The Law of Love

"Think not that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses, or the teachings of the prophets: I have not come to destroy, but to fulfil (5:17)."

Critics of the church are usually considered enemies. But this is often not true.

The establishment saw Christ's improvements to the Jewish Old Testament as destruction. True, when a contract is fulfilled, it loses its value; but fulfilment is what the contract is all about. Total love for God and others is the fulfilment of the law (Mt 22:37-40).

"Remember that until heaven and earth pass, not one detail of the Law shall be done away with, till all be fulfilled.

"Whoever therefore breaks even one of the least important commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever obeys and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (5:18-19).

Christ's commands fulfil the old commandments. So, do and teach his commandments and you fulfil the requirements of both the Old and the New Testaments.

Modern theology dismisses the commands of Christ as unimportant, saying that anyone who seeks to obey Christ is trying to work his way to heaven. This perverts what Paul taught about grace. Paul wrote about "things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist"...(II Peter 3:16). Paul warned about using his teachings as "an occasion to the flesh" (Gal 5:13), and yet religious leaders still claim we are free to disobey Christ, at the same time that they preach submission to the disciplines of their denominations. Peter and Jude said of such men, "Certain ungodly men turn the grace of our God into slackness; while they promise liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption" (II Peter 2:19; Jude 4).

"For unless you are more faithful in doing what God requires than the teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:20).

Religious zealots appear to be very righteous but they major on all the minor issues. They are big on things like going to church and social customs, but when it comes to love, they are sadly deficient. It doesn't take much to outlove Mr. Average Churchgoer!

"You have heard it was said in the past, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be brought to trial. But I say to you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whoever says to his brother 'You good-for-nothing!' shall be brought before the Council: but whoever says 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of hell" (5:21-22).

Most of us can say we have never killed anyone, but who can say he has never hated? Any desire to hurt or belittle someone comes from the same source that inspires murderers.

Words of condemnation can do great damage whereas words of love can work miracles. The Church constantly reminds people outside its walls that they are sinners. But this is a cruel half-truth. People inside are told that they are forgiven sinners, and they often show dramatic behaviour changes in response to the acceptance they receive from members of the group. Imagine what could be achieved if Christians treated everyone they met in the secular world in the same way! After all, Jesus never said we had to go to church to be forgiven! It is our job to tell everyone that they are forgiven; it is up to them to accept it.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift" (5:23-24).

God is more concerned with human relationships than with religious meetings; yet differences are rarely talked out in today's church world. Anyone who disagrees is told to go elsewhere and not upset the smooth running of the meeting.

"If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute quickly before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be handed over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. There you will stay until you pay the last cent of your fine" (5:25-26).

The world has some strong charges to make against the church, but most churchmen smugly dismiss them with cop-outs like, "We never said we were perfect."

"You have heard it said, Do not commit adultery. But I say to you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his hear (5:27-28).

Many churches have gone soft on sexual morality, for fear of losing members. But Jesus knew that discipline is a big part of love. Don't try to excuse immorality through some twisted doctrine of grace, used as an "occasion to the flesh (Galatians 5:13)."

'And if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go to hell" (5:29-30).

This passage is often quoted to prove the folly of taking Christ literally. But surely the passage says just the opposite. It is foolish NOT to take Christ literally... even if it means cutting your hand off! If we took this and other teachings of Christ more seriously, we would not be facing an eternity in which to wish we had... as is very likely the case at the moment.

"It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But I say to you, that if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than unfaithfulness, he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also" (5:31-32).

This slack approach to discipline can be directly linked to the dramatic increase in divorce rates in the western world. If you want a separation, just shed a few tears and you will find a sympathetic shoulder in almost any clergyman. And when you get lonely, the same clergyman will feel sorry for you and say you may remarry. They use two popular excuses to ignore what Christ says on the subject of divorce and remarriage: (1) The "innocent" party may remarry. But if neither party has committed adultery, then, by this approach, both parties are "innocent!" Matthew 19:9 says that if they have not committed adultery before they remarry then they have afterwards. (2) A divorce that took place before conversion does not count. Yet Christ commands, "Let not the wife depart from her husband. But if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband" (I Cor 7:10-11). If separation is unavoidable remarriage is not. See Lk 14:26 and I Cor 7:29.

"You have also heard it said, Do not break your promise but do what you have vowed to do. But I say to you, do not make promises. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Just say Yes or No - anything more than this comes of evil" (5:33-37).

Indebtedness is a great hindrance to love, for it forges legal chains and causes a spiritual drain on the soul. When you sign a contract, you swear by all that you possess that you will repay that debt. Debts are a loan on the future. James 4:13-14 says "You ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall do this or that.' " We have no right to obligate ourselves for the future any further than our word as Christians, with God's okay, will carry us. "Owe no man anything, except to love one another" (Rom 13:8).

"You have heard it said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek let them slap your left cheek too" (5:38-39).

Justice says crime should be punished. Mercy says the victim may choose to bear the punishment of his attacker.

"Christ died for our sin" (I Cor 15:1-4). "And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (I Jn 3:16). When we turn the other cheek, we present our bodies as a living example of Christ's love.

"And if anyone sues you and takes your shirt, let him have your coat as well" (5:40).

Just as we can present our bodies as living examples of God's mercy (Rom 12:1), so we can also present our possessions (I Jn 3:17). If Christians would stop fighting over money, half the workload of the courts would disappear overnight.

"And whoever forces you to go a mile, go with him two.

By law, any Roman soldier could require a citizen to carry his pack for one mile. But loves goes beyond what the law requires. There are no half measures with love; it is all or nothing.

"When someone asks you for something, give it to him; and when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him" (5:42).

The value in giving is not so much what it will do for the one who receives, as it is in what it will do for the giver. There are always excuses (eg. "They'll only waste it.") but Jesus leaves no room for such excuses here.

"You have heard it said, Love your neighbour, and hate your enemy. But I say, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who use you" (5:43-44)

The strategy the church always seems to use when dealing with critics is to snub them, to slander them, or to expel them. When will we discover the power of love to end quarrels? "Bless them that persecute you... if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not let evil overcome you. Overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:14-21).

"That you may be the children of your Father in heaven: for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (5:45).

Everyone wants to claim to be the "King's kids," but few are ready to endure the disciplines that go with such a title. Prince Charles travels the world as a full-time ambassador for his country; and the King of kings expects even greater discipline from his children.

"Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!" (5:45-46)

It is easy to love people who belong to our group. All groups do that. But true love goes beyond the organisation. Some would boast that they have learnt to love people from other denominations even. But true love does not stop there either. Who are our worst enemies? Are we prepared to meet those who hate us with open arms, as Christ did?

"Therefore, be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (5:48)."

The perfection Jesus teaches is perfect (or "mature") love. (I Cor 13:4-10) It may not be easy all the time, but if Jesus teaches that love involves discipline (and this Sermon contains plenty of that), then any so-called "love" that refuses to strive for this is imperfect, immature, and not true love at all.

The love of Christ is the perfect fulfilment of the law!

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