Shocking Love

Matthew 5:21-37

Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. I am fully aware that not everyone out there celebrates this day, but I want you to know that there is someone who cares and loves you enough to wish you one anyway.

In fact, I've seen some rather grim posts over the past few days from the anti-Valentine's Day people. One such gave the acronym SAD to this day for people who are celebrating Singles Awareness Day. I also saw a few posts which reminded everyone that this day was given in memory of St. Valentine, a martyr who was beaten and beheaded for his beliefs.

However, the most eye-opening post I've read about Valentine's Day is that it takes 32 gallons of water to grow 12 roses. That's right, for every dozen of roses given around the world today another 32 gallons of water has been removed from our dwindling fresh-water resources.

Shocking news accounts, all of them, BUT, this day is celebrated with love nonetheless. It's in that love we need to look at things in a new way.

The lectionary continues its series on Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount. In this weeks passages we are introduced to a Jesus who can be shocking in his own way. I've read where Matthew was written to bring harmony to a new, emerging group of people known as Judeo-Christians. These are people who were Jewish and therefore still had an adherence to the Mosaic laws, but were also Christian and therefore were trying to understand Jesus' message of the realization of the Kingdom of God.

The Gospel of Matthew, therefore, walks a fine line between two worlds. The Sermon on the Mount, then, becomes a sort of "breaking out" for the ministry of Jesus. In this particular passage he brings new meanings to old laws, and he does it in a shocking way. The passage begins with Jesus comparing the "ancient" law of murder to simply becoming angry and how both have the same result. It then goes on to say that everyone is an adulterer so it's best to just gouge your eyes out and cut off your hands. This is followed by reminding us that we all give false oaths, and therefore all our words are from evil.

Talk about shock. I'm not sure about you, but if I was there when this Sermon was given I would've walked out of the church - I like my sermons uplifting and positive.

That's the point. Matthew is trying to say that a life with Jesus means giving up all of our outdated ways of thinking to find a new way of living. I'm sure nobody in that audience wanted to cut off their hands or be associated with evil. I'm also sure the people who were listening to his Sermon would understand it in its context - the old ways are impossible to live up to, but there's a new way that can include everyone.

As we go into this weekend, Valentine's date or not, let's go with a different thinking of what love is. Love is letting go of our outdated ways of thinking - racism, gender inequality, socio-economic separations, etc. - and finding a new way to unite as one people under one love.