This is one of those weeks when I question my “ordering principle” for Water Daily, to reflect on the following Sunday’s appointed Gospel passage. This week's isn’t much fun. As Jesus continues training his new disciples, he seems to set standards for them more stringent even than the Mosaic Law. He looks at the commandments against murder, adultery, divorce and perjury and ratchets up the penalties for merely being in the vicinity of such sins. Or does he?
Why is Jesus so hard on his new recruits – and by extension, later followers like us? Might it be the old drill sergeant tactic – break down your troops as you prepare to rebuild them stronger? I don’t know if this is what Jesus was up to – but he did know they would face a lot of suspicion and adversity. They needed to be focused and strong. So do we, facing indifference and complacency.
Or is Jesus pruning? At the end of his time with these disciples, Jesus will say, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2) The teaching Jesus gives here, harsh as it sounds, reflects the priorities of that Master Gardener who desires that we bear good fruit.
Jesus is also driving home a point he has already made – that the ways of this world and the ways of God’s Kingdom, or God-Life, are not the same. Those who would be Christ-followers need to learn how God thinks and what God requires. Remember what Jesus said just before this: “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
When Jesus talks about entering the “Kingdom of heaven,” he is not talking about heaven as a place we go when we die. He is talking about the God-Reality that is already around us, here and now, which he came to demonstrate and open a door into. That is what Jesus was about. He’s not being punitive here; he is simply stating truth: Those who would learn to dwell in God-Life need to be able to perceive things the way God does. His followers need to go beyond the behavior the Law demands, to reflect a heart yielded to God.
What Jesus is offering is discipline, as a trainer or a coach does. The question for us is, Do we want to be disciples, those who take on a discipline? Do we want to be trained? Do we want to bear fruit?
Here’s my prayer suggestion for today, before we launch into Jesus’ tough teaching: Let’s get in touch with the love of God that has us reading this reflection on a Monday morning in the first place. Get centered as best you can, and invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with love, to surround you with love. Ease into it, as you would into a hot bath. Let it fill your heart, whatever that feels like or looks like. Say thank you for every reminder of God’s love you can think of. And, if you’re willing, say you’re open to being trained.
Whatever else Jesus is up to, he is also reflecting God’s love, the way a loving parent might speak harshly to keep a child from traffic or a hot stove. We are God’s children, in every sense. Jesus loves us enough to want to see us thrive.
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