Eating meat, or still drinking milk?
From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Eating meat, or still drinking milk?: 13th February 2011: am: The Very Revd Frank Nelson
- Psalm 119: 1 - 8
- Sirach 15: 15 - 20
- 1 Corinthians 3: 1 - 9
- Matthew 5: 21 - 37
Among the facts that every Cathedral chorister, even the most junior, is expected to know are the names of the Gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is something of a mantra that every Christian should have in their heads. But do you know why we have four Gospels? Today’s Gospel reading suggests a close link between the Old and the New Testaments. Not everyone sees the need for this connection however, and there are plenty of people who think that we don’t need to read the Old Testament. There are some who would like to get rid of it altogether, claiming that the God they read about there is quite different from the God of love that Jesus knew and talked about.
Long long ago, about 150 AD, a man called Marcion began teaching. He had a tremendous influence all over the world. He taught that the Old Testament God was a terrible, vindictive and cruel god. He particularly did not like what is called the Law. In his view the message of Jesus Christ was about love, whereas the Law seemed to be about rules, and punishment, and revenge. So influential was Marcion that many of the great teachers and bishops of that time were extremely worried. For them, there was an indissoluble link between the Old and the New Testaments. The God of the Old Testament, they said, created the world and everything in it, and loved people so much that he entered into a special relationship with them. The Covenant, as it was called, was based on the Ten Commandments (another thing that every Chorister should know about). The Ten Commandments summarised the Law. It is helpful to use the Hebrew word Torah – which means something a bit different to what we understand by law today. When Jesus came along, he certainly criticized the way the way people interpreted Torah, but he was very clear that he was not doing away with it.
Marcion, however, taught that Torah had nothing to do with Christ’s teaching, and Christ’s love. He was very selective about the writings he used – taking only some parts of Luke’s Gospel, and about ten of St Paul’s letters. As a direct result the leaders in the early church got together to decide which writings really were important, and which were not. Eventually something called the Canon of Scripture emerged. This was, and is, a definitive list of books which make up the Bible – beginning with Genesis in the Old Testament, including the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and running through to the last book of the Bible – Revelation. It is thanks to a man who got it wrong that we have the bible as we know it today.
But let’s go back a bit. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we can sense a certain frustration with the people of Corinth. Instead of being able to give them some really solid meaty teaching, he had to keep feeding them baby food – milk. They were not ready to move on to the more important lessons of Christianity. Every preacher and teacher has that feeling at times – will they never learn? The particular issue that frustrated Paul was the arguing and division within the church. The people were divided into factions – some supported Apollos, others supported Paul; still others said neither Paul nor Apollos is worth arguing over, as long as you are for Christ! Actually, it’s not that different in today’s world. Think of some of the news stories around a certain politician that we have heard this past week. Paul wanted two things of the people of Corinth: that they be united as God’s church, having a common focus and purpose, and that they get on with the more serious learning that lay ahead of them.
What is this common purpose, and what this teaching? There is a clue in the reading from Sirach. In it the people are asked to choose between life and death. You would think that was an easy choice to make. But no, all too often people chose death. In Old Testament language that meant turning away from God and God’s ways, and choosing to follow their own ideas which inevitably led to violence, sadness and, in the end, death. God’s ways, on the other hand, were concerned with caring for each other, doing good, and making sure that the world was a fair place for all to live in.
Last week we had a baptism here. The parents of little Toby were asked whether they turned to Christ – the way, the truth and the life. Yes, they said, we do. Baptism is the formal way in which we choose the life that God offers us. It means a deliberate choice for God – which also means a deliberate choice away from what is not of God. In fact, every time we meet for the Eucharist, as we do today, we are invited to make a choice for God. By coming up to receive Holy Communion at the altar rails we are saying, “Yes God – I choose you.”
What has all this to do with the Gospel reading about murder, adultery, divorce and swearing? All those things appear in the Ten Commandments (can you remember the Hebrew name for them? Torah). Those ten commands, or laws, were very important to the people of Jesus’ day. So important that the teachers and priests spent a lot of time trying to work out exactly what murder, or adultery, or divorce or swearing an oath meant. Rather like a speeding motorist who slows down as soon as she sees a police car or camera, many people then tried to find a way around Torah. What started off as something that offered assistance in living a good, happy, loving and caring life for God and other people, became restrictive, narrow, full of criticism and tell-taling.
Great teacher that he was, Jesus cut through all the bumff that was associated with Torah. “You have heard that it was said ….” he began; “But I say to you…” Jesus taught with an authority that astounded his listeners, and shocked his critics. He didn’t beat around the bush. He told it straight. It’s not just about murder, it’s about hating someone in your heart. It’s not just about the actual act of adultery, it’s what is happening when you are full of lust. It’s not just about divorcing someone you have grown tired of, it’s about the love that stands the test of time – for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, till death do us part. It’s not about simply keeping the half-hearted promise to God, it’s about being honest, and full of integrity. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no!
For Jesus, and for Paul, the Gospel was and is about living Torah to the fullest extent possible; about really being the people of God – who care for each other, for the poor and vulnerable, those who are driven from their homes in war or famine or flood. It means growing in Christ. In another part of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says that his followers should be perfect, complete, as God intended. That’s impossible for us to do and be on our own, so God has given us the Holy Spirit, the vey power of God which overcame death and raised Jesus to life. Paul even made a list of the sort of things he would expect to see in someone filled with Holy Spirit and being fed on the meat of Christian teaching, rather than just the milk. In Galatians chapter 5 he says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That’s not a bad list to get to know and carry around in your head – a sort of mental check-list of your spiritual health.
Poor old Marcion got it wrong when he said the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New were quite different. They are one and the same; and the teaching of Jesus continues to challenge us today in the same way that Torah challenged the people of God long ago.
While you are waiting during Holy Communion today, read through the Gospel passage again. Are you ready to eat meat, or are you still needing milk?
