Speaking the Truth

My wife and I were seriously thinking about living and working in Oberlin, Ohio. There was just something so appealing about working at a college that used to be at the center of a utopian experiment. Oberlin was renowned for supporting racial and gender equality in a time when doing so was very unpopular. Such utopianism was for the strange, lunatic fringe.

Being a part of Jesus' audience must have also been a very strange experience. A young carpenter-turned-rabbi begins painting a picture of a community of people who behave in way very unlike what you have been used to so far. This community is truly strange, almost too good to be true. In it, people don't despise each other, don't take advantage of each other, feel safe with one another, and their word is always good.

This week, we examine the fourth so-called "antithesis" in which Jesus tells us that in the family of God, there is no need to be anything but honest with one another. Try to imagine a community like that. It's hard isn't it? This is why I think it must have been so strange to listen to Jesus' words. Few, if any of us are very well acquainted with communities in which people are treated the way that Jesus has described here. So, listening to his words must generate several different kinds of responses. Some must have been skeptical that anything like this community could possibly exist. Some might even be offended at the suggestion. Some might take issue with Jesus seemingly thumbing his nose at established tradition. Others who have been lied to and deeply hurt might find themselves with a deep longing for a community of love like this.

This weekend, we sit at Jesus' feet and hear these words again. Our task as we worship together is to respond. Do we long for a community like this? While we wait for King Jesus to usher in this kingdom, does our longing show? What does it mean to be people of integrity who can be taken at their word? These are not just questions for our personal morality. These are also questions for our church family. What does it mean to be a church that can be taken at its word? Are we just dreaming? Or does Jesus really mean business?

Let's find out.

Jeff Liou
Pastor of College Ministries