Continuing a study of the Gospels:
(Matthew 5:21) "You have heard that it was said by them of old, 'You shall not kill, and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.'"
Jesus had gone up on a mountain to escape the crowd and had begun what is called the Sermon on the Mount. He continued here. He had told the disciples in the last post that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but had come to fulfill them. He had said in essence, that the scribes and Pharisees were no longer to be their rulers and teachers, but Moses and the prophets were still to be their rulers. He reminded them of the law they had heard and had been taught to observe, that they shall not kill (Exodus 20:13). This killing referred to murder, and the Mosaic law declared that anyone judged guilty of murder was to be put to death (Leviticus 24:21, Numbers 35:16).
(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 shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be in danger of the council; but whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be in danger of hell fire."
Jesus expounded on this law, not adding anything new, but teaching the full extent and true spiritual intent of the law. He went to the heart of the matter, and said that whoever was angry with another without cause would be judged guilty of murder in his heart. This judgment spoken of by Jesus would have to be the judgment of God, as it is not likely that the courts would judge the heart of man. By His statement, Jesus sought to teach the spiritual intention of the law, and demonstrate how the scribes and Pharisees, with their strict legalistic interpretation of the word of the law, had corrupted the law and abused permissions that would be inevitably allowed by only a strict interpretation of only the words of the law.
If the person angry with his brother without cause went on to voice this anger, and exclaim "Raca!" which was a term of contempt meaning a senseless, empty-headed man, then that anger in his heart was manifesting into something worthy of punishment by the Sanhedrin. "You fool," which seems to our modern interpretation to mean the same as "raca," was actually commonly used to denote idolaters, and godless, wicked men. When the anger or murder in the heart rose to that level, a person would be in danger of hell fire. Jesus wasn't speaking of hell in this instance, but the original word was Gehennah of fire, and it referred to the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. That was the site where idolaters worshipped Molech and made their children pass through fire, and sometimes even burnt their children with fire in sacrifice to Molech. Because this valley had been the scene of those fiery sacrifices, the Jews used the word for hell during this time. However, after much study of this difficult verse, I don't believe that Jesus meant hell.
Jesus had previously established that anyone angry with his brother without cause had committed murder in his heart. The Jews at that time considered only actual murder a violation of the sixth commandment. By using terms associated with punishment used in their laws, with which they were familiar, Jesus demonstrated a broader sense of the commandment. When He spoke of "judgment", although I do believe there was a double meaning in that God indeed judged the heart, the term would have meant to the Jews at that time civil judgment by a panel of judges who judged smaller matters. The "council" was the Sanhedrin that judged weightier matters; and the Gehennah of fire was where people were burned alive. I believe Jesus was illustrating just how that anger without cause was already murder in the heart, left unchecked, growing to contempt, wickedness, then murder. He compared the growing anger to levels of judgment in their government that the people understood to demonstrate that there was much more to the sixth commandment than just actual murder.
(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."
The Pharisees were intent on external acts of worship. If they conformed to the rites of religious worship, no matter what hatred for their brother might be in their hearts, they felt they were just and righteous. Jesus taught the heart of the matter. Even if one was in the act of worship and offering at the altar, and remembered that someone had something against him, it was his duty to leave his offering and go be reconciled with his brother. Note that he did not have to be the person with anger in his heart; if he knew someone had anger against him, it was his duty to reconcile the matter. Evil was to be nipped in the bud. Anger in the heart can lead to murder, and is actually judged as murder in the heart by God. As Christians with love for one another, it is our duty to forgive and save another from that judgment as much as we are able.
(25) "Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison."
I believe again this is Jesus's comparison of the growing anger in the heart to steps of civil dispute that men would understand. One was to reconcile his differences with another quickly, while they were on the way, probably a reference to taking their matter to court, in Jesus's law analogy. Once again, one was to nip evil in the bud. Allowing a matter to fester, even if not in his own heart, but in his adversary's, brings much trouble and evil.
(26) "Verily, I say to you, you will by no means come out of there till you have paid the last penny."
Completing the thought begun in verse 25, Jesus was warning to do all possible to reconcile differences before they reached this level, because it cost so dearly and so completely. One was not to let even someone else's anger against him fester and grow until it could not be satisfied until he had given all. Consider what that does to the soul of the adversary. One would be saving the soul of his brother from murder in his heart that would ultimately lead to much greater hatred and damage, if he would just reconcile his differences early. Matthew Henry compared this passage to reconciliation to God through Christ. While we are alive and on the way to His judgment seat after death, it's the time to reconcile with God through Jesus Christ; once we are dead, it is too late, and we truly will have given all, eternal life with God in heaven.
(27) "You have heard that it was said by them of old time, 'You shall not commit adultery.'"
Jesus turned to the subject of the seventh commandment against adultery. Just like the commandment against murder, the Pharisees looked at this commandment in the strictest sense, and considered only the act of actual adultery as unlawful, so that it had no respect to acts of fornication, or lustful thoughts, words, and actions. They felt justified by being able to say they were not adulterers.
(28) "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Once again, Jesus taught the heart of the matter. He went behind the actual deed to the early stages in the heart when a lustful look might inflame passions that lead to fornication, defilement, adultery, or rape; in current times, it can lead to an addiction to pornography. Like with anger or murder in the heart, this adultery in the heart must be nipped in the bud. Like Joseph with Potiphar's wife and the advice of Solomon and Paul, one must flee from that temptation; one must turn his eyes from temptation.
(29) "And if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish and not that your whole body should be cast into hell."
Obviously, Jesus did not intend for one to mutilate his body by plucking his eyes out. His intention was to show just how serious the sin of adultery in the heart was. It was imperative that one turn his eyes away from the temptation a beautiful woman might bring. It was far more profitable to his soul that he deny his eyes any visual pleasure that might lead to something that would have his whole body cast into hell.
Personally, I see this scripture another way. My husband was blinded in a terrible car crash when he was a rebellious teenager. He came from a Word of Faith believing family who always believed that they could faithfully pray his vision back, that by Jesus's stripes he was already healed, that he just needed to accept it because it was God's will that everyone be healed. My husband came to believe that just because something looks bad, doesn't mean it is. He looked to this verse, realizing that the taking of his eyes could be the thing that saved his soul. He realized he was headed head-strong into the wrong direction away from God, and he came to thank God for His mercy in allowing whatever it took to save his soul. God knows what it takes for each of us; some may need more than others to turn us back to Him. This time on earth is but a brief minute compared to our glorious time in eternity with God. Romans 8:18 tells us, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." I also believe that in my husband's suffering, as he had many other health issues as a result of that accident, many people may have been brought to Jesus by seeing his strong faith through all his struggles. For all we knew, that may have been his purpose on earth. We should be ready and willing for God to use us where we are. My husband never faltered in his faith, and I know his reward is great in heaven.
(30) "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell."
Likewise, Jesus said to keep one's hands from evil. Denying oneself temporary sinful pleasures is far more profitable to his soul. I think of Hebrews 11 and the great leaders of faith, specifically the words spoken about Moses in verses 24 to 26, "By faith Moses, when he had come of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward."
Scripture tells us that all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). If we could only view our troubles as opportunities for God to use us, and realize that it is far better that we have these troubles and work in fellowship with Jesus, than to be free from troubles and go along distracted and unaware of the dangers to our souls in a godless world.
(31) "It has been said, 'Whoever shall divorce his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorcement.'"
Jesus spoke on the subject of divorce. He didn't refer to this as a law said by them of old; divorce never was God's plan. It was only a permission granted because of the hardness of the hearts of men (Mark 10:5); and the original intent was that only adultery permitted it. However, the way the law was written in Deuteronomy 24:1, if his wife found "no favor in his eyes, because he has found some uncleanness in her," he could give her a bill of divorcement. Men began to forget the second part, and if his wife no longer found favor in his eyes for whatever trivial reason, like he found another woman more desirable, then he could divorce her. I can't help but compare this to our laws, how the original intent of our constitution has been lost, and bizarre rights have been written into it because of some language that could be taken out of context and twisted to invent rights never intended. That is exactly what the Jews were doing 2000 years ago.
(32) "But I say to you that whoever shall divorce his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever shall marry her who is divorced, commits adultery."
Jesus said that if a man divorced his wife for any reason except for her sexual immorality (Strong's defined it as harlotry), then he caused her to commit adultery if she then married again. Additionally, any man who would marry her would also be guilty of adultery. Jesus was not revoking the permission granted in the law; He was restoring it to its original intent. With their present interpretation of the law, if a man divorced his wife for a frivolous reason, that marriage bond ordained by God was still in effect; if she ran to the arms of another man and married him, she would be guilty of adultery because she was still lawfully married in the eyes of God and the original intent of the law. The man who married her would also be guilty of adultery because he married an already married woman. The first husband would have caused all this because of his rejection of his wife for a trivial reason.
(33) "Again you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, 'You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform to the Lord your oaths.'"
Jesus spoke again about a law from men of old, referring to Leviticus 19:12, that one must not swear by the Lord's name falsely, and that he was to carry out his oaths he vowed to the Lord or by His name.
(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; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King."
Once again, we can be certain that Jesus was not changing any law. There would be times when swearing by God would be necessary as in a court of law. However, He was discouraging swearing about trivial matters. An oath to God was a very solemn matter. As Leviticus 19:12 went on to say, by swearing falsely by His name, one would so profane the name of his Lord God. By flippantly swearing an oath to God, one would be taking His name in vain, equating it to some trivial matter. He also said not to swear by heaven; that was equally solemn and serious because heaven was God's throne. Swearing by the earth should be prohibited because the earth was God's footstool; and swearing by Jerusalem would be carelessly swearing about the city of the great King, their Lord. It was better not to swear at all because to do so in the manner He described was to profane the Lord and take His name in vain.
(36) "Neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black."
Likewise, one should not swear by his head or his life or the like because in doing so, he swore by things out of his control, and things which are more God's than his own. That, in effect, would be diminishing God, as well.
(37) "But let your communication be 'Yes' for yes, and 'No' for no; for whatever is more than these comes of evil."
Jesus said a simple truthful yes or no was sufficient without swearing oaths. More than that would lead to evil. However, Jesus's words were, "comes of evil." It seems men again twisted a law. They might not swear by God, but by swearing by other things, they could get away with perjury through a loophole. Because they had not sworn an oath to God, they were under no obligation to perform what they had vowed according to the strict words of the law. However, Jesus informed the people before him that all was God's, so they shouldn't swear at all.
(38) "You have heard that is has been said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'"
This was the law of retribution. Its original intent was that it should take vengeance out of the hands of private parties and commit it to the magistrate. It was not intended to be used as an excuse to literally maim the accused, but understood to mean that one must pay a price equivalent to the damage done; and that was left up to the judges to determine, not for private parties to exact revenge.
(39) "But I say to you that you do not resist evil, but whoever shall strike you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."
The word translated as evil here, "poneros," Strong's tells us is not the same as other words used for evil that represent the essential character of evil, evil itself. "Poneros" is a form of the word "ponos" which means anguish or pain; therefore this was an evil act conducted to bring about anguish or pain. It cannot be said it was meant to be evil itself, as we are told elsewhere to resist the devil, the quintessential evil one (James 4:7). Jesus's meaning in turning the other cheek was to resist the inclination to immediately seek vengeance, but to be willing to patiently suffer a repetition of the same injury. "A soft answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1), but seeking revenge would only stir up more anger and more evil. Although the law allowed for retribution, again Jesus went to the heart of the matter, suggesting that there not be evil in men's heart against their adversary so that they seek revenge, but they should seek to lovingly defuse the situation.
(40) "And if any man will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also."
Likewise, if the matter went all the way to court, and one lost something to another in court, rather than dropping the matter there with resentments still in place, one should give something else of himself to ease the hostilities. It was better to suffer loss of property than to engender hatred that could eventually affect men's souls.
(41) "And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two."
I am reminded of the saying that if you give an inch, they'll take a mile. Jesus says that is actually what we should intend. If someone should force some action of us, we should be willing to do more. Adam Clarke in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out that these previous verses represented three types of injuries: insults and injuries (striking the cheek); loss of property (coat and cloak); and when our bodies are forced to endure all kinds of toil and torment (forcing to go a mile). We are exhorted to love, patience, and forgiveness.
(42) "Give to him who asks you, and from him who would borrow from you, do not turn away."
In a sort of summary, Jesus said to give to one who asked and not to turn away from one who wanted to borrow. Note that Jesus didn't say a brother or a Christ follower (Christian), but anyone who asks. In Luke 6:30, Jesus said to "give to every man who asks of you".
(43) "You have heard that it has been said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'"
It is totally evident that scripture had told men to love their neighbors, but I wasn't sure it ever said to hate their enemies. This was probably a corruption of the law to love one's neighbor, as a neighbor the Jews interpreted to be one of their own nation and religion, giving them justification to hate those who were not part of it. In a psalm of David, Psalm 139:20-22, David felt justified in hating his enemies because they hated His Lord; he hated them with "perfect hatred."
(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 despitefully use you and persecute you."
However, Jesus said to love your enemies, and to bless and do good to them. Of course, the best thing we can do for all is to pray for them. The law had been corrupted in that people felt justified in separating their neighbor from their enemy. It was never God's intention that we hate anyone. Harboring hatred in the heart hurts the heart's owner, not so much the one who is the object of the hatred. We are to hate evil (Psalm 97:10, Proverbs 8:13, Amos 5:15), but not the person. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against dark powers and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). Is it so hard to love a lost soul who is being deceived by Satan and may spend eternity in hell because of it? If we could see our enemies as Jesus did, poor lost souls who "know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), we can find it in our hearts to love them. It doesn't mean we have complacency in their evil or profane actions, or put confidence in someone we know to be deceitful, but we love the person. We must remember that when we were lost, we did atrocious things, and our Lord loved and forgave us; so should we be willing to love our enemies. "There but for the grace of God go I."
(45) "That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust."
Jesus said people were to love their enemies so that they might be called the children of God, followers and imitators of Him. God gives His sun and rain to both the just and the unjust, both the evil and the good. As imitators of their Father, so should they give their love to both their neighbors and their enemies.
(46) "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?"
Jesus said if people only loved those who loved them, there was nothing deserving of praise in that. Even the tax collectors, whom the Jews considered generally men of the worst characters, loved those who loved them. People who only found it in their hearts to love those who loved them were no better that the most despicable people.
(47) "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Don't even the tax collectors do so?"
Likewise, Jesus said if people only greeted their friends, they were doing nothing more than the loathsome tax collectors did.
(48) "Therefore be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Obviously, no person on earth can ever be perfect like God! However, that should always be our goal. We can be children of God, imitators of Him; in this case, we can love all people, even those who do harm to us. Perfect love casts out fear and torment. God is love and he who lives in love lives in God, and God is in him; in that way love is made perfect. (1 John 4:16-18).
The laws Jesus spoke about in these verses all have to do with love in our hearts--love instead of anger and murder in our hearts, love instead of lust in our hearts, love for our enemies, and there's even love in truth (v. 37). Jesus would later say that to love was the greatest commandment, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...and...you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
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