I had coffee yesterday with Jim Thomas, my pastor from The Village Chapel. He’s taking the church through the Sermon on the Mount and has hit the section where Jesus says several times “You have heard it said… But I say to you…” Jesus takes concepts like murder and adultery and says that we better not feel any spiritual superiority if we haven’t committed these acts because anger and lust are just as bad.

So is Jesus just proposing a stiffer form of legalism? Not only do I have to make sure I don’t kill someone today, I’ve got to make sure I don’t call anyone an idiot. Is he just setting the bar higher? In a way, yes. But I think he’s setting it so high that no one can reach it. And that’s the point. In 5:20, he says that we aren’t getting through the pearly gates unless our righteousness is greater than the world’s most extremely religious people. In other words, we might as well give up because we’re never gonna be holy enough. The only option is to get humble and broken and throw ourselves on God’s mercy. As Steve Brown says, “Cheer up, you’re worse than you thought.”

This is pretty counterculture stuff. Our society tells us every day to be strong and get our act together. Even the Christian bookstores are filled with books on seven steps to being better. And don’t even get me stated on Oprah and her new guru…

So raise a glass to the broken and sing a song for the losers. I’m thankful that I’ve found a community with a bunch of worn out people who don’t have what it takes. I hope you’ve found one too.