April 2
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
-Matthew 7:24-27
(please read through the passage 3 times using the practice of lectio divina)
Reflection
Christians, even “we have a high view of scriptural authority” Christians, have found ways to ignore the Sermon on the Mount. Many fundamentalists and certain evangelicals subscribe to a dispensational view that sees the Sermon on the Mount as a future ethic to be lived in heaven. Some Catholics have believed that it is an ethic reserved for priests, monks, and nuns. Luther thought that, like the Law of Moses, it was an impossible ideal meant to reveal our sin. Mainline Protestant theologians have described it as a personal ideal, but not a realistic social or political ethic.
How ironic that Jesus goes out of his way to say, I MEAN THIS. IF YOU LIVE THIS WAY YOU ARE BUILDING A FIRM FOUNDATION AGAINST THE STORM.
Part of the problem for us is that we forget that Jesus was addressing a particular people, Israel. Parts of the sermon were meant to address life lived together: creating a culture that values the poor in spirit and the peacemakers, a culture of mercy over retaliation, a culture of faithfulness and truth-telling. Other parts of the sermon address relations with outsiders, things like carrying a soldier’s pack the extra mile or loving one’s enemies.
Because of Western individualism, many of us can hardly imagine creating an alternative culture. Thus, the first task for many of us becomes finding people with whom we can live the way of Jesus.
Action (Pray)
Do you have a crew with whom you can attempt to put these words into action? Pray that you might find people or for the people with whom you already gather.
Pray also that God’s people will lead out in caring for God’s good creation.
