Jesus continues to give instructions to His disciples on the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In the so-called Sermon on the Mount, we are led to search our minds and hearts, and come to self-knowledge around some crucial issues that illustrate a righteousness transcending mere ritualism or externalism (Matthew 5:17-37).
Yourself in relation to others
Jesus calls for a higher righteousness that goes beyond the externals, as the law experts and religious models (scribes and Pharisees) then were known for, parading themselves before the public for acclamation. One becomes oblivious of the real needs of people, when ego-centered one is obsessed with the letter of the law which is easier to measure up to than the law’s more demanding spirit and its innate connection with justice, love and compassion. Jesus cites the law “You shall not murder.” This act of violence against another has an inside-to-outside dynamics. There is first ordinarily anger and contempt inside the murderer; overflowing into abusive, threatening speech; and ending in vicious murder. Attending only to this final act is insufficient and unrealistic. Jesus brings attention to the origin and growth of evil thought, and to stop murderous deeds points out that one must extirpate seeds of violence in the heart.
The same process works regarding the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” Adultery begins in the heart, with lust of the eyes and fantasies of the imagination. The famous adultery case of King David (2 Samuel 11) started when he saw from the palace roof a woman bathing; that evil imagining led to unjust force, coercive rape, deceit, and eventual murder of the woman’s husband and elaborate cover-up. Evil is not only at the final, external act; to see it fully and to handle it correctly, one must start where it begins.
You before God
Jesus uses strong, symbolic language to impact his listeners. The proper attitude of the righteous is to do whatever it takes, a radical decision needed to truly stand against evil and obey God’s commandments. First, external rituals even in the sacred liturgy do not substitute for the necessary and more difficult act of seeking reconciliation with the persons we have wronged. “Leave your gift before the altar and go….” You can only tell God you are really sorry, if you also do to and for others what you should do in truth and in repentance, as the case may be, by way of reparation or restitution.
Second, “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” A part is a part; handle the portion that causes trouble to the entirety. For instance, lustful, aggressive, exploitative attitudes toward women or men must be tracked down to their roots and causes; our sexual drives cannot dominate our whole life and bring it to ruin. A person’s sexual needs must be integrated into our life values and goals. Third, swearing to guarantee the truthfulness of one’s words or actions is bloated speech that betrays one’s insincerity and bluster. Swearing by God’s name is presumptuous, as if we can co-opt God to do our bidding.
Alálaong bagá, to belong to God’s reign in the company of Jesus, we need to take the path of self-discernment, because only in the truth of who we really are and how we operate or behave, on the basis of our self-knowledge, can we earnestly walk in the light of Christ. Silence is the mother of integrity: only in the silence of our heart in self-examination can we observe its fluttering and the machinations of our thoughts. Being fixated with externalities, and satisfied with outside things, can throw us entirely off-balance and living in pretensions. Only when we are in touch with our true feelings and inner thoughts, and can bring them forward, can we be integral, delighting in wholeheartedness, harmony and integrity, and for us Christians, walking in the light of Jesus Christ.
Join me in meditating on the word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.