Matthew 5:21–37

You are forgiven; you are a child of God; you are joined to Christ by Baptism; you are God's holy people, a chosen race, ad royal priesthood. Your life should reflect who you are. But how can you do that? Only Christ can conform your life to his. The Holy Spirit, working in Holy Communion strengthens the bond between you and Jesus; he works to conform your life to the life of Jesus.

²¹"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' ²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. ²⁶Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. ²⁷"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. ³¹"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' ³²But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ³³"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' ³⁴But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

Make no mistake about it: God's commandments are still in effect. Our Old Testament reading states clearly, "If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments...then you shall live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you..." "But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear,...you shall surely perish."

God was not speaking to non-believers here. He was not telling non-Christians to repent and believe in him. He was talking to his people. To believers. To his children. He promises his blessing on those who obey his commandments and pronounces his curse on those who take them lightly and disregard them.

This seems to be a problem for many of us today. We seem to have a cavalier attitude toward God's laws and commandments. We take them for granted. Perhaps the fault lies with pastors who have given the impression that God's laws don't matter anymore because we are forgiven. After all, we are saved by faith, not by works. That's most certainly true. We are saved not by works, but by faith. However, Satan is a good deceiver. He twists the truth and tells us, "You're saved by faith, therefore you don't have to do good works."

This was a problem even in the time of Martin Luther. People were using the gospel as a license to sin and as a "get out of jail free card." It got to the point that the Lutheran Confessions had to include an entire article in the Formula of Concord on Good Works. It states, "We believe, teach and confess that all people, but especially those who are born again and renewed by the Holy Spirit, are obligated to do good works," (FC Ep IV). Also, it is "not to be understood as though they were an option for the regenerate person to do or not to do good...as though a person can still retain faith if he intentionally perseveres in sins." "We believe, teach, and confess also that works do not maintain faith and salvation in us, God's Spirit alone does this, through faith, [but] good works are evidences of his presence and indwelling." As the Apostle James states: "Faith without works is dead."

Therefore, you are not saved by good works, but, you are God's saved people, for whom he suffered and died and rose again. You are Baptized children of God, made one with Christ by Baptism into his death and resurrection. You are God's chosen race, you are a royal priesthood, you are a holy nation, you are a people for his own possession, therefore, how much more you ought to obey his commands; to conform you life to Christ's life. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. Whoever is joined with the Lord is one with him, just as a man and woman joined in marriage are made one flesh from two. So also, in the spiritual union of Christ and the soul there is one made from two. Where there is truly one spirit, there is truly the same will. Where there is the same will, there are the same actions. Whoever then does not conform his life to Christ's is proven to be neither joined to the Lord nor to have the Spirit of Christ.

This is the point Jesus is making in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is here reciting a list of God's commands, such as "thou shalt not kill," "thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," and he makes them even more strict for his disciples; believers. Here he tells us that they don't just apply to our outward actions, but to the inward attitudes of our heart, our desires, our thoughts.

Being saved by faith, not by works, means that obeying God's laws does not save us. It does not get us into heaven. But it doesn't mean he has stopped enforcing his laws. Jesus said, "I have not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them." And, he says, "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus saved you by his death on the cross. Now, he says, "If you love me, keep my commands." And "by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (I John 2)

In our text this morning, Jesus points to reconciliation: He tells us, "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

The life of the believer is marked by forgiveness of others. "First be reconciled to your brother." What is reconciliation? It is when two enemies become friends. It is when two people who are hostile to each other, lay down their axes, forgive each other and make peace. Forgiveness is the only basis for reconciliation. In forgiveness the sin or the offense does not go away, rather it is overlooked. It is when you say, "You have sinned against me, but I refuse to take that sin into account. I refuse to let it get in the way of our friendship. I refuse to hold it against you."

That is what Jesus is all about. You are by nature enemies of God. But, on account Christ's death on the cross, God has forgiven your sins. God put aside his anger and wrath against you. When you were baptized, God said to you, "I refuse to hold your sins against you. I will not charge you with them. I will not take them into account on the day of judgment." That is God's irrevocable promise to you that he made at Baptism.

Reconciliation is what Christ is all about. He reconciled you to God. But have you reconciled with your brother? Do you harbor resentments in your heart? Are there brothers in Christ that you will not even talk to because of what they said or did in the past? We have been poor followers of Christ. We are not the good Christians we think we are. But we have Christ for ourselves. In spite of what we deserve, he has reconciled us to his Father. He made up for your shortfall. He is the only one who can conform your lives to his.

That is why he says, "before you come to the altar, go, be reconciled to your brother." Do not come to the altar of the Lord without first forgiving your brother and being reconciled to him. Otherwise you profane the body and blood in Holy Communion and the Sacrament becomes harmful to you. First, go to your brother who has offended you and give him your forgiveness. That is why just before we take communion, we speak the blessing of peace to one another. Peace with God is forgiveness. That is there in the Divine Service so that you can go to your brother or sister who has something against you and forgive each other. For only then can you receive the body and blood of Jesus to your benefit.

Jesus is the one who paid for the offenses others have done to you. He is the one who has paid for the offenses you have done to others. Jesus died for the sins of others; he already suffered their cruelty and offenses they did against you; /////// Jesus has suffered in your place. Jesus has paid for your brother's sins and offenses. Justice has been done. God has punished your brother's sin, therefore, who are you to continue to bear a grudge?

"God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." Because Jesus has reconciled you to God, you are now free to forgive your brother who has offended you. You are the church of God, elect and glorious. Holy nation, chosen race. Called as God's own special people, royal priests and heirs of grace. God has called you out of darkness into his light. Once you were an alien people, strangers to God's heart of love. But he brought you home in mercy. Let his love flow out to others, that they too may know his welcome. Church of God, elect and holy, be the people he intends. Strong in faith and swift to answer each command your master sends. Royal priests, fulfill your calling through your sacrifice and prayer. Give your lives in joyful service, sing his praise, his love declare.

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come...

Christ has reconciled you to God. It is his will that you reconcile with one another. Christ is the one who works conformity to his will in your lives. The Spirit does this through the means of grace. Baptism unites you to Christ, you are one with him, you share the same Spirit with Christ. Holy Communion renews and strengthens that oneness with Christ. Holy Communion holds you in that oneness with Christ. The Spirit of God keeps you in faith and continues to dwell in you through Holy Communion.

Reconciled by the death of Jesus, you become brothers of Christ in Baptism. You are one with Christ. Christ shares his life and his blessings with you. His Spirit will conform your lives to his will. Since he was merciful, you shall receive mercy.

Therefore, as he was merciful and forgave those who sinned against him, so shall you be merciful and forgive those who sin against you.

Good Jesus, conform our lives to you in this age, that we may be more fully conformed to you in the age to come. Amen.