When we think of rules, we think of something strict. They are hard and fast rules that tell us what we are to do and if we don’t do it correctly, we have broken the rule. I will take one we probably heard in school and plenty of people also didn’t follow. There was a rule to not talk in class unless you are called upon. This is simple. If you are given permission, you talk. If you don’t have permission, you don’t talk. It keeps order in the class and facilitates learning. But there are always folks who whisper or try to get away with just a little talking. There are those who write notes and pass them because technically they aren’t talking but still not following the rule per se. But the rule is clear – don’t talk unless the teacher calls on you and you have been given permission. It’s simple.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus is taking what many consider as rules and getting to the root of them. He is trying to help the disciples and followers of God understand the core of the rule so they can apply it in a different way. It isn’t just simply not talking, it is about being considerate to the other classmates, helping others concentrate on their work, and keeping the teacher from losing his or her mind with all the chatter. There’s more to it. And Jesus wants them to understand more than what they have gotten in the past. He wants to take it to the next level.
The other thing to remember is Jesus clearly states he is not there to abolish the law. He has come to fulfill it. That means the commands given by God don’t go away with Jesus. The Old Testament doesn’t become obsolete or invalid. In fact, he is bringing life to the commands of God, he is bringing light to the Old Testament and it is even more important to understand who God is and what he is doing. This is not doing away, but fulfilling. And this is just one way of fulfillment.
Given these two things, read what is recorded in Matthew 5:21-30. This just takes into account 2 of the examples, but will get us to start thinking the way Jesus is teaching rather than simply reading the rules.
In the first example, Jesus uses the command of you shall not murder. This seems pretty clear cut. Do not murder. If you murder, there are consequences. So it would seem that those who have not murdered anyone would be fine just checking the box and knowing they had fulfilled this commandment. But Jesus tells his disciples, and also us, not to draw that conclusion so fast. He wants to get to the core of the problem. What is the core of the command of murder? Jesus says it is anger.
The problem Jesus is addressing with this command is our issue of anger. If we allow anger to take over our lives, we have essentially broken this commandment. If anger drives us or causes us to do things we wouldn’t normally do or wouldn’t do if we weren’t angry, we have broken the commandment. Anger has to be addressed and dealt with. Jesus is asking us to take a really deep look at ourselves, our motives, and our heart. He wants us to understand what drives us. Is what drives us love or is it anger and hate?
Anger causes us to say and do things we often later regret. Anger can be maddening and take us places we never intended to go. That’s why Jesus is challenging us to check our anger and deal with it before this happens. If we deal with our anger, we essentially won’t break the commandment. And so dealing with the anger looks like seeking reconciliation. It looks like setting things right. This means apologies and asking for forgiveness. It means humbling oneself to realize when we are wrong or when we allowed our anger to lead us to places we should not have gone. It means making amends where possible.
I want to point out something with all of these teachings. This is not about the other person. This is about us. What are we doing? What is the source of our actions? What is in our heart? This isn’t about thinking of those who have done us wrong and pushing them to fix it. This is about us seeking what we have done wrong and seeking to right our wrongs. This is about discovering what is in us. And when anger is in us, it fuels a fire which can burn out of control. So we have to deal with that when it is a spark.
The second example is adultery. Do not commit adultery is the commandment. This seems simple. We either have or haven’t. But Jesus tells us not to draw that conclusion so fast. He asks us to dig a little deeper. What is the source of what causes us to commit adultery? He points out a wondering eye, an unfaithful heart, and an unruly mind. In other words, the adultery started long before the act. It began with checking out other people. It began with allowing thoughts to enter our minds which then led to actions later. It began with entertaining ideas which should never have been allowed before. It began with the heart.
Do you notice a trend developing here? The heart is the source of the problem. Long before any actions took place, there was an issue with our heart. We began getting off track when our heart was not in check. We lost focus on what was important before we actually made any mistakes.
Jesus, in a parable type of way, tells us to keep that in check right from the beginning. In a very direct teaching, Jesus is having us to stop this before it starts. He doesn’t literally mean to pluck out our eye. But he means to get our eyes in check. He doesn’t mean to cut off anything, but to keep our hands to ourselves by searching the heart first.
We all make mistakes. That is a given. But when we keep our hearts and minds in check, when we focus on following God, we are much less likely to be lead down roads which cause us to break the commandments. It starts early. It starts with having checks along the way so we don’t get too far without realizing there is a problem.
This goes beyond anger and lust, by the way. These are teachings for all of our life. These are guides for us as we seek to live for God. This helps us to keep ourselves on track. Jesus was teaching us how to live, truly live.
It begins with us, you and me. We begin with this exploration of what is in our hearts. Where are our intentions? Is our main focus on loving God with our everything? Do we keep coming back to loving God first? Do we have guards along the way which bring us back to him? Maybe it is time to check on ourselves. Maybe we do some cleaning of our own houses. Maybe it begins today.
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 
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