Which is Harder: to Follow the Law or Live by the Gospel?

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany　February 16, 20


Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:21–37

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

Basically, it is easy to keep the Ten Commandments. 1. We believe in Jesus as our only Savior. 2. We watch our language. 3. We go to church and pray at home. 4. We respect our parents and leaders, and if we are a parent or leader we try to earn that respect. 5. We have never murdered anyone. 6. We are faithful to our spouse and protect the dignity of others. 7. We do not steal. 8. We tell the truth, even if it is inconvenient. 9. We do a good job and help others to do good in business. [That is one way that I understand the Ninth Commandment.] 10. And we avoid the temptations that lead us to break the other nine.

Then Jesus made it harder to keep the Ten Commandments. Jesus is not concerned just about the outward actions only. He is concerned about the heart. For example, in today’s Gospel reading, insults are a desire of the heart to hurt, destroy, or even kill someone. Lust is a desire to be unfaithful or indecent. Divorce is breaking the promise and breaking the bonds. Swearing falsely or telling lies is a sign of a sinful heart and a sinful relationship. If our hearts are pure, so is our reputation: and so people believe and trust us when we simply say “yes” or “no.”

In the Old Testament, besides the Ten Commandments there are many laws, many of which help to the keep the Original Ten. Then on top of that, the Jewish rabbis made other regulations to help people keep the Law of God. Jesus and his disciples sometimes run in to trouble about these: clean hands, healing on the Sabbath, and others.

Keeping with that tradition of the Rabbis to help people, Martin Luther wrote his Small Catechism. He explains the meaning of the Ten Commandments in both the negative and positive ways to keep them. I think his catechism is helpful for a Christian to know how to live as a Christian.

In the verse before today’s Gospel reading from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said these words, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Those Pharisees and Scribes were strict. We have to be stricter! Martin Luther wrote strict words. Like Jesus, he too said that our Christian life is not just a matter of what we do, but also of what we say and think and feel. The righteousness that Jesus demands is strict. And it is impossible to have a mind that is 100% pure and actions that are 100% good. We live in a world that is full of temptations and violence. We are harassed by people who never keep any of the Ten Commandments of God. Because of harassment and troubles, we fall into sin. We cannot blame the world or others. We ourselves are sinners too.

And so those words of Jesus become deadly. “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” And so it is if we rely only on our own righteousness, we will not be able to go to heaven.

Therefore we must rely on the righteousness of God. That is the Gospel. That is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is further explained in 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Perhaps it could be paraphrased this way, “God knew that the fallen world which he loved could never be perfect, and so he sent the Savior. It was by believing that this Savior could forgive and give us that right connection to God that would be eternal life.” God sent Jesus to this sinful and evil world. But not to destroy it in wrath, but to forgive and to renew it in love. At his trial and on the cross, Jesus received the hate and false reports and slander and insults of the world. He had been brought to the council and judged. He was condemned to crucifixion. Angry people murdered Jesus.

Jesus forgave them and us. This is the righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees and Scribes. It is the righteousness of God who does the right thing. That is salvation.

And now the Ten Commandments for Christians take on a new meaning, a new dynamic. First they tell us how Jesus keeps those Commandments. 1. He is the one true God. 2. He gives us his name and authority for prayer. 3. He blesses our worship. [Mt. 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."] 4. His relationship with his Heavenly Father is the model of love for all fathers and children. 5. In his death and resurrection he has given us new life. 6. The church is called the “Bride of Christ.” That shows the special, close love that Christ has for us. 7. He has given us the treasures of heaven: eternal life and salvation. 8. He was the faithful witnesses that proclaimed the Gospel. 9. Jesus has given us an eternal inheritance. 10. He taught us that we can be trust God and be content with “our daily bread.”　

In the Small Catechism, the explanation of each Commandment starts with these word: “We should fear and love God so that….” For example the Fifth Commandment: “You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.”

To put it another way, it is not what we must do, but what we get to do. It is no longer a threat from fear, but a freedom of love. We are permitted to help the neighbor, we are permitted to respect others, and we are permitted to be honest.

This is the righteousness of the Gospel. It is the freedom given to us in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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