“You have heard… but I tell you…”
Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Bern Leckie answers:
What did I like about today’s passage?
I love that with all the authority of an empowered leader, Jesus brought practical teaching which is simple to understand despite being extremely challenging to live out.
The words which resonated most for me were Jesus contrasting what people had heard from other authorities with what he was going to tell them with his authority.
I recognise this kind of clash in our culture. People bring new ideas, studies, evidence, fears, feelings and passion into the arena of public discussion every day. How do we know who to believe?
One thing I love about Jesus’ teaching here – it’s not compromising. It isn’t an attempt to bring every view together. It is radical in the sense that it challenges the roots of our thinking and seeks to rebuild our foundation for life. It’s also extreme in the sense that Jesus tells us to pursue a way of life centred on God and his love to its greatest possible extent. Radical extremism can be amazing and bring peace and healing to the world – who knew?
I also love that Jesus is fulfilling the purpose of God’s law as he shares famously radical, extreme positions such as “turn the other cheek,” “love your enemy” and “do not worry.” These are not just comforting words. Jesus is about to do what no other leader could – make them possible by purifying people and filling them with his Spirit.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
God loves us and wants better life for us than we manage in our own strength. When we go our own way, we naturally try to respond to an unjust push with a stronger push back. So God put into his people’s law “an eye for an eye”, a proportionate response. (Historical side note: the Israelites were not the first country to write this down, but God took a special role as the owner of vengeance, helping people to obey this principle and keep a lid on their anger.) But it turns out that this was only an intermediate step. God really wanted us to have the power to overcome evil with radical, extreme love, only possible because of Jesus.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I need to remind myself that anger and worry no longer have a natural home in me. Sometimes they bubble up through my thoughts and actions as I forget that Jesus’ authority and power over what stresses me is massive and absolute. I need to turn to him more often!
Who am I going to share this with?
Putting Jesus’ teaching into practice is vital for me, not just so that I’m obeying him but also because it helps me to see that it actually works! So I will share something specific that I’m going to do with a friend I pray with this week or next.