Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany – “But Jesus & The Black Church Say; #Black Church Matters”
February 12, 2023 Matthew 5:21-37 Color: Green
Matthew 5:21-37
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Concerning Anger
21 ‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,[a] you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult[b] a brother or sister,[c] you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell[d] of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister[e] has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,[f] and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court[g] with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Concerning Adultery
27 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[h] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.[i]
Concerning Divorce
31 ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths
33 ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.[j]
But I say to you “But Jesus & The Black Church Says to You”
Have you ever really listened to two friends talk about their football teams? I mean have your really ever seen folks go at it? As clergy, we have an annual meeting at the beach called the Carolina Clergy Retreat. This is a time for the Pastors in South Carolina North Carolina and Western North Carolina to get to know one another while also getting some tips on ministry and serving the people uniquely kissed by God's Sun. During one of the meetings at the meal table, I heard Bishop James Swanson and Bishop L. Johnathan Holston. To my sheer delight have a real knock-out drag-out debate about whose Football team was the best. Bishop Holston being a Green Bay Fan and Bishop Swanson being a Cowboy fan 30 minutes into the discussion I realized that the real fun in the debates had nothing to do with football the Ice bowl or team sports. The conversation behind the conversation was an age-old form of debate practice to see who could raise the best argument as to why they were speaking from heart and passion. In other words, it was not what they were saying but the real meaning behind the words.
I have come to understand that this is the same thing happening in the text in this part of the sermon from Jesus.
Jesus is issuing statements about the major issues of the Day. Anger/ murder; Adultery; Divorce; and Keeping your Word. Jesus’s method of dealing with all these hot-button topics is to present A Radicalized Ethic. The same kind of ethic that made the Black Church so powerful and is keeping it powerful today. A way of saying words with a level of meaning and understanding. What Jesus was doing is what we have had to do as Blacks in these yet-to-be United States of America. He was making the point on the street level of understanding. You will understand these issues of faith and legalism if I can make them personal.
We often read Jesus’ statements in this discourse–“You have heard that it was said…” followed by “But I say to you…” — as contrasting, or even replacing, prior Jewish teachings with his own.
Don’t get it twisted, for Jesus neither erases nor discounts the teachings of the law (“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law,” verse 17). He uses the traditional teachings on murder, adultery, and prayer as essential grounds for building his case for righteousness.
What Jesus does is uses familiar, perhaps even too familiar, teachings, and Jesus intensifies and radicalizes them for his listeners, extending these teachings into almost every area of life.
Jesus does what the Black Church has done for years. Jesus makes the Law everyday real talk. He applies the law and makes it the Word of God.
No longer do the teachings on murder and adultery apply strictly to acts of murder and adultery. Instead, they become doorways into how you feel and think and how you behave. Thus, all of it adds up together; anger, slander, false generosity, arrogance, lust, temptation, divorce, and religious speech.
The law and legal codes became like the conversation of Football became for the Bishops a way of showing God's power and teaching beyond the rules on paper. It's not about the Game; it’s not even about the commercial or the Halftime. It’s about Playing hard, Not cheating, and backing up what you say with Acton. Church It has never been about the Game, and we must stop getting sidetracked in t conversations about CRT and LGBTQ and focus on the sin of hate and racism. We need to stop playing the wealth game and focus on seniors and children living in poverty.
Perhaps one of the most radical aspects of Jesus’ extension of the law here is his internalization of it so that not only behaviors but attitudes and emotions fall within its scope. Of course, this is not new to Jewish thinking. Throughout Hebrew Scriptures, the law is to be taken to heart and not only outwardly observed.
1. Jesus connects the dots for his listeners from outward acts to internal orientation, from murder to anger, and from adultery to lust. It is one thing to behave rightly. It’s another to think right in your heart.
2. Jesus offers a more radical ethic, a reign of God's ethic, one already hinted at in the beatitudes preceding this discourse. Ethics has been classically concerned with the ways we might be able to discern
how our actions could promote the good or give force to the bad.
Spinoza (2000) in his book Ethics, wherein suggests that the good can be defined as that which allows for the greatest force of action. For Spinoza, power is defined as the ability to act, and action is how the dynamic force of creation he calls God extends and defines itself. For Spinoza then, evil is comprised of those acts that engage what he calls the "sad passions" or those effects that restrict or retrain the body's ability to act.
Jesus also directly connected the laws against action with the emotions of thought and feelings.
The righteousness of this newly inaugurated kingdom of God is more than following rules. It requires and empowers a life surrendered to God and their neighbor.
We can pat ourselves on the back for not committing adultery and yet create idolatry relationships with work, sports teams, or even the internet rather than our spouse.
3. Jesus shifts our attention from particular behaviors we must avoid to particular Kin-Dom relationships we must cultivate and live.
The world has a way of getting us down. It fills us with distractions, temptation, and entertainment, promising us happiness but never fully delivering. Perhaps you have felt weighed down when looking at the state of the world—overwhelmed by the corruption and confusion surrounding us. Even the day-to-day responsibilities that we are given can feel burdensome. When we focus on these earthly things, our eyes slip from the “things above.” We forget the blessings and promises we have through our adoption as sons and daughters of Jesus and our satisfaction in Christ slips away. Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way!
When it comes to shifting our attention to Christ, the Bible gives us clear instructions. We are not to linger in our old habits of fear, sin, and discouragement, as when we were unbelievers. Instead, we are called to lay down these things that hinder us and through the power of the Holy Spirit step into our new life as Disciples.
