If you listen closely to today’s Gospel, you might feel like Jesus is doing something slightly unfair. He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.” And everyone probably breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh good. We know the rules. We’ve got commandments. We can manage those.” And the Jesus keeps talking. And suddenly it feels like the bar is not just raised…it’s launched into orbit.
You have heard it said, “You shall not kill.” Good. Most of us woke up this morning thinking, “I can check that box.” But then Jesus says, “Anyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” Well, that escalated quickly. Now He is not just talking about murder. He is talking about the simmering stuff – the eye rolling, the grudges, the “I’m fine” that we all know is not fine.
The Jesus moves on to adultery. Again, some people might think, “I’m doing okay there.” But Jesus says, “Anyone who looks at another with lust has already committed adultery in his heart. At this point, I imagine the crowd looking at each other and thinking, “Does anyone else feel like Jesus just read our browser history?”
And then – just when we are hoping for a break – He gets to oaths. “Don’t swear by heaven, or earth, or Jerusalem…just let your “yes” mean yes and your “no” mean no. In other words: stop the loopholes.
That is really the theme of today’s Gospel. Jesus is closing loopholes. We love loopholes – we are professionals at loopholes. “Well, technically…” “I didn’t say that exactly…” “That is not what I meant…” Jesus says, “I am not interested in technicalities. I am interested in your heart.” And here is where humor turns into honesty. Jesus in not making life harder – He is making it deeper.
The scribes and the Pharisees focus on external obedience. Did I break the rule? Did I cross the line? Jesus asks a different question: What is going on inside you before you ever get near the line? Because anger does not start with murder. It starts with contempt. Lust does not start with adultery. It starts with seeing another person as an object instead of a child of God. Dishonesty does not start with lying under oath. It starts with half-truths and carefully worded promises.
Jesus is not saying, “Be perfect or else.” He is saying, let me heal you from the inside out.” And the good news – because there is good news – is that Jesus knows we cannot do this on our own.
If holiness were just about rule keeping, we would all need a very good lawyer. But holiness, according to Jesus, is about conversion of the heart. That is why He ends today’s Gospel by calling us, to integrity. Be one person. The same person in church, at home, in traffic, and online. Let your faith reach all the way into your thoughts, your words, and your intentions.
So, if today’s Gospel makes you a little uncomfortable – good! It means it is working. Jesus did not come to lower the standard. He came to raise us. And He does not just command us to live this way – He promises to walk with us as we learn, stumble, laugh at ourselves, repent, and begin again. Jesus is not trying to catch us doing something wrong. He is trying to keep us healthy. He doesn’t just want well-behaved disciples. He wants whole disciples. And that is why He raises the bar – not to shame us, but to save us. He believes we are capable of more than we think.