Whoever Obeys and Teaches These Commandments
February 27, 2008
Wednesday of the Third Week in Lent
By
“Take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)
“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)
Piety
Lord, I need patience and insight to see Christ in those with whom I disagree politically. Help me find the wisdom to prayerfully develop my own views in harmony with Your Word even as I respectfully listen to the views of others in my community. Amen.
Study
We get restless. In fact, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, we’ve got presidential primary campaigns built on the need for change.
Where would Jesus stand? I suppose we each think he’d be with our candidate, based on his advocacy of social justice, respect for life, advice to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
Today’s Gospel advocates a clearer “agenda” than today’s candidates do. Surely, the disciples chafed under Roman rule and the myriad aspects of Mosaic Law the Jewish establishment enforced. Perhaps the chance to rebel... the concept of change, no matter what it entails... drew some of them to Jesus as much as what he said or the way he said it in the first place, as much as the promise of “change” draws some of us today.
These verses from the Sermon on the Mount come after the Beatitudes, after Jesus has called for radical thinking such as being meek and merciful and being willing to bear persecution for righteousness. Perhaps some of the disciples were on fire to go out and change the world in some way, any way, after hearing that part of the sermon. But Jesus cautions them: “not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law” until heaven and earth have passed away. “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill,” he tells them. And he warns them that their righteousness must not just equal but actually surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees if they hope to enter heaven.
When we see the scribes and Pharisees of our day in action, we can delude ourselves that we are more righteous than they are. After all, we don’t cheat on our taxes... as much as they do. We don’t cheat on our spouses... if you define cheating the way Bill Clinton did. We tell ourselves we’re not in a position to do anything about abortion or immigration. Let us remember that Jesus calls us to a higher standard and to obey and teach all the commandments, even the least of them. He calls us to look within ourselves to not only obey but also to teach the commandments. As in the reading from Deuteronomy, we are charged not to forget what we have seen or what we have learned, and to share it with others.
Action
This week, sit down with a friend, family member, or co-worker whose political view is diametrically opposed to yours. Listen to why this person believes what he or she believes or supports a particular candidate. In a nonargumentative way, explore the differences in the way you and this person define “change.” Make this a teaching and learning opportunity for both of you.
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