The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
February 12, 2017
Ascension Lutheran Church
Pastor Angela T. Khabeb
The Radical Root
(Matthew 5:21-30, 33-37)
Today we find ourselves with Jesus’ followers listening to the Sermon on the Mount. This is a
continuation of the Gospel reading from last week. If you remember last week Jesus reminded us that we are
the salt of the earth and the light of the world - illustrating for us what our roles are as Christians. Then Jesus
shares what had to have been at best a puzzling truth to the original hearers. Jesus said, “Do not think that I
have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill…” Jesus’ mind-blowing
message did not stop there. Jesus continued, “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and
Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” WHOA! And this, sisters and brothers, is where we
enter the story this morning.
You know, I learned something new this week that encouraged me to redefine my understanding of who
Jesus is and how Jesus related to the world around him. When I think of Jesus, one of the first words that come
to my mind is “radical.” After all, Jesus constantly challenged the status quo. He repeatedly broadened the
center so that those on the margins of society would be included. He challenged the religious leaders of the day
and caused so much political upheaval that he received the death penalty. I’ve always understood radical to
mean: EXTREME - very different from the usual or traditional, as in favoring extreme changes in existing views,
habits, conditions, or institutions. You know, the kind of person who goes into the temple and starts turning
over tables and chasing out the money changers. The kind of person who would leave paradise and majesty to
come to earth and be one of us. The kind of person who lays down his life for the very ones who want to kill
him. You know – radical!
But this week, I stumbled upon an article that also referred to Jesus as radical. The author explained that
the root word of radical is root or, in Latin, radix. So of course I had to look it up to be sure. Right there. Big
as day in Webster’s dictionary - the root word of radical is root. What? Mind blown. Jesus is rootical! I
LOVE it. Now I don’t know how I missed it all these years especially since Jesus spells it out so clearly, “I did
not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.” I guess I just thought that it meant that Jesus would improve the
law - you know? - make it newer, better, faster, stronger. After all, Jesus repeats, you’ve heard that…but I say
unto you this. All these years I just heard it as innovative, and transformative—something brand new. Now,
please, make no mistake. Jesus’ entire ministry- was revolutionary. But he was revolutionary in ways that
people never expected…in ways I never expected. And I love it. Sisters and brothers, Christianity should not
be comfortable for us. The Gospel should not be like our favorite pair of jeans or a pair of old shoes or a worn
out sweater that we drag out this time of year. We don’t need to have a hold on the Gospel because Jesus does
not belong to us. The Gospel needs to have a hold of us because we belong to Jesus. Otherwise we are just
nominal Christians playing church. We create our own brand of Jesus that suits our needs and pets our egos.
We manipulate Jesus into whatever makes us feel safe, or superior, or righteous.
You see, the life changing power of the Gospel message has the greatest impact on our lives when it is
destabilizing. Whenever we are challenged to redefine or examine who we understand Jesus to be, we grow.
Whenever we challenge what it means to be a Christian in our world today, we grow. My new understanding of
Jesus is Jesus as the Radical Root. In this instance, Jesus is encouraging his followers to abandon business as
usual. Through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turns the accepted societal norms inside-out. Jesus offers a
humbling list. “You have heard it said, ‘Thou shall not kill.’” But I say to you if you hate your brother …or
humiliate your brother you are in subject of judgment. (And let’s be honest, given our political climate these
days this one can be a serious challenge). Jesus also proclaimed, “You have heard it said, ‘thou shall not
commit adultery.’” But I say to you “Whoever looks at a woman and lusts after her has already committed
adultery.” Oh yeah, he went there. But he didn’t stay there. He continued, “Again…you have heard it said, ‘an
eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you if someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other
cheek to him as well.” “You have heard it said, ‘love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you
love your enemy. Bless those that curse you.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Sisters
and brothers, please do not lose sight of the fact that Jesus’ words were earthshattering to the original hearers.
And yet our Savior makes it very clear. He tells the original hearers, “Do not think I’ve come to destroy the
Law but I am the fulfilment of the Law.” Jesus is our Radical Root. And our Radical Root, through the Sermon
on the Mount, calls us to examine ourselves.
I have to admit. Finding the Good News in this passage is a bit challenging. After hearing Jesus’ list, I
feel extremely inadequate. What is the Radical Root asking us to do? How do we respond to our Savior’s
admonition, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven.”? Well, exceed can mean more than. Right? As in, you have exceeded the speed limit.
But exceed can also mean beyond. As in, this experience exceeded my expectations. Generally speaking, the
Pharisees were especially concerned about appearances and right practice. I don’t know about you, but in my
family, my parents’ mantra was always “But what will they say?” Oh, the infamous “they”. Well let me take a
minute and tell you about “they.”
I think I need to take a commercial break for a minute. Please indulge me. I think this will be
particularly important to any teenagers in the house. I sure wish someone had let me know this hard truth when
I was in high school. Listen, there’s no easy way to say it so I’m just going to put it out there. People will talk
about you till the day you die. It’s true. Look. I’m a pastor. So that means I see people at their absolute best
and …what’s the other side of that coin? That’s right. I also see people at their absolute worst. So please
believe me when I tell you that people will stand over your casket at your funeral and still talk about you. Yep.
Under their breath they will mutter insults like - “You know she never could keep a man.” “I told you that was
a toupee.” “That pastel blouse completely washes out her complexion.” “Well, I heard he drank too much.”
“Can you believe she’s wearing hooker red lipstick?” “Just between us, I heard they had to special order an
extra wide coffin.” Oh how I wish it weren’t true. But yes, people will talk about you until the day you die and
then some. So at the end of the day, you do not need to worry a whole lot about what “they say” because the
infamous ‘they’ will always have something to say. So instead of focusing our spiritual energy on how we are
perceived on the outside, Jesus, the Radical Root, invites us to examine our own hearts from the inside- right
here, right now. And yes, this is Good News.
I know I’ve shared with you before about when I was really young like in my early 20s I joined this
crazy group of women led by Pastor Helen King. We all shared an intense desire for ministry to the
'unchurched' and launched several adventurous programs. My favorite ministry was Fire by Night. On
Saturday nights between 12am- 2am we went out on the streets talking to people, praying with people, and
inviting them to worship. It was incredible. I had a fantastic time. I think we did it for three summers. I can’t
really remember. But I do remember one time when we were out there was a man who was listing his top ten
reasons why he will never enter a church again. His number one complaint? “I won’t go to church because the
church is filled with hypocrites.” Without missing a beat, my pastor responded, “Good. You’ll fit right in.”
And oddly enough, sisters and brothers. This is part of our Good News.
There’s no easy way around it. This list that Jesus gives us is more than challenging. All of us fall
short. Even those of us who console ourselves by saying, “Well at least I haven’t broken all of the
commandments….I mean I‘ve never killed anyone.” Today the Radical Root tells us that our anger towards our
neighbor is just as deadly. That can be a tough one. You know, the longer I live, the more I know that on my
best day, on my very best day, my proverbial house is made of glass and too often my hands are filled with
stones. At the end of the day I’m just as hypocritical as the next person. Which is really more Good News
because all of us struggle with living out our baptismal identity in one way or another so when you think about,
we’re in good company. As a matter of fact, if you look to your right or to your left or in front or behind you,
you can believe that that person doesn’t have it together either. That is Good News because even when we
reject God by our actions or inactions, God still seeks after us. Now, for the life of me I cannot figure out why.
But Jesus, the Radical Root chooses to use us as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Yes, Jesus
chooses the likes of you and the likes of me even though we are broken, selfish, and woefully imperfect. Our
baptismal calling is to bring healing and hope to the world. Now, our calling may be daunting, but God’s
promise is sure. Jesus, the Radical Root empowers us for the journey because that same radical root is in you.
That same radical root is in me. That same radical root is in us! Let the church say, AMEN.