Epiphany 6A; Deut. 30:15-20; Matthew 5:21-37; St. Paul’s, 2/16/2020

Jim Melnyk: “Image of God”

“A young man who had just completed his spiritual training and was eagerly intent on becoming a teacher moved to a new town. He tried to teach but no one came to him. The only spiritual interest in the town was among the many followers of a wise and well-known rabbi. Frustrated, the young teacher devised a plan to embarrass the old master and gain students for himself. He captured a small bird and one day went to where the master was seated surrounded by many disciples. Holding the small bird in his hand he spoke directly to the master. ‘If you are so wise, tell me now is this bird in my hand alive or is it dead?’ His plan was this: If the master said the bird was dead he would open his hand, the bird would fly away, the master would be wrong, and the students would come to him. If the master said the bird was alive, he would quickly crush the bird in his hand, open it and say, ‘See, the bird is dead.’ Again the master would be wrong and the young teacher would gain students.

He stood poised in front of the master demanding an answer. ‘Tell me, if you are so wise, is this bird alive or is it dead?’ The master looked back at him with great compassion and answered quite simply, ‘Really, my friend, it is up to you.[1]’”

This tale comes to us from the Hasidic tradition of Judaism, and it speaks to me of the choices set before us this morning both from the Book of Deuteronomy and the Gospel of Matthew. In our first lesson Moses speaks to Israel on behalf of God, “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity…. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live….” And from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus speaks to his disciples and all who are gathered on the mountainside, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times…. But I say to you.…”

“‘Tell me, if you are so wise, is this bird alive or is it dead?’ ‘Really, my friend, it is up to you.’” Choices. Choices. Both Moses and Jesus understand Torah – they understand the teaching of God to be a living creature the same as any one of us. Torah is dynamic – it is alive – it has vitality – it has a spirit – a spirit that can enter into us and can infuse us with life. And both Moses and Jesus understand what it means to be human beings – dynamic and alive – filled with vitality and a spirit yearning to understand and know our Creator God. And both Moses and Jesus understand the very roots of Torah to be the justice, the compassion and the love of God for God’s people – they understand Torah to be the heart and soul of God’s boundless love. Both Moses and Jesus understand that human beings – as creatures who bear the image and likeness of the Divine One – the image and likeness of their Creator – must be free to choose to be in relationship with God – must be free to choose to be in relationship with one another – for any true relationship to exist at all.

So both Moses and Jesus call us this day to the very roots of Torah, recognizing Torah as a living being – recognizing Torah as the living glue that binds us to one another and to God. Both Moses and Jesus point us to a tradition that challenges us to make a decision about what needs, about what hopes, about what dreams, about what promises find their place at the very heart of our faith traditions. Torah Teaching – whether offered in the wilderness after a long journey or on a mountainside at the start of an earthshaking ministry – Torah Teaching calls us to a life of transformation – Torah Teaching calls us to a life where deep, abiding love for God, and faithful, caring love for neighbor, find themselves at the root-level, at the gut-level, at the heart-level of our lives. Indeed, for all the many words that make up the Torah Teaching that shaped the mission and ministry of Jesus, it really does boil down to what became the core of Jesus’ message: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as one like yourself. On these two commandments, Jesus tells us, on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets – on these two commandments hang all that has any meaning in our lives!

And in the end, it’s up to us. Really, my friends, it’s up to us. Those who followed Moses out of bondage in Egypt knew the difference between following the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob over and against following Pharaoh. Those who listened to the teachings of Jesus knew the difference between following the teachings of Torah as Jesus made them come alive as opposed to following the gods of fear, the gods of collusion, or the gods of complacency which wore the face of empire, and which seemed so prevalent in Jesus’ day.

“In the teaching of Jesus, the either/or nature of the choice is intensified because he takes the Torah commandments with deep seriousness and pushes them to even more stringent requirements. … Jesus, like many of his contemporary teachers, [understands] the prohibitions of Sinai [as] a strategy for living alternatively in the world.[2]” In Matthew’s Gospel we hear him give depth to the commandments, “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you….” Today’s gospel lesson is about the inner transformation our following of Jesus calls us to experience, and it’s about the risk that often comes with that transformation. It’s about our struggle to become Christ-like, and the cost which is an intimate part of that struggle. This is not cheap grace that Jesus offers us. This grace is freely given, but it is costly as well.

Jesus tells his disciples, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” By the way, “hell” in our English translations isn’t that place with fire and brimstone and devils with pitchforks – it’s the trash dump outside Jerusalem’s gates – so don’t get carried away here! Jesus goes on to say the same thing about one’s hand, and in other places about one’s foot. These are serious words from the mouth of a faithful Jew. Self-maiming would seem to anyone listening to be an over-the-top response to sin. Jesus isn’t asking them to actually consider doing the unthinkable. The words are designed to bring his listeners up short – to take their breath away – to get their attention and to get our most certain attention.

But Jesus isn’t really telling people to cut off an arm or a leg, or to tear out an eye.

Jesus uses this strong language – this holy hyperbole – to make a point: to show how strongly he believes that the coming reign of God – the kingdom or communion of God – demands change in our lives. We cannot honestly encounter the living Christ without being changed in the process.

When we encounter this person Jesus, we experience a call to follow the Christ, and to become an extension of Christ’s reconciling ministry in this world. It’s a call to serve, even if it’s only a cup of cold water in his name. And the change that comes with such a call can often be painful as we tear away that which blocks us from each other’s friendship and from the compassion and love of God. And if we're honest with ourselves, we all wrestle with attitudes and desires that get in the way of our living out our faith – at least once in a while.

The other day I recalled an old Eric Clapton song – part of the refrain goes like this: “Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself!” It made me think what it would mean if every time before we reacted to a situation – if every time before we offered a word of rebuke or a word of criticism – if any time before we issued a challenge because we were unhappy about something – what if before any of that happened we did two things? What if we took a minute to remember that the person we were about to confront or discuss is a sister or brother created in the image and likeness of God just as each of us?

The teenager who is unresponsive at home? Image of God. The parent who never seems to listen? Image of God. The boss who messed with you at work? Image of God. The person who cut you off on I-95 and then waved at you in that special way? The friend who gossiped about you? Even Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives?

Image of God, image of God, image of God, image of God, image of God – even in all our imperfections – image of God!

And then, what if we took a minute to ask ourselves how our actions, how our thoughts, and how our words fit the greatest Torah Teaching of all – how would our actions, our thoughts, and our words show that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength; and how we love our neighbor as one like ourselves?

        

I think we’d be seeing some real transformation happening in the kingdom, don’t you? And really, my friends, no one can do it for us. Really, my friends, it is up to us.

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[1] Hasidic tale told in Synthesis Commentary

[2] Walter Brueggemann, Sojourners Online: Preaching the Word. 2/16/2020