Matthew 5: The Sermon on the Mount

380 matthaeus 5 the sermon part 2Jesus contrasts six ancient teachings with the new teachings. Six times he quotes the previous teaching, mostly from the Torah itself. Six times he explains that they are not enough. He shows a more demanding standard of justice.

Do not despise the others

“You have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill [murder]”; but whoever kills [murders] shall be liable to judgment” (v. 21). This is a quote from the Torah, which also summarizes the civil laws. People heard it when the Scriptures were read to them. In the time before the art of printing, people mostly heard the writing instead of reading it.

Who spoke the words of the law “to the ancients”? It was God Himself on Mount Sinai. Jesus does not quote any distorted tradition of the Jews. He quotes the Torah. Then he contrasts the commandment with a stricter standard: "But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother is liable to judgment" (v. 22). Perhaps this was even intended according to the Torah, but Jesus does not argue on that basis. He does not state who authorized him to teach. What he teaches is true for the simple reason that he is the one who says it.

We are judged because of our anger. Someone who wants to kill or wants someone else's death is a murderer in his heart, even if he can not or does not want to do it. However, not every anger is a sin. Jesus himself was sometimes angry. But Jesus says it clearly: Anyone who is angry is under the jurisdiction. The principle is in hard words; the exceptions are not listed. At this point, and elsewhere in the sermon, we find that Jesus formulates his demands extremely clearly. We can not take statements from the sermon and act as if there were no exceptions.

Jesus adds: “But whoever says to his brother, You worthless man, is guilty of the council; but whoever says, You fool, is guilty of hell fire” (v. 22). Jesus is not referencing new cases to the Jewish leaders here. It is more likely that he is quoting "good-for-nothing," a phrase already taught by the scribes. Next, Jesus says that the penalty for a wicked attitude extends far beyond that of a civil court verdict—it ultimately goes all the way to the Last Judgment. Jesus himself called people “fools” (Matthew 23,17, with the same Greek word). We cannot use these terms as legalistic rules to be followed literally. The point here is to make something clear. The point is, we shouldn't despise other people. This principle goes beyond the purpose of the Torah, for true righteousness characterizes the kingdom of God.

Jesus makes it clear through two parables: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there it occurs to you that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and sacrifice Jesus lived in a time when the old covenant was still in effect and his affirmation of the old covenant laws does not mean that they are still in effect today. His parable points out that human relationships should be valued more than sacrifices. If someone has something against you (whether justified or not), then the other person should take the first step. If she doesn't, don't wait; take the initiative. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Jesus does not give a new law, but explains the principle in clear words: Strive to be reconciled.

"Agree with your adversary at once, while you are still on the way with him, lest the adversary hand you over to the judge and the judge to the bailiff and you are thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid every last penny” (vv. 25-26). Again, it is not always possible to resolve disputes outside of court. Nor should we let accusers who pressure us get away. Nor does Jesus predict that we will never be granted mercy in a civil court. As I said, we cannot elevate Jesus' words to strict laws. Nor does he give us wise advice on how to avoid the prison of debt. It is more important to him that we seek peace, because that is the way of true justice.

Do not covet

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'" (v. 27). God gave this commandment on Mount Sinai. But Jesus tells us, "Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (v. 28). The 10th commandment forbade coveting, but the 7th commandment did not. It forbade "adultery"—a behavior that could be regulated by civil laws and penalties. Jesus does not try to confirm his teaching with the Scriptures. He doesn't have to. He is the living Word and has more authority than the written Word.

Jesus' teachings follow a pattern: The ancient law states one thing, but true righteousness requires much more. Jesus makes extreme statements to get to the point. When it comes to adultery, he says, "If your right eye causes you to fall away, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you that one of your members should perish and not your whole body be thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it from you. It is better for you that one of your members should perish, and that your whole body not go to hell” (vv. 29-30). Of course, losing a body part would be better than eternal life. But that is not really our alternative, since eyes and hands cannot lead us to sin; if we removed them, we would be committing another sin. Sin comes from the heart. What we need is a change of heart. Jesus emphasizes that our minds need to be treated. It takes extreme measures to eliminate sin.

Do not divorce

"It is also said: 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce' (v. 31). This refers to the scripture in 5. Mon 24,1-4, which accepts the divorce letter as an already established custom among the Israelites. This law did not allow a married woman to remarry to her first husband, but other than this rare situation there were no restrictions. The law of Moses allowed divorce, but Jesus did not allow it.

“But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for adultery, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (v. 32). That's a harsh statement - difficult to understand and difficult to implement. Suppose a bad man casts out his wife without any reason. Is she then automatically a sinner? And is it a sin for another man to marry this victim of divorce?

We would be making a mistake if we interpreted Jesus' statement as an immutable law. For Paul was shown by the Spirit that there was another legitimate exception to divorce (1. Corinthians 7,15). While this is a study of the Sermon on the Mount, keep in mind that Matthew 5 is not the final word on divorce. What we see here is only part of the picture.

Jesus' statement here is a shocking statement that wants to make something clear - in this case, divorce is always linked to sin. God intended to have a life-long commitment in marriage, and we should strive to cling to her in the way he intended. Jesus did not try to talk about what to do when things are not going the way they should.

Do not swear

"You have also heard that it was said to the ancients: 'You shall not swear a false oath, and you shall keep your oath to the Lord'" (v. 33). These principles are taught in the Scriptures of the Old Testament (4. Mo 30,3; 5. Mon 23,22). Yet what the Torah clearly permitted, Jesus did not: “But I tell you, ye shall not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor near Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king” (vv. 34-35). Apparently, the Jewish leaders permitted swearing on the basis of these things, perhaps to avoid pronouncing the holy name of God.

“Nor shall you swear by your head; for you cannot turn a single hair white or black. But let your speech be: yes, yes; no no. Anything above that is of evil” (vv. 36-37).

The principle is simple: honesty - made clear in an amazing way. Exceptions are allowed. Jesus himself went beyond a simple yes or no. He often said amen, amen. He said that heaven and earth will pass, but his words would not. He called God to witness that he was telling the truth. Likewise, Paul used some affidavits in his letters instead of simply saying yes (Romans 1,9; 2. Corinthians 1,23).

So we see again that we do not have to treat the expressive statements of the Sermon on the Mount as prohibitions to be obeyed literally. We should just be honest, but in certain situations we can especially affirm the truth of what we have said.

In a court of law, to use a modern example, we are allowed to "swear" that we are telling the truth and we can therefore call upon God for help. It is petty to say that "an affidavit" is acceptable, but "an oath" is not. In the court these words are synonymous - and both are more than a yes.

Do not seek revenge

Jesus again quotes from the Torah: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'" (v. 38). It is sometimes claimed that this was merely the highest level of Old Testament revenge. In fact it represented a maximum, but sometimes it was also the minimum (3. Mon 24,19-20; 5. Mon 19,21).

However, Jesus forbids what the Torah requires: "But I tell you, do not resist evil" (v. 39a). But Jesus himself opposed bad persons. He drove money changers out of the temple. The apostles defended themselves against false teachers. Paul defended himself by invoking his right as a Roman citizen when soldiers were about to flog him. Jesus' statement is again an exaggeration. It is permissible to defend oneself against bad persons. Jesus allows us to take action against bad people, for example by reporting crimes to the police.

Jesus' next statement must also be seen as exaggerating. That does not mean that we can dismiss them as irrelevant. It is all about the understanding of the principle; we must allow it to challenge our behavior without developing a new code of law from these rules, assuming that exceptions are never allowed.

"If someone strikes you on your right cheek, offer him the other also" (v. 39b). In certain circumstances it is best to just walk away, as Peter did (Acts 1 Cor2,9). Nor is it wrong to defend yourself verbally like Paul did3,3). Jesus teaches us a principle, not a rule, that must be strictly followed.

“And if someone wants to argue with you and take your coat, let him take your coat too. And if anyone compels you to go a mile, go with him two. Give to those who ask you, and do not turn away from those who want to borrow from you” (vv. 40-42). If people are suing you for 10.000 francs, you don't have to give them 20.000 francs. If someone steals your car, you don't have to give up your van as well. If a drunk asks you for 10 francs, you don't have to give him anything at all. Jesus' exaggerated statements are not about allowing other people to gain an advantage at our expense, nor about rewarding them for doing so. Rather, he is concerned that we do not retaliate. Be careful to make peace; does not try to harm others.

Not hate

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'" (v. 43). The Torah commands love and it commanded Israel to kill all Canaanites and punish all wrongdoers. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (v. 44). Jesus teaches us a different way, a way not found in the world. Why? What is the model for all this rigorous justice?

"So that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven" (v. 45a). We are to be like him and he loved his enemies so much that he sent his son to die for them. We cannot let our children die for our enemies, but we should love them as well and pray for them to be blessed. We cannot keep up with the standard that Jesus set as the standard. But our repeated failures shouldn't stop us from trying anyway.

Jesus reminds us that God "makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (v. 45b). He is kind to everyone.

"For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't the tax collectors do the same? And if you're just being kind to your brothers, what are you doing special? Don't the heathen do the same thing?" (vv. 46-47). We are called to do more than what is usual, more than the unconverted do. Our inability to be perfect does not change our calling to always strive for improvement.

Our love for others is to be perfect, to extend to all people, which is what Jesus intends when he says: "Therefore ye shall be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (verse 48).

by Michael Morrison


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