Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:21
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
The Sermon on the Mount, Part II: Everybody else. Everybody!
I have to veer away from the title of this week’s lesson for a few moments. I hope to stay focused enough to find my way back, but this is an important passage of Scripture and I don’t want to change the subject… of the text. You see, Jesus makes a turn at verse thirty seven of this “Sermon on the Mount”, Up to this point, He’s spoken to the poor, the meek, the humble, but now turns his attention to the rest of us. He wants to make sure that no one is left out, no one. But in order to accomplish this, He must first make everyone aware of their need for a Savior. What? That’s correct, one of the key components of the Gospel, the ‘Good News’ is that “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”. That’s all of us. Or to state it another way, “There are none righteous, No, not one.” How ‘bout them apples? Do you get it yet? Not one of us is worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter our ‘good’ intentions, no matter our ‘good’ deeds, no matter our ‘good’ station in life. Jesus wanted those within the sound of His voice, Pharisees and Sadducees included that they needed a Savior.
For just a moment, think of the people that you run into on a day to day basis, two types really: those who need answers and those who have it all figured out. Of those two groups, which will be harder to reach? People looking for answers recognize their need. They will listen, most every time you approach them with the Gospel. However, the people that have it all figured out, what about them? Beloved, they are blind and don’t know it, deaf, unable to hear the beckoning of the Lord for the blaring of the horn that they are constantly blowing on their own behalf. And yet, God loves them. He loves them and He’s long suffering, not willing that any should perish.
In order for the Holy Spirit to accomplish His work in the hearts of these who are blinded by their own self righteousness, Jesus had to lay the groundwork correctly. These passages accomplish that. In these twenty some odd verses Jesus throws everyone under the bus. He relegates every one to eternal torment and condemnation. Everyone! It’s OK to shout here, if you know what you’re shouting about. You see Beloved, there’s only one Heaven, not two. There’s not a ‘Heaven’ for the poor, the humble, the meek, the persecuted and a separate ‘Heaven’ for those who have never done anything wrong, who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, who always seem to ‘have it together’, always on top of their game. No, God’s one Heaven is only for the poor, the meek and the humbled. Unless our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the most righteous…!?!? Jesus wants to make sure that everyone is afforded access. He wants everyone to be included, so He has to ensure that everyone understands that they have a need, a need for a Savior.
If I wasn’t impressed before, I’m impressed now. No one likes a big head, a know it all. They tend to gravitate to a rather exclusive club: people like themselves. Yet Jesus in these few short verses extends mercy to the most unmerciful, Grace to graceless. At the same time that He elevates the humble, He humiliates the proud for their eternal benefit if they will only hear. I don’t know about you, but I don’t come away from this passage of Scripture unscathed. Thank God! No, I tumble through these verses with the awareness that if Jesus doesn’t ‘catch’ me here, I’ll tumble right on into eternal torment and shame.
What then? How do I respond to Mercy? By being merciful. How do I respond to God’s humiliation? By remaining humble. “By Grace ye are saved, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.” The gift of God: the most important gift, the principal gift, the greatest gift of all. I must stop here so as not to belabor the point.
That person, who has become aware of his own sinfulness and who understands his need for a Savior (and has accepted Jesus as his Savior), that person is now ready to actively participate in God’s Kingdom. Where to start? Verse twenty three offers direction: Here you come with an offering to God, but God puts His hand up and says, “Wait!” “All of the gold and the silver are mine’s, but not all of the people.” God’s Gospel is the Gospel of reconciliation. Reconciliation of man to God. As a new ambassador in His Kingdom, we can start by living the Gospel of reconciliation. If there is anyone with whom we need be reconciled, now is the time. If there’s anyone that needs to know that you’ve been changed, that person you offended in times past: a family member, a former spouse, a co-worker, a one-time friend needs to see that kind of change. You see, that that was between you might be the very thing that is keeping them from God. The bitterness, the hurt, the feelings of betrayal that they may be holding onto because of what you put them through may be the very thing hardening their heart to the point that they are not receptive to the love of God. Put down your gift and go. It was probably you who was at fault. Admit it and go make it right. I know people that have gone to the death bed of someone they’d wronged to try and make it right. That effort on your part might have eternal consequence. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in Heaven..” Amen.
.wb
Matthew 5:24
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
2 Corinthians 5:18
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Colossians 3:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
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