Jesus

The Sermon on the Mount – 3: You’re Accepted. Do Something.

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CLICK HERE to read all of Matthew 5 before beginning this session.

CLICK HERE to read basic assumptions about studying the Sermon on the Mount before beginning this session.

CLICK HERE to read the previous section in this series on the Sermon on the Mount before beginning this session.

There were two dominant battle-cries of the Protestant Reformation:  1) sola Scriptura (only Scripture, which we will discuss in our next segment); and 2) sola fides (only faith).  The basic idea of sola fides is that one finds salvation (a topic to be more fully defined at another time) only by faith, not by works.  Passages like Galatians 2:16 were used as support for this idea.  This has morphed into the idea that if I have or accept the correct doctrine I have salvation (usually oversimplified to mean going to heaven) – I have been accepted by God.  Thus, I find salvation and acceptance with God through what I believe or think about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, etc.  Therefore, I don’t have to do anything to be Christian; I just have to cognitively accept a particular doctrine.  Very early on, I believe the author of the book of James saw the danger of this concept leading that person to write, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17; 26)

Part of the problem is that people forget that Paul didn’t say one is not justified by “works” but “works of the law.”  Just reading Philippians 2 or 1 Corinthians 12-13 ought to make us see that Paul thinks we should do works.  As we begin to see now in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is clear that we are to be about works.

In the Congratulations (aka Beatitudes) that begin the Sermon on the Mount, I think we hear Jesus say, “Guess what!  Those of you who don’t think God accepts you just as you are: hear the good news.  You area already accepted!  You have the kingdom, comfort, the earth, mercy, etc!”  Then in verses 13-16, Jesus says, “Now that you know you are accepted, do something that shows you are!”

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.“

Matthew 5:13-16 (NRSV)

In talking of salt, we shouldn’t think that the idea is that somehow there is a miraculous, chemical change of the salt into something that is not salty.  Rather, the point is likely about salt becoming diluted with impurities.  If you accidentally pour pepper into your salt shaker at home, are you really going to take the time to separate each grain of salt from pepper, or will you toss it all out and start over?

Thus the point of this aphorism is similar to Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart [those with a single-minded devotion to God], for they will see God.”  If our purpose, calling, or very being becomes diluted to the point that we lose our understanding of our identity – our acceptedness by God – what good are we in the Kingdom?

Verses 14-16 are very clear.  Unlike the words attributed to Jesus in John 8:12 where he is noted as say, “I am the light of the world. . . ,” here we see Jesus say, “YOU are the light of the world.  You have a responsibility to share your light with others – THROUGH YOUR GOOD WORKS!”  When we share our good works by doing them out in the open – being the people God created us to be and doing what God created us to do – we shed our light on others who hopefully realize they can – and have the responsibility – to share their light, their good works for the good of others and God’s kingdom!

Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus

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I first heard of Bernard Brandon Scott by seeing snippets of an interview and a sermon he gave as a part of the Living the Questions Saving Jesus video guided study.  I enjoyed what I heard and put his name on my “to read in the future” book list but had never quite gotten around to reading anything by him.

Then, in October 2010, I got the opportunity to see and hear him in person at Mayflower United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City along with Joanna Dewey as a part of a Jesus Seminar on the Road program.  Their topic was “First-Century Jesus Movements:  How Did Christianity Evolve?”  It was truly fascinating, and I was blown away by their insight.

Trying to stay on a budget, I limited myself to purchasing only one book, and Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus was it.

For me it was an easy initial read, but many of the laity in the church I serve (First United Methodist Church of Wichita Falls, Texas) did not find it quite as easy as I did.  So, as I read it again in preparation for leading discussions on the book, I could see where some might have trouble with parts of it.  It is one thing to read it and understand it; it is another thing to explain what it means to others!  Scott does use some “big” or less-used words; however, in general, when a new or relatively unknown topic is mentioned, there are set-apart “Cameo Essays & Texts” that are strategically placed near the introduced topic to help make it more clear.  I found these immensely helpful and wish more authors / publishers would do this!

The premise of the book is that through telling parables, Jesus “re-imagines” how the world is, showing that the socially and culturally imposed worldviews of the first century (and even today) are sometimes very wrong.  Jesus’ parables thus seek to change:

  • How we view the world;
  • How we view God and God’s role in the world; and
  • How we view ourselves and our role in the world.

For instance, he uses the examples of the beatitudes, which he (and the Scholars Version) term the “congratulations!”  You don’t have to be rich and powerful, for the poor has the kingdom of God and the meek will inherit the earth.  That role reversal is seen elsewhere in Jesus’ teachings, including the parables, as noted by Scott.

Scott’s approach is to consider each parable in it’s first century context at the time of Jesus’ ministry.  That means, he often pulls it out of the context of the gospel in which it is found, but he shows at the same time how the gospel writer misused the parable to begin with.  Here’s an example.

Matthew’s gospel sets up the parable of the unforgiving slave (Matthew 18:23-34) with Peter asking how many times he should forgive one who has sinned against him.  Jesus’ response is essentially infinite (77 times or 70×7 times).  Then Matthew puts this parable in which the king, who Matthew thinks is God, will only forgive one time (despite the fact that Matthew 5:48 says we are to be perfect / whole / impartial as God is perfect / whole / impartial).  Scott argues persuasively that Jesus does not equate the king with God, which gives a completely different interpretation of the parable.  I won’t tell you the rest of Scott’s interpretation outside the context of Matthew, though, as I want you to read the book!  ;c)

In addition, where there are parallels between parables in different gospels (including the Gospel of Thomas), Scott notes them and also shows where some of the differences between the different versions probably go back to redaction of the gospel writers – making the parables more inline with their own writing style and focus.

An aspect of Scott’s writing style that I thoroughly enjoyed (but other readers at my church did not) is that he sometimes leaves you hanging at the end of the chapter in which he has interpreted a parable.  You’re left wanting more – wanting to know how it fits into the big picture of Jesus’ life and ministry.  He does exactly that, though in chapters 12-13.  So, if you are finding it difficult to read, you might do as members of the Living the Questions Sunday School class did and read those chapters first and as you go along chapter-by-chapter.

I thoroughly recommend this book to you.  Members of a recent study that I led also said that this was one of the best books they have used for study.  Thus, I hope you’ll consider reading and sharing your insights below!