It’s OK as long as no one gets hurt.  Ever heard that line?  What harm is there in looking?  What harm is there in fantasy?  Nobody gets hurt, right?

When Jesus affirms the prohibition of adultery and then extends the prohibition to wandering eyes  (Matthew 5:27-30), I believe he is chipping away at the “as long as nobody gets hurt” logic.  The reality is that someone always gets hurt.  There is no such thing as “private sin.”   A wandering eye is indicative of a wandering heart.  A wandering heart has set out on a search for something new, something more fulfilling, something more exciting without regard for existing relationships–the epitome of self-centeredness.  The moment I entertain the fantasy, I have done harm to my partner by severing the emotional ties that bind.

I can’t remember the last time I called somebody an idiot or a moron.  My problem is that I’m much more passive aggressive.  I can make people feel stupid by a roll of my eyes or by body language.  My non-verbal communication can be as destructive to relationships as physical violence.  Psychological violence doesn’t heal quickly either.  Jesus’ statements in Matthew 5:21-24 don’t let me off the hook.  I could tell myself that I’m following the letter of Jesus’ words (I’ve never called someone ‘Raca’), but the spirit of Jesus’ words are about destruction of my brother or sister–no matter what form it takes (murder, anger, strong language, non-verbal communication).  The important thing is making (and keeping) good relationships.  And that requires honesty and humility and frequent apologies.

Crowds are powerful.  A crowd can topple a government (Egypt), can push for justice (civil rights), can destroy people’s lives (Reginald Denny).  Today’s Scripture reminds us to “not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (Exodus 23: 2).  First, we have a have a strong sense of what is right and wrong in order to not participate in wrong.  But even when we know what is right and wrong, it takes a great deal of courage and moral fortitude to resist the impulse to go with the flow.  Crowds can quickly turn on those who dare to object.  Refusing to go with the crowd can end up being lonely.

However, one person is also powerful.  Just one person refusing to participate in  wrong can call the crowd the reflection and can be a catalyst for empowering others who are questioning the wrong,  shifting the balance of power.  Think Rosa Parks.

I’m reminded of the song I learned as a child.  Dare to be a Daniel; dare to stand alone. God, give us courage.

My parents were strict observers of the Sabbath.  At the time, I would have called them ‘rigid’, ‘legalistic’, or ‘fanatical.’  We understood very clearly what we could not do on Sunday.  Shopping was definitely out.  So was eating in restaurants.  Work?  Even mowing the lawn was forbidden!  And do not even think about entertainment–even something as innocent as miniature golf was anathama.  At the time, I didn’t understand it much less appreciate it.  And I certainly didn’t raise my kids with the same set of rules.  However, reading the 10 Commandments again today (Deuteronomy 6), I found myself wondering if my parents weren’t on to something.

Though they would not have put it in these terms, my parents were acting in a subversive way in response to the systems of economic greed that forces people to work, work, work.  Though unions (God bless ’em) have negotiated a 40 hour work week, more and more people are working longer and longer hours without increased pay (thanks to ‘salaries’), and are expected to always be plugged in to their work through cell phones, email access, web connection, the ‘Cloud’,  being ‘on call’, etc.  Home is not a place for rest, it is now an extension of the office.  Vacations are not relaxing if we are expected to check our email on a daily basis.  Sabbath rest?  What is that in our culture?  Rest is for the lazy!

Pharaoh’s forced labor was oppressive and violent to the well-being of the Hebrews.  Released from the oppression, God establishes a rhythm of work and rest for everyone–even the animals.  I need Sabbath rest and I also need to ensure that others get it too.  Maybe a return to Blue Laws is unnecessary, but in our culture where the economy of greed is King, maybe it’s time to unplug myself from the system and remember who is really King.  That makes not shopping on Sunday sound pretty subversive.

Fear immediately puts us on the defensive.  We’re suspicious.  We mistrust.  We attempt to put ourselves in an advantageous position.  We marginalize, We malign.  Fear of others always results in violence toward others.  And fear coupled with power makes an explosive cocktail. Pharaoh (Exodus 1:8ff) is afraid–afraid of too many foreigners who may or may not remain loyal to Egypt and afraid of losing his lifestyle and power.   His fear–coupled with his power–results in oppressive public policy–enslavement, harsh working conditions, and ultimately infanticide.  While I don’t have the power to make public policy, I always have an opinion.  What policies do I support? Not support?  And how do my own fears of change and loss inform my opinions?  And who am I willing to violate to make sure I keep what I have?

The planets maintain their orbit around the sun because of the gravitational forces at work.  Without the enormous mass of the sun, we would simply fly off into space in search for some new gravitational center.  And that would result in the destruction of life on the planet.  Life is maintained due to the link of the earth to the sun.  There’s probably a lot more to it than that, but that’s what I remember from 4th grade science.

Romans 1:28-32 suggest that what is true in the physical realm is also true in the spiritual.  Without the gravitational pull of God (the moral center), we fly off in search for a new moral center.   The problem is that no other gravitational spiritual core can provide life.  If we reject God, we reject order, stability and wholeness–peace.  If we reject God, we will become gods for ourselves–doing whatever is right in our own eyes.  If we reject God, we can expect a complete breakdown in our relationships with one another, our relationship with the rest of creation, our relationship to ourselves.  And we all know where that path ultimately leads.

Corruption, violence, evil, wickedness, oppression.  Sounds like a description of Chicago.  It is actually a description of the world of Noah’s day (Genesis 6:5ff).  God’s response?  Regret and a deeply troubled heart; and a decision to hit the reset button.  Makes me wonder what God is feeling toward 21st century conditions of oppression, aggression, political and moral corruption, systemic injustice.  God’s finger IS on the reset button.   Oppression and violence does not have the final word.  God has promised a new creation that will come, not through the annihilation of  humanity by water, but through the transformation of humanity by the water and the blood.  God has said, “I will make all things new.”  And in Christ, the reset button has been pressed.

Lamach (Genesis 4:19-24) is so full of himself.  He’s the first polygamist, taking the idea of male domination to a new level.  Then, he murders a young man, justifying it by the old “he hit me first’ logic.  AND, he makes up a song about it, gloating and thumping his chest about how righteous he is, how valuable his life is and how obligated God is to protect him.  I’d call him a jerk, but name-calling is something I’m supposed to work on during this ‘fast’ from violence.  That, and I have used the ‘he hit me first’ logic when it suits me, so that would make me a jerk too.

There’s the rub: From the moment I return violence for violence, I have become what I condemn.  The only way I can truly justify my action is to believe that my rights, my feelings and my personhood reside at the center of the universe.  And if I recall, THAT is the essence of idolatry.  Bottom line, idolatry leads to all manner of violent acts against others.  Lamach is a reminder that humanity has been spiraling out of control due to being out of right relationship with God.  We need SOMEONE to intervene.  Thank God for Jesus, the One sent to stop the downward spiral and to enable us to live a new ‘life’ ethic.

Initially after reading the account of the murder of innocent Abel by his older brother Cain in Genesis 4, I was thinking about how often I misdirect my anger and hurt those who have little to do with my situation.  Cain was really angry at God for not accepting his offering, but took that anger out on his brother.  But then, WHAM!  All of a sudden, I was looking at how God reacted to Cain.  The popular notion of God is that if you do something wrong, God is going to ‘get you’.  God strikes with lightning bolts or rains down fire and brimstone.  But here is Cain, the perpetrator of a premeditated murder who you would think should ‘get what’s coming to him’ and God is gracious!  He doesn’t get the electric chair.   God announces a curse and sends Cain into exile.  Cain indeed suffers because of his action; but in the end, God actually protects and preserves his life.  God’s law is frequently invoked to support the continuation of the death penalty, but I think God’s response to Cain gives us another option–one that does not require violence in response to violence.

Today’s Scripture (Genesis 3:20) was really thought provoking.  I find it interesting that Adam’s first act after the story of ‘the Fall’ is to name Eve.  It is different from his calling her ‘woman’ prior to ‘the Fall’ (Genesis 2:22-23).  That is a response to God’s gift and is a statement of joy over receiving a complementary partner.  His naming ‘Eve’  relegates his partner to a role (mother) and is an act of power over her (determining her place in relationship to him and the rest of society).  Unfortunately, we have simply accepted male domination/female subservience as God’s will.  I believe it is the exact opposite.  It is an act of violence against his partner.  As a man, this challenges me to think of my wife (and all women) differently.  My wife is much more than ‘mother”.  Women are more than a vagina.  They are created to be equal partners. To make them less than that is to ‘live out the Fall’ and is an act of violence against them.