Gospel: Matthew 5: 20-26
Today's Gospel portion has never been popular among Christians. From the very earliest times to today, there has been constant dissention, dispute, and lack of charity within the church. An endless array of excuses for ignoring this teaching of Jesus: defense of truth, error has no rights, people who are evil deserve no respect. None of these things Jesus ever said, but we find a way to justify ourselves any way we can.
Perhaps the most popular strategy for avoiding this teaching of Jesus is to redefine the term 'brother'. We come to define it in the narrowest terms possible to include only those who agree with me about absolutely everything, making ourselves the criterion and measuring stick of all truth, the standard of all orthodoxy and piety. The teaching becomes much easier to bear when it only includes you...
But if we are to take the creation story seriously, then everyone is our brother and sister, for we all have a common parentage and origin, we all share a common humanity. Every source of division we create Jesus ignores and breaks down. He reaches out to care for all despite our protestations. The love and mercy of God is for all, not just me and my tribe. The day we take that fact to heart is the day our world will change for good.
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