Turn Away From Sin

Readings: EZ 18:21-28; MT 5:20-26

One of the central themes of Lent – which we specifically hear on Ash Wednesday – is for us to “turn away from sin”. The first reading from Ezekiel repeats a similar theme today.

It is always important for us to remember that the Bible uses “sin” in the singular. The Bible’s authors were concerned about what individuals did, for sure, but they were also always speaking about “social sin” which has more to do with the structures that we live in and the taken-for-granted assumptions about life.

And we see Jesus push back against those assumptions with his famous “You have heard it said…but I say…” statements.  Specifically he says today that, “You have heard it said, ‘you shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment,’ but I say, ‘Whoever is angry with someone will be liable to judgment.’”

Is he saying that it is wrong to get angry? No. He is trying to get underneath the surface and help us to explore the human heart and social relationships. Jesus wants to get to the core of things with people because he knows that most folks will say something like, “Well, I’ve never killed anyone!” and leave it at that (feeling all justified).  

He wants us to go deeper.  He always does.

Perhaps for today, you could ‘look underneath’ a commonly held assumption or belief.  Think about something that is so taken for granted that it might seem ridiculously obvious.

Maybe you’d consider, “Of course we have to fight Putin and defend Ukraine!”

Maybe you think something like, “People need to earn their own way and work hard if they want to get ahead.”

Perhaps you’d reflect on the idea that, “I own my house.”

Or maybe it’s more personal, “Well, Janice was rude so I am not going to speak with her.”

And the list could go on.

Are these sins?  Probably not. But are they connected to social sin? Most likely.

In each case, I’d invite a reflection on what is underneath the assumptions we make about the world.  Whom do the assumptions benefit?  Whom do they exclude?  From what vantage point are we asking the question?  Are there consequences of that statement that I am not aware of and who bears them?  What are the spiritual implications of thinking this way?

This is not an easy process, and often leads us into complicated territory.  But it shows us that even though we may not have “sinned” we are still tied to social sin.  And it is only in seeing our connection to the social sins that we can find a way to start addressing them in our lives.

Which is why we need to slow down, be still, listen deeply and question a lot of what we have been taught or come to believe.