The Sixth Sunday after Trinity - July 31, 2011

The Church Season of Trinity
The Sixth Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (July 31, 2011)

Readings:   
        Psalm 19
        Exodus 20:1-7
        Romans 6:1-11
        Matthew 5:17-26

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 5th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verse:

Matthew 5:17-26 (NIV)

17 “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. 18 I tell you the truth, 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 Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 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. 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

To understand this passage, you must know what was wrong with the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  What is righteousness?  It is being free from guilt, and sin, it is not something you earn, but are given by the work of Jesus Christ.  So the problem here was not that the Pharisees were obviously evil.  If you saw their behavior, you would think that they were good men.  These were the respected people, the ones looked up to as prominent members of the community, known as moral examples.  They were very careful and zealous to follow painstaking rules of behavior.

But those rules were a part of the problem.  The scribes and Pharisees had a multitude of extra commandments to help them obey the commandments of God.  They thought that they were being extra-righteous by following extra commandments.

But the extra commandments were actually lowering the bar on their obedience.  That is, their rules of behavior made the commandments easier to obey.  Not that the commandments themselves were really easier to obey; it was only that the scribes and pharisees convinced themselves that, by obeying their rules, they were obeying the commandments.  But their rules actually softened the commandments of God.

However, God does not want His commandments easier or softer.  His commandments are perfect the way they are.  They are hard and difficult for a reason, namely, to show you how much you need Christ and His Cross.

In today's Gospel lesson, Christ gives the example of the Fifth Commandment.  The Lord said, "Thou shalt not murder."  The Pharisees and scribes thought that, as long as they did not actually murder, they had kept the Commandment perfectly.  But Christ showed that murder does not only take place in an outward action of bloodshed.  Murder happens in the heart when you are angry without just cause.  Murder happens in your mouth when you call someone an idiot or a fool.  Most sinners have used far harsher words and names than "idiot" or "fool".  Christ says that anyone who uses even these relatively mild words or has angry thoughts has broken the Commandment, and is in danger of hellfire.

The scribes and Pharisees did not understand this.  Likewise, few people today understand it.  The spirit of the scribes and Pharisees pretty much rules our land. According to Jesus Christ, to be worthy of entering the kingdom of heaven you must have a righteousness that goes beyond a shallow, superficial obedience to the commandments.  Your righteousness must go all the way to heart and lips, which are the two hardest things to control.  No Pharisee ever had that kind of righteousness.  No man at all had or ever had had that kind of righteousness, save One an that is Jesus Christ.

We too fail to keep this Commandment.  Yet Christ the Lord, the perfect Man who is God, has kept this and every commandment of God, in hand and heart and lips alike. And here is the good news for you: He has given away His righteousness as a gift.  He lets His perfect obedience count as your righteousness.  Therefore, although you deserve judgment and hellfire, instead you receive innocence and life.  For your righteousness does indeed exceed that of the Pharisee and scribes, since your righteousness is the exact holiness of Christ, the Lamb without blemish.  You are as pure and innocent as He is, in God's sight.  You are clothed in His righteousness.

Because you have this superior righteousness from Christ, you are able to risk much and suffer much for your neighbor.  Christ gives one example of this.  He says that if you are offering your gift at the altar and suddenly remember that your brother has something against you, go and first be reconciled with him. Now, if you are at the altar, perhaps receiving Holy Communion, and suddenly got up in the middle of it and left, what would people think?  They would certainly wonder what was wrong.  As people often do, they would surely talk and speculate about your sudden, strange behavior.  So, to follow this kind of directive from Christ, you must be willing to subject yourself to embarrassment and ridicule.

You see, it is not only when you are at the altar.  Christ is saying that, whatever the circumstances, you should try to reconcile with your brother, even if it means risking inconvenience and shame. You can only make such extravagant risks if you are safe in Jesus Christ.  Your reward is in Him, not in what you can gain in this life.  So it is nothing for you if you are rejected by men and treated scornfully, since your sure and certain reward is so great in heaven.  If men deride you in their eyes, what is that to you?  For the eyes of the Father look upon you with approval because of Christ.  Nothing can take that away, not any amount of shame and humiliation you could suffer.

For Christ our Lord did no less.  Because He desired reconciliation with you, He was willing to suffer the ridicule of men.  He accepted the shame of the Cross and the humiliation of being treated as a horrible sinner.  He considered all that as nothing compared to the great glory of winning sinners back.

So He received all the murder of all people.  Not only was He put to death most unjustly, since He never committed any crime.  But He also received upon Himself all the murders of men, from the slaughter of Abel to the abortions of our day.  All the murderous anger of every sinful heart struck Him upon Calvary.  The hateful words said to any person anywhere were heaped upon Him.  Yes, even your hateful feelings and words as well were placed upon your Lord on the Cross.

You have heard it said that “God helps those who help themselves.”  The same person who penned that quip is the same person who wrote this one, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”  Yes, Ben Franklin wrote those words, they are not found or even implied anywhere in the Bible.  Ben Franklin points to those helping themselves to their own right way in this life, to their own righteousness, which is exactly what Jesus Christ s teaching against in this reading fro Holy Scripture.  Jesus knew the scriptures and He knew that they say, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.”Jer. 17:5, and they say, “He who trusts in himself is a fool.”(Prov. 28:26)

Not you, nor I, nor Benjamin Franklin, but only Jesus Christ, has received all the punishment and guilt.  Jesus has paid the debt you owed, to the very last penny.  We can not pay the debt of our own sins, but Jesus was more than willing to do so in your place.

Now there is no judgment to fear.  There is no punishment yet to receive.  The Judge, the Lord God Almighty, has already ruled in your favor.  You are declared innocent now and for all time.  No one can take that judgment away. For you are NOT saved by any penny you earned, your are not saved by helping yourself, you are only saved by the unearned grace of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ came to help those who cannot help themselves.

And that is exactly what righteousness is.  It is being judged innocent and right in the eyes of God.  This has been done for you.  Your Advocate, Christ Jesus your dear Lord, has spoken in your favor, and no one can overthrow the words of this Great King.  He never calls you hateful or mocking words.  In love, He only calls you holy and precious and innocent.  He has spoken it, and His Word endures forever.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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