At church today, we talked about making things right. We
talked about the responsibility that comes with following Christ, which
is to forgive people for their offenses, and seek to gain forgiveness
for our own wrongdoings.
Jose preached out of Matthew 5, in our series called Salt &
Light, which is an in-depth study of the sermon on the mount. We
focused verses 20-26. I've broken them up into smaller pieces in order
to effectively share what we discussed...
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.
Wow! This is huge...when I first heard this piece of
scripture years ago, I was shocked. How would I enter the kingdom of
heaven, I thought...especially as a new believer? I knew nothing and
was uncomfortable at the expectation that Jesus portrays here. However,
within the context of the situation, Jesus is calling the righteousness
of the Pharisees and teachers of the law into the light. When we
examine the way that these men were living at Jesus' time, it is obvious
that they were slaves to the law, and loved upholding the letter of the
law without necessarily adhering to the spirit of the law that Christ
makes obvious as Matthew's gospel continues. This is what Jesus is
getting at...He's really looking to see if our righteousness comes from
our own hearts or the heart of God...
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You
shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will
be subject to judgment.
Here, Jesus gives the first example of how His commands go deeper
than the face value that the Pharisees and teachers of the law took them
to be. Although the obvious command not to kill is imperative, Jesus
goes further to say that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister
will be subject to judgement. That's right...here Jesus is saying that a
murderer and someone who is angry will both be subject to judgement.
WHOA. If that doesn't rock your world, I don't know what will...but God
is clear in showing here that sin IS sin. It's entirely difficult for
us to realize the ground breaking realization here...there are no levels
of sin...no thinking that we are okay because we are not caught in a
specific sin, or in a “really bad” sin. Sin is the same to God, and
Jesus makes it clear in this illustration of murder vs. anger, and in
his next example...
Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is
answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in
danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift
at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has
something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Jesus continues with this example of insulting a brother or sister,
and calling them a fool. Both of these actions will cause someone to be
in danger of the fire of hell. Jesus is serious in this, going so far
as to make sure before any offerings or gifts are made to God, people
must be right with each other. God is so quick to make sure that we
have sound minds and hearts, that are in good standing with everyone,
before bringing gifts before Him. It is this expectation that sometimes
proves difficult. I know, for me, that I seem to want to throw
everything at God, and to have Him make other people apologize for what
they've done to me. It is rare that I am willing to go out of my way to
make amends with people...especially if they have done wrong to me.
However, God has taught me lately that I am called to do this,
whether I want to or not. And He has truly blessed me in this area. I
have been able to come to terms with what a few people have done to me,
or how they have negatively impacted my life, and have been given peace
from the Lord about those situations.
And, in the last part of the verses we discussed, Jesus reminds us
not only to make matters right with each other, but to do so quickly.
By doing this, it restores fellowship and removes judgement from both
people involved. God knows that once we are trapped in a prison, so to
speak, after doing wrong to someone, it may take forever (and everything
we have) to survive the judgement and punishment.
“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you
to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your
adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you
over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell
you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
I know that this sounds hard...and trust me, it is. But if God is
teaching me anything, it's that these things are possible. It is
possible to forgive someone, quickly, and to share this forgiveness with
them before coming before the Lord with gifts and offerings.
How do I know? I've done it....through Him, the source of all wisdom and strength.
In Christ,
Lilia
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