February 21, 2011

An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth is the human reaction to injury.  Both of today’s Old Testament and Gospel readings preach the same message.  We are to follow the spirit of the 10 Commandants, not just the letter of the law.  Obeying the spirit of the Commandants is extremely difficult because it often goes against our human nature.

Taken as a whole, Leviticus was an instruction manual for Levites (Old Testaments priests.)  The specific chapter in the Old Testament for last Sunday is referred to as the social chapter.  It tells us, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am Holy.”  This statement tells us that holiness cannot be an optional luxury in our lifestyle.  We are tasked to be holy, because God is holy.  This is a high expectation, one that none of us can actually achieve, but one we must strive to meet. 

The same expectation of holiness is expressed in Matthew 5:43 (last Sunday’s Gospel reading).  "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect."  This is a restatement of the demand for holiness made in Leviticus. 

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made the statement,   "I am here not to change the law, but rather as the fulfillment of the law."  Jesus clarifies that we are to return to God’s intent when he gave us the 10 Commandants to follow.  This is in contrast to the legalistic way the law was being interpreted by the Pharisees and Scribes.   

We must keep the spirit of the Commandants in our lives every day in every way.  We must take care never to use another’s person’s labor for personal enrichment.  It means giving the poor break.  This is much more than giving a dollar or two to a beggar.  Rather, it means we are expected to give the poor a way to earn a living.  Many Christians do hire people to do odd jobs around their homes, allowing those hired to subsist in our economy.  This is an example of following the spirit of the Law.

We are to avoid making distinctions among people.  Leviticus makes this clear when it states, “we are not to be partial to the poor, nor to defer to the great.”  Jesus was not the first to use the phrase “love your neighbor as yourself “Leviticus said it first.  God is forceful on this point.  He gave us his only Son knowing that Jesus Christ would be put to death in order to bring this message to us. 

The lesson we are to learn from both of these readings is to rise above our human nature and do what is required to become more God-like.  We are to avoid persecuting others.  We must not call others to task nor seek revenge when we are being persecuted.  We must love our persecutors.

The Unites States and much of Europe are in the middle of a struggle with enemies that persecute us by attacking us where we work and live.  We must somehow learn to combat all threats like this with love, because this is what God does for us when we sin against him.

Being Godlike is difficult.  As difficult as it is, this is what God demands of us. This means loving those who hate and persecute us.  God’s love for us is all powerful and we can, by his grace, share his love through our action toward others.