Tale #68 – Something Greater

We have now entered into the space of the Sermon on the Mount that I refer to as the “you have heard it saids.” This is, well, due to the fact that each item listed therein starts with “you have heard it said” or some derivation thereof. I do so love it when the authors give us verbal queues for structure. I’ve heard countless sermons taking these verses (Matthew 5:13-48) and pointing to them as a testimony to the depth of sin and how depraved we are without Christ. While that’s not wholly inaccurate, that’s not what this is here for. Remember that the sermon is about the truth about the kingdom of God and Christ as king. This is Jesus looking at those who were supposed to lead the people of God in godly living as a chosen people and calling out how they demonstrated their OWN holiness in what they did and did not do. That when we try to celebrate our own devotion and closeness to God by our actions, that we are missing the point. We’ve heard it said that we need to live godly lives — but when we just talk about the things we do and don’t do as opposed to those folks over there, these passages point out that we will be weighed, measured, and found wanting.