Matthew 5:20-26

Today’s passage is from the Sermon on the Mount, following the Matthew version of the Beatitudes.  The Greek word in the first sentence, δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosýne), here translated as "righteousness", more typically means what we would call "justice", "fairness", or "equity".  In general terms, Jesus is saying that how you treat your fellow humans is more important than rule-following or thinking well of yourself if you want to be considered blessed.

Thus being angry or, more particularly, expressing that anger by harassing or badmouthing others is in Jesus' eyes, a crime tantamount to murder (which is likewise a crime of passion).  Or if you have wronged another (they "have something against you"), unless you make it right, you should not be permitted to do your temple duty of sacrifice.  More seriously, if that wrong is serious enough to involve the judicial system, "making it right" before you face the judge is all the more a necessity, lest you find yourself in jail and physically forced by the system to "make it right".

These temporal examples show a concrete illustration of the relevant part of the Beatitudes describing the Kingdom of Heaven:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (δικαιοσύνη again), for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

So if we are to be good Christians, we need to deal justly, fairly, and equitably with those closest to us — people we meet with on a daily basis in our circle of family and acquaintances.  But clearly Jesus doesn't expect this obligation of justice to be clearly local:  As he indicates later in this same chapter, there is no reward for loving only those who love you. 

What, then, ought we to do to "make it right" for people outside our individual circles?  While no one of us can solve all the problems of the world, each of us can work on doing what we can to promote justice, mercy, and equity.  You can't be expected to do more than you can, but you should do what you actually can.  Whether it be foregoing a Starbucks coffee one day a week to donate the cost to your local food pantry, or volunteering to help in an ESL class, or spending a night a chaperone in a Code Blue shelter, or marching in protest in favor of good government, there are a world of options available to any of us to make the world a better place.  Doing nothing is not one of Jesus' options.

Anger at the iniquity of the world, on the other hand, is not a sin.  Feeling such anger is the beginning of hope that the world could be a better place.  A quotation attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo reads:

“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.”

To take steps to realize that hope is to exercise righteousness (δικαιοσύνη).  In a world filled with injustice, in this season of Lent each of us ought to do what we can to improve that world.  And doing what we can will be enough.  If it takes anger and courage to take the first steps, then there can be room for hope.

Meditation by Canon Paul Ambos, Esq.
Chancellor of the Diocese
Diocese of New Jersey