The old adage don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
implies that you should avoid tossing everything out the window when you are
changing something, because you might just toss out the most important thing of
all. That isn’t exactly what this week’s
scripture and text are suggesting, but it is in the same vein.
In this scripture, which we are only reading a portion of,
(but the entire passage is included on the link), we can see that Jesus
continues his Sermon on the Mount by trying to explain to them what it means to
fulfill the law. He starts out by saying
he doesn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Those who love the letter of the law are
probably thrilled to hear him say he doesn’t want to abolish it, but wonder
what he means exactly, when he says he wants to fulfill it.
In We Make the Road by Walking, McLaren suggests that we are
not supposed to stay “where tradition has brought us so far,” nor are we to
“defy tradition reactively.” We are
instead to try living into the “highest and best intent of tradition.” In other words, get below and under the
surface of what the law is aimed at.
When Jesus says, “You have heard it said…” he follows it up
with a “But I say” pattern throughout the longer portion of this scripture. You
have heard it said an eye for an eye… but I say turn the other cheek.” Don’t repeat a violent action against you
with another violent action of our own.
The core of the non-violent protest movement is mapped out here,
something Martin Luther King, Jr lived by. And died by.
The suggestion here is a strong and difficult one, but so
powerful. Rather than just looking at
the surface of the law that has been established, go deeper and get at the root
of the problem. Work on the root of the
problem and the rest will more likely fall into place.
Living into the perfection of a righteous life. That is what
Jesus calls us to. Not perfect actions on the outside, but perfect intent on
the inside. Living in a way that is more
than just ‘good enough.’ Trying with
every ounce of our being to try to do our very best in every situation. The
overused slogan WWJD seems to fit here, actually. What did Jesus say to do? Dig deeper. Find the
best intent of the law and the tradition and fulfill it.
So, it doesn’t make sense to say that all the traditions of
the past are tossed aside because we have a new and funky way of being
followers of Christ now. That’s just
silly. It’s like throwing your Bible
aside and saying it isn’t relevant anymore.
It also doesn’t make sense to say that ‘this is what the law says, or ‘the
Bible says I should only do this’ and not look deeper into the hows and whys of
a particular law or tradition.
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