We had listened in as Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with an introduction of short sentences called the ‘Beatitudes’ – a blueprint for accessing blessings through one’s behaviors by living a godly life. (See Jesus’ Most Famous Public Address).
Continuing with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins to teach us how to apply that knowledge:
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].
“You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Mt. 5:13 – 16. AMP
Christ is calling His followers to make a difference in the world, to stay on purpose (be ‘salty’ to bring a pointed clarity / taste to the Word) and to shine that light of Jesus and His Father onto a dark world.
(Note: Up until now, Jesus has called Jehovah His Father. Now He says that God is our Father as well.)
After Jesus’ Ascension to His Father, the Holy Spirit would reveal further Christ revelations about these very things through the Apostle Paul:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard] you. Ti. 2:11 – 13. CSB
Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. Ti. 3:1, 2. CSB
We are to try our utmost to be living testimonies of God’s goodness, examples of the transformation that is possible for those who walk with Him.
Jesus reads the hearts of some in the crowd who think His appearance and teachings disqualifies the Old Testament. He puts a stop to that right now:
“Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 5:17 – 20. AMP
The Old Testament teachings of Moses and the prophets are completely valid until the second advent of Christ. The last sentence in this Scripture is taking a swipe at the Pharisees and their cohorts who have mutilated Scripture to serve themselves. Without repentance, the doors of heaven will not grant them access.
Jesus is the living Word of God. Thus, it falls within His authority to bring greater clarity to Scripture by ‘evolving’ them into their highest applications. He begins with the 6th of the Ten Commandments:
“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister[ will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire. So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny. Mt. 5:21 – 26. CSB
Thus, we are held accountable for what feelings we keep in our hearts towards others. Being angry with anyone is not being reconciled; and as followers of Christ, we must be reconciled with everyone (if they are willing), and even then, at least reconciled as best we can in our own hearts:
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Rm. 12:18 CSB
It is so important that Jesus said if you detect any derogatory feelings for anyone at the Temple, that you leave your gifts to God behind, and to go and be reconciled first, before presenting your gifts.
Next, Jesus evolves the 7th Commandment:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Mt. 5:27 – 30. AMP
Lust is at the heart of the problem. All sin begins in the mind. Jesus is adding extreme examples here to impress the severity of sin in the heart and the importance of curbing this behavior before the sin becomes full-blown.
Likewise, pressing for an unjust divorce also forces adultery upon the recipient:
“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce. But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.” Mt. 5:31, 32. NLT
In Moses’ time, a man could divorce a woman for any reason he came up with – fictitious or not. (‘No-fault’ divorce, as is practiced today). Jesus is adamant, (and again, He is the living Word of God), that the only acceptable reason for divorce is for unrepentant adultery. If the adulterer is repentant, the offended Christian must forgive and work to restore the marriage.
God is very clear about where He stands with divorce:
“For I hate divorce!”[a] says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” Mal. 2:16 NLT
And Jesus puts a period on it:
But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother [to establish a home with his wife], and the two shall become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but [are united as] one flesh. Therefore, what God has united and joined together, man must not separate [by divorce].” Mk. 10:6 – 9. AMP
Jesus shifts to oath-making. In His day, the Pharisees used to promise to do something under an oath which was supposed to give their declaration greater weight. Here, Christ condemns this fault in their personal integrity:
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ “ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.” Mt. 5:33 – 37. NLT
Jesus is always about love. Even when injured by someone, once again He preaches reconciliation over revenge:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [punishment that fits the offense].’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person [who insults you or violates your rights]; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other toward him also [simply ignore insignificant insults or trivial losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity, your self-respect, your poise]. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also [for the Lord repays the offender]. And whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Mt. 5:38 – 42. AMP
Finally, for today, Jesus dovetails this love into His command to love our enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt. 43 – 48. AMP
That is one loving Savior! We’re about halfway through the Sermon on the Mount. Stay tuned!
Goodnight and God bless.
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