The
imagery of homes devastated by flood waters is familiar to all people through
the ages. As long as people persist in
building homes by rivers there will be repeated scenes of floods destroying
property. Those of us who live in the
safety of the hill country (who needs flood insurance?) can’t help but wonder,
“Why do the river people keep inviting such misery? Come join us on the mountain and you’ll never
have to fear the floods again.” But the
river people say, “What’s a little clean up every now and then? Our house is still standing. The concrete foundation didn’t crack. Besides, it was about time to renovate the
old homestead anyway.” And therein lies
the difference between Jesus’ day and ours:
we can put houses just about anywhere we want because of the way
foundations are laid. Footings are dug
and concrete is poured to create the necessary foundation for homes built on
the mountain or by the river. Dig deep
enough and massive condos can be built right on the sandy beach, as close to
the water as you want. But in Jesus’
day, you couldn’t put your house anywhere you wanted. Rather, one had to look for a rock upon which
to build the house. And, in lower
Galilee basaltic formations of large boulders—the hazard of farmers (Matt.
13:5)—could be found hiding under the shallow ground, especially up the
mountain. But to build a house on sand
near a wadi (dry-bed creeks that would swell with water during the rainy
season) was shortsighted foolishness. To
ignore the years of wisdom of your neighbors who built their houses on rock
foundations was the height of arrogance.
It was only a matter of time until everyone would see the house on
beachfront property come crashing down (Matt. 7:27).
Situated
on a mountain, Jesus encouraged the crowds to build their lives on his
rock-solid words. No need to look
anywhere else for a foundation. If they
did what he said, choosing to live in the shelter of his words, then no
persecution, no flood, no affliction, no trouble would overwhelm them. Even during the last days, when the earth
groans under the weight of messianic woes unleashed on a troubled world, Jesus
predicted his disciples would weather the storm because they chose to follow
him to the end. It’s no wonder, then,
that the crowds marveled at his teaching and followed him down the mountain
(7:28; 8:1). No one spoke like
this. Even their experts—the
scribes—didn’t speak with such confidence (7:29). Jesus knew what he was talking about: to have a righteousness that exceeds scribes
and Pharisees, to live with the confidence that you are blessed by God because
you follow Jesus, to enter the kingdom of heaven now, to pray for God’s will on
earth as it is in heaven, to look upon all creation with kingdom eyes, to love
your neighbor as yourself, to love even your enemies. This is the only way to live—to enter the
narrow gate leading down a difficult path that ends with great rewards for the
wise. Only a fool would think
otherwise. And, it will take the rest of
the story to see the difference.
The
way of mercy is difficult; it requires humility, forgiveness, and
sacrifice. The way of judgment is easy;
only words are required to condemn others.
And it’s quite apparent that words are not difficult to come by when we
judge others. All you need to do is read
the comment section of any online news story or blog to see the vitriolic spew
of arrogant judges. When we speak our
minds the underbelly of humanity is easily exposed. Snap judgments and knee-jerk reactions to
what others say and do are almost always hateful and abusive. What bothers me is that I see the same
tendency on so-called “Christian” blogs and e-magazines. One should expect kind-hearted, gentle, and
yet pointed dialogue among those of differing opinions in the Christian Blogosphere. Nothing could be further from the truth. At times I can’t tell the difference between
the comment section on a story at cnn.com or christianitytoday.com. Only those who “scream” the loudest, using
unmercifully cruel “zingers,” get noticed.
Ad hominem attacks and arrogant non sequitur abound in the Christian
world of crusaders defending the faith.
The way of judgment is broad and many people find it. It’s enough to make the pure in heart wonder
how anyone could see God on this path of destruction. Indeed, the comment section is no place for
the meek; the humble are wise not to build their house there. Come to think of it, I’ve never read a single
comment beginning with the line, “I could be wrong but . . . .” Judges don’t talk like that.
And
yet, to judge judges for their judgmental words is easy to do. Everyone recognizes the bad fruit, the
destructive words of hypocrites who can’t see the plank in their eye. We who love words and reverence their
power—especially those of us who make a living by using words—should be the
first to recognize the dangerous satisfaction that comes with condemning the
hypocrisy of judges. (The irony is hard
to miss, like when I preach a sermon about how faith that relies upon words is
useless according to James. Shouldn’t it
be the shortest sermon I ever preach, knowing that we’d all rather see a sermon
than hear one?) Jesus knew that too,
which is why he made it clear that offering a sermon on a mountain or merely
hearing a sermon wouldn’t be enough. He
had to come down from the mountain and show us all what mercy looks like, and
he expected his disciples—true prophets—to follow him all the way to the end. Merely repeating what Jesus said is never
enough. To see the red letters animated in
living color (incarnation!), in ourselves and in others, this is the kingdom of
God.
