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Sermon on the
Mt. series 5. Rethinking Power Matthew 5:33-48 March 9, 2008
Dennis Mullen
The gun on your bulletin represents power, and the sermon today is called “Rethinking Power”. It comes from The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:33-48.
What kind of power does a gun give you? For most of us here, a handgun gives a person the power of self-defense or the power to defend others. Other folks see a handgun as the illicit power to rob a store or to take a life. But either way, there is no doubt that a gun carries with it power, and it’s a kind of power that Jesus addresses and rethinks in the Sermon on the Mount, even though they didn’t have handguns in his day.
Most of you know that the Sermon on the Mount is the place where Jesus laid out a set of values and a way of living that is very different than the world’s ways. That is certainly true when it comes to power – not just the power of the gun, but the power of the spoken word, the power of action, the power of attitude and the way we treat other people, the power of praying and the power of possessions (and their power over us). We’re going to get into some of that today, starting with the power of what we say.
Jesus launched the section we’re in back in v. 20 by saying: 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Well how can my righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? These guys were, after all, professionally religious. For starters, we could rethink the power of what we say.
MT 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
If we’re going to rethink power, Jesus wants us to understand that our words have real power, and the fact is, they need to have even MORE power than they do, and they probably would have more power if we spoke fewer of them.
When I was much younger, I was much more shy, so when I was with people I didn’t know very well, I said very little. More than once, someone would say to me: “When I’m around you, I think that you’re thinking some pretty deep thoughts. I figure a man who says little really has a lot to say when he speaks up.” In this way I was able to fool a lot of people! If they had asked me, “What are you thinking right now?” I might have said: “I’m thinking I’d like to have me some more of those French-fried taters!”
In a way, Jesus says that the fewer words, the more power, but he doesn’t mean it quite like that. He says that if I feel like I have to back up my word with a lot of silly vows, I dilute the power of my own words. What we say matters, and it matters too what we say to try to get other people to believe us.
Why would anyone swear by heaven? Do they think they own heaven, or that they can control it to the extent that heaven will put up collateral for their promises? Why would anyone swear by the earth, or by Jerusalem, the Holy City, or by the hair on his or her head?
People swore by these things because they held them to be sacred or precious in one way or another. It’s why someone today might swear on his mother’s grave, or on his own life. It’s why politicians get sworn into office with a Bible, which probably drags down the reputation of the Bible a bit. J If we had to take our vows by laying our hands on what we consider precious, it might be something like: “Please raise your right hand and put your other hand on this hundred-dollar bill.” “I swear by my brand-new 70 high-def TV!” (I don’t have either of those).
But why do any of that? Jesus says. Your words have power, but you dilute that power if you add these silly oaths to them, oaths that mean nothing anyway. You don’t own your body; you just borrow it for a while. Heaven isn’t going to post bail for your broken promises, so let’s just leave heaven out of it, shall we? Simply let your “yes” mean “yes”. Keep your promises, do what you say, be a person of your own word. That will give your word so much more power, and it will be a power undiluted by a lot of silly oaths that don’t add anything to it.
Think of it like this. Picture someone sitting across from you asking for a favor. He is begging, making promises, saying things like: “Please trust me. I will repay you. I swear on my own life that you won’t be sorry!” What kind of person does that? Someone who knows you can’t trust him, maybe because he has let you down time and time again. This is a guy who has squandered away the power of his own words.
But picture someone else asking you for the same thing, and this person is very much in need of your help, but his words are few, and there are no oaths, no swearing on a stack of Bibles. Why not? Probably because you already trust this person to keep his word. He doesn’t have to say much, because his words have power.
Which person do YOU want to be? Then build that kind of trust by conserving the power of your words.
Now if you haven’t been trustworthy, people might have trouble taking your “yes” for “yes”. They may tell you that you have to earn their trust, or earn it back. You can live with that. If you’re really starting a new life and God’s Holy Spirit is empowering you, you’re going to keep your word and over time people will notice it and come to expect it from you. In the meantime, back up your words with your actions, not with a bunch of empty promises or oaths on things that you don’t control, or on sacred things that you have no right to drag into your work. Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Where I grew up in Ohio, there is a large Amish community. Now the Amish have their faults, and not every Amish man or woman lives up to the ideals of their community. Nevertheless, there are several commonly held beliefs about Amish people that non-Amish have, beliefs backed up by experience. Such as: If you want quality construction in your new home, or if you want the best cabinets you can buy at a fair price, find an Amish builder or cabinetmaker. If you want to hire someone to clean your home, and you want someone you can trust, who will REALLY do the best possible job, find an Amish person to do it.
Why do they have such a reputation? Because over decades, the Amish community in that area has taught people to “let their ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and their ‘no’ be ‘no’”, and their word has power.
Let’s talk about a different kind of power.
I watched about half-an-hour of a movie the other night on TV called Death Wish 3. Let’s see, who was the fine actor that starred in it? Sir Lawrence Oliver? Daniel Day-Lewis? No, no, it was the late, great Charles Bronson! He was snubbed by the academy during his life, but one thing you can say about him is that in his movies, you always get exactly what you expect. Typical plot: Bronson moves into a bad neighborhood. Thugs walk the streets wearing dew-rags and leather jackets, looking like rejects from a Broadway musical about thugs. These thugs terrorize the good citizens of the neighborhood who haven’t been able to flee to the suburbs. The police are too corrupt or too clueless to stop them. And Bronson grabs a tire-iron and cracks some heads. It’s a very satisfying type of movie when you’re in a certain kind of mood.
I didn’t get a chance to see the latest Rambo movie – was it called Rambo 65? Rambo AARP? But in the trailer, Rambo is in some foreign country and some do-gooder tells him: “We’ve come to change these people’s lives.” Rambo: “Did you bring weapons?” “No”. “Then you aren’t changing anything!”
I preached a few weeks ago on “The Myth of Redemptive Violence” and these movies are examples of it – extreme examples, maybe even silly examples – Bronson movies are Road Runner cartoons for middle-age guys (he just needs his tire iron to be from ACME industries…) The message of redemptive violence, which is seen in subtler and more sophisticated ways in many other stories, says that violence solves problems, bad people can be easily identified and beaten down until they change their ways, or killed so they don’t cause any more problems. It’s a lie – one that is tempting to believe, one that is backed up by a little bit of truth – namely that even God’s Word gives the authorities the responsibility of restraining evil by punishing those who do evil. But the REAL HEART of Jesus’ teaching on violence and power is truly the very opposite. Jesus tells his followers to head in the opposite direction from the myth of redemptive violence in all our conduct. If you want your righteousness to surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, then listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:38-48, because you won’t find the Pharisees living like this:
MT 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, `Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
MT 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
An eye for an eye (that’s actually a Chuck Norris movie). It’s a principle from the OT law which at the same time requires punishment and limits it…limits it by saying that you don’t kill someone for knocking out someone’s eye, and limits it (in the larger context of the Law) by saying that it isn’t everyone’s responsibility to go out and get justice, vigilante style. It’s a responsibility of the family’s representative, the kinsman redeemer, or else the leaders of the community.
One of the places this commandment appears is Leviticus 24:17-22 - 17 " 'If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution—life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. 22 You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.' " That’s justice – harsh and cold, but justice nonetheless. But Jesus introduced a better way…
39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Where the Law says “Eye for eye” Jesus says “Turn the other cheek.”
It amazes and scares me how many Christians seem to prefer the Law to Jesus…but we’re very selective in our preference. For instance, I deliberately chose this “eye for eye” command from Leviticus 24 not Exodus 21 (where it first appears) because in Exodus it immediately follows a passage giving the owner of a slave permission to beat his slave (male or female) without punishment, as long as the slave “gets up after a day or two”. I hope and trust that we don’t want to return to that system, so let’s see if we can find the wisdom in Jesus’ better way.
Turn the other cheek – that’s hard. Let me dispel a couple of objections if I can. First off, I can’t turn your cheek for you. It isn’t my place. Therefore, if I’m leading my youth group on Wednesday night of K-2nd grade kids and someone barges in, meaning to do them harm, I’m going to do whatever I can to resist, to subdue them. Or if I’m leading a group of you adults and someone barges in wanting to do you harm, I’m going to act quickly and run out the back door and let you decide for yourselves whether or not to turn the other cheek. J
Several months ago, a gunman went to New Life Church in Colorado and began shooting people in the parking lot. He killed a few, but perhaps he didn’t realize that New Life Church had a security plan, and that man was shot to death by a volunteer security guard who was prepared for just such a situation. I think that was an appropriate response to evil, and it shows that the leaders of New Life weren’t ready to decide for everyone present at worship that they should die at the hands of a crazed individual.
But what if I’m teaching that group of children on Wednesday night, and someone comes in, someone from the church or community who is upset with me, and they insult me and perhaps strike me? I could go all Charles Bronson on them, and grab the nearest tire iron and crack a skull. Or, if it is just insults they’re throwing out (which is entirely more likely), I could respond in kind. But how much better to show my adversary the better way of Christ by refusing to return insult for insult, or even by saying: “You need to hit me? Go ahead, and here’s a fresh area of my face to work on.”
I’ve entitled the message “Rethinking Power”, not “Surrendering Power”. That’s because I can’t do this without tapping in to a power beyond myself. As a Christian, though, I have the power of God’s love behind me – I don’t have to prove my worth by winning an unreasonable fight. And I have the power of the Holy Spirit within me, so this battle isn’t mine alone.
And here’s an important thing, maybe the MOST important…there is the power of Christ shining through me, bearing witness to what HE can do and even shining a light on the Gospel. See, if I keep my cool and respond in a firm but non-violent way, rejecting both physical and verbal violence – then I give a powerful witness to what God can do. After all, who do people tend to see as the strong one? In my experience, it is most often the person who is strong enough to refuse to be violent. The other person’s sin is seen clearly for what it is.
Those of you who remember the civil rights movement of the late 50s and 60s saw this in action. When police unleashed dogs on protestors or used clubs or fire hoses against them, and they did it in front of a national audience on TV, they surrendered any moral basis they once seemed to have, and the nation quickly saw their bigotry for the evil it really was. Martin Luther King was very wise in applying this principle from Jesus, and he knew that he wasn’t surrendering power but rather rethinking it, tapping into a better and stronger kind of power – the power to overcome evil with good, the power even to turn enemies into brothers and sisters.
The myth of redemptive violence says that we can destroy evil by wiping out evil-doers. Do you realize that most people who choose to become terrorists, even suicide-bombers, believe in the same myth of redemptive violence that we do? The only problem for us is that they have identified us as the evildoers. They have embraced the idea that if they can just wipe enough of us out, spill enough blood, the world will be a better place. That idea is destined to perish. It can only create more war in the long run, and that’s true whether it’s them or us pursuing this myth of redemptive violence.
Not long ago, I read about another group of religious zealots who want to wipe out evil and change the world, and they are willing to spill a lot of blood to make it happen. In fact, they believe that spilling blood is absolutely necessary to change things the way they want to see them changed. Pretty scary, huh?
Well, I have to admit that I’m rooting for these religious zealots, and I need to be praying for them too…because the people I’m speaking of are Christians in the underground, outlaw churches of China, and the blood they know must be spilled is their own. They don’t want to KILL to overcome evil – that’s a lie from Satan – but they are willing to DIE to do it. They tell their own story in a book called Back to Jerusalem, and I hope they succeed in destroying a lot of evil by doing what Scripture says to do – overcoming it with good.
The other things Jesus says to do here, which I plan to talk about next time, seem easier than turning the other cheek or loving my enemies. Give to people who want to borrow, let people have your stuff if they want it badly, go the extra mile, especially for those who are demanding and forceful. That seems easier than turning the other cheek or loving my enemies, right?
But it isn’t easier. The problem is, in my world, I’m a lot more likely to have to do these things than I am to have to turn the other cheek. It’s kind of like the old story about the farmer, and the preacher who asked him: “If you had two cows, would you give one to the Lord’s work?” Farmer: “Well sure I would.” “If you had two tractors…” “Of course.” “If you had two chickens, would you give one of them to the Lord’s work?” Farmer: “Hey, that’s not fair. You know I DO have two chickens!”
Jesus says: “Would you be willing to turn the other cheek?” “Of course.” “Would you be willing to share your possessions with anyone who asks?” “Not fair! You know I have possessions!” Those possessions give us power. And those possessions exercise power over us. We need to rethink that power too, and next time, if the Lord wills, we shall.
This teaching from Jesus about power is perhaps the most practical teaching in Scripture for day-to-day living. Why? Because power is the currency of everyday life. We transact power in how we speak to others, whether we do it with mean-spirited and ugly words, or with words that build up and heal. We transact power in the way we respond to people we think of as our enemies. It’s in our attitudes and actions about power that the world may possibly see what we really believe.
May your righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers in the way you deal with power.
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