“I am the Man” or Working out my Salvation
Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37
You probably remember where that came from—“I am the man”. Well, it came from the incident between Nathan and David, after David committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). The prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin telling him the story of a man with many sheep, who had a visitor but was unwilling to offer any of his many sheep to be killed and a meal made for his visitor; instead, he took his neighbor’s only sheep and slaughtered it for his guest. King David, on hearing the story, swore to kill the man who dared do a thing like that; the prophet Nathan, then, said to King David: “You are the man!”
Let’s face it, we are all sinners!Like King David, we are quick to judge and condemn others, except ourselves! Today’s readings shift our focus to the power in us that trumps sin and tilts the scale towards holiness “by choice”!
The game changer, in our gospel reading of today, is Jesus’ invitation to us, to have a spirituality that goes deeper than that of the King David and the Pharisees— external holiness — to advance to the spirituality of the heart and mind, not just the externals alone. At least, we can doff our hats for the Pharisees for achieving an external spirituality, compared to ourselves.
However, after reading today’s gospel, everyone is qualified to say “I am the Man,” because even celibates and virgins are equally indicted: “But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman or man with lust has already committed adultery with her/him in his/her heart”. “Prolifers” and humanitarians are just as condemned as anyone else: “whoever is angry with brother/sister will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to brother/sister, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna”. Furthermore, all those who don’t keep their oaths/liars are not spared either: “But I say to you, do not swear at all . . .” Nor are married people neglected: “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife—unless the marriage is unlawful— causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery”.
“I am the man” moves the story away from accusation and finger pointing to introspection. This is necessary because our gospel story today is no longer about Jesus’ accusation of the Pharisees as “bad boys,” Jesus puts the problem of sin squarely on your doorstep and mine. How often do I commit adultery, kill my brethren, bear false witness and denigrate God’s commandments? It is all about my participation in the sins of the world, the dishonor I bring to my body and others’ bodies by my actions and inactions. In fact, Jesus challenges the quality of our prayers and church attendance, when he says: “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift”.
“I am the man” is a confession that my hands are not clean, that God’s grace and my cooperation with that grace are crucial in ridding me of my incontinence, abuse of my brothers and sisters, being a bad example to others who look up to me to be a good model. Those brothers and sisters, who have left the practice of the faith because of my bad example; those who couldn’t understand why my homilies, speeches, discourses are so eloquent yet so different from what I do in private and in secret. The moments I hide from the spotlight when justice demands the contrary; the times I sided with untruth because special benefits will accrue to me for doing so: these are the sins that cling to me!
“I am the man” gives the right to God to punish me for my unrighteousness because he believes that I can keep his commandments, if I chose to. The freedom that is mine is really mine. According to our first reading: “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand” (Ben Sirach 15:15). I call God a liar by my sins, yet he gives me the power to overcome my sins, “If I trust in God”.
“I am the man” whose option is to follow the knowledge and intelligence of the world, the eleventh command — though shall not be caught. As long as I have not been caught and exposed, I walk down the street as a holy person! Indeed, my friends are often as rotten as myself, so we keep our secrets among ourselves. In fact, those who do not do what I do, what we do, are threats to us and must be dealt with forthwith. After all, a stitch in time saves nine!
“I am the man” is taking responsibility for one’s sins. It is taking seriously the words of our first reading: “The eyes of God are on those who fear him; he understands man’s every deed. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin” (Ben Sirach 15:19-20). At the statement, “you are the man,” David said — Lord have mercy. A return to God is the solution: “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing” (Ben Sirach 15:17-18).
Yes, “I am the man” helps me to hear the good news in today’s gospel—FORGIVENESS. If God wanted me dead, thrown into hell, I am more than qualified! What is God waiting for? All the sins of today’s gospel only make my situation worse, if I do not see, hear and accept God’s forgiveness and the opportunity to repent. Each commandment mentioned in the gospel, which the Pharisees thought that they were keeping, Jesus goes deeper than the letters of the commandments to the very soul and spirit of it. Those who kept the letters of the law were guilty of not keeping its spirit—sin is inescapable without the forgiveness of God.
“I am the man” is the only joy that comes from the experience of God’s forgiveness—“neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more,” Jesus says to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11). “Forgiveness” is the encounter of the unrighteous person with God, because God alone can make us righteous. Those who kill, bear false witness and fornicate or commit adultery have never appreciated the forgiveness of sin. To realize that one is a sinner is the very first step in repentance. Our second reading is the key to this knowledge and the power of forgiveness: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, this God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)—the forgiveness of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you, you will rather die like Maria Goretti than fornicate/commit adultery. Even pagan Socrates accepted death to protect the integrity of human laws, what about a Christian regarding God’s laws? “I am the man, Lord, have mercy on me!”
Assignment for the week:
Kindly pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for the forgiveness of sins.