Letting Go of a Good Thing

Six times in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” It’s important to note that he’s not saying that the former things were bad. For example, one of those six quotes is “You have heard it said, ‘Do not commit adultery’ but I say to you…” Jesus clearly wasn’t saying that the Ten Commandments were wrong!

When he says, “You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you…” (Matthew 5:38) he ends up giving one of his most famous messages: “Love your enemies.” This teaching about loving enemies is the way of Jesus. But this way of Jesus does not deny that, for one, ‘an eye for an eye’ was a radical improvement over how most ancient cultures handled retribution and, for two, ‘an eye for an eye’ is still an incredibly helpful teaching and the basis for most good modern jurisprudence. So let’s remember that Jesus is not erasing what was taught.

One thing that Jesus is pointing out is that there are times in our spiritual journey when holding to the old way - though it was good - is not what we’re called to. That even includes attending church. Sunday church attendance is not the default good for all Christians. Sometimes it’s helpful when our orbit takes us away from regular Sunday attendance. Yes, you heard that here.

Jeff Wu did a remarkable job on Sunday sharing how his orbit has taken him away from Sunday church attendance and yet how his spiritual life has grown and grown. This is not always the case, but for many of us who have religious trauma in our backgrounds, experiencing a season (even a loooong season) of not attending church can be essential in our healing and reconnection with God.