Matthew 5

Smack! That's the sound of my study hitting the wall. There is no way Matthew 5 can be dissected and analyzed in one post. Any decent pastor will tell you that there are at least 10 good sermons in there. I can't even do it justice.

I will skip the Beatitudes and leave that commentary for scholars more learned than I. I have always struggled to understand the purpose and application of them. Perhaps that is all the more reason for me to spend time there, and maybe I will, but not on this forum.

The theme I see throughout the Sermon on the Mount is fulfillment of the OT. Matthew has structured his narrative so far with OT quotations establishing a foundation on which he places Jesus' authority as a teacher. Or more accurately, Jesus places himself, as Matthew is now quoting Jesus' own words. "You have heard..." "It has been said..." Jesus is the one doing the OT quoting now and He uses it as a basis of His authority.

Jesus references two of the 10 Commandments regarding murder and adultery. He changes the focus for us from following the letter of the Law to following the spirit of the Law. Sin at it's core is a heart issue. God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). I may not have killed anyone or been unfaithful to my wife, but have I been angry at someone or lusted after another woman? God knows my intent and the state of my heart. (Why is it that immediately following the text on adultery, Jesus tells us to cut off the offending body part? Ouch.) Interestingly enough, these two sins are used in one of my favorite passages in James 2:11.

Moses allowed for divorce, but God doesn't like it (Genesis 2:24). Jesus re-emphasizes the covenant bond of marriage, and announces that divorce is akin to adultery, which He just denounced. This must have been radical thinking to his audience. Why, even Jesus' own father had contemplated divorce. (Of course, Joseph's reason would have been for the exception given here.)

I always enjoy when I discover the biblical origin of a common idiom or phrase. Obviously Matt 5:41 is where we get the expression "to go the extra mile".

Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. This is God's Law. These were given to Moses in Exodus 21. They seem harsh, don't they? Where's the mercy? Now Jesus is telling us that that isn't necessary anymore. Instead of equal retaliation, we are told "do not resist an evil person". Turn the other cheek. Show love. Be meek. Be a peacemaker. Be persecuted for righteousness. Oh....there's the mercy. God has established a precedent. There is a standard, there is an offense, there is an equal punishment for the offense to provide restoration between the offended parties. Ok, that sounds good. I can accept that. Now bring Jesus into the picture. The standard, God's perfection. The offense, our sin. The equal punishment....we can't do it. Restoration is impossible. Jesus can do it. That's why He has to authority to teach this lesson.

Love your enemies. What more needs to be said? THAT'S a sermon topic.

Great verse: "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" What did Matthew do for a living again?

What do you know. Maybe I can dissect the whole chapter in one post.