Preaching Paths 2.12.23

Sally A. Brown, Elizabeth M. Engle Professor of Preaching Emerita

Princeton Theological Seminary

Jesus speaks in this passage as any rabbi of his day might—as an interpreter of scripture (the Hebrew scriptures). Yet his aim is somewhat different. Rather than discuss particular cases, or applications, of the law, Jesus is interested in intensifying their meaning. Using the repeated antithesis formula, “You have heard it said . . . but I say to you,” Jesus focuses on the inner intention that lies behind action. Matthew’s Jesus raises the bar on integrity!  Practicing the ethic of Jesus means refusing to objectify and  dehumanize any person as a mere prop for the fulfillment of our personal desires and ambitions.

The challenge for the preacher on this occasion is to avoid mere moralism. Rather, preachers might ask themselves, “What vision of human interaction does Jesus envision here? What might it look like for my listeners, in their specific world of experience? What does it look like, here and now, to treat every teenager, every older adult, every neighbor and every stranger with dignity?” 

And what might it look like to practice this ethic even with regard to those we see as adversary or opponent, especially in the political arena?  Surely it means we cannot dismiss those with whom we disagree—even those with whom we most fiercely disagree!—as faceless “others” who represent an ideology we deplore. The provocative 2008 drama, “The Return to Haifa,” comes to mind. An apparently abandoned Palestinian infant is raised by Jewish parents. Then, one day, the Jewish couple and the boy’s true, Palestinian parents meet. To borrow a term from Emmanuel Levinas, each must come to terms with the “face”—the truth, the suffering, and the humanity—of the “other.”