Through the summer of 2023, as time permits, we will review some of the teachings in Matthew 5 and ask Holy Spirit to apply them to our hearts

Tonight we’ll look briefly at Matthew 5:13-16, which we studied in more depth a few weeks ago. We’ll also look at Acts 1:4-8 which Pastor Dan preached on a few weeks ago. We’ll take a quick look at Paul’s prayer in Philippians 3:10-11. Marion and I will share a few reflections on our visit to West Ottawa Community Church 50th anniversary  celebration.  Then we’ll pray for each other, for more of the Holy Spirit’s transforming power in our lives, empowering us to be salt and light, to be living witnesses of the risen Christ.

Brief commentary

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus speaks of salt and light to express the influence that true disciples will have in the world.

Salt is a preservative. It also adds flavour, and has a cleansing effect. “Salt water has been used since ancient times to treat cuts, wounds, sores and skin irritations”. (Blog by Reliant Medical Group : Can Salt Water Really Heal Wounds?)

Light dispels darkness by its very presence, and enables others to see clearly. It brings hope, comfort and courage.

In Acts 1:4-8 , spoken in the days following His resurrection, Jesus tells his disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit who will enable them to be witnesses to His risen life. A witness is someone who has seen or experienced an event, and can speak about it authoritatively.  The first witnesses of Jesus were the first-century apostles. They had encountered the risen Jesus and so they were witnesses in a unique sense. But since then, all who have truly died to themselves and encountered the risen Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can be a witness to His life.

In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul expresses his heart-felt desire to know the crucified and risen Christ more fully, dying to himself, “becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection of the dead“.

Marion and I were deeply impacted and encouraged by our visit to West Ottawa Christian Community this past Sunday. We heard many testimonies of the power of God at work transforming lives through genuine Christian community. This was deeply encouraging and motivating for us. It made us want to become more like Jesus. This is only possible by His power.

Questions for reflection and prayer

• What does it mean to be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit?
• What Jesus says we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, what kind of power is he speaking of? What is the effect of this power in our lives?
• What does it mean to die with Christ?

Matthew 5:43-48

[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 and pray for those who persecute you,
[45] so that you may be sons 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 on the unjust.
[46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
[47] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
[48] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge helpful insights received from two online commentaries on this passage, one by Chip Bell of Fellowship Bible Church in Dallas, TX, and one by Greg Brown of Handong International Congregation in South Korea.

Commentary

You have heard … but I say… 

• See Matthew 5:43-44. For the sixth time, Jesus issues a strong corrective of the teaching of the Pharisees on a particular point of the Law of Moses.
• See also Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39.
• What does it tell you about Jesus that he spoke in this way?

In Matthew 5:17, 20 [NLT] Jesus summarizes the purpose of these sayings

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Attitudes to enemies in Rabbinic Judaism

• The Pharisees taught that hating your enemy was a natural extension of loving your neighbour.
• Maimonides, a (later) well-known rabbinic teacher, specifically taught that you did not need to love Gentiles, who were the enemies of God.
• You also did not need to love someone who had wronged you.
• To put this in historical context, remember that the Jews at the time of Jesus were an oppressed  and occupied people with many enemies, so these views are probably not surprising.

Attitudes to enemies and pagans (non-Jews) in the Old Testament

• There are places in the Old Testament where kindness to one’s personal enemy is taught.
  See  Exodus 23:4-5, Proverbs 25:21-22
• God told Abraham that every nation would be blessed through him
  (Genesis 12:1-3 )
• God spoke through Isaiah that Israel would be a light to the nations
  (Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:5-6)
• There are also places in the Old Testament where vengeance on Israel’s enemies is taught.
  Deuteronomy 25:17-19, Psalm 139:19-22′
• We need to understand that this vengeance is an expression of God’s wrath on sin. It does not nullify what is said elsewhere about kindness to one’s personal enemy.

Jesus’ teaching on enemies

• There are different levels of enmity, different types of people that we might consider our enemies.  People who have wronged us, people who persecute us, business enemies, people who do what is evil, people of other religions or racial groups or convictions.
• Jesus clearly calls us to love our enemies no matter who they are. Luke 10:25-37.
• We are called to desire their good and to do them good
• He also calls us to pray for those who wrong or persecute us. Matthew 5:44.
• What happens to your heart when you do this?

God’s response to evil in NT scriptures

• Jesus commands us to love our enemies but he does not call us to love what is evil.
• He is calling us to love our enemies because He has a redemptive purpose towards them. He made them in his image, formed them for intimacy with them. He desires to save them.
  1 Timothy 2:1-4
• God does have wrath towards those who hate His ways.  See John 3:16-21, John 3:36
• God’s judgement will fall on those who hate him. But in this age we are to practice kindness as an expression of God’s mercy, and pray for those who hate God to come to repentance. We may also pray that if they do not repent, God will judge them. Both prayers are Scriptural. But if we pray for God’s justice we also need to cast ourselves on HIs mercy. James 2:13.

Motivation

Jesus gives several reasons for loving our enemies

• that we may be like God (sons of our Father in heaven) – Matthew 5:45
• that our Father may reward us – Matthew 5:46
• “you can be better than that” – Matthew 5:47
• The desire to become perfect (mature, complete) in love – Matthew 5:48

Prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit

If we had to do this on our own power, we could never do it. But God promises to help those who seek to obey Him. Romans 5:1-5.

Matthew 5:33-37 – Sermon on the Mount

[33] Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.” [34] But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, [35] or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36] And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. [37] Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil.

Background

Oaths were used as a way of adding solemnity to a promise. If I borrow your car and say “I swear I will bring it back unharmed”, I am taking an oath.  Taking oaths was a common practice in the ancient world in matters that were considered to be of high importance. Oath taking was allowed for in the Law of Moses, with stipulations that an oath should not be taken lightly but that the promised action should be performed. See Numbers 30:2. God himself is presented as taking oaths in Scripture.  See Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 7:15-22.

Commentary

Since God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2), he does not use oaths to certify his truthfulness in a matter of dispute, but rather to underline the solemnity of a covenant promise.

Fallen humans, on the other hand, are prone to deception (Psalm 116:11) and moral lapses (Proverbs 20:6) and are quite capable of misusing oaths to avoid keeping a promise.

The following excerpts from an online resource may be helpful

The Westminster Confession of Faith says oaths are appropriate only in “matters of weight and moment” (22.2). This reflects a biblical pattern wherein oaths are commonly associated with covenants (Gen. 26:3; Psalm 132.11). We should make vows only in matters of great and lasting consequence, such as marriages or court proceedings.

Understanding common first-century Jewish practices helps us see what our Savior was getting at in His teaching on oaths and vows. To keep people from breaking the law’s rules regarding our promises (Num. 30:1–2), Jewish teachers and leaders invented a system by which they could determine whether a vow had to be kept. Extrabiblical literature indicates that many rabbis did not consider it a sin to break a vow if it was not made explicitly in the name of God. Oaths made in the name of heaven or even the gold of the temple were not regarded as ultimately binding. As we might expect from sinners, this led to people making oaths by persons or objects other than God to give them an out in case they did not keep their word.

Taken from Jesus’ Teaching on Oaths by Ligonier MInistries, 2012.

Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees’ teaching on oaths bears out these points

Matthew 23:16-22 – Teaching of the Pharisees on oaths

[16] Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.” [17] You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? [18] And you say, “If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.” [19] You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? [20] So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. [21] And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. [22] And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Discussion

• Do you think the Pharisees’ teaching on oaths encouraged truthfulness? Why, or why not?
• Consider Jesus’ concluding statement on this matter:
  Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil.
  (Matthew 5:37)
• What was he getting at?
• See Matthew 15:10-20, Psalm 51:6-10.  What kind of heart does God desire to form in us?.

Matthew 5:31-32

[31] It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” [32] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

• This is another example of Jesus’ sovereign authority over the law as given by Moses.
  In every case where Jesus comments directly on the law of Moses, he zeroes in on the core issue – the response of the heart to God (see Matthew 5:20 ).
• The way the discussion is framed assumes that the initiative in divorce rests with the husband. This is a reflection of the culture of the times. However in today’s culture, in which divorce can be initiated by either party, the same principle applies to both husbands and wives.
• The Pharisees later questioned Jesus on this matter of divorce. His discussion with them adds powerful insight into the true intentions of the One who gave the law.

Matthew 19:3-6
[3] And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” [4] He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, [5] and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? [6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

• Why did the Pharisees ask Jesus this question?
• How did Jesus deal with this challenge?
• The standard Jesus sets for marriage is life-long faithfulness. What is his basis for this standard?

Matthew 19:7-9

[7] They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” [8] He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. [9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

• According to Jesus, why does the law of Moses allow for divorce?
• What does hardness of heart have to do with marital failure?
• What does Jesus mean by the statement from the beginning it was not so ?

Matthew 19:10-12

[10] The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” [11] But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. [12] For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

• How did Jesus’ disciples respond to this teaching? Restate their response in your own words.
• What does Jesus mean by saying only those to whom it is given [vs 11] ?
  See 1 Corinthians 7:1-7.
• Does Jesus view marriage as inferior to singleness?
• What is a eunuch?
• How do you make yourself a eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven [vs 12]? What might Jesus mean by this? See Matthew 5:29-30.

Prayer

Matthew 5:27-28

You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

[29] You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.”

• See Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18

[30] But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

• The Greek word translated lustful can also be used for positive desires. See Luke 22:15, 1 Timothy 3:1
• Some desires are good, some – if indulged – can lead to sin and destruction. See Luke 6:43-45, Mark 7:21-23, Job 31:1
• Attraction is not sin. Sin starts with the voluntary choice to make room for an illegitimate desire. See 2 Samuel 11:1-5, James 1:13-15,

Matthew 5:29-30

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

• What is Jesus’ point here?
• Is he literally recommending maiming ourselves? If not, what is he getting at?
• What happens to us if we indulge and make allowances for wrongful desires?
• What was David’s response when the prophet Nathan rebuked him for his sin with Bathsheba?  See 2 Samuel 12:7-15, Psalm 51
• How do we root out destructive desires?

Matthew 5:17-20

[17] 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. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Background

• Each of the four gospels in the NT was written with a specific audience in mind. They were all intended to be faithful accounts of the ministry of Jesus, but each gospel was written at a particular point in time, for a particular community of faith and with a particular set of concerns in mind.
• Matthew’s gospel was probably based on the gospel of Mark, with additional material added (as was Luke). This is the view of most scholars.
• Matthew is usually seen as the most Jewish of the gospels, and was probably written for Jewish believers in Jesus, for whom the Law (Torah) of Moses was of central importance.
• When Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount, he was laying out the values of the KIngdom of God, and setting the standard for his disciples.
• Some interpreters see the Sermon on the Mount as a parallel to Moses on Mount Sinai, and Jesus as the new Moses, giving the authoritative teachings and instructions (commandments) that would be binding on His disciples.
• The Hebrew word Torah, which refers to the five Books of Moses, actually includes the concepts of teaching (guidance, instruction) as well as law

Discussion

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law [Torah] and the Prophets

• Why might Jesus have felt the need to state that he did not intend to abolish the Law [Torah] and the Prophets?
• Why might Matthew have felt the need to include this statement in his gospel?

I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them

• The Greek word pleroo (fuifill) literally means to make full or to complete.
• What are some of the ways in which Jesus fulfils the Law and the Prophets?

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

The iota and the dot probably refer to the smallest strokes (accents) of the Hebrew scriptures. Here Jesus is emphasizing the reliability and authoritative nature of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament).

• Why might Jesus have chosen to emphasize this point?
• This emphasis in Jesus’ teaching is not unique to the Gospel of Matthew. See John 10:35
• Why might Matthew have chosen to emphasize it for a Jewish audience?

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

• which commandments do you think Jesus had in mind when he said this – the ones in the Law of Moses, or the ones that he was about to give (which he said fulfilled the Law of Moses)?   

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

• See Matthew 12;1-14, Matthew 23;5-7, Matthew 23:23-28
• In what ways does the righteousness of a disciple of Jesus need to exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees?

Concluding Question

See Galatians 3:10-14,  Romans 8:1-4. How do you reconcile this with Jesus’ teaching on the Law in Matthew 5:17-20?

Review – Matthew 5:1-10

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
[2]   And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
[3]  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4]   Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
[5]   Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
[6]   Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
[7]   Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
[8]   Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[9]   Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
[10] Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Tonight’s Study – Matthew 5:11-12 [NIV]

[11] Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Commentary

• Greek word translated insult refers to blame, reproach, verbal abuse.
• Greek word translated persecute carries the sense of to chase down.
  It can be used in a positive or negative sense – but here the sense is negative. It implies pursuit with the intent to do harm.
• Greek word translated Rejoice literally means  to experience God’s grace and favour
• Greek word translated be glad literally means to leap for joy

Discussion

• In Matthew 5:10 Jesus had already spoken a blessing over those who are persecuted on account of their commitment to His ways (for the sake of righteousness). Why do you think He chose to expand on this Beatitude in particular?
• No-one enjoys being insulted, slandered or threatened with harm. Jesus is not expecting us to enjoy these things. He is saying that in spite of them, we can rejoice.
• Why should we rejoice when we experience insults, slander, or the threat of harm because of Jesus? What reason does He give?
• What are some of the rewards promised to those who stay faithful under pressure?
  See Matthew 25:21,    2 Timothy 2:11-12,  John 17:24, Psalm 16:11, Revelation 22:4
• Of all these promises, is there one that makes your spirit jump for joy?
• The word Rejoice in Greek literally means to experience God’s grace and favour. How is persecution a form of God’s grace to us?
• How can we overcome fear and anxiety, and build up hope and courage? Hebrews 12:1-3

Prayer

• for ourselves
• for others