By Steven Norris
I grew up as a “land lover.” I have never lived near a body of water larger than a moderate lake. Therefore, when my wife and I were told that we were responsible for navigating our ship through the Caribbean Sea to the Bahamas, we were a little worried. The captain gave us very explicit instructions and a window of about 3 degrees on the compass.
“As long as you keep us going in this direction, everything should be fine,” he told us. “If staring at the compass makes you sick, then I suggest finding a star and noting its placement in relation to the mast. It’s basically celestial navigation. You got this!”
We were not so sure that we “had it.” However, we followed his instructions. We set the compass, found a star, and fixed our eyes on the horizon.
What is your “guiding star” for how you live your life? What is the standard to which you look to help you stay on track and to prevent drifting off course? For those that follow the Way of Jesus, I would suggest that his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) provides just such guidance. The trouble is that it is so difficult to follow at times.
New Testament theologian, Scot McKnight, starts out his commentary like this: “The Sermon on the Mount is the moral portrait of Jesus’ own people. Because this portrait doesn’t square with the church, this Sermon turns from instruction to indictment…Throughout church history many have softened, reduced, decontextualized, and in some cases abandoned what Jesus taught — ironically, in order to be more Christian!”
As a pastor, I regularly see folks struggling to follow the ethical example of Jesus. He just sets the bar so high at times! How are we really supposed to reach it? Is it any wonder, then, that we can trace centuries of the church’s efforts to domesticate the way of Jesus in order to make it more palatable to our current culture and modern sensibilities?
I am reminded of the disputed quote, often attributed to Gandhi: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Whether or not he said those words, the sentiment rings true. Our communities often fall short of the ideals of Jesus.
That does not give us cause to throw up our hands and quit, however. Instead, I think it calls us to clarify the “guiding star” that we are following and immerse ourselves in its teaching and guidance. I encourage folks to read the Sermon on the Mount each and every day for a couple of weeks. This repetition helps us remember and internalize the practical steps Jesus gives for life in his kingdom. Such understanding gets us one step closer to embodying this way of life in our day-to-day lives.
The good news is that my wife and I sailed for the duration of our shift successfully. We turned theoretical instruction into real-life action. We did not just know what to do, we actually did it. The next day, we arrive at our desired destination in one piece. I believe that there is still hope for the Church to do the same.