The Hunger

I was first introduced to Madea while a youth minister in McGregor southwest of Waco. A middle schooler named Malcolm showed up to our Wednesday night Bible study with a copy of several of the stage plays on a single VHS and gave it to me and said I had to watch it. Several of our other students, who generally picked on Malcolm despite our best efforts to stop it, even agreed with him.

I took it home and was surprised. Madea was funny, her life was full of drama, and she was, yes, angry and in control of her world. Yet, ironically, Tyler Perry always weaved a positive tale out of the drama surrounding this angry woman, out of what usually were good intentions and the calmer people surrounding her.

And early in this season of Lent, in which we seek to repent and start over, we start here in our discussion of the seven deadly sins, that list of sins from Christian tradition which were seen as the root of all sins. They are deadly sins, or perhaps more appropriately capital vices, because these are the habits we have formed that lead to the sins that bring harm to the individual or community.

But the ideas of anger, which we have mentioned in relation to Madea, and lust, which we also discuss tonight, bring us great difficulty. Great difficulty comes from what the Bible, especially Jesus, seems to have to say about these things.
Let’s take a look at Matthew 5:21-26.

We read these teachings of Jesus on anger and it seems hopeless. Isn’t it impossible to never be angry. I mean someone takes something from you. You get angry. Someone doesn’t do what they said they would do. You get angry. Someone speaks badly of you. You get angry. Tony Romo throws an interception. As ridiculous as it is, I get especially angry.

These are the sort of things that have been debated among followers of Christ for centuries. Some have said it led to the softening of these teachings to something like what we found in Ephesians: “In your anger, do not sin.” It has led many to embrace the Sermon on the Mount, from which these teachings come, as a difficult teaching that is to be read as that which we cannot practice due to our fallen nature leading us to rely simply on grace to save us even though we may not change.

Now I take the idea of grace very seriously. But I do believe these teachings are to be practiced in recognition of the grace given to us. I just think the problem comes with how we have learned to read these teachings in the 21st century. We have read them much more with a Greco-Roman and modern-day understanding than we have a first century Jewish understanding. I borrow this thinking from David Gushee and Glen Stassen as presented in their book Kingdom Ethics.

The first problem we have is with our English translation. Dealing with anger, it reads “anyone who is angry with his brother or sister is liable to judgment.” This suggests the mere feeling of anger is the sin. In other words, as soon as we feel anger, we failed.

There is a better option when it comes to translation. A more precise translation is “anyone being angry with his brother or sister.”

The result of reading it this way is we no longer are talking about initial feelings which seem to be beyond our control at times. We are now talking about our habits. How we habitually respond to and handle these feelings. Too often we respond due to the cardinal vices or deadly sins that have become our habits. Yet, Jesus is calling us to develop new habits, or virtues, different from those vices which seem to be common sense to the rest of the world. But before delving deeper into these habits, let’s look at another problem in interpreting these passages.

The second problem we have is in reading this the way Greeks would: as a two-part teaching, followed by illustrations.

In this reading, the first part is the traditional teaching:

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.”

The second part is then Jesus’ teaching:

“But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. “

The third part then illustrates not being angry which we would then realize is impossible:

“So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

In this Greco-Roman reading, these are illustrations of what we should do instead of being angry. And that will never happen because we are human, this reading says, so we throw ourselves on forgiveness without much beyond an abstract, inner change.
However, we should read it as a first century Jew would have heard it and with the more accurate translation. We should read this as a three-part teaching, which is how Jewish teachings tended to be crafted, rather than a two-part teaching with illustrations. It’s subtle but vital.

Therefore, the first part still reminds of the traditional teaching. Look at that again.

The second part, then, is not a command of what not to do, but a diagnosis of a destructive condition, habit, or practice. A feeling of anger lingers. This becomes being angry. This becomes name calling. In fact, the word here translated “You Fool!” is actually a curse, similar to the modern day “Go to Hell.”

These angry reactions are divisive. They focus on our needs or wants instead of others. We are offended, cheated, manipulated, exploited and we want revenge. We want to lash out. Our pain is transferred to seeking satisfaction. In winning the battle with the aggressor. And we, seeking to be alpha dogs, make sure everyone knows not to mess with us. Thus, we become more and more isolated from one another to the extent that we see others as less than ourselves and we can then justify their disregard…their humiliation… their suffering at our hands.

We see this on an individual basis. One friend fails another. A group of friends is torn apart. One spouse hurts another. Families are torn apart. Parent-child relationships are strained. The family is strained. Working environments become tense and unbearable. But, hey, we have set ourselves up as god of our world and people know they better not awaken the beast a second time.

We see this on a political level. Radio and TV commentators stir up fear and anger against their opponents. Political ads speak less to issues and more to defaming character. So-and-so will take your liberties. So-and-so is like Hitler or Mao or Marx. So-and-so hates you and loves big corporations. And whoever has the most money to stir up the most anger typically wins. Then, the entire time in office is spent fighting to keep people angry at any who may oppose them and little gets done. The country is divided.

We see this on a global historical level. Europe colonizes the Middle East in the name of Christianity. World War II ravages the region as well as much of the world. Europeans and Americans draw poorly planned borders without any self-determination on the part of the indigenous peoples. They then establish rulers in those countries to serve their purposes and allow the West to control the resources in the region. Poor people in the region are drawn to radical leaders preaching against Europe and America and, looking for somewhere to direct their anger, lash out angrily in terrorism.

The West then reacts in turn with revenge. One president brings shock and awe. Another proclaims we love the rest of the world, but make no mistake. We will be victorious.

And, all this, on every level, considers the other as less than ourselves. It relies on our own strength. A hunger to submit others to ourselves. The common sense of the world makes us our own gods. And the cycle of anger leading to wrathful violence prevails.

The third part, then, should be read as a command to actions to defuse this cycle of lingering anger that leads to a forceful or violent reaction. Look again at that portion of the passage. We are called to no longer use our faith and worship to puff ourselves up when in conflict. We are to be reconciled. We are no longer to seek to have the book thrown at those we have disputes with. We are to be reconciled.

Now the first example of leaving the gift at the altar when someone has something against us suggests the conflict is our fault. But the second is unclear about whether we are the offender or the victim. Whether the accusation is true or false. Yet, either way, we are to seek reconciliation. This new habit we’re called to form sounds ridiculous.

And this brings us to a question we encountered last week: “How can we be merciful to someone who has falsely accused us?” Now I can’t sugar coat. The answer will not be easy. I think the answer is that God calls us to take that risk. To seek reconciliation even when the division isn’t our fault. Even though we may not come out on top. Even though it may make us appear weak. It calls us to look the enemy in the face and love them. To heal divisive habits with acts of love.

Now look at Matthew 5:27-30.

Whoever looks on a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Just what is lust? Is it sexual desire? Merely finding someone attractive? Is it being married or in an exclusive relationship but noticing someone else’s attractiveness? Something starting like this perhaps…

Dealing with lust, our English bibles usually say something like “everyone who looks at a woman with lust.” So here you get the idea that having a strong attraction toward someone who you are not married to is the sin.

So you get the traditional teaching in verse 27.

Then we have part two of Jesus’ teaching in verse 28 along with a more precise English translation which in this case would be “everyone who looks on a woman with the purpose of lusting after her.” The point of this is more than the initial feeling. You have gone past the point of noticing. You are now in the active pursuit of the object of your desire. This pursuit replaces all concern for the effects it can have on those around us, on those who share their lives with us.

This vice is again fueled by self. Either by lack of someone to have a serious love life with in singleness or by frustration in one’s marital love life. It is usually accompanied by the false of equation of sex with love. We begin to feel our current partner is not worth our love. And the ones we pursue are more objects with which to score rather than people to love. We take care of ourselves and solve things in our own might. We embrace the common sense of the world and play god.

This pursuit can be specific. Someone we have met, we found attractive and have something in common with, even if it is as small is that person is hot and we want to be with someone hot. Or it can be more general. We don’t care who it is. We are simply going out on the town and hoping to find someone to go to town with.

So part three of the teaching in verses 29 and 30 is the command to do whatever you can to avoid the temptation. Now Jesus uses hyperbole here to make it even more clear. He is obviously not suggesting we maim ourselves. But he is urging that we take drastic action to allow a subtle notice of someone else’s attractiveness turn into lusting after them. If you experience these feelings, make sure you’re never alone, especially with the object of your desire. Refocus your efforts on those to whom such desire is appropriate. Spend time with them doing those things related with love and not lust. For this, over time, can refuel passion. Don’t look on images which may make you question if the grass isn’t greener on the other side or if there isn’t some far off fantasy you could live which you would start to dream of and desire after and looking for someone else to live that with.

I have suggested tonight that these passages shouldn’t be read in a way to make us feel that we are trapped in our guilt. In fact, they are there to help break the cycles of destructive vices. So let’s consider the hopeful side of these things.

We, when we humble ourselves to the grace of God continuing to call out to us despite our rebellion and open ourselves to God’s spirit, we can start to see our lives changed. Then our families. Then our communities. Then our nations. Then our world.

We will no longer be haunted by lost friendships. By unending family tensions. Our lives will no longer be torn apart by our own arrogance. We can replace increasing isolation and alienation, with growing communities. We will start to see the face of God in others rather than distorted images which lead to mistreatment and hurt.

You and I can reach out to a lost friend or family member today and seek reconciliation. We can risk rejection by refusing to return hate for hate and answer contempt with love. Anger can be directed at a broken relationship rather than the one who broke it and fuel love leading to restoration of the relationship. We can turn away from lusting after anyone and return to love.

All of this becomes a matter of our souls. A matter of that which is within and includes our entire personality. That which was breathed into us by the creator and which, combined with our physical nature, makes us whole. Christians have often talked about the God-shaped hole in our lives, meaning our soul which is filled when we are in relationship with God. But God created us to love one another the way he loves us. Our God-shaped hole is only filled when we love God and one another.

Refusing to forgive and refusing to seek reconciliation or lustfully seeking self-fulfillment to ease our frustrations is us trying to fix the problem in our own strength. It divides us from one another and leaves our soul bare. Insisting on love at all costs, however, is us relying on the strength of God through the Holy Spirit in our lives to transform us and the world around us even if, like Abraham and Moses, it’s not in our lifetimes. It will bring us together and fill our souls like we never imagined.

Anger and lust are habits which place ourselves on a pedestal and alienate from one another. They leave our souls bare. But when we humble ourselves before God and others. When we rediscover how to love. Our souls will be filled. We will rediscover our true human nature.

Friends will be reunited. Broken homes will be rebuilt. Hurting children will find love in their lives. The outcast will become the in-crowd in terms of love. Enemies will become friends.

A church that learns to open up and let the spirit fill its souls will inspire the world. Public policy and practices of private corporations will no longer be driven by self-interest. Nations will no longer desire, or need, their tools of destruction.
We will see God and realize he was always present. He was always the Lord of all. His kingdom was already here. We just had to open our souls to one another. Amen.