Matthew 5:21-37
2-16-14
Ahhhhh,
Valentine’s Day! This week is the
week in which our society appropriates one day to celebrate our love for those
in our lives, or maybe just succumb to the social pressure to tell people we
love them even though we really may not, ala 2nd grade Valentine’s Day
parties! Sometimes it’s all just in good fun—Nikoli and I did participate this
year by getting each other the romantic gift of new running socks—but sometimes
the idea that love is all about fancy chocolates and pink and red glitter just
seems so contrary to the lived human experience. I’m all about celebrating love, but sometimes our lives and
our relationships aren’t very lovely. Sometimes we break promises, hurt one
another, seek revenge, board anger, and take advantage of one another.
Up
to seventy percent of people experience violence in their lives. And while violence crosses all boarders
of gender, race, and socio-economic status, the percent of women who are abused
is disproportionately high. One in
every three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime and more times than
not, this abuser is someone they know and have loved. I bring this up for two reasons: 1) There is a stigma in our
society that tells us that this is not something that should be talked about,
especially in places like church, perpetuating a painful cycle of violence
and it needs to stop, and 2) the Gospel text for today has often been used to
keep individuals in abusive relationships and this, too, needs to stop. I once attended a
church that was taking up this text in their adult study after worship one
particular Sunday. The pastor, red
in the face, was shaking his fist and talking about how the bible prohibits
divorce and how it should never be tolerated by the church--- using the same
text we read today. In the midst
of his rage, a meek woman bravely raised her hand and asked “But what if you
are in a relationship that is abusive and violent, then you should leave the marriage
right?” The pastor replied fervently
with “the bible clearly states that a woman should never ever leave her husband,
for any reason.” I glanced over at
the woman—she had wilted into her seat, tears falling on the bible that she
held so tightly in her hand. This
cannot happen.
The
messages, the stigmas, in our world that perpetuate cycles of violence are so
contrary to the God that we proclaim in Christ—A God of love and mercy, justice
and peace. If there is ever a
passage in the bible that when first read, seems to point me to violence
instead of love and reconciliation, it’s safe to assume that I probably don’t
yet understand that passage and that I should seek to understand it within it’s
historical and cultural context and then get back to what I do know—That God’s
plan for the world, revealed again and again, is one of love, mercy, justice,
and peace.
The
gospel text for today is tricky.
It’s multifaceted. The
historical and cultural layers are demanding and complicated. But it should not and cannot promote
violence. If we begin to peel back
some of the layers in this text, we might begin to find that the text has more
to say about how we treat one another and relate to one another than it does
about the ethics of divorce.
Marriage
in 1st Century Israel was viewed much differently than it commonly
is today. Marriage at
this time was commonly seen as a property transaction between families, the
woman being the property or transferred goods. In this relationship, men were the only ones who could issue
a divorce and quite often did not need to have good reason to do so. Divorce was socially and economically disastrous
for a woman at this time. A
divorce meant that she was discarded like damaged goods that could no longer
have any use. The woman would be
left to survive with little means to support herself and, because of the shame
associated with divorce, could not seek the help of her family. The possibility of remarriage was
extremely rare and without the support of any male figure, a woman would be
stuck in a cycle of injustice.
Jesus’
teaching on adultery and divorce in this passage dares to speak of women as
something other than property and begins to challenge male privilege. Jesus’ forbidding of divorce, told his
followers that women are not to be used and then discarded whenever one pleased
and that the most powerful in society should not be taking advantage of the
most vulnerable. Not only
does this text address the specific power dynamics that have become steeped within
gender, the text also has a lot to say about how we live in relationship to one
another.
The
pericope, or particular passage, of this week’s gospel text is found within the
larger segment of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—a sermon directed at Jesus’ followers. Right before this passage, Jesus is
talking to his disciples about what the Kingdom of God is all about, setting up
this passage contrasting current practices of this world, with a new restored
vision of God. Jesus sets up this
section by saying “You have heard it said… but I tell you this” – It’s like he
is saying, “This is how the world currently operates, but here is a better way,
God’s way.” He contrasts the
kingdom of our world, the systems, the cycles, with a new kingdom, one of
God. This new kingdom demands that
we look a one another differently;
In this world, when someone
wrongs you, you are told to seek revenge--- but in this new world, this new
kingdom, we are called to work it out, to seek reconciliation and
forgiveness. This new kingdom,
this new vision, doesn’t see people as property or something to be used and
abused, it sees people as individuals who should be treated properly and cared
for. In the old kingdom, you were
called to do whatever you could to get ahead in the world but in this new
kingdom, it would be better for you to lose one of your own limbs that to
carelessly hurt another human being.
The old kingdom was about the self, the Kingdom of God is about
community.
This
new thing that God is doing in the world is about relationship, forgiveness,
reconciliation, and love for one another.
When we care for one another, when we place value on those who are
marginalized, when we seek reconciliation instead of revenge, when we speak
about issues that are stigmatized and quieted, when we cry out for justice in
our world, we are taking part in bringing about God’s Kingdom, this new vision,
on earth. Let us be bold and brave
advocates for human dignity. And
may compassion be our compass as we navigate the relationships of our
world.
