Intro
After giving us the Beatitudes, Jesus throws out a couple of nice sounding things and then He lays down the law. Pretty literally. Jesus cites several Mosaic laws saying “You have heard that it was said”. But then He amps it up to another level. Jesus’ whole point was to call His followers to a higher standard of living than that of the other Jews who were just fulfilling the bare minimum requirements of the law. Jesus didn’t want followers who did the bare minimum of the textual Law; He wanted followers who fulfilled the Spirit of the Law and went above and beyond. And He still calls us to that today. There’s a lot here in the rest of Matthew Chapter 5, so let’s get started.
Salt & Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)
These first few verses after the Beatitudes are among the most famous that Jesus spoke. Many sermons have been preached on these passages. Consequently, I don’t feel a need to spend a lot of time explaining them. I will briefly touch on what Jesus means here by salt and light and point out the higher standard we are called to from these passages.
As salt, Christians are called to be preservatives in this world. As salt served as a food preservative in first century Middle East, so we serve to preserve society from ungodly people and the corrupting nature of sin. Secondly, salt served (and still does) as a flavor enhancer. In the same way, we “enhance the flavor” of this world by influencing it in a positive and godly way. One other note here: just as too much salt can damage the flavor of food, shoving the gospel down a person’s throat does more harm than good. Sprinkle your salt with love and gentleness, don’t try and throw a block of salt at them.
Lastly, Jesus calls His followers “lights”. I think this one is a little more clear than the salt. We should stand out from the rest of the world by what we say and do. And as long as our deeds are done to glorify our Father in Heaven, we will stand out. As light stands out and shines through the darkness, we stand out and shine the light of Christ in this dark world of sin.
Fulfilling the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)
The next words Jesus spoke serve as an interesting segue into the next several topics that He covers in the rest of chapter 5. Here He introduces the Law into the Sermon on the Mount and ends this paragraph with another call to His followers to be more (not just do more) than the religious leaders.
Jesus wanted to make it clear that the Law was not going to be replaced by His teachings. Therefore, the commands written in the Law still apply. Now this does not mean that we as Christians need to observe every cleansing ritual or every single one of the different commands in Leviticus. However, the Spirit behind the commands still apply and there are plenty of “equivalent” commands that bear that same Spirit. And by that I mean that much of the law applies to cultural things (“don’t cook a young goat in its mother’s milk”) that simply don’t apply to our society. Many of them are commands to not perform the same rituals that the nations around them performed to worship their gods. We can apply that today right here in America.
Exercises
As an exercise, think about some of the ways that people show honor or “worship” their idols (whether celebrities, money, etc.) that God doesn’t call us to do when worshipping Him, and consciously choose not to do those same things when honoring and worshipping God. For example, we live in a sex-obsessed society. People buy and sell sex like a commodity. In the realm of prostitution, it can serve as a worship of money. People use sex like a status symbol (worship of fame or self). Or even worship of others in a way. Or even just worship of sex itself! God never asks for us to use sex as a form of worship to Him.
In a different vein, think about all the ways that people worship their idols that are much like how God expects us to worship Him. These methods are not so much “don’t do” as they are simply misdirected. Time and attention are two major ones. How much time do people spend following their favorite movie stars or singers? How many people get tattoos of their favorite celebrities? I’m not saying that tattoos are sinful, just pointing out how they are used to effectively worship an idol. Then there’s the big one: money. So much of what we do in America revolves around making and spending money. We spend so much time trying to make money and then we spend it on stuff. Stuff we don’t need and can get without. God calls us to honor Him with our time and money. Talk about a higher standard to live up to.
Fulfillment
Real quick, what did Jesus mean by saying He came to fulfill the Law? Elsewhere Jesus claims that the Law points to Him. So when Jesus fulfills the Law, He fulfills what was written about Him. All the sacrifices point to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. Jesus obeyed all the Laws and didn’t break any. All the other Laws and rituals become the lifestyle that Holy Spirit molds us into. And by putting Holy Spirit in us, we gain the power to fulfill the rules and regulations of the Law as well.
Murder
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV)
Now we enter into the “You have heard that it was said…But I tell you” passages. They perfectly follow Jesus’ statements about not abolishing the Law and calling His followers to have a righteousness that surpasses the religious leaders. The religious leaders already set a pretty high standard for the people to follow. So for Jesus to set an even higher standard for His followers likely shocked them. And Jesus’ whole point in the following passages is to address the heart issues behind the actions. The sin nature behind the Laws.
Starting out, Jesus touches on murder. I’m sure everyone in Jesus’ hearing was innocent of committing murder. However, Jesus amps it up by telling them that anyone who is angry or hateful toward another without repentance is guilty of murder. God is a God of reconciliation and of peaceful living between people. So to have division and strife is to not be walking in the ways of God. And truly, even though the person may still be alive, by not reconciling nor being repentant of your anger or hate, you have murdered that relationship.
What happens if the other person is dead and you can’t reconcile? That’s the beauty of forgiveness. You don’t ever need to speak to the other person to forgive them. Yes, the relationship may not be able to be restored in this life (and maybe not the next either), but you can forgive them and let all that negativity in your life go. The healing you experience from that will allow you to live your life to the fullest.
Adultery
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)
I feel like this next one makes it go from difficult (but doable) to nearly impossible without God. Which is kind of the point. Jesus wants us all to know that we can’t fulfill the fullness of the Law without Him. And we can’t live any kind of Christian lifestyle without Him. We need to be fully dependent upon Holy Spirit living in us to live how He calls us to live.
It’s a bit harder to claim that everyone within Jesus’ hearing had not committed adultery. Mostly because Jesus spoke these words to crowds of people and adultery is one of those sins that can remain secret and hidden a lot longer than murder. However, assuming they were all free of this sin of adultery, I can guarantee that the crowd was not free of lust – the higher standard Jesus called them to. As a man, I can say that it isn’t easy. Especially in our sex-obsessed society. It’s all too easy to see an attractive individual and begin imagining things.
Important disclaimer! The initial thought of temptation is NOT sinful. That’s the enemy trying to trap you into sin. It’s taking that initial thought and dwelling on it, expanding it, developing it into a full fledged “mental sex”. Or maybe just trying to imagine what that person might look like without clothes on. Lustful thoughts are often just the beginning. Give too much time to them and pretty soon you could find yourself performing other sins like masturbation, watching porn, or seeking out one night stands. Or actually cheating on your spouse. I hope you can see a progression here so you can recognize it if it ever starts to happen to you. This one is more subtle than murder, yet just as devastating.
Divorce
“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 5:31-32 (NIV)
This next one flows pretty well from the previous one. And is a big point of debate and controversy yet today. Old Testament Law allowed divorce if the husband found anything “indecent about her” (Deuteronomy 24:1). Jewish leaders would long debate what is meant by “indecency”. Original wording strongly suggests that the original intent was indecent sexual behavior – though not adultery since that carried the death sentence. And Jesus reaffirms this original intent. Which kind of begs the question “Where’s that higher standard that Jesus calls us to?”
Despite what the Law said and the original intention, a school of thought arose among the Jewish leaders that allowed for husbands to divorce their wives for almost any reason, not just sexual indecency. So Jesus called out that particular school of thought with His statement here. And in today’s culture, we can certainly relate to that. People divorce for some of the strangest reasons. Most involve money. Jesus doesn’t want us to divorce for petty reasons or for reasons that can be worked through easily enough – maybe with a little outside help. And Jesus’ call to unilaterally forgive means that people could work through even infidelity without a divorce – though Jesus and Paul both make exceptions for infidelity.
Many Christians today allow for divorce too easily because “that’s the way society is”, which is not a good mindset. After all, Jesus calls us to a standard higher than what the world lives.
Oaths
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV)
Oaths. Vows. Swearing by. Whatever you call it, it’s a risk. Breaking your word breaks trust, damages relationships, ruins reputations, etc. That’s why Jesus warns against doing it flippantly – i.e., “I swear on my mother’s life” or other similar things from everyday conversation. How do I know He’s addressing flippant oaths? Because He references swearing to heaven, earth, Jerusalem, and your own head. In that culture, the leaders considered only public oaths sworn by God’s name to be binding. In everyday, private conversation if you make an oath by heaven, earth, or anything else that is not God’s name, then it’s not binding. This created a loophole by which people could lie or change their minds about something.
Jesus wants any oath or vow made to be 100% binding 100% of the time. That’s a pretty high standard. And not easy to do. How often do any of us in everyday conversation say “I swear this is true” or “I promise I’ll do that”. Using such words tells people that you will follow through. After all, you wouldn’t break your word, would you? For me personally, if there’s something I’m not certain on, I straight up tell people “I’m not sure I’ll be able to, we’ll see”. Or something similar. I do my best to not make promises or guarantees when I know there’s a chance that I’ll have to back down. I chose to adopt this standard so other’s don’t see me as a man who routinely breaks his word.
Eye for Eye
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV)
The Law of Retaliation as it has been called. You do something to me, I have the right to do something of equal scope back to you. Unfortunately, that’s not what the Law taught. The Law was all about publicly administrating justice. Not private “get even” fights. Religious leaders allowed people to get their “eye for an eye” without going through the proper public channels. And that’s what Jesus wanted to address. This misapplication of the Law. The reason for the Laws about retaliation and justice were to protect the accused from a punishment too high for the crime, and also prevents private justice that could spiral out of control with back and forth feuding.
So, what’s the higher standard here? For one, don’t seek private justice and retaliation. For severe things, leave that to the proper channels. Secondly, if someone strikes you on the right cheek, that’s a back-handed slap (assuming he’s right handed). The culture of the day interpreted back-handed slaps as an insult. So this passage is less about bodily injury and more about how you should respond to an insult. Jesus’ response: don’t respond in like manner and be prepared to receive injury if that should occur. Allow the insults. Jesus demonstrated this by not responding to any insults or accusations heaped upon Him prior to His death.
The Heart Attitudes
Looking to the other parts of this passage real quick, verse 40 with the shirt and coat deals with a heart of giving. Be prepared to give, give, and give – and not begrudgingly. In verse 41, when we’re drafted (like the Romans could do with the Jews to carry their stuff for one mile) into things – military, jury duty, etc. – we should strive to do our very best in that situation. And once again in verse 42, Jesus calls us to be generous.
In conclusion to these three verses, Jesus’ standard is to be generous with our time, talents, and possessions (money most often). And to do it all with a positive attitude – not begrudgingly.
Love Your Enemies
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)
Hang with me a little longer, we’re in the home stretch! The last standard to address is all about loving your enemies. Interestingly about this one is that while the Old Testament certainly says “love your neighbor”, nowhere does it say “hate your enemy”. However, given that the Jews had many enemies upon whom God pronounced judgment on, it’s not much of a stretch to believe that hating the enemies of God honored Him. And this is a part of what Jesus calls out here. He’s telling us that if we hate those who hate us, we’re no better than the very people we hate! Rather we should strive to love all people the way God loves all people. Not an easy one, that’s for sure. That’s why Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. The more we pray for them, the more our hearts becomes like God’s heart.
Wrapping Up
In all of these, Jesus wanted to address the sinful attitude and heart posture behind the sins. You don’t just wake up and murder someone without motivation – probably starts with anger/hate. Likewise, you probably don’t just randomly choose to cheat on your spouse. You see them first and become attracted and you don’t do anything to temper your lustful thoughts until it spills out and is too late. Dealing with the heart was a major part of Jesus’ teaching ministry.
To be sure, this higher standard that Jesus calls us to is not an easy life to live. In fact, it’s impossible to live this life without the Spirit of God indwelling us. And that’s a huge part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus wanted to make sure His listeners and followers understood that they needed Him if they were to fulfill this calling. He wanted them to understand that they couldn’t do it on their own – despite what the religious leaders said.
That’s all for now, see you next time as we start Matthew chapter 6!
Outro
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