Ray Arnal, a great soldier at our corps in Swift Current, years ago was working up north somewhere. They were clearing a forest and they noticed a bear cub in one of the trees. Ray thought that it would be a good idea to capture the bear cub and bring it home to Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan. So Ray and a group of others fell the tree and collected the bear cub up in a big tarp. Ray then emptied his duffel bag put this bear cub in there for the trip home. They flew into Calgary without incident where Ray then went to board the bus home with his luggage. It is at some point here – I am not sure whether Ray and his new friend actually made it onto the bus or not but they were definitely in the depot and maybe on the bus when the bear decided it is done with the duffel bag and he escaped to see the world. You can imagine the commotion as this bear cub gets out and people are running everywhere – some to get away and some to get the bear - and in the middle of this all is Ray standing there with his now empty duffel bag. They eventually capture the bear cub and bring him to the zoo and if he is alive and well than he is probably still at the Calgary Zoo to this day. This was Ray’s generous, if somewhat unintentional, donation to the Calgary Zoo. Some of the stories I have old stories I have heard have given me a whole new way to think of our good friend Ray.
Jesus was certainly all about encouraging people to look at our world in a whole new way and the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is definitely about seeing the whole world in a new way. The thesis statement of Jesus’ the Sermon on the Mount, I believe, is Matthew 5:17-18:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (TSA doc 1).[1] Everything else in the Sermon on the Mount seems to expound upon this. You will notice in the lead up to the pericope that we are looking at today, Jesus’ teaching on prayer; he speaks about anger, retaliation, and murder. He speaks about marriage, oaths, adultery, and divorce and he speaks about a new way to consider how we interact with all of these in the context of scripture.[2]
We know that God hates divorce. The Law says you shouldn’t commit adultery. Jesus says that as we are citizens of His country, of His kingdom, we don’t need to obey laws prohibiting adultery and divorce because we won’t let things go so far as to even consider adultery or divorce (Matthew 5:21-32). Jesus says that not only will we keep our marriage vows until death do we part but He says a Christian, a citizen of His Kingdom, a follower of Jesus won’t even need to make marriage or any other vows because everything we say we will do, we will do. Jesus says as we serve him every promise we make we will keep. You know the old expression that a person’s word is their bond. In ancient Israel you were not to be released from any vow you made before God for any reason and over the years people tried to erode that value by making laws about what oaths and vows you needed to keep under what circumstances and what ones you didn’t. Jesus is saying here that it is right for you to do everything that you say you are going to do.[3] This is what you will do as you grow into a solid citizen of His kingdom. As your 'yes' is your 'yes' and your 'no' is your 'no' then Jesus says many vices – such as breaking our vows, adultery, divorce and remarriage - aren’t even on the table.
Murder too: the Law says not to murder but Jesus says that is the wrong place to draw the line (Matthew 5:21-26, 38-48). We should allow God to stop our feelings of hatred and revenge before they even get to the point we are tempted to murder or even retaliate against someone. If we never hate anyone, if we never hold a grudge against someone then we don’t need a law to forbid murder; it will never get to that if we always act in love and forgiveness. Does this make sense?
This– and an introduction to alms giving – is the groundwork that Jesus lays in his Sermon on the Mount before He teaches us about prayer. Jesus shows us that forgiveness is central to His Kingdom and it is central to prayer. This context is very important for us to remember as we read the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus continues, as he leads us in his prototype of how to pray, by encouraging us that it doesn’t matter if we say long and eloquent prayers like the self-important people. We don’t need to be the people who can pray fancy prayers in front of a bunch of people.[4] In fact, Jesus says that it is beneficial not to do such things if indeed our goal is to have our prayers answered. Jesus then gives us this example of how to pray. He says,
Give us this Day our daily bread – As this is happening, please continue to feed us daily and - Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us - Again the theme of forgiveness appears in Jesus’ sermon and it is near the culmination of how he teaches us to pray. Jesus says that as we forgive others God will also forgive us. And then Jesus says, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. There are many temptations, of course. Susan spoke to us last week about the devil’s attempts to tempt Jesus is the dessert (Chapter 4). I would think that in the context of this prayer – however- in the context of this Sermon on the Mount, the primary temptation implied here is the temptation to not forgive. Because look at the next verse: this is Jesus’ whole conclusion to His teaching on prayer in this homily. He says, Verse 14, “for if you forgive others their trespasses, if you forgive others their sins, if you forgive people who do evil things to you,” Jesus says, “if you forgive them, your Father in Heaven will forgive you; but…” Verse 15, “But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive you.”
This is central to God’s Kingdom. This is probably the primary way we can identify whether we are a part of God’s Kingdom. And if we think about it, it really makes sense. God doesn’t promise here that He will save us from difficult times. God will save us in difficult times.
Look at Joseph in the Old Testament (Genesis 37-50). I think he is a great example. The Bible says that Joseph loved God and Joseph prospered. Joseph spent the first part of his life as the son of a rich herdsman; Joseph spent a key part of his later life as the right hand man of Pharaoh and governor of all of Egypt BUT that is NOT when the Bible says Joseph prospered. The Bible says that Joseph prospered when he was in slavery and when he was in the dungeon, when he was in prison. This is when Joseph prospered in his relationship with God.[6] The Bible doesn’t say that Joseph prospered when he had money and power. Joseph prospered in his adversity.
King David also: David, when he was rich and powerful he was committing adultery, murder and sowing the seeds of his sons’ future rebellions (2 Samuel). David prospered when he was an innocent young shepherd and when he was a fugitive from the king and the key to David’s prosperity in his relationship with the LORD was forgiveness (1 Samuel).[7] King Saul tried many times to kill David and his friends. David repeatedly refused to take revenge. David refused to harm Saul. Even when he could have killed him as he had Saul in his reach, he instead just cut a piece of Saul’s cloak and held it up for the King to see it as a symbol of peace and forgiveness (1 Samuel 24; cf. 1 Samuel 26).
I think too that we know in our own lives that we are most prosperous when we are forgiving and I think, as we consider our own lives we will notice that indeed we are forgiven more readily when indeed we forgive.
I know that there have been times when I have gotten angry. Even not that long ago I know that there were the actions of one or two people that the enemy tempted my mind to dwell upon; I was harbouring un-forgiveness and it almost put me over the edge. In that time of un-forgiveness, I even woke up in the middle of the night enraged. It was eating me up. Un-forgiveness is a self-inflicted wound and it is only when we stop inflicting that wound upon ourselves that we can truly experience the joys of our salvation in the midst of everything that is in our world today. I promise you that as we do forgive others we will notice God’s forgiveness in our lives just like David did when he was on the run, and just like Joseph did even when he was in prison and in slavery. As we forgive others, in the midst of our enemies, when we most need God’s strength we will notice that indeed He is there providing us the grace and forgiveness we need to get through even the shadow of the valley of death (Psalm 23).
I have one more story for us today from Ray’s brother. Cliff told me of these two neighbours down in his neck of the woods that were feuding. I think it was something to do with driving a bus: the routes they would take, when the children would get on, what would happen on the bus – something like that. It got so bad that I think they even had to maybe change the bus route so that the one neighbour no longer went by the other neighbour’s land.
One day, the daughter of one of these neighbours fell into a bog; no one could see her. She was under for quite a while. They only way she was found was that one of the searchers actually stepped on her. Of course, everyone called for everyone to come and help. The other neighbour appeared. His spouse was a nurse and he told her to do CPR, do something, save this little girls life! The spouse said, “she’s dead; she’s not breathing; there’s no pulse; its too late; she’s dead.” The daughter - she said of their neighbour with whom her husband had been feuding and not forgiving - was dead. Her husband refused to accept that. He implored, cajoled, ordered, begged, commanded, directed, pleaded, insisted that his wife continue to do CPR on the girl while he drives his neighbour’s little girl to the hospital however many miles away it was. She did and you know what? The little girl came back to life. She lived. Do you think that these neighbours ever fought about busses or anything else like that ever again? Do you think that they ever let un-forgiveness rob them of the freedom to love their neighbours again?
This is what the Sermon on the Mount is saying. This is what the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is saying. If we truly want to live in the freedom that comes from serving Christ as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, the only way to do that is to forgive and God promises that indeed as we forgive others, God will forgive us and then whatever else befalls us in our life it will be alright. It will be okay. Let us pray as our Lord has taught us to pray:
[2] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 122
[3] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, Matthew, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 193.
[4] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 137
[5] NT Wright, ‘Matthew for Everyone Part 1Chapters 1-15’ (NT for Everyone: Louisville Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 59.
[6] Captain Michael Ramsay, Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/07/genesis-392a-lord-was-with-joseph-and.html
[7] Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46 – 47: The Battle belongs to the Lord Presented to Swift Current Corps on May 2, 2010 and Nipawin and Tisdale on July 6, 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html
Jesus was certainly all about encouraging people to look at our world in a whole new way and the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is definitely about seeing the whole world in a new way. The thesis statement of Jesus’ the Sermon on the Mount, I believe, is Matthew 5:17-18:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (TSA doc 1).[1] Everything else in the Sermon on the Mount seems to expound upon this. You will notice in the lead up to the pericope that we are looking at today, Jesus’ teaching on prayer; he speaks about anger, retaliation, and murder. He speaks about marriage, oaths, adultery, and divorce and he speaks about a new way to consider how we interact with all of these in the context of scripture.[2]
We know that God hates divorce. The Law says you shouldn’t commit adultery. Jesus says that as we are citizens of His country, of His kingdom, we don’t need to obey laws prohibiting adultery and divorce because we won’t let things go so far as to even consider adultery or divorce (Matthew 5:21-32). Jesus says that not only will we keep our marriage vows until death do we part but He says a Christian, a citizen of His Kingdom, a follower of Jesus won’t even need to make marriage or any other vows because everything we say we will do, we will do. Jesus says as we serve him every promise we make we will keep. You know the old expression that a person’s word is their bond. In ancient Israel you were not to be released from any vow you made before God for any reason and over the years people tried to erode that value by making laws about what oaths and vows you needed to keep under what circumstances and what ones you didn’t. Jesus is saying here that it is right for you to do everything that you say you are going to do.[3] This is what you will do as you grow into a solid citizen of His kingdom. As your 'yes' is your 'yes' and your 'no' is your 'no' then Jesus says many vices – such as breaking our vows, adultery, divorce and remarriage - aren’t even on the table.
Murder too: the Law says not to murder but Jesus says that is the wrong place to draw the line (Matthew 5:21-26, 38-48). We should allow God to stop our feelings of hatred and revenge before they even get to the point we are tempted to murder or even retaliate against someone. If we never hate anyone, if we never hold a grudge against someone then we don’t need a law to forbid murder; it will never get to that if we always act in love and forgiveness. Does this make sense?
This– and an introduction to alms giving – is the groundwork that Jesus lays in his Sermon on the Mount before He teaches us about prayer. Jesus shows us that forgiveness is central to His Kingdom and it is central to prayer. This context is very important for us to remember as we read the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus continues, as he leads us in his prototype of how to pray, by encouraging us that it doesn’t matter if we say long and eloquent prayers like the self-important people. We don’t need to be the people who can pray fancy prayers in front of a bunch of people.[4] In fact, Jesus says that it is beneficial not to do such things if indeed our goal is to have our prayers answered. Jesus then gives us this example of how to pray. He says,
Our Father which art in Heaven – This is acknowledging God, our Father who lives in Heaven. Hallowed be thy Name – Hallowed means holy; God is holy. Thy Kingdom Come – God’s Kingdom of Heaven is coming here.[5] Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven – As God’s Kingdom of Heaven comes here, God’s will (as we read in this whole Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7) will be done here.
Give us this Day our daily bread – As this is happening, please continue to feed us daily and - Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us - Again the theme of forgiveness appears in Jesus’ sermon and it is near the culmination of how he teaches us to pray. Jesus says that as we forgive others God will also forgive us. And then Jesus says, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. There are many temptations, of course. Susan spoke to us last week about the devil’s attempts to tempt Jesus is the dessert (Chapter 4). I would think that in the context of this prayer – however- in the context of this Sermon on the Mount, the primary temptation implied here is the temptation to not forgive. Because look at the next verse: this is Jesus’ whole conclusion to His teaching on prayer in this homily. He says, Verse 14, “for if you forgive others their trespasses, if you forgive others their sins, if you forgive people who do evil things to you,” Jesus says, “if you forgive them, your Father in Heaven will forgive you; but…” Verse 15, “But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive you.”
This is central to God’s Kingdom. This is probably the primary way we can identify whether we are a part of God’s Kingdom. And if we think about it, it really makes sense. God doesn’t promise here that He will save us from difficult times. God will save us in difficult times.
Look at Joseph in the Old Testament (Genesis 37-50). I think he is a great example. The Bible says that Joseph loved God and Joseph prospered. Joseph spent the first part of his life as the son of a rich herdsman; Joseph spent a key part of his later life as the right hand man of Pharaoh and governor of all of Egypt BUT that is NOT when the Bible says Joseph prospered. The Bible says that Joseph prospered when he was in slavery and when he was in the dungeon, when he was in prison. This is when Joseph prospered in his relationship with God.[6] The Bible doesn’t say that Joseph prospered when he had money and power. Joseph prospered in his adversity.
King David also: David, when he was rich and powerful he was committing adultery, murder and sowing the seeds of his sons’ future rebellions (2 Samuel). David prospered when he was an innocent young shepherd and when he was a fugitive from the king and the key to David’s prosperity in his relationship with the LORD was forgiveness (1 Samuel).[7] King Saul tried many times to kill David and his friends. David repeatedly refused to take revenge. David refused to harm Saul. Even when he could have killed him as he had Saul in his reach, he instead just cut a piece of Saul’s cloak and held it up for the King to see it as a symbol of peace and forgiveness (1 Samuel 24; cf. 1 Samuel 26).
I think too that we know in our own lives that we are most prosperous when we are forgiving and I think, as we consider our own lives we will notice that indeed we are forgiven more readily when indeed we forgive.
I know that there have been times when I have gotten angry. Even not that long ago I know that there were the actions of one or two people that the enemy tempted my mind to dwell upon; I was harbouring un-forgiveness and it almost put me over the edge. In that time of un-forgiveness, I even woke up in the middle of the night enraged. It was eating me up. Un-forgiveness is a self-inflicted wound and it is only when we stop inflicting that wound upon ourselves that we can truly experience the joys of our salvation in the midst of everything that is in our world today. I promise you that as we do forgive others we will notice God’s forgiveness in our lives just like David did when he was on the run, and just like Joseph did even when he was in prison and in slavery. As we forgive others, in the midst of our enemies, when we most need God’s strength we will notice that indeed He is there providing us the grace and forgiveness we need to get through even the shadow of the valley of death (Psalm 23).
I have one more story for us today from Ray’s brother. Cliff told me of these two neighbours down in his neck of the woods that were feuding. I think it was something to do with driving a bus: the routes they would take, when the children would get on, what would happen on the bus – something like that. It got so bad that I think they even had to maybe change the bus route so that the one neighbour no longer went by the other neighbour’s land.
One day, the daughter of one of these neighbours fell into a bog; no one could see her. She was under for quite a while. They only way she was found was that one of the searchers actually stepped on her. Of course, everyone called for everyone to come and help. The other neighbour appeared. His spouse was a nurse and he told her to do CPR, do something, save this little girls life! The spouse said, “she’s dead; she’s not breathing; there’s no pulse; its too late; she’s dead.” The daughter - she said of their neighbour with whom her husband had been feuding and not forgiving - was dead. Her husband refused to accept that. He implored, cajoled, ordered, begged, commanded, directed, pleaded, insisted that his wife continue to do CPR on the girl while he drives his neighbour’s little girl to the hospital however many miles away it was. She did and you know what? The little girl came back to life. She lived. Do you think that these neighbours ever fought about busses or anything else like that ever again? Do you think that they ever let un-forgiveness rob them of the freedom to love their neighbours again?
This is what the Sermon on the Mount is saying. This is what the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is saying. If we truly want to live in the freedom that comes from serving Christ as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, the only way to do that is to forgive and God promises that indeed as we forgive others, God will forgive us and then whatever else befalls us in our life it will be alright. It will be okay. Let us pray as our Lord has taught us to pray:
Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil for Thine is the Kingdom the Power, and the Glory forever and ever. Amen
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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 46-50.[2] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 122
[3] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, Matthew, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 193.
[4] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 137
[5] NT Wright, ‘Matthew for Everyone Part 1Chapters 1-15’ (NT for Everyone: Louisville Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 59.
[6] Captain Michael Ramsay, Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/07/genesis-392a-lord-was-with-joseph-and.html
[7] Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46 – 47: The Battle belongs to the Lord Presented to Swift Current Corps on May 2, 2010 and Nipawin and Tisdale on July 6, 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html
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