Higher Principles

Sermon for North Hill Adventist Fellowship

Sabbath, October 20, 2012

Understanding the Bible, Part 4 (I think it's part 4.)

Williston, North Dakota, is in the heart of the “oil patch,” (as they call it). It used to be a quiet, rural community, population 10,000. These days about 20 desperate people—mostly men—arrive in Williston daily hoping to find jobs in the oil fields.

If you make reservations weeks ahead of time, you can get a motel room for $100 a night or more. But some of these 20 people arriving daily have little money and no reservations and no job lined up. The temperature can be 20 below zero, and there is no homeless shelter.

There is only one place in town where a desperate man can find a bed for anything like cheap: It's Concordia Lutheran Church. A year ago a man showed up at the church asking for help. Pastor Jay Reinke listened to the man's story: He needed money for gas back to his home in Idaho. And he needed a place to sleep for the night. Pastor Reinke thought, The church is heated. A man can sleep on the floor.

It was a beginning. Since then Concordia has become a sanctuary, a place where desperate men can escape the elements for a night and have a relatively warm place to sleep. They can use the kitchen to prepare food. (I took this from an article in Christianity Today by Ruth Moon, a Ph. D. student in communications at the University of Washington. October 17, 2012.)

Reinke's sanctuary is inspired by Jesus' command to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Reinke is guided by the Bible.

Adventists run a community services center in Tacoma. Why? Because the Bible says the care we give to “the least of these” is care given to Jesus.

Aaron Young's parents' apartment was destroyed in a fire. Some of you provided house hold items. Others provided money.

We provide tuition aid to young people who want to attend Adventist schools or an Adventist summer camp. Why? Because the Bible tells us about Jesus regard for children.

The Bible is the inspiration of a lot of goodness.

On the other hand, sometimes people cite the Bible as inspiration for their badness:

Last week I was flabbergasted to read about Charlie Fuqua. A former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives who is running again. He proposes creating legislation that would allow parent to petition the court to execute their children! If parents are unable to manage one of their children the law would provide a legal procedure they could follow to have their child executed. Fuqua explains that he is simply trying to create a modern application of the words of Deuteronomy 21:18-21.

Another person running for office in Arkansas has written “Nowhere in the Holy Bible have I found a word of condemnation for the operation of slavery, Old or New Testament. If slavery was so bad, why didn’t Jesus, Paul or the prophets say something?” Loy Mauch.

The Bible includes grand poetry and visions, detailed laws and regulations, history, theology, worship rules. How do you figure out what is most important? How do you figure out if something no longer applies?

As Christians we look especially to the example and teachings of Jesus as our guide for interpreting the Bible.

According to the laws in Leviticus 20, the death penalty is the proper punishment for murderers, for mediums and their customers, for people who curse their parents, for people who practice bestiality or homosexuality. The chapter is quite clear that adultery in all its forms is to be punished with the death penalty.

How does Jesus deal with this law?

The religious leaders—staunch conservatives—drag a woman into the presence of Jesus. "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" John 8:3-4.

It's a straight up question. “Moses said . . . What do you say?” Did Jesus agree with Moses? No. He did not.

Some people point out that Moses, unlike the accusers in this story, called for the execution of both adulterers, not just the woman. But Jesus does not go there. Jesus does not suggest that the accusers go get the man so they can have a proper stoning. Jesus first removes the threat of deadly punishment by shaming the accusers into leaving. Then Jesus removes even the condemnation. Then climaxes his interaction with the woman by pointing the woman to a new life.

Jesus does not trivialize adultery. But he deals with adultery by pointing to goodness beyond it instead of focusing on punishment for the failure.

This story is not an isolated occurrence.

Jesus is happily ranks the teachings of the Bible. Some are weightier or more authoritative than others.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus scolds the conservative religious scholars of his day:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (NIV)

The New Living Translation renders that last phrase this way:

"You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

Jesus makes two crucial points: First, some things in Scripture are more important than other things. Not every verse, not every law, is equally important, equally significant. Then second, Jesus tells what the most important things are: justice, mercy and faithfulness.

On occasion, Jesus, using those principles, set aside explicit commands and detailed rules based on those commands.

Matthew 12:1-7. When the conservative religious scholars nailed Jesus for a technical violation of the Sabbath rules, Jesus dismissed their charges, arguing they did not really understand the Bible.

If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice' (Hosea 6:6), you would not have condemned the innocent. Matthew 12:7

The conservative scholars could cite specific passages that supported their condemnation. Jesus didn't argue that those rules were in the Bible. Jesus dismissed the critics because they did not understand. They did not correctly interpret. And the key to their failure to correctly interpret the Bible was their failure to deeply understand mercy.

Is there a simple way to describe the highest principles, the ideals that should be given the highest consideration in interpreting the Bible? Yes.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. NIV

"Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. NLT

"In everything, therefore, *treat people the same way you want *them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. NASB

Matthew 7:12,

The entire Bible can be summarized thus: Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

This applies to slavery. Could you imagine wanting someone to enslave you?

Women's ordination. Would you want to be told that no matter how gifted and faithful you were, your work would always be regarded as second class?

Spanking. Would spanking help you do a better job at work? Would it help you be a better citizen?

Name calling. Even if you were wrong would you want someone to scream at you and call you names?

Love languages in marriage. Would you want your husband or wife to treat you according to their instincts or according to your needs?

The entire law can be summed up in this little command: Do to others what you would have them do to you.

In John 8, Jesus rejects condemnation.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus scolds the Pharisees for failing to make justice, mercy and faith the center of their religion.

In Matthew 12, Jesus explicitly declared that God is not interested in sacrifice—that is strict justice—but cares supremely about mercy.

You put all these passage together and we see Jesus using the Bible as a source of hope, encouragement and guidance for life. He sets aside or softens the concern for punishment, vengeance, and severe rules. The Bible is decidedly not a collection of independent, equally normative bullet points.

As followers of Jesus, we are invited to follow his teaching and example:  Justice is more important than rules. Mercy is more important than justice. Condemnation finds very little place at all.