Blind obedience?

Matt 5:17-19

If you have experience of children of an age who ask a lot of questions I am sure you have resorted to the phrase,

“Because I said so,” in exasperation at needing to get somewhere or do something which is taking a long time. Even the most simple of tasks can turn into a long analysis – this is good, of course, for learning, children need to ask questions.

We know deep down that explaining is better than telling, so there is a certain amount of guilt in just issuing a demand. We know our children will come out better, will deal better with life and its demands if they have had the chance to sift through possibilities and even make some mistakes in their choices.

In fact, exploring and discussing and learning through challenging things is often the best way fro adults to learn, By immersing ourselves in a thing, looking at its different angles and coming to conclusions about evidence presented we make an issue part our ourselves.

So when Jesus comes to the Sermon on the Mount he is clear, you need to enter into this stuffm you need to think about it and wonder what it might mean. The short Gospel reading which we had today is a precursor to a longer passage which covers all sorts of pieces of teaching based around the Torah (the Jewish law). In a sweeping passage Jesus jumps from murder to almsgving, from adultery to prayer, from fasting to swearing oaths. Most of the teachings begin with the phrase – you have heard it said, but I tell you.

This could sound like Jesus is over turning the law which the people have become used to, but, in fact, he is clear in this little introduction that the Torah stays, how the people use it, how they live into it must change.

And this is a lesson for us too. Sometimes people think that being a Christian is about ticking a long list of boxes, they think there are a lot of rules to learn or things to say. Of course, there are boundaries that we believe we are called to live within, but they are boundaries created by community and common living, boundaries created by learning to be more who we are in Christ, boundaries supported, not by a blind legalism but rather by a journey of exploration further and further into the heart of God.

There are days when we, like our children, will be told by god, because I said so. There is a place for simple obedience but then there are the most days, when we are called to ask questions, to explore, to live alongside and to learn and grow as children of God, both free and bound, in Spirit and Word.