MY TESTIMONY

Part 2  The law of Love

 

"Think not that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses, or the teachings of the prophets: I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil (5:17)."

 

Critics of an organisation are usually considered enemies by those holding authority. But this is often not true. Whistleblowers often try to expose the corruption that has become entrenched, and they pay a high price for following their conscience. The establishment saw Christ's improvements to the Jewish Old Testament as destruction. True, when a contract is fulfilled, it loses its value; but fulfilment is what the contract is all about. Total love for God and others is the fulfilment of the law (Mt 22:37-40).

"Remember that until heaven and earth pass, not one detail of the Law shall be done away with, till all be fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks even one of the least important commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever obeys and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (5:18-19).

Christ's commands(there are at least 111 of them listed throughout the four gospels) fulfil all the old Ten commandments. So, do and teach Jesus commandments and you fulfil the requirements of both the Old and the New Testaments. ( Matthew 28:19-20)

Modern theology dismisses the commands of Christ as unimportant, saying that anyone who seeks to obey Christ is trying to work his way to heaven. This perverts what Paul taught about grace. Peter said that Paul wrote about "things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist"...(II Peter 3:16). Paul warned about using his teachings as "an occasion to the flesh" (Gal 5:13), and yet religious leaders still claim we are free to disobey Christ, at the same time that they preach submission to the teachings of their denominations. Peter and Jude said of such men, "Certain ungodly men turn the grace of our God into slackness; while they promise liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption"

 (II Peter 2:19; Jude 4).

"For unless you are more faithful in doing what God requires than the teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:20).

Religious zealots appear to be very righteous but they major on all the minor issues. They are big on things like going to church and their own religious rules, but when it comes to love, they are sadly deficient. It is hard to find any real love and compassion in this kind of person! They can quote the LAW, but completely miss the spirit of the Law that they claim to live by.

"You have heard it was said in the past, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be brought to trial. But I say to you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whoever says to his brother 'You good-for-nothing!' shall be brought before the Council: but whoever says 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of hell" (5:21-22).

Most of us can say we have never killed anyone, but who can say he has never hated? Any desire to hurt or belittle someone comes from the same source that inspires murderers.

Words of condemnation can do great damage whereas words of love can work miracles. 

The Church constantly reminds people outside its walls( and often inside as well) that they are sinners. But this is a cruel half-truth. If people inside are told that they are forgiven sinners, they often show dramatic behaviour changes in response to the acceptance they receive from members of the group. Imagine what could be achieved if Christians treated everyone they met in the secular world in the same way! After all, Jesus never said we had to go to church to be forgiven!  It is our job to tell everyone that they are forgiven; and if we love them without judging them harshly, maybe they will believe in our message.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift" (5:23-24).

God is more concerned with human relationships than with religious services; yet differences are rarely talked out in today's church world. Anyone who disagrees is told to go elsewhere and not upset the smooth running of the organisation.

"If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute quickly before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be handed over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. There you will stay until you pay the last cent of your fine" (5:25-26).

The world has some strong charges to make against the church,  If churchmen are involved in covering up sexual abuse and avoiding settling with victims, they are rightly inviting the charge of hypocrisy.  The recent scandal of paedophile priests hidden for years in the church is a case in point.

"You have heard it said, Do not commit adultery. But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart (5:27-28).

When does adultery begin? Not in the act of adultery, but in the heart by desiring someone who already belongs to someone else. The thought comes a long time before the opportunity to act on it. Learning to control what we think about is where the battle begins. Jesus knew that self discipline is a big part of love. Don't try to excuse immorality through some twisted doctrine of grace, used as an "occasion to the flesh (Galatians 5:13)."

"And if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go to hell" (5:29-30).

This passage is often quoted to prove the folly of taking Christ literally. But surely the passage says just the opposite. It is foolish NOT to take Christ literally... even if it means cutting your hand off!  If we took this and other teachings of Christ more seriously, we would not be facing an eternity in which to wish we had.  If we seriously want to stop lusting after someone's spouse we will find ways to cut off temptation long before having to pluck out our eye or cut off our hand.

"It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But I say to you, that if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than unfaithfulness, he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also" (5:31-32).

In Jesus day there were two schools of thought on the subject of divorce.  The Pharisees approached Jesus about this. The strict Rabbi's taught that divorce was only permitted for very serious offences within the marriage. The slack Rabbis permitted a man to divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever and this had become commonplace in Jewish society just as it is today. The greatest victim in those days was the innocent wife who depended on the income of the husband to survive and who could be literally thrown out of the house by such an unjust divorce. Jesus is making it clear that it is the selfishness of the husband in unjustly divorcing his wife who is GUILTY of causing adultery.

Jesus emphasises to the enquirers that the intention of God in creating marriage was a bond for life. Divorce was permitted later by Moses due to the human failure of either party. Despite the best of intentions marriages fail for many reasons bringing sorrow to all involved. Being unfaithful to a spouse is more than just sex. Domestic violence both verbal and physical plague many marriages. The ideal and commitment to stay together for life is good, and what God intended for us in the beginning, but tragically, due to human selfishness, some marriages cannot be saved. If reconciliation is not possible the only way forward may be separation and ultimately divorce and forgiveness. God would not expect someone to continue living with a violent, cheating or abusive spouse despite the high ideal of a bond for life in love. 

Divorce then, under serious circumstances, is an act of mercy, but only as a last resort.

"You have also heard it said, Do not break your promise but do what you have vowed to do. But I say to you, do not make promises. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Just say Yes or No - anything more than this comes of evil" (5:33-37).

Indebtedness is a great hindrance to love, for it forges legal chains and causes a spiritual drain on the soul. When you sign a contract, you swear by all that you possess that you will repay that debt. Debts are a loan on the future. James 4:13-14 says "You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall do this or that.' "  Beware of taking out loans from banks for any reason. If we don't have the money for something, do not borrow to buy it. This is the modern day slavery of many people in the world today. They are not free to serve God because they are too busy paying off their mortgage.  The word "mortgage" is French and literally means "death pledge" (which you have to pay back until you die).

We have no right to obligate ourselves for the future any further than saying "Yes or No" as Christians. "Owe no man anything, except to love one another" (Rom 13:8).  

Swearing, as referred to in this passage, is not about using strong language, But about making oaths or promises to do something in future for someone, when we do not know what the future will be. 

 

 

 

"You have heard it said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek let them slap your left cheek too" (5:38-39).

 

Justice says crime should be punished. Mercy says the victim may choose to bear the punishment of his attacker and forgive them.  This is a critical difference between the New and the Old Testament teaching.  

"Christ died for our sin" (I Cor 15:1-4). "And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (I Jn 3:16). When we turn the other cheek, we present our bodies as a living example of Christ's love.