the heart of the matter.

For the last few weeks we have been immersed in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. It is set right at the beginning of Jesus ministry, and is important for the rest of what Matthew offer. In it Jesus offers a theological foundation both for what he has done so far, and what he will say and do for the rest of the gospel. He begins by inviting his disciples to imagine an entirely different world from the one they were looking out on, and from what we experience. A world where the measure of who is deemed important, notable, eminent and influential was not the rich, the powerful, the high born; but the wretched, despised, and the meek. He goes on to say that when we live this we will become salt and light, helping bring in the kingdom of heaven or the long-promised reign of God.

That last line is important. In Matthew Jesus wasn’t doing something new. He was not replacing the old. He was fulfilling the ancient and trustworthy traditions that come from God. That is important when we read Matthew 5: 21-37. These can easily be read as Jesus offering a new law. But he has just said that he has not come to replace, and instead invites us to go beyond the words and literal reading of the law and the prophets and to wrestle with the intention - the heart of the matter. This is what happens when we apply the beatitudes to the law and prophets. We are invited into God’s deepest desire for humanity and how we live with each other and all creation. This is not rule keeping but loving relationships where all thrice. What do you want to say in response?