Jesus Values Matthew 5:21-37 Sunday, February 13, 2011 The Rev. Sharon Snapp-Kolas, preaching

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1 Scripture. Prayer. Jesus Values Matthew 5:21-37 Sunday, February 13, 2011 The Rev. Sharon Snapp-Kolas, preaching Opening. My thanks to Deb Davidson for these paraprosdokian sentences. And what, you may ask, is a paraprosdokian sentence? Good question! Thank you, Deb, for answering it! A paraprosdokian sentence consists of two parts, where the first is a figure of speech and the second an intriguing variation of the first. They're used typically for humorous or dramatic effect. For example: Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list. If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. (I had to think about that one for a minute.) I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. You don't need a parachute to skydive, but you do need one to skydive again. 1

2 The voices in my head may be fake, but they have good ideas! Hospitality is making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were. I scream the same way whether I'm about to be eaten by a shark or seaweed touches my foot. Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go. You're never too old to learn something stupid. I. Boy Scout Values My apologies to the Boy Scouts for this terrible segue. And once again -- welcome! -- and thank you for being here today. The values the Boy Scouts learn are anything but stupid. In fact, we would all do well to abide by the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. My thanks to Paul Kielhold for sharing these two expressions of scouting values with me. The language may sound a bit antiquated to our 21st century ears. But the ideas are timeless. Listen while I read them for you. And Scouts, if you know them, please feel free to say them along with me. First we have the Scout Oath: On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Now there s a promise we could all live by! 2

3 Next, we have the Scout Law: A Scout is Trustworthy A Scout s honor is to be trusted. If he were to violate his honor by telling a lie or by cheating or by not doing exactly a given task, when trusted on his honor, he may be instructed to hand over his Scout badge. A Scout Is Loyal He is loyal to all to whom loyalty is due, his Scout leader, his home and parents and country. A Scout Is Helpful He must be prepared at any time to save life, help injured persons, and share the home duties. He must do at least one Good Turn to somebody every day. A Scout Is Friendly He is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout. A Scout Is Courteous He is polite to all, especially to women, children, old people, and the weak and helpless. He must not take pay for being helpful or courteous. A Scout Is Kind He is a friend to animals. He will not kill nor hurt any living creature needlessly, but will strive to save and protect all harmless life. A Scout Is Obedient He obeys his parents, Scoutmaster, patrol leader, and all other duly constituted authorities. A Scout Is Cheerful 3

4 He smiles whenever he can. His obedience to orders is prompt and cheery. He never shirks nor grumbles at hardships. A Scout Is Thrifty He does not wantonly destroy property. He works faithfully, wastes nothing, and makes the best use of his opportunities. He saves his money so that he may pay his own way, be generous to those in need, and helpful to worthy objects. He may work for pay, but must not receive tips for courtesies or Good Turns. A Scout Is Brave He has the courage to face danger in spite of fear and to stand up for the right against the coaxings of friends or the jeers or threats of enemies, and defeat does not down him. A Scout Is Clean He keeps clean in body and thought; stands for clean speech, clean sport, clean habits; and travels with a clean crowd. A Scout Is Reverent He is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties and respects the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion. Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent 12 qualities that we all value. Twelve qualities that most of us would love for our next door neighbor to exhibit! 4

5 II. Jesus Values (the 6 antitheses) Jesus has values, too, of course. In today s scripture reading, he continues to clarify his values in the Sermon on the Mount. He does this by using six antitheses. An antithesis is a proposition that is the opposite of another already proposed thesis. (Boy, I m learning lots of new words today!). Thesis. Anti - Thesis. Antithesis. Ok. So, Jesus antitheses let s call them values statements his values statements cover six topics: Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Swearing, Retaliation, and Enemies. Here s how it goes: 1) MURDER: Some say, You shall not murder. But Jesus says you need to take it one step further. He says: You shall not act in anger or insult others. 2) ADULTERY: Some say, You shall not commit adultery. But Jesus says: You shall not look at another person with lust. (I call this the Jimmy Carter. Some of you may remember how President Carter, being an honest man, confessed that he did lust in his heart from time to time... Don t we all?... One of my downfalls is George Clooney...) 3) DIVORCE: Some say, You shall give a certificate of divorce to a woman when you divorce her. But Jesus says: You shall not divorce. (Why? Because divorce causes adultery). With these two statements the ones on Adultery and Divorce the point is to respect a woman, even though the society of Jesus day treats her like property to be traded. (This 5

6 reminds me of Scout Law #5 A Scout is Courteous, especially to women. I think Jesus would agree with that value). 4) SWEARING: Some say, You shall not swear falsely. Jesus says, Do not swear at all! Here Jesus is talking about swearing an oath like when we swear in court that we will tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me, God. The idea is that a person of integrity needs no elaborate construction of oaths to convince others he or she is telling the truth. 5) RETALIATION: Some say, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus says: Do not resist an evildoer (turn the other cheek, give your coat and your cloak, go the extra mile, give to those who beg, lend to those who seek to borrow). -- In other words, you may be a victim, but don t act like one! Take charge of the situation. 6) ENEMIES: Some say, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Jesus says: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. -- The idea here is that one s behavior is not dictated by others but by God. Regardless of what others do, we as Christians are to behave in loving ways. III. Values are about Relationships Ultimately, when we re talking about values, we are talking about relationships. Values are about learning to treat each other better. Here s a story about John D. Rockefeller and his way of dealing with one particular employee: Many years ago a senior executive of the then Standard Oil Company made a wrong decision that cost the company more than $2 million. John D. Rockefeller was then running the 6

7 firm. On the day the news leaked out most of the executives of the company were finding various ingenious ways of avoiding Mr. Rockefeller, lest his wrath descend on their heads. There was one exception, however; he was Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company. Bedford was scheduled to see Rockefeller that day and he kept the appointment, even though he was prepared to listen to a long harangue against the man who made the error in judgment. When he entered the office the powerful head of the gigantic Standard Oil Empire was bent over his desk busily writing with a pencil on a pad of paper. Bedford stood silently, not wishing to interrupt. After a few minutes Rockefeller looked up. Oh, it's you, Bedford, he said calmly. I suppose you've heard about our loss? Bedford said that he had. I've been thinking it over, Rockefeller said, and before I ask the man in to discuss the matter, I've been making some notes. Bedford later told the story this way: Across the top of the page was written, 'Points in favor of Mr..' There followed a long list of the man's virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on three separate occasions that had earned many times the cost of his recent error. I never forgot that lesson. In later years, whenever I was tempted to rip into anyone, I forced myself first to sit down and thoughtfully compile as long a list of good points as I possibly could. Invariably, by the time I finished my inventory, I would see the matter in its true perspective and keep my temper under control. There is no telling how many times this habit has 7

8 prevented me from committing one of the costliest mistakes any executive can make -- losing his temper. I commend it to anyone who must deal with people. Kathleen Norris comments on values and how they affect private relationships such as marriage. Here she writes about her struggles with anger: When I think of the demons I need to exorcise, I have to look inward, to my heart and soul. Anger is my best demon, useful whenever I have to go into a Woman Warrior mode, harmful when I use it to gratify myself, either in self-justification, or to deny my fears. My husband, who has a much sweeter nature than I, once told me that my mean streak grieved him, not just because of the pain it cause him but because it was doing me harm. His remark, as wise as that of any desert Abba, felt like an exorcism. Not that my temptation to anger was magically gone, but I was called to pay closer attention to something that badly needed attention, and that was hurting our marriage. It confirmed my understanding of marriage as a holy act: one can no more hide one's true faults from a spouse than from God, and in exorcising the demon of anger, that which could kill is converted, transformed into that which can heal. What are your best demons? To name them for what they are and how they bring suffering, is half the battle. Closing. David E. Leininger, in his book, Make it Right!, tells of a church in Columbia, SC, near a seminary which has one of those bulletin boards out front to list service times, special events, sermon subjects, and so on. For several years there was one other thing on that bulletin board, one of those little sentence sermons that we see so often. It said, The same Bible that says BELIEVE also says BEHAVE. I do not know if there were any significance to the fact that it was located so near to all the 8

9 seminary students; perhaps someone figured they would need it more than anyone. At any rate, it was there, and for a LONG time: The same Bible that says BELIEVE also says BEHAVE. Seminary students, studying to become pastors, need to be reminded to believe and behave. Young people need to be reminded to believe and behave. People inside the church, and people outside the church, need to be reminded to believe and behave. Thank God for the Boy Scouts of America, who help young men to be persons of quality, with good values. Thank God for the Bible, which shows us how to believe and how to behave. Thank God for Jesus, who lives among us. More than anything, it is his living presence that convicts us when we are in the wrong and encourages us to follow his ways with boldness. Thank God for Jesus and his strange values, which are anti to the world s values. May we learn to follow his ways better each day. Amen. 9

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