“Ancient Wisdom”
“Ancient Wisdom”
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, February 12, 2023
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Matthew 5:21-37 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint, Idaho
Andy Kennaly, Pastor
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
Through violence you may murder a murderer but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.
-Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968
Source: Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community?
(The quotes and sources in this sermon are found at http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/epiphany6a.html which is Suzanne Guthrie’s preaching resource website).
Today we read scriptures that get to the same point, and Jesus addresses things like adultery, murder, and divorce, but he uses these topics as tools to talk about the deeper issues, like anger and resentment, power and control, honesty and humility, and the need for disciples to navigate life by making decisions based on God’s purposes of love, wholeness, and peace.
But looking at things, for example anger, as a problem, is problematic. Anger is a normal human emotion, something everybody experiences at some level. To simply say anger is bad and should be avoided misses the point. Instead, anger reminds us that we have responsibility, and before we react to our anger, we’re instead called to self-reflect on why we’re upset.
Anger becomes a tool for self-discovery, that hopefully leads to an even greater compassion as we deal with ourselves, others, and our larger world. Jesus reminds his disciples to act as situations arise, but in the process, to both learn about themselves and discover more about God’s lessons of ancient wisdom.
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk and author, reminds us in the book, Peace Is Every Step, of where anger comes from. He says, “Anger is rooted in our lack of understanding of ourselves and of the causes, deep-seated as well as immediate, that brought about this unpleasant state of affairs. Anger is also rooted in desire, pride, agitation, and suspicion. The primary roots of our anger are in ourselves.”
He also reminds us that because anger is primarily rooted in ourselves, we need to deal with anger, but it’s important to be gentle along with intentional. We need to love ourselves in genuine ways, not in prideful, ego-centric ways that lead to more self-righteous anger. The metaphor he uses is composting, like an organic gardener who looks into her compost bin and does not see the rot and decay as something awful to be avoided, but rather as a necessary part of the process involved in making fertile soil that brings life and beauty. This non-dual vision looks into the compost bin without judging, but simply works with what’s given. Rather than fear or rejection, instead, patience helps nurture something life-giving.
In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul recognizes the need to mature, to deepen faith experience, to grow in Christ. He says, “And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.” When Paul uses the word “Flesh” he’s not talking about body fluids or physical skin. He’s talking about ego, and dualistic thinking that constantly judges and divides from a subject-object reference. People learn to see themselves as the subject, and everything else is object in relation to themselves. This unreflective ego perspective invites the need for control, boundaries, separation, and defensive behavior. That’s why when Paul sees the Corinthians quarreling, jealous, or easily offended, he knows they’re operating out of that small self, the ego-based self, rather than the image-of-God-self they are created to be. He’s reminding them of the need to grow as spiritual people, in Christ.
Through sermons or conversations with people, to help explore spiritual growth and deepening faith, one of the terms I often use is, “Contemplation.” Contemplation is kind of like the compost bin, it takes time to let the raw materials of our lives work together as we learn to set aside our pride, to release ego-centric grasping or clinging to thoughts or attitudes, and take the raw reality of the present moment as it is in all its divine essence. Contemplation invites God to actively change our lives.
This is at the core of today’s scripture readings, including Jesus’ teaching in this section of his Sermon on the Mount as he declares how important it is to focus your heart and all your attention on life in the light of God’s reign. Jesus does this by using extreme examples which are not meant to be taken literally, otherwise the world would be full of people with one hand and one eye. He uses these illustrations to show the importance of what’s in your heart, to raise the awareness of our need to self-reflect, and to encourage his disciples to take responsibility for their faith and actions. No one can do your inner work for you, and it is hard work.
The scriptures we look at this morning are filled with heart language. As disciples who follow Jesus, we can choose to allow God room to work in our lives. This involves transformed hearts and renewed minds.
One of the lectionary passages that we didn’t read is from Sirach 15:15-20. Sirach is a book that’s found in what’s known as the Apocryphal Deutero-Canonical section of the Bible. That’s a weird term, basically it means Protestants use the Old Testament, better referred to as the Hebrew Scriptures, and the New Testament. But Catholics use a few other books as well. The Apocrypha. This is one of those books in the Catholic Bible. Here’s what it says this morning as we look through our hearts at God’s desire to help us grow in faith:
From the book of Sirach: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. God has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given.” It goes on from there, but you can see how it echoes the reading from Deuteronomy where we read the same message. We can choose to be spiritual people who pick life in God by loving God with our whole heart, or we can choose to turn our hearts away. If our heart orientation is toward God, then actions follow that honor God’s commandments; they are a result of love and focus. This result, like a field planted with food, takes time and intention, discipline and practice, inviting God, again and again, to help our mind unite with our heart so our perceptions of reality are clearer to see God’s blessing, peace, and purpose rather than fear, anger, or hate.
Paul calls the Corinthians to grow. Jesus calls the disciples to grow. Ancient wisdom still calls; it’s like a perennial plant that keeps coming back. May we heed the call and choose to become spiritual people. And may God be glorified, now and forever. Amen.