It seems like I have always been held to a higher standard, either by others or by myself. The earliest example I can think of is when I would say to my mom or dad, “But everybody else is doing it,” and the answer would be “You’re not everybody else.” Somehow that didn’t seem like much of a reason, but it was the only one I got for being told “No.”
The next thing I remember comes out of my experiences as a Girl Scout. We had to memorize the Girl Scout Promise: “On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” And the Girl Scout Law is: “I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.” We made these commitments, not so that we could consider ourselves better than other girls, but because we agreed to a certain code of conduct that was higher than what the culture around us was permitting.
I was so proud that I was able to receive my First Class Award, the Girl Scout equivalent to the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts. (It is now called the Gold Award.) I had to complete a number of challenges and earn a number of merit badges in order to qualify for this highest Girl Scout honor. I still have my sash somewhere in a box with all my badges on it.
My high school years found me completely immersed in church activities, particularly youth group and youth choir. Again, I was part of a group that had certain behavioral expectations that were higher than those of some of my friends. We were expected to attend Sunday School and worship, as well as youth activities. We were expected to use appropriate language, to be respectful of the adults around us, and to abstain from using alcohol or drugs or smoking cigarettes.
I attended Agnes Scott College, a small women’s liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia, one of the top ten women’s colleges in the country. We all signed an honor pledge when we enrolled in the college, agreeing to abide by the honor code. As a result, no one ever locked the doors to their dorm rooms, because there was no trouble with stealing. We took our exams without proctors, signing the honor pledge on the outside cover of our blue books. It was a very freeing environment, where we trusted each other, because we were all accountable to the same higher standard.
And then, of course, I ended up in a profession where members are held to a higher standard than the average person. Ministers and priests are supposed to be moral, good Christians, setting an example for the members of their congregations, as well as the community. Sometimes it seems like people put us up on pedestals, in a way, and it can be more than a little uncomfortable.
The truth of the matter is, every Christian is called to a higher standard in our actions and in our thoughts and in our feelings. This section of the Sermon on the Mount finds Jesus recalling certain parts of the Law of Moses and interpreting them more strictly than a literal reading would indicate. Let’s look at what Jesus has to say.
First, Jesus says, “You have heard that the Law of Moses says ‘Do not murder,’ but I say if you are angry with someone you are subject to judgment; if you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the council; and if you curse someone you are in danger of going to hell.” Jesus is saying that it isn’t enough to not commit the act of murder; we must also refuse to let ourselves get angry with other people. He moves deeper, from the outward act to the inner thoughts and feelings. Who hasn’t said, at one time or another, “I’m so mad I could just kill you!” We don’t really mean that we are going to kill someone. But it does mean we have no regard for that person’s life, and we have allowed our own heart to become bitter. We shouldn’t call people names; it is just a way of nursing our own anger and it can create anger in the persons whom we have verbally abused.
Jesus is so concerned about this that he says that if someone is at the altar offering a sacrifice to God – if someone is worshiping God – and remembers that another person has something against them, then that person must go and first be reconciled to the other person and then come and offer worship to God. Gary Charles, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta writes,
No doubt worship would come to a screeching halt if [this] were the call to worship that opened each service… What church in any era could survive if it required its members to be reconciled with estranged neighbors, spouses, business partners, and declared enemies before worship could begin?
And yet, reconciliation with each other is that important. Charles goes on to say,
Reconciliation is not an impossible ideal toward which Jesus encourages us to strive, doing the best that we can. It is the foundation upon which genuine worship and authentic relationships are founded. Praise of God will always ring hollow when colored by rage against our neighbor.
Reconciliation is possible; it is something that average people can do. There are several examples of reconciliation happening on a national level. One that comes to mind was in the nation of South Africa, after the end of Apartheid. There could have been calls from Nelson Mandela for revenge against the white South Africans for all the years of oppression that the blacks had endured. But Mandela instead called for reconciliation and prevented what could have been a horrible race war. Another example took place in the nation of Rwanda after the genocide, when Hutus set about to kill all the Tutsis. There were many successful efforts to bring people back together so that the country could move forward again.
The second thing Jesus says is, “You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say anyone who lusts has already committed adultery in their heart.” Again, Jesus is getting deeper, moving from the outward act to the inner thoughts and feelings. It isn’t enough to refrain from committing adultery; we are also to keep ourselves from feeling lust toward a person who is not a spouse or partner. Perhaps this is something that we don’t take seriously enough in the United States. I remember when Jimmy Carter was interviewed by Playboy magazine and admitted to lusting in his heart. If adultery is only about the physical act, most of us would be able to say we are guiltless; but if it is a matter of the heart, then following this command of Jesus is far more complex and challenging. In a society like ours, that markets sensuality and loves to hear about sexual exploits, this passage should sound an alarm. How many women are sexually abused each year because this warning from Jesus is not taken seriously? How many marriages end up being destroyed because partners underestimate the devastating power of lust?
The third thing Jesus teaches is, “You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, don’t resist an evil person; turn the other cheek; give your coat as well as your shirt; go the second mile; give to those who ask.” As originally intended, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is found in the earliest code of laws, the Code of Hammurabi, which was written about 2250 BC in Babylon. It was actually meant to demand mercy from those seeking retaliation; in other words, you can only take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, and no more. But Jesus is saying that it is not enough to seek fair retaliation; followers of Jesus are not to resist an evil person at all. While Martin Luther King, Jr. drew his insights on non-violence from Gandhi, the source goes back to Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount. And it is not an easy way to live.
Steven P. Eason, pastor of Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC, writes,
[We] had better hope that Jesus is not serious here. Surely, we are not to take him literally. If so, then there will be a lot of red-faced, coatless, and worn-out people in the world who live like doormats, letting anybody and everybody take advantage of them. You are kidding. Right, Jesus? … This is crazy talk. We want to be Christians at covered-dish dinners. We love being Christians at infant baptisms and weddings. We really enjoy being Christians at Christmas. We even like being Christians at a funeral. However, what in the world is Jesus talking about here? This is not Christianity, is it? It is way too extreme. Did we sign up for this at our baptisms? Maybe it signed up for us. We do not want to be Christians when it is time to turn a cheek, give away the cloak, go the second mile, give to a worthless beggar, or loan everything we have to anybody who wants it … It sounds like foolishness.
It may sound like foolishness, but it is exactly what we are called to do. We cannot do it on our own; only Jesus can do it in us. To live this way is radical and different; it is to fight evil with good. As Eason writes,
Evil is overcome with good, not with a stronger version of evil. Break the cycle, is Jesus’ idea. Break the cycle with your estranged brother or sister. Break the cycle with the person at work or a neighbor next door. With God’s help, you can do it and be the different one … Extreme evil calls for extreme good. It requires a good that is tenacious. It requires more than your nominal effort. You have to go deeper …
Finally, Jesus says, “You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” If it isn’t enough to practice non-violence toward those who have it in for you, now Jesus says we actually have to love them. We have to want the best for them, even if they don’t want the best for us, especially because they don’t want the best for us. This kind of love isn’t an act of the heart; it is an act of the will. It is a deliberate choice to seek only the highest good of those who would harm us if they could. Gennifer Brooks is Associate Professor of Homiletics at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois, and she comments,
We are called to active involvement in spreading the love of God to the last and the least. Those who are lost in spirals of violence and poverty of body, mind, or spirit require continuous exposure to the love of God that offers renewal and change. God’s love extends to all people. The love that Christ places in our hearts must be shared with all persons, regardless of their situation or even the threat they may pose to us. Love has the ability to bring about change. The love of Christ in our hearts changes us. That love not only transcends the need to retaliate when wrong has been done to us; it also compels us to love those who have wronged us.
The best example I know of this kind of love was shown by Corrie ten Boom. You may have read her story or seen it in the movie, The Hiding Place. Corrie and her family were caught hiding Jews during World War II and were sent to concentration camps. While in the concentration camp, Corrie was humiliated and degraded, especially in the delousing shower, where the women were ogled by the leering guards. But she survived that hell and eventually she felt she was able to forgive all of those who had caused her such suffering, even the shower guards. Corrie preached forgiveness all across Europe and in the United States. One Sunday in Munich, after the service while she was greeting people, Corrie saw a man coming toward her with his hand stretched out to shake her hand. “Yes, it is wonderful that Jesus forgives us all our sins, just as you say,” he told her. Corrie remembered his face; it was one of the leering, mocking guards from the showers. Her hand froze by her side. She could not forgive. She thought she had forgiven all. But she could not forgive when she met this guard, standing before her. She was ashamed and horrified, and began to pray, “Lord, forgive me, I cannot forgive.” And as she prayed, she felt forgiven. And she felt her hand suddenly unfrozen. The ice of her hatred melted away. Her hand went out to this man, and she forgave him as she had been forgiven. That is what it means to love one’s enemy.
As Christians, we have been called by Jesus to live our lives held to a higher standard than that of the world. It is not an easy thing to do. It is hard; sometimes, it seems impossible. But it is possible, through the grace and the power and the love of Jesus Christ in us. We strive towards perfection, as Jesus called us to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. John Wesley taught about going on to perfection. When he was a young man, he believed a person could achieve perfection in this life. But as he grew older, he said that we could only work towards that goal in this life. It is a high standard; it is the highest standard of all. Are you able to live up to it?
