Tough Talk About Tough Subjects

Matthew 5:27 - 32

Jesus is still speaking on our responsibilities as Christians in our world.  He continues to speak on how we should be on the inside, not just a practicer of ritual on the outside.  Everyone He is speaking to knows that adultery is wrong, and many of them probably pulled out their mental notebooks and thought, "Well, I can check that one off - I know I'm not an adulterer!  But wait a minute, looking lustfully is adultery?  I better get out the eraser now.  I thought I was ok, but hmmmmm..."

Looking at a woman lustfully is being considered heart committed adultery.  That's a big one there.  Jesus is telling us here that motive matters, that we can't consume our thoughts with ideas that might lead us astray because our minds can lead us down the slippery slope of sin and can cause us to break many a commandment.  He is wanting us to "guard the gates". To protect the eyes from what can lead us wrongly.  To protect the ears that can be enticed into straying places we don't need to be.  To protect our minds from spiralling into dark thoughts that don't belong in our Christian being.

We are then instructed with some pretty harsh words from Jesus considering our eyes and our hands.  Our eyes, the windows to our hearts and minds and our hands, the very thing that we perform actions with are mentioned here I think to show us something of huge importance.  What we perceive and what we do are extremely influential in who we are and who the world sees when they see us.  If we are taking in things that we shouldn't, it would be better for us to be blind than to continually be brought down by what we see.  If our actions are other than serving God or performing non-godly actions, it would be better not to have hands.  Better for us to be physically unwhole than for us to be spiritually missing what it takes. 

Jesus then speaks of divorce, and as a divorced person, I had to read and re-read this a couple of times to pull out the meaning.  I still don't know if I am getting it right, but I can tell you after some reading what it means to me.  From what I have read, Jesus was not condoning nor condemning divorce itself as much as he was speaking to a common practice of His day.  From my understanding, a common practice of the day was for a man to divorce his wife for no cause, take up with a mistress, live as a single person and partake in all sorts of immorality, then re-marry his divorced wife.  Kind of playing the law to his advantage.  If he is no longer married, why be faithful?  If he has full control over his wife, why not play the field, then take her back when she is in no position to be taken by others?  Jesus is again looking at laws and outward images versus the heart and inward motives.  He is saying, don't skirt the legalities of things and call yourself "in the clear" when your motives are to do whatever you can to appear still ok as society would see you. 

So, Jesus is still talking of his heart standards versus the world standards.  We might can follow rules all day long and skirt issues and appear to be as white as snow on the outside, but our hearts can be as black as coal when our true motives and actions are defined.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, 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.

31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Personal Relationships

Matthew 5: 21 - 26

Jesus has instructed us on how we are to be light and salt to the world; He has given us instructions on living the law in our hearts and then He goes deeper into what is expected of us as believers.  He reflects back to the law - "Do not murder."  We all feel pretty good about that one.  Ok, Jesus, we can clear that hurdle.  We are feeling pretty good at that point, when then we hear - anyone angry at their brother will be subject to judgement.  Wait a minute, does Jesus realize the people I have to deal with day to day?  Has He seen traffic lately?  How can we not be angry?  Looking deeper into the passage, it can be seen what He is speaking of.  Jesus is talking of the anger that comes within us that writes people off, that considers them less than human, the anger that makes us self-righteously consider ourselves better than others.  Don't let yourself be taken over by unrighteous anger.  We are instructed in other places in His word - "Be angry, but do not sin"  Giving people a "worthless" or "hopeless" label is casting people into judgement of your own - a job not left up to us.  Jesus is telling us to be careful not to let our anger make people less than worthy of our love.  We all are not worthy of His love, yet we still are loved.  In dealing with others, do the same.  Don't look to what they do or have done for or to you.  Look to their worth as a child of God and love them unconditionally too.  Jesus wants our love to extend to others without conditions, just as His love extends to us.  He then goes into getting things right with others prior to going to the altar to get things right with God.  This passage brings to mind others we have heard....judge not or you will be judged.....forgive us as we forgive others....don't let the sun go down on your wrath.  Jesus is telling us to get right with our brothers so we can truly get right with Him.  As a parent, I can see what he means in this.  If my oldest child comes to me to sit down and have a meal, but he has his younger sibling in a headlock while he sits at the table, it will tend to make me as a parent not want to feed him.  Jesus is giving similar instructions - you are welcome at my altar of forgiveness.  I unconditionally love you, but I know that you cannot fully receive My best for you if you have uncleared wrongs against others when you come to commune with me.  Forgive others and in this you can receive your full forgiveness.  I think another part of this is Jesus knowing as Christians others are always looking at us, seeing how we live outside the walls of our church.  If we are at His altar of forgiveness on Sunday and bowing to altars of bad business practices, shading living and treating others badly Monday through Saturday, we are not giving the world the picture of Christianity that it needs to see.  We then get help in how to handle adversarial dealings with others.  Handle problems quickly and one on one when possible.  Do not let things get out of hand and get past reconciliation so that you will have to be brought before others to receive punishment for your wrongdoings.  Deal with your friends and receive their "judgement" instead of being brought before others who may not be as ready to treat you as lightly.  Dealing with others is always something we have to do, and no one enjoys dealing with others when conflict arises.  Be the one to take on Christ's teachings - be the one to humble yourself.  Be the one who realizes that pride destroys and love builds.

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-20

Jesus is continuing his speaking to the people.  He is covering much and is hitting all the points for our instruction in Christian life.  He tells us that we are the salt of the earth.  Have you ever noticed food without enough salt?  Nothing else seems to have its full savoriness and taste unless properly salted.  Even many of the sweetest cookies and cakes have salt in them to bring out the full flavor of the dish.  Such is our place in the world, without the love and influence of Christians, the world is a flavorless place, a botched recipe, something unappealing and tasteless.

Light to us has become a common place commodity with electricity and a flip of the switch, turn of the remote, etc.  Imagine the value of light at night to the people to whom Jesus was speaking.  Imaging just how dark their world was at night.  Take in the stark difference between their nights and days, then realize the stark difference Christ is calling us to display if we are to be His messengers to a dark world.  And to carry it further, Jesus doesn't just tell us to be a light - he tells us to be a light that is seen - seen from miles.  He wants us to be seen from afar and wants us to be a light that spills out into the street and illuminates others.  He goes further to say we are to be a light by the way we live, the things we do.  He wants us to live in a way that others see Him and want to know what we have that they are missing. 

Jesus continues speaking about His role in this and God's plan for our lives.  He has come to fulfill the law, not abolish it.  God has become flesh to complete what He started in Genesis.  He has come to fill our hearts, to change our lives, to transform us into those who don't look to laws to learn to live, He wants us to live so that we will show the truth and the benefits of following the law in our lives.  Jesus wants us to be doers of the law, not parsers of the law.  Anyone can learn things - He wants us to live it!  He then goes on to wrap up the passage instructing us to be an instructor of God's commandments here on earth - a true teacher by example is what I think He is wanting of us.  He has seen the empty shallowness of the Pharisees of His day and wants to see His word lived and not performed for show to those who would be impressed by piety and false holiness.

One would look at this passage and think it jumps around somewhat, but I think it is all related together in a woven pattern.  Christ wants us to be the flavor that makes the world work, that makes life savory and preserves what is right.  He also wants us to be the light for others in a dark, dark world.  He wants us to be salt and light in how we live, in what we believe, not in a rote manner of customs and laws, but in a lifestyle that will be seen as complete and desired by those who are not followers of Christ.  Anybody can stand up and act, but it takes a true follower to be seen as authentically different.

13"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 by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither 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. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

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. 18I tell you the truth, 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. 19Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For 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.

Christ-like Attitudes

Matthew 5: 1-12

Jesus is teaching with his disciples close at hand. Teaching the masses, but also informing his closest friends and helpers. Jesus begins laying out the blueprint for what we are to be if we are to be Christ-like, Christ in a world that so needs the benefits of changed and transformed people.
The poor in spirit. What is poor in spirit? To me, it's the person who has Christ and knows of our spiritual poverty if we are to draw upon ourselves and not God. It' s the person who knows that they don't know it all, or act that way. The people who strive to fill their impoverished faith with the Spirit only Jesus can give. What does he say of them? Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only if we realize our constant, forever longing for the growing and increasing of God in us can we bring God's kingdom into our lives and the world we touch each day.

He states next that those who mourn will be comforted. Mourning doesn't seem like much of a positive, motivational lifestyle, but Christ is telling us - mourning is a human emotion. Mourn for what counts - mourn for those who do not know Christ. Mourn for those who suffer living out of God's will, mourn for the people who are hung up on the temporary and don't invest in the things eternal. Have a mournful heart for all the people that are not getting the best Christ has to offer. This concern and compassion for others enacted into showing others Jesus will comfort us as we go about our lives.

The meek - the humble lowly Christian that takes on the spirit of a simple child, with unwavering trust and faith in God's work, serving others will inherit the earth. How do we inherit the earth? By working for others - not for our gain, but for the advancement of God. We place the focus in our lives at putting others first and all else follows. Seek first God, love others and literally, the best of life will be yours. Not an easy life, but a blessed life of future and promise.

How many of us really hunger and thirst for righteousness? To seek this so much that you would starve to death without it? The promise with this one is simply - you will be filled. Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened....Jesus reminding us that all we have to do is ask and we will receive. We sometimes make this a lot harder than it should be. So, how do we thirst and hunger for righteousness? Righteousness is simply us being made right with God. To be made right by the grace of Jesus Christ; something that we can't do ourselves. We have to come to God's table he has before us and have our hunger and thirst conquered through His endless supply of love and grace. Seek that which we have to have to sustain us in a life in and through Christ.

The merciful will be shown mercy. How many times does God show us this principle in scripture? Give and it shall be given to you. Bless and you will be blessed. Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Serve and you will be served. God has such a neat way of knowing just what we need and has created us and all around us with an order, a systematic arrangement of action/reaction, cause/effect, mistakes/ consequences. Do you want to be shown mercy? Show mercy to others. One of the parables Jesus speaks of tells of the man pleading to be forgiven of a huge debt from a lender. The lender relents and releases the man from his debt. Sometime afterward, the "debt-free" man approaches someone who owes him money, demands payment and throws the man in prison for not paying him. When the original lender hears of the man's action, things don't go very well....Be merciful, show love. Not to get back things, but to live our lives as to show Christ to others.

The pure in heart. Anyone out there pure in heart? Can we be? These will be the people who see God. I think where it is going here is not saying we have to be "sin-free" or we will not see God. Again, I feel it goes back to so many things Christ spoke of - motive. People with pure hearts don't have impure motives. We do slip up and sin, we do things we shouldn't or don't do things we should, but our daily motive is not to get up and sin boldly each day. People with pure hearts don't have thoughts of manipulating for their gain, cheating to get things, using their friends and co-workers to satisfy their prideful needs. When we clear our hearts of the impure motives, we can truly look past those things and see God.

Anybody a peacemaker? I wonder if this applies to a parent of more than one child? What can you do except be a peacemaker when you battle sibling rivalry? Anyway, being a peacemaker, to me shows an active lifestyle of making sure you convey peace around you. You don't wait for a battle to build up and occur and then step in to moderate peace. You instill peace in the daily things you encounter by putting others before you, buy trusting God more and by just taking that extra step of being a tolerant, joyous spirit that exudes peace everywhere you go.

Have you ever been in a crowd, heard or seen something that totally went against your grain as to knowing what is right and what God would have done? Have you spoken out, only to be looked down upon or cast out from the group due to your stand? Welcome, you are the persecuted based on your righteousness. It isn't easy to stand at times in front of your buddies, boss, co-workers and colleagues when you see injustice and speak up. Bless you my child, you are blessed and you bring the kingdom of heaven here on earth. You bring to earth the thoughts and actions of heaven.

Blessings again can come to you from above when you are reviled for Jesus. This is kind of a continuation of the verse above. When we are righteous in Jesus' name, people see it as different, unworldly, supernatural to be exact. Where most of the world will go when they see this is into the worst behavior as possible - they will insult you, persecute you, lie about you and do evil things to bring you down. All because they don't understand and because the dark cannot stand the light. Keep up the faith, the blessings are there and you will be victorious in your strife. Find a way to see the future promise for the present discomfort and keep your head high, serving Christ instead of converting to the world and its ways. You are in good company, Jesus says - you will be in the high esteem of the prophets who have blazed a trail ahead of you.

1.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
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and he began to teach them, saying:
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"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
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Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
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Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.