Ordinary Time
February 12, 2023
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 5:21-37
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one. –Matthew 5:33-37
I have been called to jury duty twice. The first time I was never selected to serve and spent most of my time reading books or visiting with other people who had been summoned by not called. That was a long time ago; the process has been streamlined. In my second experience, shortly after checking in, I was assigned to a civil trial. I do not remember the details, but I wondered why it even came to court. The issues of concern seemed very clear. We, twelve jurors, listened to both sides present their cases, got the instructions on how we were to proceed, and withdrew to the jury room. The first order of busy was to poll the jury to see where we stood on the contested issue. All twelve jurors agreed on how the case should be handled. I do not know how often that happens, but the required paperwork was completed, and we returned to the courtroom. The verdict was read, and the judge thanked us for our service, ending my second jury duty involvement. It took me more time to drive back and forth to the courthouse than to serve on the jury.
The truth is rarely the cause of conflict; agreeing on what is true gets complicated. I love that God gave us a plumbline on which to discern what is true, what is of God, and what is not.
‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ’(Matthew 22:36-40)
If something is not of love, it is not of God, no matter how hard we try to twist and turn events to fit our definition of what is right.
Jesus, quite intentionally, I think, gives us examples of how we try so hard to get around those commandments. The Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:25-37), for example, and the experience with the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-27). We must consider issues by clearing away the cultural and worldly cobwebs that dim our understanding and apply God’s plumbline of love to discern God’s righteousness enabling us to say with a clean heart “yes” or “no.”
Prayer: Lord, help us remember that the truth will set us free from the controls of the world when we seek it with all our hearts. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.