind of unity through communion that extends from Father to Son (and of course, with the Holy Spirit), but also in turn to us, by adoption, and through faith.  What we are given to understand is Jesus' advocacy of a type of integrity that is found in the humility of loving God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength.   To love is to trust, to surrender, to put one's being in union with another.  Jesus calls us to a faith that asks for confidence in God, of putting our trust in the One who will call us to change and to become the person God calls us to be.  In the Creed, we state of Jesus that He is "light from light, true God of true God."  Christ also offers to share with us that light so that we may in turn share it with others.  If we consider the great lamps in the ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles, we know that light as flame, one that also transforms and purifies.  In this He offers us our own integrity, the capacity for true witness, in reconciling ourselves to the life He gives.

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.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out

"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

The readings from this week have been from the Sermon on the Mount, and today we continue. In yesterday's readings, we read Jesus' expansion on the law against murder. Jesus is taking us deeper into what it is to be truly righteous - He is drawing us in to an understanding of the depths of ourselves, and how we work at righteousness in terms of not only what we do but also what we say and what we think. See You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder'. Jesus has taught in this Sermon that His disciples' righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees - and today He continues with His exposition of what this entails.

"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." It's important to understand what Jesus means here by "lust." This is not a simple mutual and natural attraction between men and women that He is referring to. Jesus is talking about cultivating a desire with intent. In short, it's about covetousness - a feeding of a personal desire. He takes us from the forbidden action to the thinking that starts behind it, and taking us into the territory of righteousness that "exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees."

"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." Here is the great teaching on what it means to really watch our thoughts, to structure our "inner selves" so that the outer self is taken care of, and to practice the kind of righteousness He desires from His disciples. He's taking us from action to the inner self, the thoughts we nurture and cultivate within ourselves (as illustrated by the example of "lust" above). He uses the body as a metaphor for our inner lives, our "inner body" if you will. Things that poison our minds with what we don't need must be discarded, "plucked out", "cut off" or "cast away." It's our own thinking that can harm our soul, our spirit.

"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." Jesus repeatedly preaches throughout the Gospels against an easy divorce of the type that was used during His lifetime. This left women in a truly defenseless and powerless position in the society, and denied the power of real relationship in marriage - one made in sacrament to God. The clause "except sexual immorality" teaches us that divorce is not out of the question in cases of abuse of the relationship. The early church would expand the grounds for divorce, but the theological understanding behind the concept of all relationship is that it can either be strengthened or destroyed depending on our choices, especially in a spiritual context. That which is spiritual at its heart - such as the sacrament of marriage - needs spiritual nurturing and can be destroyed by our carelessness, and this is what Jesus is teaching here about "causing 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." This is a teaching about what it means for our words to have meaning, our intentions to be true, our inner life reliable. It's not worthy of our relationship with God - or anything else that we love - that we would bind an oath with it. This is what it is to "swear." None of it is really "ours" to swear by. Rather it is our inner integrity, the truth or falseness of our promises, that really makes our word worth something. If we really think about it, what is it that you need in your relations with others but the ability to trust? So He asks us to cultivate our own integrity. My study bible says, "Jesus teaches us to live in the simplicity of the present moment."

That's quite a marvelous thought, don't you think? To live in the simplicity of the present moment is a remarkable thing. It implies integrity and strength -- minus all the rest of the things that we don't need: covetousness, the nurturing of desires that aren't good for us and destroy relationships, the overbearing drama of swearing by one thing or another that is unnecessary and troublesome, the destruction of relationships only to enter into others just as shallow and with the same lack of understanding of real relatedness. Let us think, then, about what it is to waste our time with diversions from this simplicity, from the straightforward and pure heart He seeks for us. Rather, Jesus asks us to cut out the unnecessary, the things we don't need -- and to construct and build on the positive. "To speak the truth and keep our promises," my study bible says. When Jesus preached that we are to be the "salt of the earth," a great deal of that meaning is about covenant -- our ability to seal relationships, to keep promises. It is all about an inner integrity, beginning with our commitment to God who is love, and the promise of how that means we relate to neighbor. Can we start first today by thinking about the meanings of truth, and how an inner truth reflects our integrity? We recall that Jesus' greatest condemnation comes for hypocrites - in the original Greek, meaning "actor." Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and 'no' be 'no' teaches us about our honest truth. We can "cast away" whatever stands in the way. What is your truth today, right in the simplicity of this moment? All the extraneous things we wish to add we'd best stay away from - and stick to the things we truly love.