Alien Beings and Lives
17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire. 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:17-26 (CSB)
The much-anticipated official Pentagon report on UFOs came out a couple of weeks ago. The report calls them Unidentified Aerial Phenomena instead of Unidentified Flying Objects. Apparently there have been 144 sightings since 2004. There’s nothing too exciting about the report. They make no conclusions. And there is no mention of extra-terrestrial life or aliens, as we like to call them. This is a subject that has interested millions, and will continue to do so for years to come.
The Bible talks about aliens. It even uses the word. But it does so in the sense of foreigners living in a foreign and strange land where the religion, beliefs, and lifestyles are significantly different. It is similar to how the term is used today politically when we talk about legal and illegal aliens.
But the Bible talks about aliens in another sense as well, though it does not use that term. For example, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world, my kingdom is from another place.” So he talks as if he is an alien of sorts. But Jesus was not talking about being from a different galaxy within the universe or even a different universe, but a realm beyond all creation, outside of time and space. He speaks – and so does the Christian church – as if he comes from beyond everything and is in fact the creator of everything. And he is.
And yet he comes to – he enters into –this small little planet. Jesus definitely comes as an alien in one very real sense.
But there is something else that is alien among us as well: The law of God, the ten commandments. God delivered them to Moses. They came from outside of the universe, outside of creation. They are alien because of where they come from. We believe, teach, and confess they are from God – really and truly, whether others believe it or no.
However, the commandments are alien to us not only because of where they come from, but because of how society looks at them, especially today; the ten commandments have become more and more alien to our society. Society opposes the commandments more than ever.
Not too many years ago most people would have said the ten commandments are real and come from God. That has changed significantly. And that change is reflected in the education our children and grandchildren receive. It is reflected in legal decisions and new laws. It is reflected in all forms of media. It is reflected in businesses – their policies for employees and customers. The ten commandments are viewed by many as humanly constructed rather than divinely given. More and more they are considered not only to be out of date, but also oppressive. The result is gay marriage, the acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism, abortion, very few businesses are now closed on Sunday, etc.
But not only are the ten commandments more and more alien to society, they are also alien to the very nature of each human being. I am referring here to what we call the sinful flesh or the Old Adam we are born with. This flesh not only objects to the ten commandments and refuses to obey them, it also cannot obey them. Paul put it this way in Romans 7(:18-19): “For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.”
That brings us to our text where Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.” Jesus is explaining the deeper understanding of this commandment from God. A violation of this commandment is not only an outward thing, but also a matter of the heart; in fact, murder takes place in the heart before it becomes an action. And it can be done with words as well. He says the same thing about adultery a few verses later. Adultery is also a matter of the heart, revealed in our thoughts.
We sell the ten commandments short when we think of them only in terms of deeds, outward actions. In fact, when Jesus summarized the ten commandments, he did so with this in mind. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). The heart, soul, and mind are supposed to be very much involved in loving God. And the heart, soul, and mind are supposed to be involved in loving our neighbor. The ten commandments include instructions not only for our actions, but also for our hearts, our souls, and our minds. They make demands upon the inner man. And in doing so, these divinely given commandments demand a righteousness of the highest order. A righteousness that reaches to the skies.
But because the ten commandments are alien to us – we do not and cannot by nature keep them – we find ourselves in deep trouble. Paul says, “Now we know that whatever the law says is addressed to those who are under the law, so that every mouth will be silenced and the whole world will be subject to God’s judgment. For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin.” (Rom. 3:19-20). The law, the ten commandments, are merciless. It is like being in a basketball game. You think you are a good player, but you are not. All the fans, even those you thought were on your side, are jeering and booing you because you are making so many mistakes and are so bad. That’s what the law does, what the ten commandments do: they point out our sins and our sinfulness, and they do so without mercy.
So, Jesus is alien because he comes from beyond time and space. The ten commandments are alien because they are not from here but from God. The ten commandments are rejected more and more so by our society, so they have become even more alien. And the ten commandments are alien to each one of us as individuals because of the sinful flesh – the demands are impossible to meet.
But that is not the end of the story. Just prior to our text Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (5:17). One of the things this means is that Jesus, unlike us, obeyed the ten commandments, even in their deepest sense. He had no sin. And therefore, he had the righteousness of the highest order. The one who came from beyond time and space, who was creator of heaven and earth – of all things – became a man just like us, but was without sin. And with this sinlessness, with this righteousness, he went to the cross where he bore and paid for the sins of the world.
When I look at myself, I may see some integrity, I will see some obedience to the ten commandments, sometimes even in a deeper sense. But what I do not see is anything close to a perfect righteousness. The ten commandments reveal sin way too often. No perfect righteousness as demanded by the law. This righteousness is very alien to me. The same is true for you.
But when I look at Jesus, I see, and you should see, the one who not only paid for my sins, and your sins, but one who also had a real, perfect righteousness from beginning to end. Alien to us but not to him.
And here is the really great news. His alien righteousness becomes ours. Paul says this: “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Rom. 3:21-22). And later in the same letter he says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4).
I have a righteousness with which I stand before God, but it is not my own, it is alien to me. It belongs to Christ, it is very real, but I have it, and I have it by faith. You have a righteousness with which you stand before God, but it is not you own, it is alien to you. It belongs to Christ, it is very real, but you have it, and you have it by faith.
A righteousness that is alien to you. Nevertheless, you have it. It is Christ’s and you have it by faith. You have a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. It far surpasses theirs. And that is because it is the righteousness of Christ himself, that he earned for you, it is yours by faith, and by this alien righteousness you enter the kingdom of heaven.
But we need to mention one more thing that is alien among us. Earlier in chapter five of Matthew, Jesus said to his followers, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
The ten commandments not only convict even the best among us of sin, but they also show us how to live. And by the grace of God given to us in our baptism, we walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), we willingly live according to the ten commandments. And when we do so, we stand out, our light shines in a dark world, so others should say about us, “Who are these foreigners, these aliens, among us who live such good lives? They are quite unique.” And we live such lives not in a self-righteous arrogant way, but in a humble way knowing we are simply following Christ our Lord.
In thought, word, and deed we fear, love, and trust in God above all things. In thought, word, and deed we call upon God in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks. In thought, word, and deed we gladly hear and learn God’s word. In thought, word, and deed we honor, serve, obey, love and esteem our parents. In thought, word, and deed we help and befriend our neighbor in every need. In thought, word, and deed we live a chaste and decent life, and we love and honor spouses. In thought, word, and deed we protect our neighbor’s money and belongings. In thought, word, and deed we do not think or speak ill of our neighbor. In thought, word, and deed we use nothing or no one for selfish and sinful purposes. And if we have outwardly offended our brother or sister or our neighbor, we seek to be reconciled. In this way, we let our light shine before men.
And when we fall short, in thought, word, or deed, we remember and trust in the God who entered this world, took on human flesh, lived like we never could, bought forgiveness for each of our sins – it’s a done deal! – and who has given us his righteousness by faith. At the end of the service, and the end of the day, at the end of our lives, this is where we rest.
Amen.
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