Matthew 5

The key to the Sermon in Mt. 5-7 is:  Fallen man cannot live before a holy God except by grace alone.  The righteousness of the kingdom of heaven far exceeds the letter of the law (v.20), which exists only to restrain and punish evil (1 Tim.1:9).  Christ’s law is the royal law, the law of love written upon the heart.  The New Covenant.

     Christ speaks to the Fellowship of the Cross, to those who can say,  “Behold we have left everything and followed you.”  (Mt. 19:27).  This is the proclamation of the gospel (Mt. 4:23), proclaiming those things that are true about the kingdom, and only possible in union with Christ.  It welcomes those who say, “God be merciful to me, the sinner!”  (Luke 18:13).

     5:3, poor is the spirit, cf. Ps. 34:6.

     5:4.  Is. 61:2;  cf. Luke 16:25.

     5:5.  Ps. 37:11.  Earth can be translated as land (of promise).

     5:6.  Is. 55:1-2.

     5:7.  Prov. 11:17 & 25.

     5:8.  Ps. 24:3-6;  1 John 3:1-3;  Rev. 22:4.

     5:9.  Ro. 8:12-17.  Peacemakers:  The Greek has both the active and passive sense of making and having peace.

     5:10-12 make plain that the beatitudes are promises held by faith in the midst of a harsh world.  The fullness awaits us in heaven.

     5:13.  Cf. Col. 4:6.

     5:14-16  “…that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father,” etc.  Notice who gets the glory.  This is not a “look at me and learn” text.  It’s a “don’t be ashamed to live out your faith in me even when it costs” text.  It is living the way of the cross, as when the centurion saw the good work of Christ on the cross, and glorified God (Luke 23:47).  Doing the will of the Father is why Jesus is the light of the world.  Note the contrast in the balancing instruction of Matthew 6:1-20.

     5:17-20 introduces Jesus’ teaching about God’s law.  The gospel teaches that we are free from the law.  There is no need for a restraining, arresting, punishing law in the kingdom of heaven where everyone loves righteousness and hates sin.  This is the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25).  Lest men misapply this into a form of license, Jesus goes on throughout the chapter to demonstrate that the kind of obedience demanded by the law of love not only fulfills every demand of the law of arresting justice, but goes far beyond it.  He gives many striking examples of this through v.48. 

     5:24.  Read Lev. 6:1-7 for the law of restitution.

     5:25-26.  Our Advocate advises us that we have a bad case.  Settle out of court quickly while you still can.

     5:27-32.  The teaching on chastity.  No matter how literal minded some of us can be, isn’t it interesting how few one eyed and one handed Christians there are?  Yet these verses seem much less symbolic than, say, Rev. 20, which some insist is as literal as pig iron.  But of course chastity is a heart problem (v.28) not an eye or hand problem (29-30).  If it were an eye or hand problem it would be easily fixed with a gouge or an axe.  The problem lies at the core of our being and will, not the extremities.

     5:31-32.  The law, recognizing the evil of man’s nature, allows divorce to prevent greater evil, and with the required certificate tries to soften the blow a bit by making the woman available to another man.  Note that the guilt involving her remarriage is entirely the fault of the one causing the adultery, not the woman or new husband.  He “makes” them.  He bears their guilt, just as in a case of rape.  Unless, of course, she committed adultery and thus broke the marriage covenant herself.

     5:33-37.  Speak the truth, period.  “The cross is God’s truth about us, and therefore it is the only power which can make us truthful.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, pg. 155.  Our word should be like two witnesses who agree, “Yes, yes” or “No, no”.  Cf. Mt. 18:16 (Dt.19:15); John 18:17.

     5:38-42.  See Paul’s striking contrast which keeps this teaching in proper balance.  Here, we are taught to be strong like Christ, and for the sake of others absorb the blow.  In 2 Cor.11:20, Paul admonishes those who in cowardice and weakness allow themselves to be bullied and to be led away from the truth.

     5:48.  This is the standard we must meet to be saved.  The perfection of a holy God.  Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.