Let Go and Let God

In just two months, I have learned that blogs take on a life of their own.  Also, I have learned to be careful whom I quote, they might read it.  This post is a response to a query at this morning’s homily.

The readings for this week were from the Episcopal Liturgical Cycle, Year A, Eighth Sunday after Epiphany.  The Epistle is 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 and the Gospel is Matthew 6:24-34.  For completeness, the OT reading is Isaiah 49:8-16a.  Actually, as the Liturgy is rather reformed in its construction, let’s start with the OT reading as it is important.  In part one, then, I am going to lay out the significance of the prophesy in Isaiah 49 in terms of redemptive history.  In part 2, we will revisit the Sermon on the Mount once again, comparing Jesus' remarks with those of Paul in 1 Corinthians.

In Isaiah, we find the Israelites in captivity in Babylon, the temple destroyed.  This is important to understand in on a number of levels.  To begin, it can be argued that this period in time is clear evidence that the theocracy of national and ethnic Israel has violated the terms of the Sinai covenant.  The punishment aspects of Sinai have been enforced.  Israel is out of the land, scattered and in captivity; the temple has been destroyed.  And yet, in God’s infinite Grace, Isaiah tells of God’s plans to return to Zion and rebuild the temple.

This is a very important shift in redemptive history, easily overlooked, and yet crucial to the understanding of eschatology.  God is promising not to forget Zion.  This is a key moment.  Israel self identifies with Zion, but it is important to understand the difference between what Israel represents and what Zion represents.  There are several ways to set up the two types of covenants in the Bible.  Isaiah is pointing to the symbolism of two mountains: Sinai and Zion.  Through Sinai, Israel received the Law and the Mosaic Covenant.  Israel was intended to be a worldly demonstration of the Kingdom.  Through Zion, the heavenly mount, Israel will receive Salvation.  At this point in redemptive history, God’s ultimate plan has not been revealed, but Isaiah is starting to tell the tale.

Therefore, this discussion of Zion rather than Israel is a direct reference to ultimate Salvation for the people of God.  Now, in verses 11-12, God talks about gathering His people from all corners of the world.  The question is who are His people?  Israel has clearly broken the Sinai covenant, and so it can be argued that Isaiah is foreshadowing a much grander redemptive plan than just national and ethnic Israel.  God will rebuild his temple in Jerusalem one last time, as discussed in Daniel.  But the purpose of Jerusalem this last time will be to play a role in the life and death of Jesus.  This is not so much a renewal of Sinai as an introduction of the Covenant of Grace.  In order to fully understand Grace, the Law must stand in juxtaposition.  And still, it is Zion, not Israel and not Sinai, that God upholds in this passage.

In 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Paul is discussing the particular role of the Apostle.  He describes the Apostles as servants of Jesus and stewards of God’s mysteries.  Without dwelling for now on the translation of servant, nor on the content of these mysteries, I want to focus on the issue of verse 5.  This is a passage that is a clear reference to judgment on the Last Day.  Paul refers to Jesus revealing what is in the heart, and judgment being based on this and on the works of each person.  This is a LAW passage.  All men in Adam will be judged justly and righteously under the LAW.  It is only through the penal substitution and propitiation of Christ through His death and resurrection that anyone of us can stand judgment in confidence, clothed not in our own self-righteousness, but clothed instead in the true Righteousness of Christ Jesus.  In the absence of the Great Mediator and Advocate, any man will face judgment with no hope of salvation.  

Finally, we return yet again to the Sermon on the Mount.  In our last two trips to this passage, we looked at Matthew 5:17-20 and 5:48.  Reminding you of those points, and here, Jesus did not come to abolish the Law; he came to fulfill the Law.  The standard for fulfilling the Law is perfection.  With that in mind, let’s look at 6:24-34.

Starting with verse 24, we cannot serve two masters.  Either we serve God or we serve sin.  This takes us back to the issue of the translation of the word servant, where the idea is more probably slave.  The relationship between slave and master is what is being referenced here.  In Adam, all men are slaves to sin.  This has been Jesus’ point throughout this sermon.  He is saying, once again, that no man truly serves God.  Note the similarity to Paul in Romans 3:1-20.  And since no man truly serves God, man is in a pickle.  What does Jesus say about this dilemma?

Consider the lily.  Consider the birds.  God provides for them.  Are not men more valued than animals and plants?  Surely God will provide for man.  This is not just a superficial look at food and clothing; this is a snapshot of God’s redemptive plan.  God will provide.  God will do all of the work for us in our Salvation.  God will justify us.  God will sanctify us.  God will do all of this for His people.  This is our first glimpse of Christian liberty.  Don’t sweat the details of this life.  Jesus has you covered for the Age to Come.

And finally, we come to application.  Is Jesus suggesting that we let go and trust God for food, clothing and shelter?  Not at all.  Jesus has much bigger fish to fry.  Jesus is concerned for the Salvation of His Elect.  James says this about this topic: What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  The point is not to live irresponsibly in this world; the point is that the Age to Come is a much larger issue.  That is the Kingdom of Eternity.  That is where our concerns should lie.  Verse 33:  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  So, if we have trust in Jesus, we have no need for concern.  He has us covered.

The question that was asked this week was this: based on these passages, should we let go and let God?  Or rather, should we continue to be good stewards of this world?  Are they mutually exclusive or simultaneously true?  My answer is that they are descriptions of our actions in terms of the Two Kingdoms.  In terms of the Kingdom of God, let go and let God.  He has already done the work.  We have nothing to contribute to our own salvation.  In that very important, most important venue, we must Let Go and Let God.  In terms of this world, obey the Law: Love God and Love your neighbor.  You will fail from time to time.  Paul describes the Christian conundrum in Romans 6-8.  You accept justification by faith alone, but then you find yourself still in Adam and still unable to keep the Law.  You are distressed and turn back to Jesus.  You are reassured and are confident once again.  This cycle continues until your death or the Second Coming, whichever comes first.  The problem with most discussion of Matthew 5-7 is that people are still looking for a cookbook, seven steps for success, the path to salvation.  Jesus tells the crowd that we are missing the point.  We are all doomed under the Law.  Only through Him will we find salvation.  Remember this exchange between Jesus and Peter at the end of John 6:

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

--Ogre--

Beatitudes revisited

Not for the last time, I think, we return today to Matthew 5.  It seems that these homilies I hear on Tuesdays will become a weekly source of discussion.  The readings this week are from Deuteronomy 4 and Matthew 5.  I have included the whole Sermon on the Mount for completeness.  In my prior piece on this passage, I focused on Mathew 5:17-20.  Let’s move on down the list of imperatives to the last verse of Matthew 5.

 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

For you red letter only readers, those letters are in red.  This means we are going to have to deal with this statement.  We can’t say that this is just Paul adding his spin to what Jesus said, because this is Jesus who said it.  Luke tells this part slightly differently.  Merciful is not the same as perfect, is it?  Well, we shall see.

In Matthew 19:21, in the parable of the rich young ruler, Jesus comes back to this same word, “perfect.” As we have said in other posts, parables are operating on more than one level.  This passage is not saying that wealth condemns a man.  What it is saying is about righteous behavior under the Law.  Jesus is saying that the standard of the Law is perfection.  By placing the kibosh on the man’s wealth, Jesus is pointing out that wealth is that man’s idol.  It could be any idol just as well.  The point is about the perfection that is necessary under the Law.  Is mercy a part of perfection?  Absolutely.  Luke’s recollection of this event is consistent with that of Matthew.  These are Law passages.  Whether or not Luke records the word as merciful or perfect, the imperative is the same.  Jesus is demanding a higher standard than man can achieve.

The cross references whenever Jesus speaks in the Bible are always a maze of scripture.  Ironically, let us end with the first book of the Bible.  Notice in Genesis 17:1 that God tells Abraham to precede before him blameless.  This passage may be the one of the most important OT passages in the Bible.  To understand the meaning of this passage, it is important to understand what is going on here.  God is making a treaty or covenant with Abraham.  In the ancient near east, when treaties were made, it was called cutting a treaty for reasons that will become plain.  That is where we get the expression “cutting a deal.” Notice this passage from Genesis 15.  What is described here is the ceremony of cutting a treaty.  The two participants pass through the pieces, first the higher king, who guarantees safety to the lower king as long as the lower king keeps up the imperatives.  The implication is that if the lower king, who passes through second, fails in the imperatives, the fate of the pieces through which they are passing will befall the lesser king.  In other words, if you break this deal, the higher king is going to cut you into little pieces.  The ritual involved in this practice also includes a reciting of the history of the higher king and his involvement with the lesser king at a feast.  There is also a sprinkling or pouring of the blood from the animals on the lesser king to seal the deal.  What is different about the Covenant with Abraham is that God takes on all the responsibility of fulfilling the Covenant; he passes through second.  The blood of this Covenant we will see later, of course.

What is important here is that God is in the covenant making business.  We must be perfect under the Law.  The Law condemns, but there is a New Covenant in Christ, that was made with Abraham and fulfilled by Christ.  In that New Covenant, through the imputed righteousness of Christ, through His penal substitutionary atonement and through His propitiating sacrifice, we are made perfect in Christ.  Then we can be presented as mature in Christ, perfectly righteous before the Judgment Seat, and worthy recipients of His Holy Kingdom.

--Ogre--

Arrogance and the Beatitudes

I am weary of Matthew 5-7 being used against me as a club.  So, let's talk about it.  The Beatitudes are part of a long list of blessings and curses.  The OT tells us that the messiah will administer blessings and curses, and so Jesus sets about doing it.  This is at the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry.  The thesis statement of the Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5:17-20.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Look at verse 20.  Remember that the Pharisees are jealous nuts (and I mean that in a complementary way) in terms of keeping the law.  Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you are doomed.  Blessings and Curses = Law.  If you expect to try to see yourself in one of those groups in the blessings section, well, OK, good luck with that.  If you think the path to heaven is to out work the Pharisees, well, OK, good luck with that, too.  Jesus is doing at the outset of His ministry exactly what Paul does in Romans 1-3: He is leveling humanity.  Verse 19 is about JESUS.  We are all in the first group.  Jesus is in the second group, alone.

OK, why does Jesus come and essentially tell everyone listening that they are all damned to hell eternally?  What is the point?  Is it true?  These are the red letters in Matthew, for you red letter readers, so what is Jesus up to here?  Why did Jesus come to this earth?  What is the point of His incarnation?  Why am I in the least bit interested in this man who lived and died 2000 years ago?  What does verse 18 say?  He came to accomplish the Law.  And the last words that He speaks in His earthly body are It is done.

Until you understand the desperate plight that describes our condition, you cannot appreciate the Gift.  We are all dead in sin.  The world is full of dead people.  The Bible is the story of the Greatest Rescue Mission of all time.  How can we appreciate the Gift if we do not understand the peril?

So, am I arrogant?  Yes.  Always.  Have I committed murder?  Absolutely.  I don't like some people and wish them less than well on occasion.  Sin is not just what we have done, not even just what we have thought about, sin is a condition, and I'm in it.  Have I worshiped idols?  Probably, and regrettably, but yes all the same.  Have I dishonored my parents?  Ask them.  No, on second thought, just take my yes for it and leave it at that.  Do the whole list.  Yes x 10.  So, beating me up about being arrogant and judgmental?  OK, fine.  Yes, I am.  What's your point?  I know where I stand in Matthew 5:19.

My point is that Salvation is not of my doing.  Justification and Sanctification are external to me.  In so much as I participate in my Sanctification, it is only in so much as I attempt to follow the lead of Jesus out of humble obedience and gratitude for His Gift.  In so much as I actually pull off being nice to a neighbor, it is only through the Holy Spirit acting through me that I am successful.  All credit and glory is for God, no credit goes to me.

May the Love of Christ Jesus abound in you in this day and always.

--Ogre--