Like Jesus’ parable that ends our sermon I would like to begin with two people, two brothers: Clarence and Robert Jordan, who are each building a life. The first was a pastor and founder of an inter-racial farming community in Americus, Georgia as a “demonstration plot” for the kingdom of God and the sermon on the mount. The latter a state Senator and soon-to-be member of the Georgia Supreme Court. Clarence has approached his brother for legal representation against the violence and discrimination that the farm has been experiencing. And after Robert refuses to help Clarence with their legal troubles they begin to have a discussion about what it means to follow Jesus. Robert at one point responds: “I follow Jesus, Clarence, up to a point.” “Could that point by any chance be – the cross?” “That’s right. I follow him to the cross, but not on the cross. I’m not getting myself crucified.” “Then I don’t believe you’re a disciple. You’re an admirer of Jesus," Clarence declares, "but not a disciple of his. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you’re an admirer not a disciple.” “Well now, if everyone who felt like I do did that, we wouldn’t have a church, would we?” “The question,” Clarence asked, “is, do you have a church?” Follower and admirer. That’s what’s set before us today. Church or no church. A building that stands or a building that falls. So as we engage our series on the Sermon on the Mount we must:
Build on the rock.
This series best begins where Jesus ends – with his summation of the entire sermon – his take away. And Jesus is pretty clear with how he wants us to approach what he’s saying. It’s interesting to note that the two people mentioned, “the wise man” and “the foolish man” have more similarities than differences. Both were hearers, perhaps sitting next to each other in the same pew. They read the same Scriptures and sang the same songs. Both were builders, each erecting their own dwelling place. And both faced the same torrential rain and flood and hurricane. But that's where the similarities end. One heard and did - building his house on the rock. One heard and did not - building his house on the sand. The wise man weathered the storm; the fool went down. Which one are you?. And friends, I want to poignantly tell you that I don’t want to be an enabler of fools. Each week I want us to keep each other accountable with two wise questions – What are we being asked to do? How should we live? These are the questions that must be addressed. It is unfortunate that, as Pinchas Lapide has pointed out, “the history of the impact of the Sermon on the Mount can largely be described in terms of an attempt to domesticate everything in it that is shocking, demanding, and uncompromising, and render it harmless.”
It's daunting. Building a house always is. But the only thing more dangerous is to build something that actually won’t last, isn’t up to code, can teeter over.
So don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions, to wrestle with hard words but recognize the difference between honest questions and deceptive weaseling. And remember that the Sermon on the Mount is telling us to behave this way because this is what God is like, this is what Jesus commands, this is what following should be, and this is what “kingdom come” means.
Build on the rock and prepare for a leaky roof.
Faithfulness and not perfection is the goal of this project and as with any DIY build mistakes come. On the one hand, I feel torn by this sermon because it’s hard, dangerous, exacting, provoking, and it’s so easy to want to water it down, to make it “light,” to craft “what-ifs” and historical distance, all in the name of making this sermon more palatable, easier to swallow. I don’t want to do that. A leaky roof is never a good thing. On the other hand, I’ve felt the pain of stifling legalism and spiritual abuse from those who wish to use the Bible and even Jesus’ words without grappling with the nuances of real life and the pain of failure. They wish to jump on the bulldozers and rather than level the dirt plow people over. My own divorce and remarriage, for example, are a challenging reality to bring to this text.
Can I offer you architectural advice for your house-building project? Build on the rock and place “faithfulness” above the doorway but make the largest room “forgiveness.” Don’t ever forget that the sermon itself commands the giving and receiving of forgiveness (to others and yourself), commands the loving of enemies (yourself and others) as a critical part of faithfulness to Jesus’ way. If forgiveness is baked in – then it assumes that failure will occur. That’s not meant to be an easy out – forgiveness is always hard to give and receive. But the sermon on the mount is a way of life that’s worth failing at.
Build on the rock because storms are coming.
Jesus’ comments about how both the foolish and wise experience identical storms might be one of the more healing comments of the sermon on the mount. If the one who faithfully listens and practices experiences storms - then stop thinking that storms are your fault. One of the more natural and tragic elements of spirituality is the belief that when I follow God I will experience good and if I don’t follow God then of course I will experience the bad. Jesus reminds us that that isn’t so. In fact, Jesus, I must remember, lived the sermon on the mount. And look what happened to him. Jesus’ life is a commentary on the sermon, and the sermon is the exemplification of his life. Storms don’t reflect our true beliefs, they reveal them.
Build on the rock but build a duplex.
The sermon is not a list of requirements, but rather a description of the life of a people gathered by and around Jesus. Practically every “you” in this sermon is plural - an “all y’all.” A people together following Jesus forms the context for our ethic. That means that we must build our houses together so let’s be Amish with one another and help build each other’s houses. We can only build these homes together. And we must build plenty of guest rooms for when someone’s home leaks or some plumbing problem emerges. We need to remember that Jesus’ building project is filled with welcome mats, guest rooms, and large dining rooms. We’re about to embark on a duplex building project here at Trinity – sharing food and our stories so that we can better pray together, be salt and light, and follow Jesus. I hope you’ll join us.
So let construction begin and remember Jesus never asked for worshippers or admirers. He did, however, call for builders. So let’s get building.
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