Year A Epiphany 5 6 February 2011 –
Isaiah 58: 1-12) Psalm 112: 1-10 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16 Matthew 5: 13-20
Here is the bottom line:
Matthew 5:20 “20 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.”
Last week we looked at how God strived to make His people understand that keeping the commands was more than keeping the “letter” of the law. To please God and truly keep His commands meant having an attitude like His of Justice coupled with mercy and then having humility in the presence of God, knowing and mourning our sinful human condition
This week the Gospel, quoting the words of Jesus, tells us that Jesus did not come to abolish the law of God, but to fulfil it.
Matthew 5:18, 19 “18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
A few weeks ago I think I mentioned that before we can truly come into a relationship with God we need to be aware of our sinful condition. In the words of the singer, Jewel (who I quoted a few weeks ago also), “but to be forgiven we must first believe in sin”.
We live in a time when we accept each other, and more importantly, ourselves, as being innately good. Is this how God sees us?
Isaiah 58:1b-2a “Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.”
The Israelites of Isaiah’s day were a highly religious people, yet their religious acts were both to God and to the gods of the nations around them. They would realise their need for a saviour and turn to God with many prayers, fasting and sacrifice, then complain that God didn’t listen to them. To put it in human terms, it is something I’ve seen often in my darling niece. My niece spends most of her life bossing her family around and generally being incredibly horrible to them- especially to her youngest sister..... then she discovers that she needs something. My niece can be incredibly charming when she wants to be. Should my niece get what she wants because for one day out of her life she is being nice to the family? Is that good parenting? What lesson is it teaching her when she gets what she wants?
God had a similar situation with His people.
Isaiah 58:3b- 5 “ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”
When I was young I was taught that “religion” meant “way of life”. The religion of the Israelites was to put on sack cloth and ashes and fast as a sign of mourning. In some ways we can be the same in our religion- we can perform actions that show our attachment to God by being involved in church life and part of the rituals and traditions that go with that. Today, the same as back in the day of the ancient Israelites, God calls us to be religious in a different way. Our way of life should reflect the values, attitudes and concerns of God. And just in case we are unclear on what that is – way back in the book of Isaiah it was written in black and white (or cream depending on the general colour of the scrolls???).
Isaiah 58:6-8 “ 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;”
Generally, the prophets were people who pointed out people’s sin... more particularly they pointed out the sin of God’s people. Often Jesus did this also. He didn’t point out the sin of the common folk... the common folk were often acutely aware of their sin- it was the religious people that Jesus challenged. He did this for the same reason as Isaiah in declaring the nation’s sin.... not to put themselves above the religious people but to make them aware of their sin so that they could turn to God and be saved. Generally the prophets were not very popular!!!!
St. Paul was not unlike the prophets as his message was also an offence to the religious community, whether it was to Greeks seeking philosophical wisdom or to the Jews who demanded rituals and sacrifice as a means to atonement for sin. He explains that he did not come with eloquent words but in the power of the Spirit of God. In fact St. Paul declares that he came with a message that was taught by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2: 13-15 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
St. Paul was often in trouble over the issue of what rituals and sacrifices the Christian gentiles should take part in. In particular there was a ritualistic sign that God himself had given as part of the covenant way back in Abraham’s day – yes I’m referring to circumcision. Paul declared that it wasn’t necessary for salvation and neither was any other of the Jewish rituals. How could he say such a thing when these things had been directly given to the ancient Israelites by God himself?
In the light of these questions, remember that Jesus has said, in the Gospel we read for this week, that he has not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil the law.
Matthew 5: 17 “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
There are two really important things that we need to understand about this week’s Gospel. The first is that God’s law eternally stands. God’s values, perfection and statutes are eternal and we need to know that we are sinful people who, but for His grace, have no hope.
The second vitally important thing that we need to know is that Jesus did not come to abolish God’s law but to fulfil it. When Jesus was on the cross and he stretched out his arms and declared, “It is finished”, he was saying.... “it is fulfilled... it is accomplished... it is done!”
As part of the law there were sacrifices to atone for sin. When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and the angel of God passed over when every first born was killed, the Israelites were saved by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. John the Baptist declared of Jesus, “Behold, the lamb of God!” Jesus, himself fulfilled the law of God by voluntarily becoming the sacrifice for our sin.... the perfect dying for the imperfect- the one sacrifice, once and for all. It is for this reason that St. Paul rightly declares that no ritual is necessary... in fact, to take part in ritualistic works for the redemption and atonement of sin and for attaining God’s grace would belittle/ annihilate the sacrifice of Jesus.
This is the Gospel message. It is beyond what human minds would have imagined. In every other world religion the adherents strive to become or achieve something – Christianity is a celebration of what God has done for us... It is done! The law of God still and always stands, but if we have accepted Jesus and are “in Jesus”, our imperfections and failings are already atoned. This is the message that we have a duty to declare. When we do so we are doing away with the yoke of oppression.... people are set free from the worry of sin and separation from God.
When we declare this message not just with words but with our God-like attitude and way of life, then we are the “lighting the way– a light shining in the darkness”. From Isaiah we recall the attitude and way of being. I’m going to leave you with this scripture – I particularly like the bit about being known as a repairer of broken walls:
Isaiah 58:9b-12 “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
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