Sermon on the Sermon on the Mount

The Bro Code/Girl Code

So, I have two questions, one for the gentlemen, and one for the ladies: Gents, have any of you heard of the “Bro Code?” Ladies, have any of you heard of the “Girl Code, or Sis Code?” For those of you otherwise unaware, these are, generally speaking, unwritten rules of friendship etiquette between Gentlemen and between ladies. For example, on the Bro Code exists rules as to which urinal you use when other gentlemen are also present using the urinals. For the ladies, the Girl Code, or Sis code, has rules such as “a sis will always be honest about another sis’s outfit.” You know, stuff like that. And our society has all sorts of unwritten rules about everything. And some of the laws are just…weird.

For example: In Topeka Kansas’s city law, it states that, according to Sec 54-123, that snowball fights on public property are illegal.

A state law in Kansas says Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats.

Nebraska is not immune from crazy weird laws: in Nebraska, it is illegal to burp in church, and if you are a parent, and your child burps in church, you can be arrested. I literally cannot make this stuff up.

Alabama you are not immune, this one kinda makes sense, if you know what is behind this law: in Alabama, it is illegal to put salt on rail road tracks, to the point where they can actually sentence you to death. No joke. Can anyone but my kids answer why? It’s because it can attract cows and other large animals to the tracks. Not fun to see.

Some of our laws are kind of…over the top, while some make sense, like, having to wear a seat belt, or having to drive the speed limit. And some laws, the ones that make sense, have been so twisted and “explained” and “clarified” that they don’t even do what they were supposed to do in the beginning.

Today’s Scripture reading is pretty easy to read and is in fairly plain language.

Turn with me to Matthew 5:17-19, and I’m reading from the NASB: 17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The people living in Jesus’ time had the same issue. They had rules on how to treat each other, how to eat, what to eat, how far you could walk on Sabbath, and much much more. In fact, while the law, written in the first 5 books of the Old Testament is pretty straight forward, after the Israelites returned from Exile, they went a little…crazy…with interpreting the Law of God. In fact, by the time of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees had come up with 613 laws which are made up of 365 negative commands (things that begin with “thou shalt not), and 248 positive commands (things that begin with “Thou shalt”)! And they got so weirdly specific! Like, an Ammonite and a Moabite shall never marry the daughter of an Israelite. Also, one is to never make a covenant with the 7 Canaanite nations. And Jews follow these laws today....

Jesus, though, takes all of these things, and He simplifies everything, in that awesome way He does, at the Sermon on the Mount.

He starts out by taking the social order of society, and says that it is the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the people who yearn for righteousness, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted who are blessed, with a special blessing on those who are persecuted on account of their faith in Jesus. He then tells his disciples that they are salt and light, and that they cannot just hide away or sit unused by God.

He then talks about Himself, saying definitively that HE is the fulfillment of the law, and that he’s not removing them or changing them. He’s saying that “don’t worry about what they are telling you about God, look at what I say about God and how I am; this is what God is like.” In fact, He says, don’t even distort what I am telling you, because I am telling you all this plainly!

And, because of the law of the pharisees, he clarifies the Law. He says, yeah, don’t murder, but if you are angry with your brother or sister, or talks trash on his brother or sister, are guilty of violating this same commandment! In fact, if you are going to give tithe, and you have an issue between you and your brother or sister, God doesn’t want it, at least not yet. Instead, reconcile with them, and then return that tithe.

Jesus then talks about sin in a way that shows that it is so grievous that if need be, take serious steps to pull yourself from the situation! He says to tear out your eye if that’s causing you to sin, or to cut off your hand if that is causing you to sin. I want to clarify that I am NOT advocating self-mutilation, and neither is Jesus: He’s not asking you actually cut off your hand or tear out your eye, but to do what you need to do in order to remove temptation. For example, if you know that you are spending so much time playing on your phone, or on a video game that it’s become an idol to you, then maybe you should consider taking those things out of your life until you get your priorities in line.

FOR KIDS - Although Jesus talked about divorce next, I’m going to skip this one, as none of you all should be considering anything remotely close to marriage. Counselors, if you are, come see me and Stacy and we’ll be glad to discuss this section with you.

FOR ADULTS - Jesus next talks about divorce. Frankly, Jesus is pretty straight forward with this one. Back then, a husband could divorce his wife for nearly no reason at all. Burn dinner? Divorce. Talk back? Divorce. And I could go on. Jesus says that divorcing your wife, outside of infidelity, is not in God’s plan for humanity, and divorcing a woman on any grounds other than that forces her into adultery. He goes on to say that marrying a divorced woman commits adultery. Pretty harsh words. Paul later says that, for young people, it’s better to not get married, but if you do, do it prayerfully, as it can lead to “troubles.” Married folks, can you all speak to troubles in your marriage at one time or another? He even gives this advice with the reasoning that “I want to spare you this.” This information is repeated later on in Chapter 19, with the Pharisees asking about Divorce, with the apostles saying “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” Jesus answers saying, essentially, “Yeah, I know. But it’s even more than that,” all the while discussing the merits of staying single.

Jesus next talks about making promises. Simply put, don’t make them easily, and follow through with it. When you say you’ll do something, then do it. When you say you won’t, then don’t.

He then says that when someone wrongs you, or hurts you, don’t do it back to them in revenge! In fact, Jesus is actually advocating passive resistance!

Striking right/left cheek - the only way to do this right-handed (left handed wasn’t even considered) was to then slap them open palmed, which marked someone as your equal. To hit someone on your right cheek forces you to backhand them and can only be done to someone of lesser standing. In Palestine, that is a big thing.

Take your tunic - Your cloak was your pillow in the summer and blanket in the winter. If they took your coat, they have effectively killed you, so by giving them your tunic (your actual clothes, you force them to stand there with you naked, shaming them more than you.

Forced to go a mile - in 1st century Palestine, a Roman soldier could force any person to carry their gear up to one mile. It was found that soldiers were abusing this and harsh penalties were carried out on those soldiers who were found to have citizens carrying their stuff for even a step over a mile. In this instance, the idea is that they would have to literally wrench their gear from you to keep you from taking it further, thereby making that soldier less likely to do so if people were going to get him into trouble.

On the subject of Enemies, aren’t we all, believers and unbelievers made in God’s image? Doesn’t God want unbelievers for His own as well? If you treat an enemy with hatred, then he’s going to think that you are no different than he is. But if you treat him with love and compassion, THAT he will notice!

And then, Jesus says don’t do anything to get credit or for show. Nothing. It should be enough that God knows your good deed. That is why I never take credit for my own sermons, or devotionals. All of my gifts came from God, and if I use those same gifts, how can I take credit from Him? If He gifted me with money or things that I give to the needy, why should I get credit for giving that money?

Almost as a “oh, and speaking of hypocrites” sort of way, he talks about prayer. Prayer is one of the most important tools for Christians. Prayer is our communication with God. To pray flippantly, or without reverence, or “because I have to,” or for show, or in any other similar manner, is a terrible sin. That isn’t to say that when we are feeling down or are hurting, or are angry, that it is easy to pray, but treating prayer like it’s a joke is just wrong. Instead, Jesus says to pray in a way that sounds something like this:

“God, you are greater than anything else this world has to offer, and I can’t wait for you to come back and get us. But until that times comes, will you help me just to live my life day after day as if I am walking hand in hand with you. God, I have a lot of needs, and I have a lot of wants, and sometimes I get those things confused. Help me just to trust You to meet my needs and be thankful when you give me those other things I just want. God, I’ve blown it so many times today, and I’m sorry. Thank you for your forgiveness, I don’t take it for granite. God, as I start this day out, I’m just reminded that this world is just filled with so many spiritual potholes, so help me walk in such a way so that I won’t stumble so much. And as I am going through this day, Lord, help me to live my life in such a way as to bring you glory and honor. May the life that I live be a life of worship to you. Amen.”

Jesus talks about how spiritual treasure is better than gold and silver, and how we shouldn’t worry about the future, because God has us covered. He tells us to deal with our own sins before pointing out the sins of others, and that God will bless us according to His will if we just ask! He says how we should treat others as we want to be treated, and we should be an example to others.

He then warns about people who only worship God in word, but not in deed, and says that everyone who listens to Him and follows what He says will be like a man who builds his house on a rock, and not on sand.

Do you just “say” you believe in Jesus, or do you live like it? The book of James says it best: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith, apart from works is dead.” To put it simply: Don’t just talk the talk, you need to also walk the walk.

Then Jesus discusses anxiety and its cure, telling the people that God takes care of grass and birds and such, and that they are worth more than many birds, so not to be worried about life, but instead to seek God and His righteousness, and that all things will be provided for you.

Next, Jesus discusses Judging others. Yeah, this one. It boils down to this: you will be measured with the same stick as that which you are using to measure others. Thus, Grace is always an option. This isn’t to say you let others walk all over you, but Grace should be your watchword.

Jesus then says some profound things about prayer, ending with the golden rule. He tells people to ask for things they need from God, and if it’s truly a need, God will grant it. He says, if you, a flawed human, can give good gifts to your kids, how much more will God give to those who ask! The golden rule is simple: Treat people the same way you want them to treat you. He states that this is the Law and the Prophets, boiling down the last 6 commandments that way.

Then, he tells people to “enter through the narrow gate. In other words: you can do hard things, so do them. Don’t always take shortcuts. This isn’t to say to not use your brain and work smarter not harder, but to not be lazy with shortcuts leaving jobs half done, or done without putting in effort.

He then warns us to test everyone who claims to be a prophet. This should be a given, but it’s really not: you can tell their worthiness to be listened to by the fruit that they bear. If it’s good, listen, if bad, definitely do not. This warning is also for the “prophet” so as to deter false prophets.

Lastly, Jesus closes with an analogy about listening to Him and building on foundations. Build your life on what Jesus says, the Rock of Salvation, and all will be fine in the end. Don’t and it’s like building on sand, not something done if you’re smart.

So, tonight/today, I ask that you listen to Jesus’ words. Hear them, heed them, and follow them.

Let us pray.