Beyond Strict
Mark 2:23-3:6
Illus: I placed signs on the wall on either side of the platform: "strict" and "lax", moving back and forth toward one or the other at appropriate times.
How strict should you be? How strict should you be with your kids? How strict should you be with yourself? We want to have self-discipline...yet we need to be able to make daily choices that reflect the situations we are in. Some people are stuck in rigid system of rules. Others seem to be floundering, going whichever way the wind blows. Do you ever wonder about how strict or lax you should be?
(Read 2:23-24) The Pharisees were strict. They had 613 mitzvot, not to mention hundreds of gezeirah. (39 of the gezeirah dealt with the Sabbath.) Today, most of us are very lax on the Sabbath. In fact, does anybody really keep the Sabbath any more?
Over the centuries, there has been a movement back and forth between "strict" and "lax" on the Sabbath. The early church was probably quite lax; they moved worship from the Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead. The Puritans were strict, as was the culture of my childhood. Extremely strict can get ridiculous; yet too lax can be dangerous. (Illus: In one small town we lived in, when the local factory went to 7 day work weeks, drinking and affairs went up.)
How strict should we be? It’s not just Sabbath: What about sexual boundaries? (Illus: I had a college roommate who went off to a very strict Bible college where boys and girls had to sit on opposite sides of the aisle when they went to class.) (Illus: Today, students are likely to live in a coed dorm, and may encounter a culture where "hooking up" with anyone and everyone is common.) What about business ethics? Some people draw lines...and then see how close they can come to the lines without going over. (dramatic illus: teeter over the line)
The bipolar system doesn’t work any more! (Illus: I used Kenneth Lay and Beyonce) Lines are fine, but today the lines are floating and bobbing in a cultural sea of change. (Illus: My grandfather in business had decisions like whether to sell a sick chicken. Today, the average businessman is engaged in high finance.) (Illus: My grandmother probably concerned herself with how much ankle to show. Today, how many images must a young woman process?) Many people are wandering in a moral no-man’s land: not strict, not lax, but the lines are not clear any more.
The bipolar system never did work very well! (Read 3:1-6) Strict Sabbath rules led to total absorption with self and lack of compassion. But the other extreme was (2:14-17) Jesus called them sick--and they were! (public servants skimming off the top, prostitutes and wild partiers--sick) (Illus: You can add some from the news.)
WAS JESUS "STRICT" OR "LAX"?
If you think Jesus was strict, read 2:25-26. But if you think Jesus was lax, listen to this: (read Matthew 5:17-19) It might appear that Jesus was somewhere in no-man’s land, depending on the situation. (We went there in the 1960’s. "Situations ethics" didn’t work; it led to the breakdown of the family and society that we see so often today.)
Jesus was not wandering in no-man’s land. He stood above the "rules" and "lines." (At this point I moved up from the floor to the platform.)
WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT MORALITY FROM JESUS?
1. Morality begins in the heart. (Read 3:5)
(Illus: I had a pastor friend who said that God wasn’t interested in the 613 mitzvot. He reduced the rules to 12, and then Jesus reduced them to 2. Too simplistic? Maybe.)
Can we eliminate or ignore God’s law? NO! How can you love God if you don’t care about his laws? (Illus: You say you love your wife...but you don’t honor her by picking up your underwear, remembering her birthday, or staying faithful.."I don’t care about stuff like that.") Jesus (in the Sermon on the Mount) took the commandments as his foundation and went even deeper.
If your heart is not right, it doesn’t matter whether you have 2 or 10 or 613 or 5000 rules! Morality begins in the heart.
Let’s look at the Sabbath. the purpose was to love and worship God. Do you have that desire? If you do, you will make worship a priority, come with a good attitude, be willing to express your love with passion...and live a life that honors God. But another purpose of the Sabbath is to love people (second commandment). That includes yourself! In Deut. 5, one reason for the Sabbath is that "you were slaves in Egypt." Sabbath is not just about a day; it is about balance in your life. It is about taking care of yourself and encouraging others (especially your family) to take regular breaks from work and responsibility. The Sabbath question is, "What are you worth wehn you are not ’producing’ or pleasing someone?"
Morality begins in the heart: your love for God and your neighbor. Let’s look at sexual morality. If you love God, you know that God said, "Honor God with your bodies." (1 Cor 6:20) That is a God directed motivation! If you love people (including yourself), you know that God’s rules make true love possible. You may even discover that God’s rules help you relate to people of the opposite sex more as people and less as objects of attraction.
2. Moral principles are for our benefit. (2:27a)
The Sabbath is for our benefit. (Illus: a time in my life when I need that discipline to maintain my sanity--taste of heaven in stressful world) It may be right to discard many Sabbath rules. (Although regular worship and relaxation and time with the family still make sense) But the principles don’t change: You have permission to relax, not multitask, not produce, not worry. Perhaps you even make new rules for yourself (grounded in principles)--not so much rules as healthy patterns of living.
God’s principles are for our benefit. Not lying means less stress over gettting your story straight. Honest accounting means not fearing an audit, and not having a sudden need to clean up the books. Sexual boundaries mean healthier relationships and freedom from a host of problems. Not coveting means greater contentment.
Imprint this truth in your mind: God’s way is the best way--for us, and for all in society. (Read Isaiah 58:13-14)
3. Moral choices can be made in relationship with a God who cares--You don’t have to make choices and stand up for the right all alone (read vs. 28)
Don’t you wish you could have Jesus with you, like the disciples did, when you have to make difficult decisions? You can!--at school, on a date, at the movies, in Vegas (can you?) You can have Jesus with you at the game, at a party, at home with you, at work, at lunch, at the bank, when you hang out with your friends. But here’s the thing: He will be with you as your Lord, or not at all.
With Jesus with you, you don’t see just strict or lax, you don’t see lines bobbing on a raging sea. You have a Friend to walk with you, a Guide to lay a hand on your shoulder to warn you, a Master to tell you what you must do.
Is Jesus your Lord and Master? The disciples are beginning to understand what that means--and to want it.
Being a Christian means accepting Jesus as SAVIOR and LORD. Living as a Christian means obedience: to the Word of God and the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus said, "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?"
Christian morality is a personal relationship. Like Paul says, "We make it our goal to please him."
How well do you know Jesus? How close are you to him? The 12 disciples were guided by their strong, wise teacher. When they met tax collectors and sinners, Jesus made it clear: These people could be saved; they didn’t have to live like that. When they had questions about fasting, Jesus had the answer. (He is "the Bridegroom.") When they unwittingly broke the laws of the Sabbath, Jesus brought clarity into the situation. When they came across a man with a shriveled hand, Jesus healed him. When the crowds came, (read 3:7-10) With Jesus by your side, life is right.
We’ve been thinking: What if Jesus came to our town? Can he? Do you want him by your side? Do you spend time in the Bible, in prayer, in a small group, in worship? When you know Jesus better, you sense his presence and his guidance, and you develop habits of obedience. Then he really is with you at work, at home, at the party, at the game.. Then you’re not making the tough decisions alone. Then Jesus is behind you and within you.
What we really want is not more or less rules. What we want is Jesus!
