“The Law of the Lord”: a sermon for the FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (06 JULY 2025)

 

     New rules.  How do we make decisions?  How do we know what the right course of action is in any given situation?  If we’re driving, we can pay attention to the signs along the road telling us what the speed limit is, where we’re allowed to park, etc.  The “rules of the road” are established by the government and enforced by the Police.  If we’re at work, we can do our best to be punctual, to get our tasks done on time, etc.  The rules of the workplace are established by the company and spelled out in documents that employees usually receive on their first day on the job.  If we’re in church, we can imitate what other people are doing – stand when they stand, sit when they sit, etc.  The “rules (polity) of church” are established by long-standing precedent, i.e. tradition.  A common explanation for why we do things the way we do is “this is how we’ve always done it”.  There are rules that govern every aspect of our lives.  When rules are broken, or when rules are changed, things get messy and many people get anxious as they find themselves obliged to adjust to a new way of living, of working, even, sometimes, of worshipping.  Rules provide stability and make life a bit more predictable.  When the rules no longer apply, or when new regulations are introduced, life becomes (temporarily) chaotic.  Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations where more than one set of rules applies, or is perceived to apply…for example, a member of the Armed Forces who believes that the Bible prohibits killing in all circumstances might apply for “conscientious objector” status.  For such a person, it would be unthinkable to kill in obedience to the state, because obedience to the military hierarchy would mean disobedience to Scripture as well as their conscience.  Rules are an attempt to bring clarity and guidance to the often-complicated nature of life.  As such, they are useful.  However, we can probably all think of a time when a seemingly abstract rule got in the way of good old common sense prevailing in a situation.  Sometimes, “the law” and “justice” do not seem to be the same thing.

     The Law of God.  For those of us who are accustomed to reading the Bible, all of this should sound quite familiar.  The categories of “law” and “justice” (“righteousness”) are literally on every page of Scripture.  However, these elements of the Bible have also given rise to tremendous controversy.  Indeed, in the Gospels, Jesus himself is often embroiled in legal disputes as he conducts his ministry.  His ministry comes to an end as he is put on trial by several different courts, both Jewish and Roman.  As far as the Jewish authorities were concerned, Jesus had broken the rules a few too many times.  The letters of the apostle Paul have often been understood as if Paul was claiming that Jesus had done away with the Law of Moses, and that the law was now completely irrelevant to followers of Jesus.  Indeed, a recurrent phrase in his letters to the Galatians and to the Romans is “we are justified, not by the works of the law, but rather by faith in Christ”.  However, the discussion cannot possibly end there.  Though we are justified by faith, there remains the question of how we are to live between the moment of our justification (baptism?) and the final judgment.  Paul has much to say about how Christians are called to increase in holiness and to “grow up into Christ”, as he says to the Ephesians.  It would appear that Jesus did indeed change (some of) the rules, but it also looks like he didn’t do away with rules altogether.

     The new Moses.  In Matthew’s Gospel, we have what is probably the best attempt to be found among the New Testament documents at explaining the relationship between Jesus and the Law of Moses.  Chapter 5 of Matthew begins with Jesus, upon “…seeing the crowds, he ascended the mountain; and when he seated himself his disciples approached him…and he taught them…” (5.1-2).  Moses, the original law-giver, was considered to be “the Teacher” of Israel (cf. Mt. 23.2-3; Jn. 9.28).  By ascending “the mountain” and adopting the stance of a teacher (i.e. sitting down), Jesus shows himself to be a new Moses.  This recalls Moses ascending Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments from Yahweh (cf. Ex. 19-34).  The “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt. 5—7) is the “new law”, that “surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees” (5.20).

     The Pharisees.  In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus “rips into” the Pharisees.  He utters 7 “woes” against them, i.e. he pronounces a “perfect” condemnation over them, a comprehensive curse.  Nowhere else do we find such a vehement indictment of the Pharisees by Jesus.  This is precisely the point where much misunderstanding concerning Jesus and the Law takes its origin. 

     It is common for us to perceive the Pharisees as those who kept the law, and imposed it on others, while Jesus was the one who said that keeping the law wasn’t important.  However, this is simply wrong.  Jesus’ problem with the Pharisees wasn’t that they were teaching people to keep the law.  He even says as much: “…the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it…” (23.2-3).  No, Jesus’ problem was that the Pharisees weren’t keeping the law (properly) themselves!  This is a drastically ironic accusation!

     It’s important to remember that the Pharisees were “ordinary” believers, laypeople.  There can be no doubt that they were committed to following their God the best they knew how.  They were studious and learned, well-versed in the Scriptures and the tradition.  They were sincere, earnestly desiring to create the conditions in which God would act to deliver his people.  The Pharisees’ motto seems to have been “to obey God and to have him obeyed” – a praiseworthy goal, as far as it goes (it’s unsettling to note how this description of the Pharisees is what many of us aspire to as Christians).  But what if God turned out to be different from what they had imagined…?

     Two approaches to holiness.  Perhaps unintentionally, the Pharisaic approach to holiness created a “holy huddle”, a community of “serious” believers who regulated their behaviour and common life with numerous laws, rituals, and well…rules.  As inevitably happens within any human community, there is a “status game” that one can play.  The name of the game, as far as the Pharisees were concerned, was to demonstrate one’s loyalty and devotion to Yahweh through a strict observance of the law of Moses, as interpreted by the Rabbis that one had access to (or whose teachings one had access to).  The unavoidable (and perhaps unforeseen) consequence of such a community is that it is inward-focused.  The priority is determining who is “in” and who is “out”; moreover, much energy is expended in making sure that those who are “in” are behaving in such a manner as to maintain their “insider” status.  In true prophetic fashion, Jesus had a nose for sniffing out hypocrisy and the mere “playing of the (status) game” as opposed to genuinely self-giving love of God and neighbour (cf. Mk. 12.28-34).  Jesus wasn’t interested in games – he considered human lives to be far too valuable to be reduced to mere tools for the increase of one’s status.  As a Rich Mullins song has it “He was a man of no reputation, and by the wise considered a fool…”  The love of God embodied in Jesus could not be contained by the walls of any synagogue.  Jesus was always “going out” beyond the safety zone, the expectations of the pious, beyond the limits of the “playing field” of the holiness game.  Jesus came “to seek and to save that which is lost” (cf. Lk. 19.10).  As far as Jesus was concerned, holiness was not so much a status to attain, but, as C.S. Lewis put it, a “good infection” to spread around.

     The fact is, church (synagogue) is easy.  Everyone knows the rules.  Everyone is presentable, respectable and polite (almost always).  However, once one leaves the confines of the church – once one attempts to follow Jesus in “the real world” – there are few rules, besides the command to love.  However, as Jesus demonstrated, love is risky.  The sad fact is, many of us have a habit of judging many of the people around us as being unworthy of love.  However, as Jesus repeatedly emphasized, it is precisely those deemed unworthy by those “playing the game” who are the primary “targets” of God’s love (cf. Mk. 2.15-17).  I suppose that as far as Mark is concerned, being holy = following/imitating Jesus, the “Holy One of God” (1.24).  As a lifelong church-goer, I’m acutely aware of the temptation to pretend that “church life” is what being a Jesus-follower is all about.  However, re-reading the Gospel causes that illusion to evaporate.  Surely, if I am truly following my king, I will experience what his first followers experienced – not confirmation that what I was already doing anyway was adequate, but rather a constant challenge to go beyond the bounds of what is familiar, status-endowing, self-serving and even safe…

     The yoke of Jesus.  Let us be clear – we cannot use Jesus’ critique of the Pharisees as an excuse to dismiss the moral and ethical demands of our Lord.  Jesus is indeed our “Master”, “Teacher” and king.  While all other moralists and teachers will be hypocritical to some extent, the “new Moses” of the Gospel is “gentle and humble of heart”.  Jesus contrasts his “yoke”, which is mild and light (11.29-30), with that of the Pharisees, which is heavy (23.4).  Jesus invites his hearers to “take his yoke” upon them and to learn from him.  This is an image which describes obedience, just as a pair of oxen in a yoke would be compelled to obey their master (cf. 1 Kings 19.19).  Jesus constantly denounces the hypocritical way that the Pharisees have interpreted and applied the law of Moses, making people’s lives burdensome, all the while appearing to be “righteous” (cf. Mt. 23.1-32).  Matthew’s Gospel is structured into 5 “blocks” of Jesus’ teaching, interspersed with 5 sections which describe Jesus’ actions.  This recalls the 5 books of the Torah (Law of Moses) from the Hebrew Scriptures.  Thus, Jesus is presented as the head of the renewed people of God, the One that all faithful people must now obey.  To be a member of God’s people, from now on, means becoming a disciple of Jesus, and obeying his commandments (28.19-20).  Amen.