Matthew 5:28-42

Jesus Unplugged: Surprises about Christ

Sunday April 11, 2010

Rev. Susan Cartmell

The Congregational Church of Needham

                What religion was Jesus? Confirmands, can you answer that one?  Jewish. Were you surprised by that? He was Jew from Palestine. That fact is sometimes hard to remember.

                This month our sermons are all about surprises. Starting with the open tomb Easter is a day of surprises, and it ushers in a season of surprises.  Jesus appears to Mary in the garden on Easter morning but then he continues to make surprise appearances. He shows up when his disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus. He shows up one evening when they are sitting together after dinner. He shows up on the beach when his followers are fishing. Jesus is a man full of surprises.

                He was a holy man, but he enjoyed dinner parties. He was into religion but he broke the religious rules. He was brilliant but he scorned the scholars and chose the poor for friends. A Jewish man, he was not afraid to talk to women.  All his life, Jesus broke the mold.

I recommend the book called Jesus Unplugged  by Bert Gary. Bert was the scholar on our Holy Land trip and he thinks that Jesus is much more surprising than we realize. Bert thinks Christ is edgier and more provocative. He thinks Jesus has been tamed for church audiences. Over the years, he has been domesticated for public consumption.  Sometimes we completely miss Christ's message.  

I chose today's passage today because Jesus gives advice we all know well. We all think we understand what he is saying here.  In February I preached a sermon on the limits of love. Several of you came to me with questions after that sermon.  You asked a great question, "Aren't you supposed to love people unconditionally?  Doesn't  Jesus say to turn the other cheek?"  Let's take a look at Matthew 5.

First, let me start by describing the world in which Jesus lived. Israel was not a strong nation. For centuries they fought to retain this small strip of land on the Mediterranean. Bit by bit, they lost it all. Then in 600 BCE Israel was a vassal state. Too weak to defend themselves they lived under the rule of whoever was holding the region: the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Seleucids, the Greeks, and then the Romans.  A less tenacious people would have assimilated and lost their identity completely. But life in Israel was never easy.

When the Romans annexed Israel they made the people non-citizens and levied heavy taxes. Agricultural taxes on crops were 12.5%. Then tariffs for moving goods across a border or into a port were as high as 25%. You may remember that the night Jesus was born they were traveling to Bethlehem for a census. The governor of Syria has imposed a new census which was supposed to form the basis for a new poll tax.

Sometimes the Jews rebelled. There was an armed revolt after the poll tax around the time Jesus' birth.  But the Romans had soldiers on the streets. Rebellion was futile. A soldier could beat you or force you to work for him. Jewish businesses failed, but there were no bankruptcy laws.

Jesus was born into this culture. His audience was an oppressed people. When he talked the people sitting on the hillsides all knew what it was to live under Roman rule. Much of his advice was subtle and subversive when taken in that context.

What is Christ saying and what does it mean for us?  Let's start with turning the other cheek. Who has heard this one before? Who thinks that they know what it means? Who believes it means to refuse to fight back? Who struggles to be good to people who are mean?

If you were a poor man or a slave,  and your master wanted to strike you on your right cheek he strike you with his right hand. And he would backhand you. It was an insult to be backhanded. A backhanded slap was an insult. Masters could backhand slaves. Romans could backhand Jews. Husbands could backhand wives. Parents could backhand children. The message from the back of the hand was - "Remember your place; you are beneath me."

Jesus is talking to people who know what it is to be backhanded. He tells them if someone backhands you, then turn the other cheek. When you turn your left cheek you get up in your master's face. You make it impossible for him to backhand you with his right hand. He would have to hit you with an open hand or fist - which is a sign of equality. So turning the other cheek is not a sign of further submission. No, it is an affront to his brutality. It challenges the one who is hitting you to strike you as an equal. Jesus tells people to stand up for themselves. Jesus tells people to refuse to be victims. Refuse to be humiliated by your oppressor. Refuse to be defeated. Claim your dignity. Claim your power in hard relationships. Don't protect someone who is hurting you. Force that person to see what they are doing. You don't have to hurt them back but you can be clever about calling them on what they are doing.  

Who saw that coming?  When you turn the other cheek you don't give up.  Surprise !

What about Christ's second piece of advice? When someone takes you coat give them all your clothing. Who has heard this one before? Who thinks that they know what it means? Who assumes that it means we should be generous?  Who thinks it means we need to give the shirt off our backs? Who tries hard to do that because Jesus told us to?

If someone takes your cloak, give them all your clothes. Most of us think this passage means that Jesus wants us to give everything away - even the shirt off our backs. But that is not so. In Jesus' time - as now - the most valuable thing people had was their land. But the poor could lose their land because wealthy landowners would charge high interest rates for loans. It is a time-honored tradition of the rich; today we see it in farm conglomerates in the Middle West, fruit growers in Central America.  In Christ's time people did not have many clothes and a coat or cloak was worth a lot.  So if you lost your land you gave your coat or cloak to the creditor as collateral. Then you had to walk around in your underwear, so everyone could know your economic humiliation. Jesus tells his followers - if someone takes your cloak for collateral, take off all your clothes. Why? Because 2000 it was a scandal to see someone naked. Today we feel humiliated if we are naked, but then the scandal was to lay eyes on someone else without anything on.

Again, Jesus advises - don't be overcome by the unfair economic practices. Be creative. If someone takes your land and your cloak as collateral - push the envelope. Strip in front of him you will humiliate him. It takes presence of mind to stay creative when you meet someone who is bent on taking advantage of you. But Jesus never advises us to give in. He tells us to dig down and protect our interests.

Who saw that coming? When you give someone you garments you don't give in.  Surprise!

Finally what is Jesus saying when he tells his followers to go the second mile? Who has heard this one before? Who thinks that they know what it means? Who believes it means to do more and more for others?    Who prides themselves on following this advice?

In Palestine 2000 years ago a Roman soldier could stop any Israelite and demand that they carry his pack. These packs were heavy, and the Jews hated this practice because it was hard work. Armed Roman soldiers could interrupt your work to make you go with them. And it was a constant reminder of your subjection to Roman rule. The Roman Empire supported the practice but did not allow soldiers to have people carry their packs for more than a mile. While they condoned this sadistic practice, they also put a limit on it.

So Jesus tells his audience, If a Roman soldier forces you to carry his pack for a mile, go the extra mile. Why?  To be nice? No!  To be kinder than kind? No!  Because it messes with the soldier's head. Suddenly he is worried that an officer will come along and see that he has forced you to take the pack too far. Who would believe you volunteered? Suddenly, the soldier is potentially in trouble. If you walk far enough the soldier may have to beg you to stop - a very satisfying outcome to a humiliating exercise.

Who saw that coming? When you go the extra mile, you spit in the eye of your oppressor. Surprise!

Easter reminds us that Jesus is a man of hope. He was full of hope not just at the resurrection but all through his life. He was resilient. He was creative. He had fun with life. He confronted problems with a feisty spirit. He refused to give up. He refused to ever be a victim. He reminds us to cherish our self- esteem. Respect yourself. God does not make doormats. God makes people like you and me - people of inestimable worth. What a nice Surprise!