Love As God Loves

February 13, 2011
1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37


Jesus has already labeled those who have come out to hear him – the timid ones, the humble and kindhearted ones, the sad ones, the decent and good ones, the peaceful ones, even the ones taken advantage of – as “blessed.” He has encouraged and challenged his follows to be the “light” and “salt” of the world. And then, in the words found in the Gospel lesson today, he spells out the perfection required of them.

Jesus’ words might strike us deeply by the level of ethical conduct that is expected of his followers. They might cause a sense of guilt in some of us as we reflect on our baptismal vows. Or maybe move us into his way with fear and trembling. Some, hearing in his words a path too steep and a life too hard, turn sadly away. Discipleship is demanding, no question about it.

Yet, the point of all this, I think, is perhaps that a person’s blessedness, or ability to become the light and salt of the world, or a person’s perfection is impossible on our own and can only result from God’s gracious act.

Take the scripture lesson found in Matthew today – it’s all about the law and how a person’s to live – or is it? Remember, Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to ‘clarify’ the law (my words, not his). Jesus is not replacing or watering down the law. Instead he is putting flesh on it, and looking more deeply at it to find the deeper values and vision that the law points to. He takes an abstract idea and applies it to our everyday lives. What he says in Matthew seems to make it even tougher and more exacting. Jesus lists some of the big commandments: You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not swear falsely – and then he goes farther, “You have heard it said… but I say…” As if God’s commandments are not hard enough, he makes living them all but impossible. And that’s the point! What Jesus is talking about here is not a formula for living – laws to live by – but rather what it takes for us to be perfect, as God is perfect. What it takes then is God. Only then is it possible.

Jesus tells us what the commandments would mean if we were to love as God loves, because the law tells us what is in God’s heart. They show us how we should live with one another – and how we should treat each other. Jesus wants us to go and resolve those conflicts that we have with other people. For Jesus, the first illustration of personal holiness is that we are to live lives of peace. He wants us to find ways to resolve our conflicts with other people. God’s Spirit lives inside of us so that we want to live a right and holy life with everyone around us. Life is important, as is our relationship with others. And, as Jesus’ words point out, the law can point out the difference between our hearts and God’s heart.

Relationships are not to be taken lightly. Although Jesus doesn’t say anything about the commandment to love God and to love others as self here, it is important in reading the text. Empathy, support, and respect come when individuals honor neighbor as self. It is only then that right relationship is realized. Right relationship comes from the heart!

The Rev. Dr. Amy Richter writes, “God listens to our hearts and knows that even if we can keep the commandment not to kill one another or not to commit adultery or keep from swearing falsely, we still hate and despise others… we still disrespect others… and we still manipulate others with our words.” Left to our selves, then, ours is never fully God’s love.

However, in God’s mercy, God gives us God’s law as an example of how we are to live – a life of loving as God loves. Ultimately, it’s God’s law that convicts us, because what it demands of us, we cannot do. Realizing that, our only option then is to accept God’s great mercy. That’s our only hope! St. Augustine put it this way: “The law was given for this purpose: to make you, being great, little; to show that you do not have in yourself the strength to attain righteousness, and for you, thus helpless, unworthy, and destitute, to flee to grace.” The grace of God is there, offered to us. We need only take it.

How many times have we heard today’s text, or one like it, as a ‘how we should live our lives’ and felt bad knowing that you’ve not even come close to it? For me, it’s every time I’ve read it. I’ve felt like a terrible failure, haven’t you? But that’s good. That’s how you should feel. John Donne, 17th century English poet and priest, calls that “a holy sadness, because a sense of our sin is “god’s key to the door of his mercy, put into thy hand.”

Realizing we fail to love as God loves doesn’t mean things are hopeless. It only calls us back to God, the One in whom all things are possible – even our loving more fully and living more perfectly.

We are not God and yet our love is to be God’s love. We are given the law so we might know more fully how to love and when we fail – because we do fail – we are given God’s mercy and God’s great love. This is our comfort and hope. Thanks be to God.