On the Mount: Character

On the Mount: Character

Matthew 5:13-20

Daniel Berrigan, the late Jesuit priest, screenwriter, poet, and activist, once wrote: “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood." That might make a catchy quote on Facebook, but I don't think it lends itself all that well to the kind of flowery graphics needed to make it go viral. It would fit nicely in a tweet, but it likely would lose context and become political over a series of re-tweets.

So, we will just have to go with a sermon to unpack this pithy quote. We are going to do this because it is a good restating of our scripture reading for today, particularly as it points to Christian character. It is our character as Christians, our mental and moral qualities, which should distinguish us from those who are not disciples of Jesus Christ. It is our Christian character which reveals to the world that being a disciple makes a difference in how we live our lives.

There are a lot of people who like to speak about character, and most of them fall into what seems to be one of two camps. There is actually just the one camp, which I will make clear in just a moment.

The first camp, available in several versions, is “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” The emphasis in this camp is that when there is no one else to hold you accountable, when it is just you making decisions which can't be traced back to you, it is then you reveal who you truly are. In those times when you can neither be punished nor rewarded because no one knows it was you, when your public reputation will stay the same no matter which choice you make, it is then your character is revealed.

“If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood."

The second camp, available in several versions, is “Character is who you are when everyone is looking.” The emphasis in this camp is that when it is time to stand up and be counted, for good or for ill, your character is revealed by the choices you make. Do you make the “right choice”, whether the “right choice” is the popular choice, the party’s choice, or the people's choice? Or do you, when it seems right to you, make what others may consider to be the “wrong choice,” whether it against the popular choice, the party’s choice, or the people's choice? The choices we make when all eyes are on us, and when we will be held accountable to others for our choices, reveal our true character.

I said that these were really just one camp, and not two. It is an old speaking trick, in order to get people to listen to something they think they already know, to turn things around or upside down, so you can get them to listen to your original point again. And that is what is happening here. Whether we are evaluated when someone is looking or not, we reveal our character by the choices we make.

If the choices we make depend on no one watching us or holding us accountable, then our character is flawed. If the choices we make depend on every one watching us and holding us accountable, then our character is flawed. If our choices can change that easily, then we are not acting out of a Christian character – it is not the character of Christ.

“If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood."

John Wesley, to the surprise of no one here, wrote a pamphlet titled, “The Character of a Methodist.” At least, it shouldn't be a surprise because my summary of that pamphlet has been posted on our church website for almost 6 years now. Because of that, there is no need for me to read it to you this morning. Instead, I just need to remind you that Wesley wrote it because there were many people in his day who thought the Methodists were people of questionable character.After all, they were concernedfor the lower classes, preached in the fields, heldhome meetings which required a ticket to attend. They sang new hymns written by one of the ring leaders – obviously written in an attempt to brainwash the uneducated masses.

I hate to admit it, but while writing the pamphlet may have been necessary to assure those in power that the Methodists were not a threat or a cult, John Wesley way overshot the actual character of a Methodist. You would have to be perfect to measure up to all he claimed for us. In truth, the only person who could ever measure up to the character sketch he wrote was Jesus; but then, that was kind of the point. All we want to do, all we hope to be, as Methodists and as Christians, is to be like Jesus Christ. It is by the life of Jesus Christ that we define and determine “good character.”

If prevenient grace is revealed by depending on God, and sanctifying grace is revealed by having confidence in the Holy Spirit, then justifying grace, the grace that forgives our sin and saves us for life in the kingdom of God, is revealed by conforming our lives to Christ. The evidence of our justification before God, the evidence of our salvation, the evidence that we are in truth and practice saved, is, as Paul said to the church in Galatia, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Or, in other words, “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood."

There are a lot of programs which promise to build character. Playing sports builds character. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts build character. Military service builds character. What these programs all have in common is that they offer opportunities, consequences, and outcomes, which together can work to build character. These programs can turn lives around and make good teammates, good neighbors, and good citizens.

The difference between these kinds of good character and the character of a Christian is that the formation of character for the Christian is not the end result. It is not enough to be good teammates, good neighbors, or good citizens, as necessary and as important as those things are. To be a functioning society, we need good teammates, good neighbors, and good citizens. The kingdom of God, however, needs us to have the quality of character which reveals the perfect love of Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character.” To this point, the formation of character is the same as the other programs. But Paul didn’t stop there. He continued,“and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Or, to put thisin other words, “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood."

When I was a district youth coordinator, many years ago, one of the teaching devices we used with local churches and at district retreats was to invite the youth to put themselves in the scripture. For example, we would read together I Corinthians 13:4-7. But instead of saying the word “love,” we would ask the youth to substitute in their own name. It would then read like this: Nick is patient; Nick is kind; Nick is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Nick does not insist on his own way. Nick is not irritable or resentful. Nick does not rejoice in wrong-doing, but rejoices in the truth. Nick bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

We would then put the youth into small groups and reflect on what they had just said. Were they patient all the time – and if not, when did they struggle with being patient? Were they kind all the time – and if not, to whom did they have trouble being kind? Were they ever envious or boastful or arrogant or rude? If so, when were they most tempted to be envious or boastful or arrogant or rude?

It was a way for them to consider the development of their character, the growth of their discipleship, and how much all of us still need to grow to go on to perfection in love. These were already pretty good kids – many of them were playing sports, were active in Scouting, and all of them were active in their youth groups. They were really good kids, but they were not yet perfect in love.

Until we are perfect in love, individually and as a community, we are still forming our character. We still need grace. We still need forgiveness. We still need mercy. We still need to work for justice. And most importantly, we still need Jesus. Because, “if you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood."

Jesus said that we who follow him are the salt of the earth. But if, like salt which has lost its saltiness, our character can no longer be trusted, if it no longer reveals Jesus to the world he came to save, then we are no longer good for sharing the hope of God's kingdom and grace with others. Our character is important, and must be constant, if we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that we who follow him are the light of the world. But if, like a light that is put under a bushel, your character is not chasing away the shadows of sin and darkness, then others will not be able to see what God's goodness looks like in life. The character of a Christian is not on display for its own sake, but in order to bring glory to God. This means we don't shine the light on ourselves. This means we don’t shine the light only when it is convenient. This means we don’t shine the light only when it is advantageous to us personally. Our character is important, and must be constant, if we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

We are to let the light of God’s glory shine through us all the time, or our witness will be doubted. Another way Jesus said this is found in a proverb included in Luke’s gospel: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.”

Jesus emphasized how important our character is by telling us that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. We remember that the righteousness of the Pharisees was based in keeping the law of Moses, and the laws they based on the law of Moses to make sure they kept the law of Moses. As much as it was humanly possible, they kept the law. As much as it was humanly possible, the Pharisees were of the highest character. There was nothing wrong with them doing any of that. It just wasn't enough to save them from their sins.

Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, but to form our character. Following the law was not their challenge when it comes to character. The challenge was that it ended with the law because their character did not also include hope.

This is why Jesus made the point that keeping the law is not the same thing as fulfilling the law. The law is fulfilled when we go beyond trusting in our character to trusting in our hope for life in the kingdom of God. The law is fulfilled when, as Jesus summarized the law, we love God and we love our neighbors as Christ has loved us.

There are a lot of people who claim to be acting out of their Christian character when they lift up the laws of God to support their political and religious positions. These positions may be conservative or liberal. They may be progressive or traditional. These positions can even be in direct opposition of each other. And because of these character fights, the church looks more like the world than the kingdom of God.

I think we get into these fights because we forget the test included in the Book of Proverbs. The test is found at Proverbs 16:7 – “When a person's ways please the Lord, they make even their enemies to be at peace with them.” Too often, we are more interested in crucifying our enemies than in redeeming them. We are more interested in making them look good on wood, than on looking good on wood ourselves.

Jesus didn’t “look good on wood” because he rubbed salt into the wounds of those who were hurting, but because he saved those who were hurting. Jesus didn’t “look good on wood” because he identified the darkness of sin and death, but because he shined the light of God’s love into the darkness. Jesus didn't “look good on wood” because he fought with injustice and evil, but because the injustice and evil could not defeat him. Jesus didn’t “look good on wood” because he was nailed to the cross, but because by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, which pleases the Lord.

Jesus looked good on wood because the character of Jesus never wavered, it never failed, it never changed. Jesus, as Paul pointed out to the church at Philippi, “being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – evendeath on a cross!”

To paraphrase Wesley, in order for us to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, we are called to be Christians, not in name only, but in heart and in life. We are to be inwardly and outwardly conformed to the will of God, as revealed in the written word. Weare to think, speak, and love according to the method laid down in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Our souls are to be renewed after the image of God, in righteousness and in all true holiness. And then having the mind that was in Christ, we are called to walk as Christ also walked.

This is what Christian character looks like. This is how we can “look good on wood.” This is how we, as the Body of Christ, bring the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

FWS 2190 “Bring Forth the Kingdom”