Exodus 16-24
Matthew 1-7
Some years ago, a young man came to
my office looking for a new church. We talked for a while and I learned the
story of his struggle with alcohol addiction. He was already active in an AA
group but he believed a church community might also help turn his life
around. I called the pastor at a nearby
community church to find out more about their recovery program and it sounded like
a good fit for this man who was living life on survival mode. We stayed in
touch for several months and he seemed to be doing well. I sometimes wonder how he is doing now.
Sometimes some people need rules,
structure, clear definitions. This makes sense to us when we are raising our
children; independence and healthy self-sufficiency can only come through a
process of growing through stages and practicing living within some kind of
protective environment. This makes sense to us when we remember our own journey toward maturity.
Sometimes we refer to the people of
Moses as “the children of Israel.” The term "children" isn't meant to be used as a contrast to the concept of "adult;" it's mostly the King James Version's way to describe this people's family tree and identify them as the descendants of Jacob. But maybe - in another way - "children" can also serve as a
kind of archetypical description of humanity's development in all of our various
cultures and societies over the ages. Without thinking of Israel as any more “childish” than
any of the rest of us, consider how their story as chronicled in the Hebrew
Scriptures might give insight to how all of us - individuals as well as societies - grow through stages toward healthy maturity.
In the remarkable story of exodus
and deliverance in the second book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the people emerge
from the confining womb of slavery, through the birth waters of
the Red Sea and
into the wilderness. There is
manna here, and clean water, and even fresh meat provided for the complaining, sullen people. Again and again, they test the
patience of Moses; they test the faithfulness of the God who Calls, who Saves,
who Provides.
As the story unfolds,
God calls Moses up to the mountaintop where he is immersed in fire and cloud and
sapphired glory for forty days and forty nights. And when he returns to the
camp in the valley, Moses comes with
the Ten Commandments which summarize for
the people
all the Law that teaches
how to live in relationship with God and with one another.
Of course there is other law in the
pages of the Torah as well, not just the moral code. The Mosaic Law also details
the particulars of worship, ceremonial law that includes rules for the
priesthood and for the sacrificial system. But fundamentally, the Law from
Sinai teaches the fledgling people of Israel how to be in relationship, how to
behave toward one another with fairness and justice. It is law grounded in a specific
culture, time and place. It is law contingent on the particular circumstances
of a particular people in a particular day and age.
It’s interesting to read The Gospel according to Matthew alongside
the book of the Exodus. Matthew is our most Jewish gospel and
throughout, we see comparisons and contrasts between Jesus and Moses.
·
The Pharaoh in Egypt and the King in Jerusalem
kill the male infants who may threaten their power.
·
“Out of Egypt I have called my son…” Matthew says
of Jesus - while in the background he clearly sees Israel escaping danger and persecution.
·
Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River, passing
through the waters and then entering into the wilderness where he too is tempted
to test God.
·
But again and again, unlike God’s other “child”
Israel (or any of the rest of us sons and daughters!), Jesus is the one who faithfully
and persistently submits himself to the God who Calls, who Saves and who
Provides.
And then Matthew offers an especially
fascinating comparison between the Law of Moses delivered from Mount Sinai and
the Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus.
Matthew’s Jesus is bold to re-read
the ancient Law and re-interpret its meaning and significance for the people of
Israel in a new day. Jesus does not contradict or critique the Law; rather he goes
deeper, he goes to the root - the radix. Radix
is the word from which we get the word “radical” and in these six antitheses
(or better “hyper-theses”), Jesus radicalizes the Law.
Rules done right point beyond
superficial behavior to attitude, perspective, mindset. Rules done right remind
what is core and fundamental. It’s not just
about adultery or murder or divorce, Jesus says; it’s about respecting
relationship and honoring commitments. It’s not just about how you treat your friends, Jesus says; it’s about
living together in humility and integrity (even with your enemies!) in the
upside down right side up inside out kingdom of heaven.
Of course faithful, pious Jews already
knew this. The prophets especially understood the root of Israel’s problem and
boldly called for repentance-turning-returning
to the heart of the matter. Ancient wisdom did not originate with Jesus when he
summarized his sermon: “In everything do to others as
you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew
7:12)
But people are people, and in every
age most people tend towards superficiality; it’s much more comfortable. Bright
lines and check lists may make us feel safe, but they also keep us small. Well-defined
guidelines and clear parameters work well for children, but growing up requires
self-discipline and complex wisdom.
Besides radicalizing the Law,
Matthew’s Jesus does something else, something key to Matthew’s own
Christology: Jesus speaks for God.
In Matthew’s understanding, the Law
is foundational but it is not ultimate. For Matthew, it is the one to whom the law
and the prophets point – the Messiah, the Christ – who embodies the ultimate, definitive
will of God. It is in Jesus Christ that
the Law is both affirmed and fulfilled. It is in Jesus Christ that the Law is both
validated and transcended. It is Jesus Christ who is the final authority. And –
for Matthew – the Spirit of the Risen Christ is still speaking, teaching and
leading the Church.
This is
Matthew’s way.
The apostle Paul has his own way of understanding the
significance of the Christ Event and the subsequent transition from the
requirements of law to the freedoms and responsibility of grace. Reading between Matthew and Paul, it is clear there was some tension among the New Testament theologians about how best to re-read and re-interpret their own Scriptures. The New
Testament writers were all faithful Jews who honored their tradition and
grounded their lives in the Mosaic Law so it was with deep prayer and care that
they pondered new understandings of the Law in
light of the Christ. Even so, as faithful and conscientious as they were, they inevitably saw some things differently and so the Christian churches they planted emerged with different understandings, traditions and practices. (This is very much like our own experience of diversity within the Christian tradition of our own day.)
In the ancient wisdom literature,
Psalm 19 sings a song
of praise:
The law of the Lord is
perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord
are sure,
making wise the
simple;
the precepts of the Lord
are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening
the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring
forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and
righteous altogether.
I can see the Psalmist honoring the
Law of Moses in these beautiful words. But I see more. Before there was the
Torah, there was the cosmos. In the
beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And God said, “It is good.”
Creator’s law, decrees,
commandments, ordinances that structure the universe are knitted into the
fabric of the world. Creator’s will and way that give order and meaning to
everything that exists are part of nature’s DNA.
The Psalmist begins his praise with
this affirmation:
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and
the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and
night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their
voice is not heard;
And yet their voice goes out through all the
earth,
and
their words to the end of the world.
Here is scriptural acknowledgment
and celebration of God’s law of the universe, God’s way in the cosmos, God’s
will for creation.
The Mosaic Law flowed from that
cosmic law and articulated justice and equity that was probably unusual for its
time, but it was always law contingent upon its time and place and people. The newly
formed people of Israel who received the Law at Mount Sinai continued to grow
in their understandings. In later
commentary and reflection, the Prophets dug deeper into the meaning and
significance of the Law. And then in another theological stream, the writers of
the Wisdom tradition pondered relationship with God and one another in other
profound ways. Growing awareness and deepening maturity always will lead us
away from “either-or” and into “both-and” contemplations.
Much as my AA friend needed
structure and clear definitions for a time, much as our children need rules and
limits while they are learning how to live, so all of us have periodically benefited
from the protective environment of law as we have grown through stages into
greater maturity. As we continue to grow in our relationship with God and with
one another, we grow into grace.
The life and work of Christ has
fulfilled the Law of Moses and now brought all humanity within the law-way-will
of God that is right for all people
in all times and places. I think of
it as a way of Shalom: peace and wholeness, unity and harmony. When this law is written in our hearts, there is shalom with God and shalom with one another.
The law and the prophets pointed us
to this Way: No longer shall they teach
one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the
least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and
remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:34).
The Spirit of the Risen Christ
leads us in this Way.
