MATTHEW 5:17-37
DID ANY OF YOU BREAK A
COMMANDMENT THIS WEEK? DID YOU TAKE THE LORD'S NAME IN VAIN, OR
WORSHIP A FALSE GOD? HOW ABOUT FAILING TO HONOR YOUR MOTHER OR
FATHER? HOW ABOUT STEALING, OR COVETING? I THINK MOST OF US HARDLY
EVER THINK ABOUT THE COMMANDMENTS, AND WE KNOW THAT MANY CATHOLICS
CAN'T EVEN NAME ALL OF THEM. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEN YOU GO DOWN
THE LIST, IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU CAN'T SEE ANY THAT YOU'VE REALLY
BROKEN. OF COURSE YOUR OPINION OF WHAT MIGHT BREAK A COMMANDMENT
ENTERS IN. WHAT, PRECISELY, DO YOU HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO BREAK
“REMEMBER TO KEEP THE LORD'S DAY HOLY?” OR WHAT CONSTITUTES
COVETING MY NEIGHBOR'S GOODS? IF I SAY, “I'D SURE LIKE TO HAVE A
PORSCHE LIKE MY NEIGHBOR” DOES THAT BREAK THE COMMANDMENT?
DURING JESUS' TIME AND
FOR A WHILE AFTER, JEWISH AUTHORITIES, AND THIS INCLUDED THE SCRIBES
AND THE PHARISEES, REASONED AS FOLLOWS: GOD HIMSELF GAVE THE
COMMANDMENTS TO US. THIS MEANS THAT THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY
HAVE TO DO WITH ALL OF HUMAN LIFE. AND THERE IS MORE TO THE
COMMANDMENT THAN JUST THE STATEMENT. SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE
COMMANDMENTS, MEDITATE ON THEM, AND SEE HOW TO APPLY THEM TO EVERY
PART OF OUR LIVES.
AND THEY DID. TAKE THE
COMMANDMENT, “REMEMBER TO KEEP THE LORD'S DAY HOLY.” THE
SCHOLARS KNEW THAT GOD HIMSELF HAD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY
ACCORDING TO GENESIS, SO THEY DECIDED THAT REST HAD SOMETHING TO DO
WITH KEEPING THE DAY HOLY. REST OF COURSE MEANT THE OPPOSITE OF
WORK. SO YOU HAD TO NOT WORK. AND THEN, WHAT CONSTITUTED WORK? AND
THEY GAVE MANY ANSWERS. FINALLY THEY MORE OR LESS AGREED ON THE IDEA
THAT YOU SHOULDN'T PREPARE YOUR MEALS ON THE SABBATH, BECAUSE
LIGHTING A FIRE AND CHOPPING AND COOKING WERE ALL WORK – GET READY
THE DAY BEFORE. AND THERE WAS A LIMIT TO HOW FAR YOU COULD WALK.
AND YOU COULDN'T GO OUT ON YOUR HORSE OR BE PULLED IN A CARRIAGE,
BECAUSE THE COMMANDMENT SAID THAT EVEN YOUR BEASTS WERE NOT TO WORK
ON THE SABBATH.
AND ANOTHER COMMANDMENT –
YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN. THAT DIDN'T JUST
MEAN SWEARING AND CURSING. THE RABBIS DECIDED THAT YOU BROKE THIS
COMMANDMENT IF YOU PRAYED TO GOD TO CHANGE WHAT HAD ALREADY HAPPENED.
ONE EXAMPLE: IF YOU WERE ON A HILLTOP AND SAW A FIRE RISING FROM
YOUR VILLAGE, YOU COULD NOT PRAY THAT THIS WAS NOT YOUR HOUSE. FIRST,
THAT IMPLIED THAT YOU WERE PRAYING THAT IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE,
WHICH WAS NO WAY TO TREAT A NEIGHBOR; AND SECOND, THE FIRE HAD
ALREADY HAPPENED, SO IN SOME SENSE IT WAS GOD'S WILL. ANOTHER
EXAMPLE: IF YOU ARE A WOMAN AND FIND THAT YOU ARE PREGNANT, IT'S TOO
LATE TO PRAY THAT THE CHILD WILL BE A BOY, OR A GIRL. THE SEX HAS
ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED. GOD HAS MADE HIS DECISION. TO PRAY THAT HE
CHANGE HIS MIND IS TO SEE HIM AS YOUR SERVANT, RATHER THAN YOUR GOD.
AND TO DO THAT IS TO TAKE HIS NAME IN VAIN.
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL, JESUS
TELLS US TO BE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES.
AND THEN HE GIVES SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF HOW WE DO THIS. AND JESUS IS
DOING JUST WHAT THE RABBIS ARE DOING AND WILL BE DOING FOR THE NEXT
TWO OR THREE CENTURIES. HE IS DELVING INTO THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE
COMMANDMENTS, AND SHOWING BY HIS EXAMPLES THAT THESE WORDS THAT CAME
DIRECTLY FROM GOD ARE OF WORLD-SHATTERING IMPORTANCE. THEY DON'T
JUST TELL US THE OUTER LIMITS OF ETHICAL AND MORAL BEHAVIOR, BUT THEY
POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF BECOMING SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD; THEY
TELL US THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BREAKING A COMMANDMENT AND
KEEPING A COMMANDMENT.
HE SAYS, “YOU HAVE
HEARD IT SAID, “YOU SHALL NOT KILL” BUT I SAY TO YOU, YOU SHALL
NOT EVEN INSULT YOUR BROTHER.” TO INSULT YOUR BROTHER IS IN SOME
WAY AN OFFENSE AGAINST THE COMMANDMENT, “YOU SHALL NOT KILL”.
THEN HE GOES ON TO SAY, “IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR BROTHER,
GO AND FIX IT BEFORE YOU APPROACH THE ALTAR.” DO YOU SEE WHAT
JESUS IS DOING? HE TAKES THE COMMANDMENT, KICKS IT UP A NOTCH, THEN
KICKS IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH. THAT'S WHAT HE EXPECTS US TO DO. AFTER
ALL, THESE ARE WORDS OF GOD, AND AS SUCH WE SHOULD BE PREOCCUPIED
WITH NOT JUST WHETHER WE BREAK THEM OR NOT, BUT WHETHER WE ARE
KEEPING THEM; WHETHER WE ARE LIVING IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE ARE AS FAR
FROM BREAKING THE COMMANDMENT AS WE CAN BE.
THE FIRST EIGHT
COMMANDMENTS TELL US HOW WE ARE TO BEHAVE. THE LAST TWO TELL US WHAT
TO THINK. WE ARE NOT TO “COVET” – THE SPOUSE OF OUR NEIGHBOR,
OR THE PROPERTY OF OUR NEIGHBOR. GOD GAVE US THE COMMANDMENTS NOT
ONLY TO SHOW US HOW TO LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP TO GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOR
BUT ALSO HOW TO BECOME THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE. GOD'S PEOPLE
WOULD NEVER SCHEME TO TAKE A NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY, EVEN IF WE ARE
WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. IT SEEMS STRANGE, BUT THE POINT IS THAT WE
ARE TO STRIVE FOR PERFECTION, TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T EVEN
THINK ABOUT GETTING SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO OUR NEIGHBOR. IF OUR
NEIGHBOR COMES TO US AND WISHES TO GIVE US OR SELL US HIS PROPERTY,
THAT'S DIFFERENT.
WHEN JESUS TELLS US “YOU
HAVE HEARD IT SAID … BUT I SAY...” HE IS NOT GIVING US NEW
COMMANDMENTS. RATHER, HE IS GIVING US A METHOD TO MAKE THE
COMMANDMENTS OF GOD PART OF THE VERY FABRIC OF OUR LIVES. HE'S DOING
WHAT THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES HAVE BEEN DOING, BUT TELLING US
THAT WE MUST GO EVEN FURTHER. THE COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT THERE TO SHOW
US THE OUTER LIMITS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR. THEY AREN'T THERE SO THAT
WE WILL KNOW JUST HOW FAR WE CAN GO WITHOUT OFFENDING GOD. THEY
ARE THERE TO HELP US
SHAPE OUR LIVES SO THAT WE WILL BE MORE AND MORE GOD'S SONS AND
DAUGHTERS. THEY ARE THE LOVING GUIDELINES OF OUR FATHER.
THIS WEEK THINK ABOUT HOW
YOU CAN FOLLOW JESUS' ADVICE. CAN YOU MAKE THE LORD'S DAY MORE HOLY
THAN YOU USUALLY DO? KEEPING IT HOLY MEANS NOT ONLY AVOIDING THE
WORK WE DO THE OTHER SIX DAYS OF THE WEEK, BUT DOING SOMETHING
POSITIVE TO CONCENTRATE ON WHAT IS ETERNAL. THE SABBATH IS MEANT TO
BE CELEBRATED. CAN YOU FIND THE POSITIVE IN THE COMMANDMENT, “YOU
SHALL NOT STEAL?” OR “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY” OR “YOU
SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS”? IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN YOU NEED, YOU
ARE IN A WAY TAKING FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS LESS THAN HE NEEDS. IF YOU
ENJOY READING THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION OR READING
ROMANCE NOVELS, MAYBE YOU COULD DO A BETTER JOB KEEPING THE SIXTH
COMMANDMENT. IF YOU DON'T SPEAK UP WHEN SOMEONE MAKES SLANDEROUS
COMMENTS ABOUT THE POPE OR THE PRESIDENT, MAYBE YOU NEED TO WORK ON
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.
LET US WORRY ABOUT
BREAKING THE COMMANDMENTS, OF COURSE, BUT LET'S CONCENTRATE ON HOW TO
KEEP THEM BETTER. THAT'S WHAT JESUS IS TELLING US TODAY.
