Matthew 5: 21-37 Jesus Changes the Conversation on Hell, Divorce, and Swearing

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One of the things Jesus is really good at is re-interpreting the law (like Moses, OT) in the light of love. Last week we heard him say, “I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it!” In other words, Jesus’ love fulfills the law. And I can’t think of a better scripture to celebrate Valentine’s Weekend than Matthew 5: 21-37, a text about…. hell, divorce, and swearing! Is anything more romantic that that? J Let’s listen how Jesus changes the conversation on these hot-button issues, from law to love, death to life:

[Jesus said:] "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one."

So these religious laws Jesus chooses to highlight here- they’re all about how we relate to others. Jesus re-interprets OT law with a relational dynamics. From law, to love. Let’s start with hell, shall we? Happy Valentine’s Day. The Greek reference to hell here means something akin to a dumpster fire (it was actually a real place, where they burned trash). And Jesus dives in to save us from…not just murder, but insults, anger, and name-calling too, because all of these create a dumpster fire of our lives. A “hot mess” of a situation. Yes, you shouldn’t murder someone, noted, but Jesus expands this religious law into a conversation about love. Loving our neighbor beyond rules means tending to our relationships, SO THAT our lives become less of a “hot mess,” less “hellish.” Hell can be thought of as anything that separates us from right relationships with God, with ourselves, and especially with others. And the prison that Jesus says ‘we will not escape if we don’t do this work” is often of our own making. See, the emotional weight of harmed relationships that we don’t tend, that is HELL on earth, is it not?  Jesus desires for us healing instead of that emotional state of hell. Here’s what’s possible: at Jesus’ insistence, we prioritize reconciling our relationships, making them right again SO THAT we might be delivered from the dumpster fire of feeling like a hot mess.

Speaking of hot mess, let’s talk about divorce. Many modern religious rules have been created around this passage, and a lot of unnecessary spiritual baggage. Because this part of Jesus’ teaching needs historical context most of all! In matters of marriage and sexual relations, men had the upper hand. So Jesus changes the conversation from what is “legal,” to what is “right.” And it’s right, according to Jesus, that women have a higher place of authority in relationships. See, the decision to divorce was strictly reserved for men. A wife in Jesus’ time had no agency, so even if she did nothing wrong, an angry or jealous man could ruin her life. Without even going to court, a man could make a woman an outcast forever. The definition of injustice. And Jesus says, that’s not okay. Your religion may say it is, but that doesn’t match the kind of love I bring to earth. My kind of love, Jesus says, is faithful and prudent and seeks no harm to another.

So let’s dive in the third delicious topic of swearing. The OT develops an elaborate system of oaths and vows to guarantee (some) words as especially true. (our judicial system uses a similar approach to those who take the stand). And Jesus says something new: take no oaths at all. What’s he doing? One commentator suggests, “Jesus abolished the distinction between words that must be true and those that must not, between words one is compelled to stand behind and those one must not. He calls instead for ALL speech to be truthful. Jesus changes the conversation from swearing on the name of God (or the bible or anything else) as a practice, because it suggests there are times we shouldn’t speak the truth- and that’s simply not true.

When hell, injustice, and lies intend to destroy us, Jesus offers to give us life. When forces of evil leave us feeling like a hot mess, Jesus gives us a path of hope. And when our mistakes become too much to bear, Jesus is already at work healing whatever separates us from God, from our best selves, and from each other. This is powerful stuff, Jesus! Thanks for changing the conversation from death to life!

Emmy Kegler, a UCC colleague, created a responsive word based in this text, and because I didn’t get it into the bulletin, I’d like to offer it as a final reflection today:

What have you heard was said about insults? We have heard that it was said, “If you so much as call your fellow believer an idiot, you will go to Hell.” But in Christ we say: We speak to each other with respect. We are honest when we have been wounded. We apologize when we have hurt each other. We choose life. We choose love.

What have you heard was said about lust? We have heard that it was said, “If you so much as look at anyone with lust, you will go to Hell.” But in Christ we say: We do not treat others as objects. We see them not as something to be consumed, but as fellow beloved children of God. We celebrate the beauty and strength in each other. We choose life. We choose love. What have you heard was said about divorce? We have heard that it was said, “If you divorce for any reason, you have committed adultery.” But in Christ we say: When someone is bound by law in a system of abuse, neglect, and violence, we do not leave them suffering. We proclaim freedom. We recognize the end of a marriage can be the beginning of healing. We choose life. We choose love.

What have you heard was said about swearing? We have heard that it was said, “If you say a single swear word, you have sworn against God.” But in Christ we say: We believe in following through on what we say we’ll do. We say “Yes” when a yes will lead to life. We say “No” when a no can be said in love. We choose life. We choose love. We choose Christ. Amen!