"You have heard it 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."
This chapter of Matthew should make you feel uncomfortable.
That seems to be Jesus' intent with His original audience. He's telling them that if their view of righteousness is strict adherence to the letter of the Law, then they never really understood why the Law was given and what it was meant to accomplish.
The Law was never a viable means of salvation.
In the 4 verses preceding this teaching, He says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
It seems to me, as I read through the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus (this New Moses teaching from the mountain) is redefining or re-capturing what it means to be the people to whom YHWH has given His Torah, as something that goes beyond explicit prohibitions. It's identity-shaking and identity-giving.
We often think of the God's Law (which we colloquially refer to as the Ten Commandments) as a guide to the things we should not do, and that is not incorrect. However, this is at the root of the problem for the scribes and the Pharisees. Their self-righteousness was predicated on their ability to keep the letter of the Law, all while so often missing the Spirit of God's Law -- the purpose of God's Law.
Israel was given the Law, so that they might become a "kingdom of priests, and a holy nation." YHWH's special portion. Special by association. Meaning, the witness of their lives, their uniqueness amongst all the Kingdoms of the Earth, was a witness to the world about the God they followed.
The scribes and the Pharisees missed the highest calling of the Law, which I'm arguing is identity. One given, in spite of obvious deficiency. They missed the beauty, fullness, and transformative nature of God's Law.
They stopped understanding themselves -- and the nation of Israel as a whole -- as a witness to the world, for the sake of YHWH. Rote righteousness is meaningless apart from a changed heart.
But the saying goes that when you point your finger at someone, there's three more pointing back at you. I felt that as I read Jesus' words. I was uncomfortable for a different reason. My problem is the exact opposite of the Pharisees. I too often reduce righteousness to something that is done for me, and so I make light of God's Law without second thought.
Too often I am completely apathetic to God's Law.
Whichever end of the spectrum you're approaching this text from, Jesus' teaching hits you right between the eyes!
If you're self-righteous, this teaching is for you. If you're apathetic to your own unrighteousness, this teaching is also for you.
That's what it's meant to do.
It's masterful.
Yes, do not murder. Simple enough for most people.
But anger? God knows my anger. I'm angry in my bones.
For most of us, these things seem benign, especially compared to murder. But if what Jesus is saying is true (it is), that these things are equally as spiritually perilous as murder, then the problems they pose become impossibly large. Solving our propensity to anger and insult would mean solving human nature. This isn't about keeping our worst impulses in check. This isn't a checklist of things we shouldn't do. This is change, at an eschatological scale.
How is this possible?
That's the funny thing about this teaching. There's a pronounced tension -- between the command given and the painfully obvious truth that we are completely incapable of keeping such a command.
Matthew 5 ends with these words from Jesus, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
It isn't possible, and that's the point.
If you look back at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, to the Beatitudes (specifically the first 4), then you can see the solution to the problem this teaching poses.
These beatitudes aren't prescriptive. They're descriptive.
You don't become "poor in spirit" or "meek" or "mournful" or "hungering and thirsting for righteousness". These aren't qualities you make for yourself. Seriously, how would you even go about doing that?
You've just got to come to grips and accept that you're already all of these things: poor in spirit, mournful, meek, and desperate for righteousness. You need a case of shaken identity.
A professor at Concordia Seminary, Dr. Jeff Gibbs, once described the Beatitudes as the "doorway" to the Sermon on the Mount.
Meaning, if you can understand and believe that you truly are one of the "poor in spirit", if you can see that these descriptions are true for you and every single person who has ever lived, then you're ready to enter into it. [It being the all-encompassing reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.] And you're ready to hear the rest of what Jesus has to say. You're ready to receive what only Jesus can give. New I dentity.
Yes, it comes with a new standard of living. And it is impossibly hard!
"You must be perfect."
I guess, I've come to assume that this pronouncement of Jesus is meant to kindle a holy discomfort. And that's where Jesus wants you to be.
You aren't perfect. You aren't there, but you're on the way.
Yes, you've still got anger. But now your anger is uncomfortable, like a sweater shrunk from the drier. It doesn't fit you anymore -- no matter how many time you try to put it back on.
This new standard, shaped by a new identity, brings you back to the Beatitudes. You are the humbled, you are the lowly, you are the ones mourning and hungering for the kind of righteousness that can only come from God.
And it's yours in Jesus. What's not yet will one day be. God have mercy on me along the way.
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