Get Microsoft Word Viewer 2003
 Concord Trinity Podcast Feed (Podcast Instructions)

The Son also Teaches

LENTEN SERIES: “SIMPLY JESUS”

The Son Also Teaches

March 5, 2006

Text:Selections from Matthew 5

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [vss. 27-29]

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.'  34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, [vss. 33-34]

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also… "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [vss. 38-39, 43-44]

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. [vs. 48]

 NRSV

      This is a picture of Sherwood Anderson.

      Anybody happen to have heard of him? He was a famous writer at the turn of the last century.

      In 1919 a young man who was recovering from WW1 injuries rented a small apartment in Chicago in order to be close to Anderson’s home. He wanted to write, and to learn from the master.

      The two men became friends, and for the next two years they’d spend a lot of time together, sharing meals and discussing the craft of writing. Most importantly, Anderson critiqued the young man’s work. Honestly, and at times brutally, critiqued it. Yet the student didn’t grow defensive. He took notes, and constantly revised his writing until he developed a sharper, tighter style. Finally, the time came when Anderson had no more to teach. The young man was ready to write on his own.

      And write he did. In 1926, he published his first novel. It was The Sun Also Rises. The young author was Ernest Hemingway.

      It’s probably safe to say that we would never have heard of Hemingway had it not been for Anderson.

      Anderson was just that type of person. He had an openness, as well as a genius, that attracted aspiring writers. William Faulkner and John Steinbeck sought him out, and learned their craft at his feet. One literary critic said that Anderson “was the only writer of his generation to leave his mark on the style and vision of the next generation.” [Stories for the Heart, pp. 103-4]

      It strikes me that there was once a man who must have been a lot like Anderson. Ordinary people, not writers, were powerfully attracted to him.

      These ordinary people, just like you and me, had at times gotten a bit sloppy with their lives.

      You know, writers can’t afford to be sloppy. Go to Barnes and Noble, and you will not find a book that was written perfectly the first time. Every author there had to work, re-work, and re-work again their writing before it was good enough to appear on those shelves.

      But somehow, we think we can go through life publishing first drafts.

      We go along with what’s popular in our culture—its “im-morals”, its trends—without critiquing or revising.

      We go along with what’s popular in our school or office in order to be accepted and liked—without critiquing or revising.

      We go along with what our elected officials tell us—without critiquing or revising.

      We go along with what our instincts tell us—without critiquing or revising.

      Somehow we’ve gotten it into our heads that our first drafts in life are good enough. That attitude’s reinforced in some kids’ athletic leagues, where you get a trophy for just showing up.

      Why bother with honing our skills in life if just “showing up” is good enough?

      But if you are here this morning—when you could be a 1000 other places doing more “fun,” self-indulgent things—then you know that life can’t be “first draft o.k.” and be remotely satisfying. A life lived with the motto, “take the easy way,” is a cheap life.

      That’s why we MUST go to Jesus.

      He offers us something that is rich, lasting, deeply fulfilling. 

      It’s the boldness with which he taught us how to live—the way he put it out there with no apologies—that attracts us.

      Just look at some of the advice he gave us would-be “writers”:

      “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

      Well that can take the fun out of things.

      It’s so much easier to say, “I shall not commit adultery,” and then go ahead and do everything just short of that, at least in your heart.

      That’s the type of attitude that allows you to say with a straight face under oath, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

      Respect your marriage vows internally as well as externally, our Mentor has said. Respect your spouse by disciplining the eye of your heart, and its habits. That’s difficult to do. It’s a life-long process. But Christians don’t settle for first drafts, do we?

      Man, what a TOUGH teacher Jesus is. He also said,

      “Do not swear at all.”

      [pause] I wish he hadn’t said that!

      This isn’t a scientific study, but I think the origin of swearing starts in childhood. If you use the words on the playground that you heard in the living room, or on your dad’s workbench in the garage, then you look grown up—because all the other kids have heard their parents use the same language. You’re saying, “Look at me! I’m a grown up, not a kid anymore. I know what’s right or wrong. I can make judgments. I am not to be messed with. Look at me, how cool I am!”

      [If you hear a comedian or a rapper, by the way, you’ll hear someone who’s never outgrown this stage.]

      It’s difficult to tame that tongue—for in our frustrations with situations we use language that calls attention to ourselves—like a baby gets attention by pushing the kool-aid glass off the high chair.

      Parents should always keep a bar of Lifebuoy soap handy if they hear their child swearing.

      But the Master has said that we, too, need to keep the Lifebuoy handy—for our hearts. That’s a life-long cleaning process to tame the tongue by cleaning-up our heart. But Christians don’t settle for first drafts, do we?

      Here’s another tough teaching:

      “Do not resist an evildoer… Love your enemies and pray for [them].”

      Right.

      “Enemies.” Saddam comes to mind. Bin Laden, too. Or the guy on death row who murdered that 80 year old lady. Or the person who cheated you in that business deal. Or the person who spread stories about you.

      How easy it is, when we’ve been snake bit, to pump more venom into our veins—anger, hate, revenge. It’s venom that poisons our heart, and lets the “enemy” really get to us. It’s venom that makes us go for the cheap thrill of vengeance, of loading up the six-shooter of justice ourselves.

      But our Mentor has used the verbs “love” and “pray for” in the same sentence as he used the noun, “enemies.” To us, that sounds like bad writing. But our Master knows that that is the style we have to adopt and use. He went to the cross to prove that there is no compromising this rule.

      It IS difficult to use those verbs and that noun. It’ll take a long time for us to use those in the book we’re writing. But Christians don’t settle for first drafts, do we?

      You absolutely know Jesus doesn’t expect his followers to settle for first drafts when you hear his fourth commandment to would-be writers:

      “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

      Whoa.

      We might have a chance at those other three…but “BE PERFECT”???

      This is the one we UM pastors especially have difficulty with. One of the questions from the bishop we have to answer before being ordained is, “Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?” And we reply boldly, “Uhmm, ah, sure.”

      It’s an incredible thing to say to someone: “Be perfect, as God is perfect.”

      But I think I know why Jesus said this.

      He saved it for the last, and maybe for this reason:

      He’s saying,

      “Don’t you EVER be satisfied with your writing. You strive to be ‘perfect,’ so continue looking at your flaws. So continue making corrections. Continue changing your easy writing style to my advanced style. Your goal isn’t to be a good writer, or a better writer. Your goal is to be the BEST writer.”

      If Hemingway thought Anderson was a tough teacher, he hadn’t met Jesus!

      For us writers, these rules are hard-hitting, uncompromising.

      The odds for us doing these things by ourselves are the same as the odds of the Cubs going to the Series this year. [I guess that attitude is something I have to work on…]

      If we are struggling writers by ourselves, we are lost.

      Isn’t it truly an act of grace, though, that our Mentor, like Sherwood Anderson, ALWAYS has his door open.

      “Come, learn from me” the Master says.

      “We can always talk…even over supper.”