As we move into the Beatitudes we see this is a message to the followers of Christ. It's an ethics lesson to those already following Him, not a message regarding salvation. We see these verses speak to four categories of our life: self, law, God and others. This serves as a opening to the Sermon on the Mount that goes across three chapters.
5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
If chapters 5-7 was all preached in on setting then this was a doozy of a sermon. There seems to be mixed opinions regarding this. Many believe these were highlights of the numerous sermons Jesus gave to his followers. This could be debated endlessly when it really doesn't matter. The messages are the same, so we'll take the text for what it says.
There were at least three divisions of followers around Jesus like concentric rings. There was the circle of Jesus' closest followers. This was the 12 and probably the only ones present at this meeting. It seems Jesus often escaped the multitudes by slipping away to a mountain; using it both as personal time for prayer or time to grow and teach the disciples. The second group were serious followers and considered disciples but they weren't among the 12. This group probably numbered hundred to a few hundred. Then the third group is the multitude. These were everyone else; they included the religious folks finding out who Jesus was, the just plain curious, every walk of life and the sick, lame and afflicted. These folks were a cross section of the world at that time.
The normal setting of a Rabbi was to be seated when they began to teach and the followers would stand. Jesus, as the teacher, was seated and began to pour into these normal men who would carry His message to the world.
Its as if someone asked what the character of a follower of Christ might look like. The first beatitude is one of the heart; the center of Christian character. From the character flows Christian conduct.
Each of the beatitudes starts with the word 'blessed'. This word means joy and happiness but not based on circumstances. We find happiness when our favorite team wins or when payday comes we are joyful. This is a different joy and happiness. It's an inner satisfaction or fulfillment that is present in those who are in Christ. In Philippians 4:7 Paul described the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. I think this peace and joy and contentment found in Christ is this blessedness.
This blessedness is a great joy that we can have now, in this life and this world. Sometimes it feels as if someday we will receive this peace or joy and that our blessing is deferred to some future time. But this teaching speaks of a surpassing joy that characterizes our life.
The word 'are' is inserted and not in the original text. To say the same thing another way, we might say, "O the blessedness of" or "O, the joy of the Christian life". Those who are poor in spirit have a great joy.
The word for poor here is one that means abject poverty. It is the picture of one who has nothing and is on their hands and knees begging. Except this poverty is financial, it's spiritual. It's recognition that we have no righteousness whatsoever. Our righteous account is one of abject poverty. It's this recognition that brought us to repentance. We recognized our way was wrong, we agreed with God and turned around.
This poverty is our attitude toward our self. It's not self pity of beating our self up. It's a realistic look at what we were without Christ and what we are now in Him. This poverty is a source of blessedness.
The Pharisees had phony righteousness based on works. It was manmade and relied on their ability to keep the law. They didn't know Spiritual poverty because they saw themselves and good people, they sacrificed, gave alms and prayed.
Isn't it fascinating that spiritual poverty pays big in the joy department. Yet those that didn't know this poverty were themselves spiritually bankrupt and didn't know it. God can't fill us with this joy until we've emptied ourselves of our own self sufficiency.
This word for mourning is the strongest in the Greek language. It is the mourning we would have at the passing of a loved one; the deepest and most profound from the depths of our being.
In times of sorrow, we feel the comfort and care of God. We know his ministering in our life. In times of sorrow, we grow and recognize what is important in life. Sorrow focuses us like nothing else can. There is also the sense that this mourning is from sin and the affects of sin on this world. It's mourning over the sin in our life. It's mourning for a sin-fallen world and having compassion on those who suffer.
It seems strange to associate this great joy that can be found in the heart of a believer when we are characterized by mourning. Again, this seems to flow from repentance, or changing our direction, agreeing with God. It's a great relief we no longer have to carry guilt and shame. We've recognized our sin and found the One who offers the remedy. That is a source of an indescribable joy.
When traveling back home to Illinois one of our favorite places to go is Amish country. One of the sites you might see is a team of horses hitched to a farm implement. It's quite a site to see 4 horses hitched side by side, leaning into the harness, snorting and bearing down to pull the plow and the muscles ripple and the sweat glistens on these amazing animals. In unison they exert a tremendous force but at no time does it appear to be out of control. It is focused, controlled and in unison. These animals are an example of the meek.
Meekness is not weakness. Jesus was meek, Moses was meek. The meek aren't wimpy little Jesus Freaks getting kicked around by the world. The meek are full or power, but its power under control. But the source of power comes from God. If we look at the progression so far we see a poverty of spirit, a mourning over sin and yielding to the power and direction of God
The meek are teachable, recognizing their mistakes and learning from them. Yielding tot he guiding hand of the master and resisting our own leading. Like the mighty work horse the meek respond to the reign and can be corrected. The meek have nothing to prove, especially to the world.
I'm reminded of Romans 6:19; our hands and feet and minds once served sin leading to death. Now we present these same things as tools of righteousness. We become a picture of that work horse with our Master guiding us. And His yoke is easy and His burden is light and we will find rest for our soul. Jesus said, O the joy of the meek, they will inherit the earth.
Have you ever known real hunger or real thirst? Probably not, at least not of the life threatening variety. That's what this verse refers to, not a dry mouth and growling tummy, but a life threatening hunger and thirst of a dry and parched body. We suffer from what the author Robert Louis Stevenson called 'the malady of not wanting'. Because of that we also suffer from never understanding the relief that comes from being filled from real hunger and real thirst.
This bliss of the Christian life comes from experiencing a deep hunger and thirst for righteousness. When we are covered in the mud of sin, do we long to be washed clean? Do we have a deep and abiding desire to remain clean even when the mud calls to us. A real hunger and thirst motivate a person to make sure they never return to that state.
We can see this hunger and thirst fits the progression. There must be poverty (v3), mourning (v4), and meekness (v5) before we can hunger. This is emptying out our desires and ways presenting ourselves to be filled up with righteousness of God.
A man's appetite reveals his spiritual condition. Do we hunger for spiritual things? Do we hunger for the time in prayer before the throne of grace? Do we hunger to gobble up more of his word? Your hunger reveals character - character is what you are when no one is looking. This reveals our attitude toward God.
James tells us, "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy." And the bible tells us we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. When we read of this mercy with our cultural understanding we think of feeling bad for someone's situation or someone's circumstances. We also the have the ability to feel compassionate and quickly look away, with an unspoken sense of I'm glad its not me.
The cultural understanding of this mercy Jesus spoke of was like stepping into another's place; stepping into their body and their life and circumstances. It was feeling the pain and emotions with them. It was, in a sense, sharing in their plight. This is what Jesus did; He joined us is in our situation, becoming fully man so that He might remain sinless and become our propitiation. Hebrews 4:15 says; 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
We are to be like Christ in this; we are to join others, as if we could step into their life or this very skin and attempt to feel what they feel. The world would be a very different place if this kind of thinking was commonplace. This kind of mercy takes a deliberate effort of our will and our mind.
Part of what we must consider here is that we all love mercy. Yes, we'd agree, others need to join me in my plight, feel my pain and share in my life. We often forget we are to do that for others. I share this often with people who come by the church needing help with some situation or other. I want them to know the salvation of the Lord first, then know the fellowship of the saints, and serve their brothers and sisters in Christ. Then, when they need mercy, others will be there for them. This is the joy of a Church family.
We must be constantly aware that we have been shown this awesome mercy from God? We should all have a forgiving spirit toward others.
See Titus 3:5 and 1 Peter 2:9 & 10.
The word 'pure' means free of guilt or sin; it's untainted, not mixed or blended with filth. There is no corruption and nothing false in motivation. It implies a singleness of purpose. It is Christ centeredness without distraction. This is not an easy place to be. Nor is it a place we can arrive at on our own. To be pure of heart is a gift from God that comes from spiritually poor, those who mourn and are meek; seeking righteousness and offering mercy. When we are poured out, emptied of our self, God will fill us with His righteousness and give us a new heart.
For we like to be recognized and patted on the back. We love to be acknowledged for our work. These recognitions and acknowledgements can quickly turn to pride. Are we even capable of a such raw and abrasive self examination? Is our giving done with a joyful heart? Are our prayers honest or pious presentations given to impress God or others? Is our worship in spirit and truth, or just reading words on the wall while thinking about the menu for lunch? Is our heart polluted by what we let our eyes see or our ears hear? Do we make a place for the filth in our thought life that pollutes our heart?
These things damage our ability to see God. Our minds must be trained to recognize the poison that can sneak in. We must listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit who ministers to us about the motives of our heart. O the joy of those with pure motives; from our purity we'll be able to see God.
And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy. (Leviticus 20:26)
The cultural understanding of peace would be not just an absence of war, but a presence of all good things. Shalom, was the Hebrew word with this meaning. We need to take note the blessing is on those who bring about peace. How often do we not interfere with situations because it was easy to say it was none of our business? God makes peace our business.
It's easy to agitate or cast remarks or barbs into a situation to cause hurt or dissension. God want us to be peacemakers. This isn't popular of fun. It causes us to swallow our pride and sometimes take an unpopular stand. We are called to be the peacemakers. The Jewish Rabbis taught that the loftiest work anyone can perform is establishing right relationships with other people. That's what this beatitude is talking about. It's every day life as a Christian is a role as peacemaker with those around us. Those who are peacemakers will be called sons of God.
To be a 'son of God' is to bear the likeness of the Father; like Father, like son. When we are peacemakers, we are reflecting our Father in Heaven and doing a God like work.
This topic of persecution may have been given more attention because the first folks to read this gospel account were under persecution. We don't have to look very far in our world to see Christians being killed for their faith. While the persecution in American is more political, in other parts of the world people are being lined up and systematically killed because of their beliefs. God has much to say about this.
There have been martyrs from the beginning and there will be all the way to the end. We see in Revelation at the breaking of the fifth seal:
But this persecution is not just talking about martyrdom. This is found in every day life in many ways. All who live Godly lives that reflect the father and are characterized by these beatitudes will be persecuted. It may be that if you aren't persecuted or reviled in any way, it may be that your faith is no threat to the enemy. We can see just in these few beatitudes a mindset that is vastly different from the world. These characterizations of being Chrsitlike are the result of repentance. This is the opposite direction of a sin fallen world we once ran freely in. Just think if every person who claimed Christ truly reflected these beatitudes. The world would be different; and it should be different. The church is the conscience of a society. Our laws, knowledge of right and wrong as well as our justice system all come from a Christian mindset. It is the role of the church to praise good when we see good and to point out evil when we see evil. In a fallen world full of seared consciences that want to ignore God, some will attempt to silence the voice of conscience. This effort toward silencing this voice has grown more prominent and is a sign of the times. It was so in the days of Noah when the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So it will be as we near the end.
The kingdom is given to those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. This isn't compensation for the raw deal they got. This is a blessing bestowed on those who sought righteousness no matter the cost.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
A second blessing is offered to the persecuted. There were many lies and slanders aimed at Christianity at the time. Rumors were spread that Christians were cannibals eating the body of Jesus and drinking his blood. Others spread rumors of Christian engaging in orgies when they came together. It seems to matter not the time or place Christians are slandered because of the name they bear.
If our faith in Christ is the first order of our life, we will look different, act different, sound different and all around stick out like a sore thumb in this fallen world. That will cause us to be marked. Some may not even really understand why they treat you different, there's just something about you they find annoying.
A man came to Tertullian concerned about a problem he faced. He was hired to build a temple to a false god. He didn't like doing it because he felt it dishonored Jesus and gave honor to the false god. Yet, he needed the job, he needed to eat.
He ended by saying: 'What can I do? I must live!' 'Must you?' said Tertullian.
Given the choice between loyalty and living, the real Christian would never hesitate in choosing loyalty. When we do so, we can rejoice. We can be exceedingly glad. There is a great reward for us in heaven.
To be persecuted by the enemies of our Lord is a mark of a servant of the Lord.
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
The earth needs our salt. This is the Christian purpose in this world. We are the conscience; we are the hands and feet and mind of our Lord at work in this world. If we are those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart and act as the peacemakers we will be the salt of the earth. We can't help it! But if we don't have that Christian ethic, we've lost our flavor.
Salt was important in world at that time (as it still is). But this was as time without refrigeration or preservatives. Salt was used to prevent bacteria. Economies were based on salt, wars were fought over it. In many cases, the presence or possession of salt made the difference between life and death if fresh food wasn't available. Roman soldiers at times were paid in salt. It is from this we get the saying, "worth his salt" as a way of saying a soldier earned his pay. In our Christian ethic we are a preservative, we are the salt that wars with corruption of evil.
The other function of salt was to add flavor. As citizens of heaven functioning in this fallen world with the citizens of this world, it can sure be interesting. We bring balance to life and discernment to a dark world. We have a different understanding because our eyes are opened to eternal things. We reason and attempt to interact daily with people who's minds are closed, their focus on short term, they are in pursuit of fame, success, money, something, anything to find contentment and joy that always our of reach!!
If we lose our flavor and our ability to preserve, we are no longer salt and found good for nothing.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
As we bear this Christian ethic, we will be a light in a dark and dying world. John said this in 1 John 2:15-17:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Light disperses darkness. As we operate in the light we are walking, talking testimonies to the reality of Jesus Christ. We are visible evidence of a loving God that can and will save a wretch like me. It is fondest hope that by our light others might find their way to the source of light found in Jesus.
I had a tee shirt once that said be the moon, reflect the Son. That's what we do. We have no light of our own, we simply reflect the Son of God that saved us.
Salt and light become word pictures Jesus gave to speak of the impact a truly righteous person will have on the world. Within this there is encouragement to allow the Lord to use you in this way and also the comfort and knowledge not to be shocked when the Lord does this in a life yielded to him. Again, this isn't something we strive at or set out to accomplish. It is something that supernaturally happens when we are those who look like the beatitudes.
We can only imagine what the people were thinking when Jesus had completed speaking these first 16 verses of the Sermon on the Mount. This was so different from anything they had ever heard. The Jews had only heard that righteousness could be attained by the keeping the law. But Jesus detailed that those with the ethic and character he described would:
- Inherit the kingdom of heaven.
- They shall be comforted.
- They shall inherit the earth.
- They will be filled with Righteousness.
- They shall obtain mercy.
- They shall see God.
- They will be called sons of God.
These are great promises. This would certainly interest those who sought God. And for those who came for other reasons: healing, food, care or curiosity, would also find the idea of receiving these things interesting.
The law had been around a long time. Over time God's people began to look at the law as traditions and lists of restrictions. The hypocritical leaders had robbed the people of God's word. They corrupted the God's law, forgetting the lawgiver and creating an incredible burden. As an example of this we could look at one of the commandments given to them by God, the keeping of the Sabbath. There was to be no work done on the Sabbath. But what is work? The Jews had become legalist that found righteousness in God in keeping the law, so they had to know what 'work' really meant. They classified work in different ways, for instance, to carry a burden was work. But what is a burden? That, too, must be defined. So the scribes got to work and through endless debate this law was applied to every imaginable aspect of life so there could be no doubt about what must be done. Here's some of what they said in an effort to define a burden:
- Food equal in weight of a dried fig
- Enough wine for mixing in a goblet
- Milk enough for one swallow
- honey enough to put up on a wound
- Oil enough to anoint a small member
- water enough to moisten an eye-salve
- paper enough to write notice on
- ink enough to write two letters of the alphabet
- reed enough to make a pen
- And it goes on and on.
For them righteousness was found by perfectly answering these questions for every situation. This was the essence of their religion:
- Could a lamp be lifted and moved from one place to another on the Sabbath?
- If a tailor left his needle in his robe was it a violation of the Sabbath?
- Could one put their false teeth in on the Sabbath?
- What if you lifted your child on the Sabbath, was that work?
The scribes said that writing on the Sabbath was classified as work. But then they had to define what constituted writing.
Two letters of the alphabet was work. But they went on to say that it didn't matter what you wrote with or which hand your wrote with. If you forgot you wrote the letter 'A' earlier and now wrote 'A' and 'B' you were guilty. Anything that left a permanent mark and could be read, no matter if it was on paper or a wall, constituted work. But, if you wrote with some sort of dark ?uid, fruit juice or you wrote in the dust of the road, sand, or in anything which does not make a permanent mark, you were not guilty. If, however, you wrote one letter on the ground and one on the wall or on two different pages that couldn't be read together, then you weren't guilty.
This is kind of interpretation and parsing of the law was typical for every law, looked at from every angle possible. It was in this definition that the orthodox Jew found true religion and service of God.
For many generations these laws weren't written down. It was handed down orally by the scribes. It was a few hundred years after Jesus that all these scribal law was written down. This summary of the law is called the Mishnah. This is about an 800 page summary of the law. Later, the Jewish religious scholars wrote commentaries explaining the summary of the law. These commentaries are called the Talmuds. The Jerusalem Talmud is twelve volumes; the Babylonian Talmud is sixty volumes.
This gets burdensome just considering it and reading about it. How did anyone remember? How did anything actually believe they could keep the law? It's hard to imagine, but the Pharisees were these very people. Their lives were committed to keeping every aspect of the law. And all of Israel looked at them as the model of religion and character. They were the examples of righteousness and the path to God.
So we can imagine the confusion, yet fascination and interest of the common man that heard Jesus speak. They knew lists upon lists of rules and prohibitions; rule upon rule of what they could not do. Religion was rules and regulations but Jesus didn't give them one rule. He spoke of love and mercy. He talked of reference born of repentance.
Augustine said the Christian life could be summed up in the one phrase: 'Love God, and do what you like.' When we love God and understand what He has done for us, we are humbled and desire to return that love. This moves us to obedience and reverence that flows from a desire to please Him which is more powerful than any legalism and list of rules and regulations.
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
The Law and the Prophets was the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the bible) and the prophecies. The Jews would ask, "What about the law?" That's all they knew. Jesus assures them He wasn't doing away with it. He was going to fulfill it. The least of the law were two marks called the jot and the tittle. We might say an apostrophe and a comma. Jesus was saying, not one mark, not one minor detail will be overlooked.
The law and prophets have always been about Jesus. Someone once said the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
The law could save no one. The law was a picture of God's righteousness that informed us of our predicament. The law is a tutor that says, "Student, you have a problem!" The law established sin and spoke of the justice that was demanded at the breaking of the law. Sin demanded blood as payment. Jesus wasn't showing folks a way out of the law or around the law, He was going to fulfill it. He was going to pay the penalty for all that would receive that free gift.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
These folks had been taught by the Pharisees about the law. They were about to get a lesson on the law from the one who wrote it. This is the same voice of the burning bush that spoke to Moses. He starts the lesson on the law by speaking directly to the Pharisees. These were men who made a living teaching a law they couldn't keep and in many cases didn't even try.
When Jesus said 'one of the least of these commandments' is similar to saying the jot and the title. Not only was He not doing away with the law, he would fulfill it and hold accountable those who mishandled it for their own purposes. Take the bible seriously - all of it. While these Pharisees had convinced everyone they revered the law and held it in high regard, Jesus know better. This was a stern warning from Jesus not to tamper with the law of God.
While the average person there saw the Pharisees as an example of righteousness, Jesus said you better exceed their righteousness or there won't be any heaven. How is that possible? Most folks there would have felt defeated but also interested in where this was going because Jesus spoke with authority and boldness, in truth like they had never heard before.
Jesus now begins a lesson on the law. It's as if he were saying, "This is what the law really means."
21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
Most people there and most of us would all say we haven't killed anyone and move on to another commandment. The Pharisees would agree and give themselves a pat on the back for their righteousness. But wait just a minute! Jesus said it's not just murder that is the sin. He goes right to the anger flowing from the heart that could lead to murder. This is anger that is toward our fellow man that becomes a bitterness and hatred. It harms us and harms our relationship with the Lord.
The word 'Raca' means empty headed or a brainless idiot but it was a word that was all about contempt. To call someone this might bring you before the council. This was the judgment of man for an offensive statement. But to say 'you fool!' was a word that called someone's morals into question. This was to say someone was a moral fool, pretending or wishing there was no God. It's along the same lines as "The fool said in his heart there is no God." To call someone this name was to steal their reputation and their name. Jesus said this was a sin that put you in danger of the fires of hell.
These were gehenna fires. This came to mean hell to these people but from history we know it comes from the Valley of Hinnon. This is the valley southwest of Jerusalem where Ahaz introduced the worship of Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3). This was a where the children were places on the arms of this statue that some say were heated by the fires around the idol to cherry red. The child would pass through the arms into the fire as an offering to this false god. This valley was accursed. It became a place of refuse, like a dump or a public incinerator. The fires never went out and worm flourished there that was hard to kill.
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
In their understanding of the law, the Jews knew the sacrifice, or gift, offered had no affect when the sin was deliberate. Also, before offering a sacrifice there must be penitence and confession. So, if a person knowing and deliberately sinned against a person, they needed set aside their gift until they reconciled with their brother.
This picture of reconciling with a brother on the way to the judge seems odd in our day and age. But it wasn't unusual for them to go together to see the judge and have their case heard. If you were found guilty the officer would then be responsible for making sure you paid everything you owed.
Jesus is saying it was better to reconcile with each other than letting charges be brought against you. The escalation of this anger and bitterness interfered with the relationship with God. It is sin and sin must be paid for. You will by no means escape the penalty.
This anger that gets the best of us never pays. It interferes with our relationships with our fellow man as well as with God. This kind of anger is sin and without Christ, that sin will send you to hell, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:46).
27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
All the people would have heard the Pharisees tell them the 7th commandment. But Jesus, the original lawgiver clarifies for them what the real intention was. This wasn't just to avoid the outward action of Adultery but also included was the inward lust of the heart. Whoever look with lust is guilty. This sin is made available by the eyes.
We must guard against a trap of the enemy here. He might lead some to believe that since adultery was committed in the heart, they might as well commit the act. They are not one and the same. Jesus is merely expanding this category from merely avoiding the outward action to also including what is going on in our heart.
Is it lust when a man looks at a woman? Not necessarily. It's not the look; it's what the imagination does with the look. The look Jesus speaks of is a look with the intent holding onto the picture, of expanding on it and dwelling in that thought.
We know that Jesus was tempted in all ways (Heb 4:15). So Jesus was tempted in this way. But he was able to look at a woman and stop any imagination that would lead to sin. A woman is a child of God, a daughter, mother, a bride, or a sister, not an object.
Any object that we covet is sin and it can feed our imaginations and destroy our relationship with the Lord. We see this language used many times in the Old Testament;
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Jesus uses a figure of speech to make His point. While our hands and eyes are very valuable to us and we only get two of each, our soul is so much more valuable. The point is we should take this serious, our eternity is at stake.
31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
It had become easy to divorce. The scribe worked on perfecting the certificate of divorce and completely disregarded that God hated divorce. A man would write a certificate of divorce if his wife burned dinner. Jesus doesn't reinterpret this but clarifies the original intention. Marriage was forever. Even in cases of immorality it wasn't commanded or preferred, but it was allowed.
33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
In their interpretation of 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain' the scribes established, by their rules, that one should swear an oath to the Lord. So they took oaths by everything else: heaven, earth, their own head, etc. As children of God, our ethic ought to be one of trust and faithfulness. Our word ought to be as good as God's word. Our yes must mean yes and our no mean no.
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Remember Jesus is clarifying the law in regards to the heart and not outward action. An eye for an eye was never a license for our own personal retribution toward anyone that offended us. It was actually intended to be a limit to protect the criminal from unjust punishment.
We should note that Jesus refers to a slap on the right cheek. A slap on the right cheek by a right handed person was a backhand. This was a matter of personal insult and not so much to inflict pain. We aren't called to trade insult for insult. We are to be peacemakers. Imagine being sued for possession of your coat. Jesus said to let them have your shirt also.
Going the extra mile was a Roman law where a soldier could force a bystander to carry a load for a mile. This is what we saw happen with Simon the Cyrene. If we are called to carry a load for a soldier for a mile, take it two miles for him.
Give to those who asks, lend to those who want to borrow. This is certainly a different ethic from what we know. But we should also be cautious. Jesus isn't calling for us to be abused, used and manipulated. In spite of feeling like retaliating against some folks we are called to help them. Jesus said don't resist them, but offer yourself to them. If we do this we will appear Christlike.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
Leviticus 19:18 commanded the Israelites to love their neighbor. There is no where in the law that says we should hate our enemy. This was added by some teachers because they could not look at a gentile as their neighbor. If the neighbor was a Jew they loved them, if it was a gentile they hated them.
This was not the intention of the law. Our neighbor is whoever is near us. Even if they curse us we are to respond with good and pray for them. In doing so, we become like sons of our Father in heaven. We look like Him; like Father, like son.
Sometimes you can't tell the just from the unjust or the evil from the good. Sometimes we act in evil ways in sin; it may be the one you count as an enemy is a brother who has fallen in sin. Sometimes those who do good are in fact evil people and they receive good from others, this is God's business. Who are we to sort out the good and the bad.
The tax collectors were despised and considered evil by the Jews. No good Jew would love a tax collector, they were the most unloved. What would it say about a person if a tax collector was more loving than they? We aren't called to just love those who we deem as worthy, we are to love our neighbor. If God only loved those worthy of His love, we'd all be in trouble.
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Here is the standard of the law; perfection. If you could truly live the way Jesus spoke of you would be perfect and be truly righteous. The Pharisees who held themselves up as the example of righteousness couldn't come close to passing this test.
The fact is that none of us can meet this standard. That was the purpose of the law; not a list of works to make us feel righteousness but to show us we have a heart problem. As hard as we may try, our heart will lead us to sin.
©2015 Doug Ford
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