Deuteronomy 30: 15 – 20; Psalm 119: 1 – 8; I
Corinthians 3: 1 – 9; Matthew 5: 21 – 37
This is a homily by
Fr. Gene Tucker, offered at St. John’s in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Sunday,
February 12, 2017.
“FROM
THE OUTSIDE IN, AND THE INSIDE OUT”
(Homily text: Matthew
5: 21–37)
“You
have heard it said that….but I say to you….”
In
today’s Gospel text, Jesus delivers, in rapid succession, a series of
admonitions, each of which begins with the formula “You have heard it said
that…but I say to you….”
Each
of these, which come so fast that we barely have time to think about the last
statement before the Lord gives us another one to ponder, has to do with our
outer actions and the corresponding inner disposition.[1]
As
the Lord addresses the relationship – and the importance – of our inner
disposition as it relates to our outward actions, it might be that He is
continuing His focus on the actions and the inner dispositions of the scribes
and the Pharisees, the ones who, in last week’s Gospel text, where the ones
whose standard of righteousness everyone had to exceed in order to enter the
kingdom of heaven.
Just
what is the relationship between those things that are outside of us, and which
inform and shape those things that are inside of us, our minds and our hearts,
to our corresponding actions?
Essentially,
it seems to me, the Lord is telling us that what we think and what we believe
will disclose the true nature of our inner self. After all, it is impossible to
look directly into a person’s heart and mind to see what is to be found
therein. We have to rely on our observations of those things we can see.
An
illustration from sports will help us to see this relationship: Choose a sport, just about any sport. To be
proficient at the skills and abilities that the particular sport requires will
require practice and discipline. These things are outward actions that shape
not only the athlete’s physical capabilities, but the athlete’s skills in being
able to respond to the challenges of the sport. The shaping that practice
brings comes slowly for most, and it is the depth that repeated times of
practice brings that produces the best result.
But,
lest we get too far down the road with our analysis of the relationship between
the outward and the inward, let’s return to the matter of the behaviors and the
attitudes of the scribes and the Pharisees:
Adherence to the Law of Moses: Above all else,
these two groups were steadfastly (may we say “religiously”) devoted to keeping
the minutest requirements of the Law. The Law’s focus is on outward actions.
For example, the Law required certain offerings to be made at specific times.
It required attendance at the major festivals and fasts of the calendar. It
prescribed how one was to interact with one’s neighbors (the prohibitions on murder
and on adultery are but two examples that Jesus cites this morning).
Outward actions shape the inner person: The outward
actions the Law prescribed where meant to shape the inner person. The design of
the Law was such that repeated practice gradually shaped the inner person’s
thoughts, attitudes and beliefs over time. (Here again, the sports analogy
applies.)
Missing the boat on the Law’s intent: Now we come to
the central problem of the scribes and the Pharisees: They place great
importance on the outward observance of the Law’s demands. For example, think
of the times that Jesus got into trouble because He and His disciples were
breaking the Sabbath in some way or another. But the inner disposition of the
scribes and the Pharisees is one of spiritual bankruptcy. Jesus will say of
these groups that they are like “white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear
beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So
you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23: 27, 28) The disconnect between the inner
and the outer person is most clearly seen, perhaps, in the plot to murder
Jesus: The chief priests refused to go into Pilate’s presence because it would
have made them ritually unclean and unable to observe the Passover, even as
they are plotting to get rid of Him.
So,
the point that the Lord intends for us should be clear: We are to mirror in our inner attitudes,
thoughts and beliefs what our outward and observable actions indicate, and vice
versa. The two are inseparably linked, and God - who sees the inner recesses of
the heart and mind – seeks to form us into faithful disciples, disciples who
reflect the righteousness of Jesus Christ, whose inner and outer self were
integrated so that the one perfectly mirrored the other.
May
the Holy Spirit enable, form, shape and guide us into the image of Christ in
our inner thoughts and in our outward actions.
AMEN.
[1] Our Gospel text for this morning includes
only the first four of Jesus’ statements which begin with “You have heard it
said…but I say to you….”. The Lord’s teaching continues with two more such
sayings, through verse 48.
