LENTEN
SERIES 4 – 21 March 2004 – Bishop Owen Dowling
Murder, adultery and stealing – these sins seem to pervade
every human society, present and past. It is well to have laws or warnings
against them, though many contemporary people would claim that adultery is only
the concern of the prudish. My own observation is that few marriages survive
serial adultery despite the most “enlightened” attitudes – there does need
to be a basic thrust and determined faithfulness undergirding marriage and
family life. The church believes that God thinks so.
We should beware, however, of a certain smugness in relation
to these three commandments: “You shall do no murder, you shall not commit
adultery, you shall not steal.”
My wife Gloria and I, in our ministry amongst the elderly,
have come across several people who have demurred about saying a confession
before receiving Communion. “But I haven’t sinned” they have said. I think
of one lady who refused communion because she hadn’t sinned – so she had no
need of absolution or sacrament of Christ’s death for the sins of the whole
world, let alone her own. I was not a little impressed by such confident
righteousness, as in my own fallibility I have little difficulty in thinking of
recent or not so recent sins and failings to live up to the law of love in my
own life before saying the confession at the Eucharist. I must admit a little
thought and preparation beforehand helps, and a time of silence as suggested in
the liturgy before rushing into the confession. If I go to private confession,
which I do from time to time, I need to make a list on a piece of paper, which
of course one is careful to destroy afterwards!
I suspect that the confidently righteous lady in question may
have meant that she hadn’t murdered anyone, committed adultery or stolen
anything. I imagine there are quite a number of people in this church who could
say the same.
I’ve got two suggestions for sharpening the conscience in
regard to these three commandments. One is to think of the opposite. I
mightn’t have murdered anyone, but what have I done to protect and preserve
life and health. I mightn’t have committed adultery, but have I built up my
marriage relationship in such a way that my partner wouldn’t want to commit
adultery or me either? Have I looked after the possessions and property
committed to me or wasted their value by abuse and neglect? Have I been generous
in my giving and honest in my tax return? Such questions spring out of these
negative commandments if you think of how a Christian should go to the opposite
extreme in the positive sense.
St Paul speaks of robbers needing to give up stealing when
they turn to Christ, and not just concentrate on not stealing, but to turn to
the positive – to work with their own hands and brain so that they have money
to be able to give to others rather than stealing from them. (see Ephesians
4:28)
I said I had two suggestions for sharpening the conscience.
The first as I say is to try to work out the positive application of the
negative commandment realizing as the old Prayer Book says “we have left
undone those things that we ought to have done”, as well as doing those things
that we ought not to have done. The other is to ponder the words of Jesus about
the murder and adultery commandments in particular.
Here’s what he says according to St Matthew’s Gospel:
(chapter 5 vv4-18)
‘You have heart that it was said of old “You shall not
murder” and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment”. 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 or call them a fool (literally
in the Greek, call them a “moron”) you will be liable to the punishment of
hell fire…… when you worship, first be reconciled to your brother or sister
if they have anything against you, and come quickly to terms with your accuser,
if someone has something against you.
And you have heard it was said, “You shall not commit
adultery”. But I say to you (note the authoritative nature of Jesus’
teaching) – everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her.’
You don’t have to be a gang-raping famous footballer to
fall foul of this commandment! And as 21st century people well know
women can also lust after men in their hearts just as strongly, or men after men
and women after women.
So, on Jesus’ words, the commandment is quite a searching
one. As we think about any of the commandments, we remember the words of
scripture that before God no one or their thoughts and intentions are hidden,
‘but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render
an account’ (Hebrews 4:13). We admit this at the start of every Eucharist in
the Anglican tradition – ‘Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all
desires known, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts…..”
As I conclude this address let me just give a few less
obvious ways in which we might keep the spirit of these three commandments we
have under the microscope today:
Murder: Are you eating a balanced diet and getting the
appropriate amount of exercise? Do you pig out on fatty or sweet foods – you
may be slowing murdering yourself. At the corporate level, is the politician or
party you support concerned sufficiently about the health of the environment or
the health of the community as a whole, including the health of the aboriginal
community?
Adultery: what is your input to your marriage or partner
relationship. Are you testing it out too much by your own selfish behaviour? At
the corporate level, what are we doing as a church or a community to make sure
that pre-marital or adolescent sex education is being attended to, or help given
with parenting and handling difficulties and conflicts in inter-personal
relationships.
Stealing: Is there a fair distribution of money and resources
in my family finances? Are we generous enough in our giving to needy causes?
What about our church giving or our support for the wider work of the church
family? One of the prophets of old asked ‘Are we robbing God?’ – in the
meanness of our tithes and offerings. (see Malachi 3:8-10). And on another tack
altogether, what about robbing people of their dignity or their sense of self
worth? Let’s resolve with God’s grace and the Spirit of Jesus in us to be
those who build up and nourish others rather than being their constantly
nagging critics. Those with sharp minds and sharp tongues have to be especially
careful here!
Lord have mercy on us, and incline our hearts to keep your commandments – in all that they imply.