Reading 6
“But I tell you…”—Matthew 5
How much time and emotional energy do you spend comparing yourself to others? We have all kinds of measuring sticks we like to take out to see how we measure up. We have report cards, quarterly evaluations, bank accounts, the number of “likes” on Facebook, the quantity and quality of our friends, our reputations, and even the greenness of the grass in our yards! How about in our spiritual lives? Church attendance, daily devotions, service projects, prayer life, an honest accounting of our sins, forgiving and loving our neighbors… The ways we measure ourselves are infinite, exhausting, and ensnaring!
In Jesus’s opening to the Sermon on the Mount, we are introduced to a very new and radical measuring stick! First, Jesus takes those who were overlooked as “less than” (the poor, the sad, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the persecuted) and elevates them to a place of blessedness. Then, Jesus takes it to those who were revered for their religious piety (before you start feeling too comfortable, remember that many of us “church folks” fall into this category!) and knocks them down a few pegs. “You think that you’ve got gold stars for your adherence to the law. But I say that not committing murder doesn’t make up for the anger you feel toward your brother. But I say that not cheating on your wife doesn’t make up for the lust you have in your heart. But I say that loving your neighbor is too easy and nothing to brag about. Loving your enemy; now that would be something!” And in case you still haven’t gotten the message: “Just be as perfect as God is, okay?”
Wow! Impossible, right? Where is the good news here? Read the text again and note verse 17 this time. Not one letter of the law is abolished, but it is fulfilled in Jesus. He accomplished what we so obviously cannot. Jesus breaks our measuring sticks into tiny pieces and then gives us Himself. We are no longer less than we think or more than we think. Only with Jesus are we made complete, whole…perfect. That’s good news for all of us!
To Consider:
- It is said that a good sermon comforts the afflicted AND afflicts the comfortable. What in this famous sermon afflicts you? What comforts you?
- What are your particular measuring sticks? (Then figuratively break them over your knee!)
Lord Jesus, thank you for accomplishing all that I cannot. Remind me of my true worthiness when I am tempted to measure myself. Protect me from arrogance and from false humility and fill me with your peace. Grant me the grace to share the peace I’ve found in you with those around me. In your name, Amen.
Julie Russell is a member of Macedonia Lutheran Church in Burlington. She loves her husband, Chris, her teenagers, Ethan and Riley, and her crazy dog, Charlie. When she’s not busy with church, school, soccer, and marching band, she enjoys reading, gardening, and jigsaw puzzles.
