Message
Humans are interesting creatures aren’t they? On the one hand we mostly want to be seen as being good people who are doing the right thing and who make a positive contribution to the community. On the other hand – in order to achieve this goal – we try and do as little as possible.
We do it at school.
We do it at University.
We do it at work.
We do it at home.
We even do it in our spiritual life.
What we are is minimalists.
It’s the principal of doing as little as we can to make ourselves look good, and then justifying our actions when we need to bend the rules a little bit to suit our needs. It’s also a principal which quickly makes us very judgemental of others. And it is principal that was used by a group of people in the Bible known as the Pharisees.
Jesus didn’t have a lot of good things to say about the Pharisees. Which was kind of strange because everyone else at the time believed the Pharisees where good hard working people. They were often leaders who were held in high regard. They were very committed to God and to the Jewish community. They took the word of God seriously. So seriously that they added another set of rules to the Word of God. Many of those rules were to help people understand how to use the Sabbath Day – which in those days was the day of worship, not a day of work. So, how do you avoid work? Well here is one of the rules they had.
In those days they had two types of chickens. Chickens which laid eggs and chickens which were fattened up to eat. On the Sabbath day you could not eat eggs that were laid by an egg-laying chicken because the chicken had worked to lay that egg. But, if your eating chickens laid an egg you could eat that one. It wasn’t work it was an accident. Not only that you couldn’t eat the fattened chicken on the Sabbath, but you could eat the egg-laying chicken.
That is just one of many rules. These people all looked so holy and so upright with all these rules to follow. And the society was looking at the Pharisees and saying, “I could never be that holy” and the Pharisees would look around and say to society, “You will never be as holy as us”. Then into this situation Jesus drops a bombshell.
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.
Matthew 5:20
As far as Jesus is concerned all the rule following and hallo’s are useless. People cannot be minimalists and expect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s the principle. Jesus then goes on to apply this principal is six different areas of life – each area is introduced in the same way.
You have heard that it was said – that is the Pharisee minimal approach.
But I say – this is the Jesus “enter the kingdom of heaven” approach.
Let’s have a brief look at each of these areas and see how they apply to us.
Regarding Murder - Read Matthew 5:21-26
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
Do not murder. It seems simple enough. Don’t kill anyone. Make sure you don’t assist people to Suicide. Make sure you don’t starve people to death. We haven’t done these actions. So this isn’t us. We have kept the rules.
Do you think you are a murderer? If you don’t you’re a Pharisee.
Jesus – But I tell you
You may not have literally picked up the gun, but if you have been angry with someone you might as well have. You see murder is just anger that has been given its full expression. Why do you think they say, “If looks could kill ...”. We know if looks could kill a lot more people would be on trial for murder.
Jesus doesn’t look at the actions. Jesus looks at the heart. What He wants to see is a heart that is going to bring about peace. If you are offering a gift and remember someone has something against you:-
not you have something against them.
but someone has something against you.
You go. You fix the issue. You be the peacemaker. That is the kingdom way.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
How many people have you murdered?
They have hurt you and you want nothing more to do with them. You continue to habour anger and bitterness. You go out of your way to make sure you never see them again.
There is not forgiveness. There is no healing. There is no peace-making.
We just dismiss them and justify our arrogant responses under the excuse of wanting to protect ourselves.
Who are we?
Regarding Adultery - Read Matthew 5:27-30
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
The Pharisees regularly danced around this question. What is adultery? What if neither party are married, is that adultery. What if one is married and one isn’t, is it only the married person who commits adultery? What if the other person is of the same sex? What if I just kiss another person, but not actually have full sexual relations.
Sometimes I get asked by dating couples, “How far can we go?”. I never give specifics because it is a Pharisee question. If I say, you can only kiss for 30 seconds, that gives a rule. But what if we kiss for 30 seconds then stop for 5 seconds then kiss again. You can go all day like that can’t you.
It’s all about a minimalist approach.
Jesus – But I tell you
When you have looked at another person lustfully you have committed adultery. But I should clarify here.
Looking lustfully does not mean, “She has nice legs”.
Looking lustfully does not mean, “What a well toned buttocks he has”.
Looking lustfully does not mean, “Aren’t they a fine specimen of humanity”.
The lust happens when you look at that person and then use them in your mind; and then dump them – treating them like a commodity. There are no rules that you can make up to get around that approach. It is simply a fact.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
How many people have you lusted over? How many people have you used and dismissed.
In a world full of pornographic images, and sexualized marketing and instant gratification – it happens all the time doesn’t it. It primes us to treat people as objects rather than individuals. It encourages us to look at the surface, rather than looking at the heart.
Who are we?
Regarding Divorce - Read Matthew 5:31-32
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
There is a lot going on here. Moses in the Old Testament allowed for a certificate of divorce, but the Pharisees were abusing the system. You’re married but you see a beautiful young woman who is interested in you. Quickly you write this certificate give it to your wife and say, “I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you”. Then you marry the other woman and get gratification, only to find she isn’t what you expect. Ah – here is another woman. So out comes another certificate. “I divorce you. I divorce you. I divorce you”. “I marry you. I marry you. I marry you”. But you haven’t broken the rules because you have a piece of paper.
Jesus – But I tell you
It’s not the certificate, it’s the attitude; the attitude which is quite happy to give up and stop trying. The attitude of lack of commitment and surface judgement. The attitude of using people and then dispensing with them.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
How we treat people. Do we build relationships only to cut them off? Do we remain friends only because we are lonely, but when a better offer comes we forget one person and move on. Do we act like we are friends when really we are only tolerating another? Do we take relationships seriously – for the long term.
Who are we?
Regarding Oaths - Read Matthew 5:33-37
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
The rule was here that you couldn’t break an oath which was made in the name of God. “I swear by God that I will pick you up for church”. If you broke an oath like that you were terrible. But if you said, “I swear by heaven that I will pick you up for church” – you can break that oath. So the Pharisees were making all these grand public promises when they had no intention of keeping them.
In Australia they are mobile phone sellers.
Buy this item, no more to pay.
Until you read the fine print.
Minimalists.
Jesus – But I tell you
Don’t pretend to be super-spiritual. Don’t act like you care for others when you have no intention of helping them. Just say it as it is.
If you are going to serve, great.
If you are not, that is ok as well.
I’d rather you say nothing and do nothing, then pretend to be something you are not.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
How many people are we truthful to about our spiritual life?
Are we the same people on Sunday, that we are from Monday to Saturday?
It is not about reaching a certain level of spirituality.
It is about being on where you are now.
You can struggle. You can have doubts. You can question.
Just don’t put on a mask and pretend.
Who are we?
Regarding Justice - Read Matthew 5:38-42
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
In the OT this was the justice system. If someone stole my TV I don’t really want them to go to jail. I just want the TV back. The Pharisees were using it to put people into their debt.
You stole my sheep. I will get one from you, but not straight away. I will keep telling people that you stole it and still owe me. I will pull down your reputation. I will ring you at night and tell you that you owe me. I will make your life miserable.
Justice has been twisted by a minimalist.
Jesus – But I tell you
Let’s try a different way. How about making a fresh start instead. That’s what it means to turn the other cheek. That in situations in life we won’t look for retribution; but we will look for reconciliation. I will put myself in harm’s way again for your sake – so that a relationship can be built, or rebuilt.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
Are you able to put yourself second so that relationships can be rebuilt?
Do you avoid trying to get even and taking revenge?
Are you lifting up the reputation of others, or putting them down.
Who are we?
Regarding Your Enemies - Read Matthew 5:43-48
Pharisees – You have heard it was said
The minimalist response is to show love to those who love you, and show hate to those who hate you. There is really nothing special about it.
Jesus – But I tell you
How about we make this special? Look to those who hate you and put on a new set of glasses.
Love the unlovable.
Respect the unrespectable.
Show care for the obnoxious.
See what sort of a world this world becomes then.
Are you a minimalists or Kingdom citizen?
Do we love enemies, or dismiss them and call them names?
Do we respect everyone, or put different people into different categories?
Are we will to put ourselves out for all those who God puts onto our path, or just some of them?
Who are we?
Again and again Jesus comes back to the same point.
Who are we?
Really we are big bummed Pharisees sitting around using all sorts of rules and regulations which make ourselves look better than others so that we can feel that we have a special place in society. Jesus teaching just emphasises the reality
We are minimalists aren’t we?
In our hate we murder.
In our lust we are adulterers.
In our dismissiveness we are divorcees.
In our fakeness we are oath-breakers.
In our unforgiveness we don’t turn the other cheek.
In our stubbornness we don’t show love.
In our minimalism we’re a failure ... we’ve blown it ... we need help ... and we are driven back to God.
Help us God we need forgiveness and grace.
Help us God we need a fresh start.
Help us God we are damned.
God says, “Yes I will help you because I love you”.
To show us the extent of His love God comes into this world. We know Him as Jesus. He is the answer to our minimalist attitudes. And what happens?
He is murdered. Hated. Rejected. Hung on a cross nails in His hands.
He doesn’t lust after us He loves us which such intensity that He is willing to die for us and give us a new start.
He says I won’t divorce you. I won’t treat you like so many others who take you on and dump you. Even if you let go of Me I will not let go of you.
God comes into this world loving His enemies and He takes the maximum penalty. Death. Hell. Rejected by the Father. “My God my God why have you forsaken me – that is the question He asks on the cross”.
I am dying because I love the people who are here.
They need to be cleansed and forgiven.
I am coming to renew them and help them to be on fire for me.
They are minimalists. I want them to be Kingdom citizens.
That’s what Jesus has done.
So who are you?
A minimalist?
Or a Kingdom citizen?
Prayer
