Good morning and welcome to Thursday’s podcast. My name is Alan and together we are taking a look at the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching the hordes of people that have gathered around him what the kingdom life looks like.  Yesterday we discussed ‘anger’ and read about lust and divorce. Today’s passage, chapter 5:33-48 covers the topics of speaking plainly and honestly, compensation, revenge, and the response kingdom people give to those who would do us harm. Remember Jesus isn’t trying to rewrite the Law and the prophets – God’s will revealed to the Israelite people over hundreds of years – he is describing the characteristics of a child of God. It is a transformation of the heart that God wants to fashion in us by enabling us to partner with the Spirit. This shouldn’t make us feel guilty and inadequate… a failure, no! But it may reveal to us that we still have a long way to go.

REFLECTION:

So let’s take a look at another facet of the kingdom lifestyle, Matthew 5:33-34a, 37

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’  But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all…  All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Words and promises! It is easy to read these words and think that we don’t make oaths and vows… that’s reserved for the marriage service and if I’m married, I think I’m doing ok and if I’m not, well it doesn’t really apply to me. Tick! So what’s next Jesus?

But let’s look a little deeper. What would we be trying to do if we were to take an oath or make a vow?

Surely it has something to do with trying to convince the person you are talking to that what you say is true… to persuade… or even… dare I say it… to manipulate the other person.

I remember being at school and someone opening a packet of sweets. “Go on, give me one…” here it comes… “I’ll be your best friend!”

Now everyone knew that was tosh. It was a phrase thrown around to try and get what we wanted. There was going to be no change to the status of our relationship. Little me engaging in the dark arts that Jesus is rooting out here – little lies and half truths said to manipulate others.

Of course I don’t use the same language now. I don’t remember the last time that I used the phrase ‘go on I’ll be your best friend!” but maybe I will dig it out and give it a try with some of the team at church at lunch!

But we still do it! It may be way more sophisticated, we may not as readily recognise it but it is there all the same.

In Brexit negotiations there has been an outcry at the government’s intention to pass a law which would go back on a promise they made to the European parliament… are they guilty of saying what was needed to get their own way, promising something… and then not following through?

I am not passing judgement or trying to be political… because we all do the same thing.

We can keep our thoughts to ourselves because we fear the response, we can say what we think others want to hear. We can use flattery, or adopt a tone of voice… “daaaad…?” “how much do you want?”

We can nag, we can serve others, we can give gifts, we can try and secure our position, we can avoid the elephant in the room… although it’s hard to socially distance when the elephant is taking up so much space!!

Jesus says no!

He says that in our dealing with others we need to engage in plain speaking, truth telling, openness, honesty… no game playing… no politics… no kicking the can down the road.

Let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no.

Tom is our interim leader. He is really good at speaking plainly, addressing what needs to be addressed, exposing elephants that sneak in to meetings.

But there is a new sheriff in town, a new boss. It would be easy to slip into trying to say the right thing, to flatter,