Into the details of the discourse on the mount I cannot enter particularly now, but would just say a few words before I conclude tonight. Jesus words are evangelistic. Somehow things have become all twisted. So, then, Jesus condemns all selfish anger. Accordingly, I think it was owing to special considerations of this sort that Matthew was led to reserve for us the great lesson, that our Lord had passed through the entire temptation not only the forty days, but even that which crowned them at the close; and that only when an open blow was struck at the divine glory did His soul at once resent it with the words, "Get thee hence, Satan." It is evident, that what is here described in a few verses must have demanded a considerable space for its accomplishment. Nor is this the only mistake, as we have seen, in the passage as given in the authorised version; for the whole clause should disappear from the account in Luke, according to the weightiest testimony. Now, we shall find throughout this gospel that which may be well stated here, and will be abundantly confirmed everywhere that the object of our gospel is not merely to prove what the Messiah was, both according to the flesh and according to His own divine intrinsic nature, for Israel; but also, when rejected by Israel, what the consequences of that rejection would be for the Gentiles, and this in a double aspect whether as introducing the kingdom of heaven in a new form, or as giving occasion for Christ's building His Church. All the world knows of the Christians who were flung to the lions or burned at the stake; but these were kindly deaths. In the very earliest days the vendetta and the blood feud were characteristic of tribal society. Secondly, to represent the duties of charity, which depend on the law, as matters on which they are left at liberty, is highly foolish. And thus, what a person does can be thoroughly disallowed by the attitude in which he's doing it. Wherein do we live above the rate of the children of this world? He can do so only by plunging into Christian action and Christian thought. But the way iii which the Jews used this expression will give us a key to the way in which Jesus also used it. Temptation must be cut at the source (Matthew 5:27-30). Repeatedly that principle is laid down in the New Testament. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts; neither are our ways His ways. But if a man was too proud to ask for help, Rabbi Ishmael suggested that the giver should go to him and say, "My son, perhaps you need a loan." This, then, is the introduction and the great foundation in fact. It was not the ignorant; it was not those that were besotted in gross habits; it was Jerusalem it was the scribes and Pharisees. But not only were they teaching an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth as the possible judgment, but they were saying that it is an obligation.Now, even today in many of those families, you have these futile things going on; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth thing, and these feuds go on for generations. Can we write a better copy? Under Greek law there was a process of arrest called apagoge ( G520) , which means summary arrest. Isocrates, the great Greek teacher and orator, said, "A man must lead a life which will gain more confidence in him than ever an oath can do." Again that is a partial goodness. Now that is seeing myself in truth, no longer am I puffed up, no longer am I deceiving myself about myself, and that's an easy thing for people to do. It is well to bear in mind, that in this gospel, as in all the rest, God has in nowise undertaken to present everything, but only some chosen discourses and facts; and this is the more remarkable, inasmuch as in some cases the very same miracles, etc., are given in several, and even in all, the gospels. (b) The Christians were accused of immoral practices, and their meetings were said to be orgies of lust. But how significant to the Jew! And it said, "they went their way rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer persecution for Jesus Christ"( Acts 5:41 ). And of course, the Jews hated that yoke of Roman control and government. Proud member Jesus did not say, "You are the light of the Church"; he said, "You are the light of the world," and in a man's life in the world his Christianity should be evident to all. It's the same Greek word that is used here; "be ye therefore perfect", same Greek word.You are complete or you are perfect in Him. Lewis Aslan, on the move! When faced with the enemies of God, it is best to take those who have hurt us or even persecutors and leave them at the foot of the cross in prayer. It is when man reproduces in his life the unwearied, forgiving, sacrificial benevolence of God that he becomes like God, and is therefore perfect in the New Testament sense of the word. Daniel, when he saw the Lord said, "My beauty was turned into corruption" ( Daniel 10:8 ). The effect, therefore, is, that it is much more solemn, because unbroken, carrying its own majesty along with it. He goes on to take three examples of the Christian spirit in operation. In certain places the Christian Church took over that custom, and a Christian who had been ejected by discipline from the Church, was compelled, before he was received back, to lie at the door of the Church and to invite people as they entered, "Trample upon me who am the salt which has lost its savour. Hurray, hurray. Then there came the Greeks. Hence we read as the very first "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. If His descent be sure as the royal son of David, if His glory be above all human lineage, what was the place that He found, in fact, in His land and people? So long as there is this inner tension, this inner conflict, life must be insecure. Beyond that there lay the Court of the Priests into which the layman could not go. That reverence and that respect Jesus came to fulfil. and the other counter them with prayers; the one fire him with lust, the other, as one who seemed to blush, fortify his body with prayers, faith and fasting. The Greek demanded that the respectable woman should live such a life of seclusion that she could never even appear on the street alone, and that she did not even have her meals in the apartments of the men. They would rather be lulled into a false sense of security, oh, everything's fine; God wants you to all be prosperous, God wants you to all drive Mercedes. Giving was to be carried out in such a way that the manner of the giving was to help as much as the gift. speaking of the criminals with whom he had come in contact in his work, spoke of the inextinguishable something in every man. his steps; and here in he was quickly followed by his holy martyr 5:14-15 You are the light of the world. Cf. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God, for thus alone he can render to God that perfect, obedience which will make him a citizen of the kingdom, The Bliss Of The Broken Heart ( Matthew 5:4). Man was created to be like God The characteristic of God is this universal benevolence, this unconquerable goodwill, this constant seeking of the highest good of every man. What then did Jesus mean by the Law? It is even easy to sacrifice for those we feel kindness toward. What, then, is that which, not merely in a few facts in particular chapters, but throughout, comes before us in the gospel of Matthew? It's just not men who have given themselves over to perverted thinking but it is satanic in its origin. Even a preacher at his most sincere is not altogether free from the danger of self-satisfaction in having preached a good sermon. What did he mean by that? Is our service given from selfless motives or from motives of self-display? The name of the one horse was reason; the name of the other was passion. The Talmud clearly lays it down: "The Day of Atonement does atone for the offences between man and God. No doubt its glistening whiteness made the connection easy. Plutarch, in his Laconic Apophthegms, has this of Aristo; when one commended Cleomenes's saying, who, being asked what a good king should do, replied, Tous men philous euergetein, tous de echthrous kakos poiein--Good turns to his friends, and evil to his enemies; he said, How much better is it tous men philous euergetein, tous de echthrous philous poiein--to do good to our friends, and make friends of our enemies. That is in fact what people seldom do. Now according to Jewish Rabbinic law to hit a man with the back of the hand was twice as insulting as to hit him with the back of the hand. In those days, the woman really did not have many rights. That when at any time we meet with such usage, we have an opportunity of showing our conformity both to the precept and to the example of Christ, by praying for them who thus abuse us. who allowed of revenge, and keeping anger against any person that But here the great thing is the relationship of Joseph to the Messiah, and hence he is the one to whom the angel appears. And as you see Jesus making the contrast, he first of all teaches it as they were teachers or shows us how they were teaching it, but then he shows the original intent of the law. "Your eye shall not pity; it shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" ( Deuteronomy 19:21). i. p. 168, where the sentiment is connected with circumstances both extravagant and unnatural; and thus it is nullified by the pretended recommendation. Clement of Alexandria insisted that Christians must lead such a life and demonstrate such a character that no one will ever dream of asking an oath from them. A working man in Palestine ate meat only once a week, and in Palestine the working man and the day labourer were never far from the border-line of real hunger and actual starvation. Giving must never be such as to encourage him in laziness and in shiftlessness, for such giving can only hurt. Why would they strain at a gnat? He said, ah, that's good. In this especially we must do more than others, that while every one will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and this will speak a nobler principle, and is consonant to a higher rule, than the most of men act by. No need was in Himself not a particle; but it is precisely when the heart is thus perfectly free, and infinitely above ruin, that it can most of all descend and take up what is of God in the hearts of any. It is a copy in which love to the worst of enemies is reconciled to, and consistent with, infinite purity and holiness. The mistake spoken of lies only in blundering scribes, critics, or translators, who have failed in doing justice to that particular place. And Peter answered: "You just think lovely, wonderful thoughts and they lift you up in the air." He never left men in any doubt what would happen to them if they chose to follow him. Jesus pointed to the action of God in the world, and that is the action of unconquerable benevolence. What does Matthew 5:43-44 mean? Three things emerge from this. It is well, however, to remark, that the departure from such an order is precisely what indicates the consummate hand of God, and for a simple reason. Such indeed was the history of His life; it was continual pain, one course of suffering and shame. This world would have been a very much poorer place, if there had not been those who cared intensely about the sorrows and the sufferings of others. But it so happens that the word meek--in Greek praus ( G4239) --was one of the great Greek ethical words. So I would go around and turn off the lights in all of these cars.But I always thought how sad it is that they don't know how nice a fellow I am. coals of fire on their heads"; of enemies, make them friends; Seen against its historical setting this is not a savage law, but a law of mercy. The early Christians were called cannibals and incendiaries, and were accused of immorality, gross and shameless, because their service included the Love Feast. We have entered into other men's labours, and we must so labour that other men will enter into ours. The whole question is what are you doing more than the person who is not a Christian? Oh, did you see what he did? For instance, to carry a burden on the Sabbath Day is to work. matthew 5:43-4843 "you have heard that it was said, 'you shall loveyour neighborand 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 causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. This our Lord divulged more particularly inMatthew 13:1-58; Matthew 13:1-58. Note, First, Sunshine and rain are great blessings to the world, and they come from God. Lord Shaftesbury probably did more for ordinary working men and women and for little children than any social reformer ever did. a. As he did so he said, "I entreat, O Lord; I have sinned, I have done perversely, I have rebelled; I have committed (here the sacrificer specified his sins); but I return in penitence, and let this be for my covering.". And surely true Christianity, wherever it has gone has been a preserving influence in that society. Matthew 5:43-44 ESV Book - Exploring the Gospel of Matthew - John Phillips Commentary - Page 108. As someone has said, "There is an internal desire of which adultery is only the fruit.". All Jerusalem was moved, and multitudes were baptized by him in Jordan. The smallest part of the letter--what the King James Version calls the tittle--is what we call the serif, the little projecting part at the foot of a letter, the little line at each side of the foot of, for example, the letter "I". It was the duty of the court officer to see that the penalty was duly paid, and, if it was not paid, he had the power to imprison the defaulter, until it was paid. They didn't have much of an elaborate background. We ought simply to inquire, what is demanded by the law of charity: for, if we rely on the heavenly power of the Spirit, we shall encounter successfully all that is opposed to it in our feelings. But the promise of the Lord is. The outstanding example in history of the wrong way to deal with such thoughts and desires was the hermits and the monks in the desert in the time of the early Church. The sum of religion is to imitate the God whom we worship. Listen to ourDaily Bible Verse Podcast Now! It is a meaning on which the Jewish Rabbis loved to dwell, and it is almost certainly the meaning which Jesus had in his mind. It was on a hand-barrow. In the sentence, "It was his custom to go to Church every Sunday," in Greek it was his custom to go would be expressed by a single verb in the imperfect tense, because it describes continuous and often-repeated action in the past. There is a famous scene in Barrie's Peter Pan. 5:23-24 So, then, if you bring your gift to the altar, and if you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. The Law, even God's Law handed to Moses, must be engaged and re-interpreted in light of contemporary realities. If this be so, assuredly there must be some key to these phenomena, some reason sufficient to explain why sometimes Matthew adheres to the order of events, why he departs from it elsewhere. The poorest man would have a change of tunics. False prophets; oh, they were lifted up, they were heralded. It's very easy to do good and magnanimous deeds when everybody is watching. Even Socrates said, "Is there anyone to whom you entrust more serious matters than to your wife, and is there anyone to whom you talk less?" Are we then to say that Jesus urged upon men what can only be called indiscriminate giving? Matthew was one of them. They therefore argued that out of the Law it must be possible to deduce a rule and a regulation for every possible situation in life. So the Christian life is a fine balance. Pray for them. In point of fact Matthew's introductory sentence goes a long way to make that clear. That summary is known as the Mishnah; it contains sixty-three tractates on various subjects of the Law, and in English makes a book of almost eight hundred pages. The Christians refused to conform. His value before and after the injury was assessed, and the man responsible for the injury had to pay the difference. We place the matter in Gods hands. So, then, Christianity is something which is meant to be seen. If we love someone with all our hearts, we are bound to feel that if we gave them a lifetime's service and adoration, if we offered them the sun and the moon and the stars, we would still not have offered enough. (i) Jesus was, profoundly right, for Jesus' way is the only way to safety and to security. Jesus answered the popular teaching by going back to the Old Testament that commanded love for enemies (Exodus 23:4-5). We still speak of a professor's chair; the Pope still speaks ex cathedra, from his seat. The Rabbis laid it down that to use any form of oath in a simple statement like: "That is an olive tree," was sinful and wrong. . even enemies, are to be loved with a natural love, as men; though And whenever you're driving in those conditions, it's very easy to forget that your lights are on and just to walk away and leave your lights on. First, there are the blessednesses of righteousness, to which the persecution for righteousness' sake pertains; next, the blessednesses of mercy or grace. To have a share in such a moment is not a penalty but a glory. As we had His miracles all put together, as I may say, in the gross, so with His discourses. They beat up a member of our clan, we're going to beat up, and we're duty-bound, we're honor-bound. Thus they will begin to project against you their feelings of guilt.Now, notice Jesus didn't say, blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely because you are doing something weird. In the second of these chapters (Matthew 6:1-34) composing the discourse, two main parts appear. In that brief verse there are three clues to the real significance of the Sermon on the Mount. Now he is necessarily miserable who hates another. Actual persecution may well await the Christian in industry who insists on doing an honest day's work. Jesus is coming again and He is coming whether we are ready or not. The Spirit of God was pleased to give, in each of the three divisions of the Messiah's genealogy, fourteen generations, as from Abraham down to David, from David to the captivity, and from the captivity to Christ. The Romans said that salt was the purest of all things, because it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Perhaps in one sense they are. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Jesus set before men, not the law of God, but the love of God. This is not the same as It is written. Theologians refer to the blessings God bestows on His enemies as well as on His children as common grace. But as the years went on the Roman government saw in this Emperor-worship the one thing which could unify the vast Empire of Rome; here was the one centre on which they all could come together. Here in chapter three, James reveals that our tongue is a test of our maturity.Journey 15 | Savior. Blessed are the poor in spirit [Jesus said] ( Matthew 5:3 ): First of all, he's not talking about physical poverty, poor in spirit. That is what the Cross does for us. It very often happens that if a man loves peace in the wrong way, he succeeds in making trouble and not peace. 3. The word bless, spoken of God, means to regard with favor or to confer benefits, as when God is said to bless his people. For it is no longer a question of mere acts, but of the soul's condition. This of course is not to be taken literally. But rather then their reading the law and feeling guilty before God, seeking the mercy and the grace of God, they were so interpreting the law as having fulfilled the law, and thus being very pompous and very righteous and very critical of everybody else. (i) It has been suggested that, since shalom ( H7965) means everything which makes for a man's highest good, this beatitude means: Blessed are those who make this world a better place for all men to live in. It may be that we have never committed adultery; but who can say that he has never experienced the desire for the forbidden thing? There is no reason to think the verb here in Matthew does not include emotion as well as action." (a) If it is necessary to take an oath from a man, that necessity arises from the evil that is in man. What excelling thing do we do? The fact which he has ascertained is an old truth, for the man always was spiritually poor. That goodness which is conscious, which draws attention to itself, is not the Christian goodness. such as hate you in their hearts, and discover their hatred by their actions; do not make returns in the same way, but on the contrary, do them all the good you can; perform all the kind offices that lie in your power; let them partake of your bounty and liberality; if poor, feed, clothe, and supply them, as you are able, with the Words Of Insult ( Matthew 5:21-22 Continued). A person can be doing all kinds of magnanimous works for God in the church, just busying himself and doing so many marvelous things around the church, but his attitude can be bad. The heaven is the throne of God; the earth is the footstool of God; Jerusalem is the city of God; a man's head does not belong to him; he cannot even make a hair white or black; his life is God's; there is nothing in the world which does not belong to God; and, therefore, whether God is actually named in so many words or not, does not matter. Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks, That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.". Because of the love of God in Christ and the transforming power of the gospel, many who curse God today will be preaching His Word tomorrow. You're the preserving influence. He went to see if she was as beautiful as she was said to be. Food without salt is a sadly insipid and even a sickening thing. The thesis of the book is simply is this: as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, the cross of Christ was transformed from an instrument of shame to a sign of salvation. In Luke's account of the Sermon on the Mount this becomes even clearer. Even the Jewish Rabbi was moved and impressed with the sheer benevolence of God to saint and sinner alike. There the correct translation is: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for the whole of. 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. This law was never intended to give the individual person the right to indulge even in the vengeance of tit for tat. This seems to be its meaning here. Plato likened the soul to a charioteer whose task it was to drive two horses. If we regard a person with agape ( G26) , it means that no matter what that person does to us, no matter how he treats us, no matter if he insults us or injures us or grieves us, we will never allow any bitterness against him to invade our hearts, but will regard him with that unconquerable benevolence and goodwill which will seek nothing but his highest good. Here's this weird-looking gal and everybody turns to look who she's exhorting, and I would turn and look too, you know, and just sort of to the people around me saying hmm-hmm. The Study Hints for Thinking Further, which are also available on the Bible Lesson Forum, will aid teachers in class preparation and in conducting class discussion. I therefore reserve any observations that this larger scope might and ought, indeed, to give rise to, till we have to consider the third gospel. It has often happened that a quarrel between two people has descended to their families, and has been inherited by future generations, and has in the end succeeded in splitting a church or a society in two. They and we today are to shine our light, and flavor our salt so men can see and glorify our Father in Heaven. And that may be true in geometry but not necessarily true in your getting to God. Ye are the salt of the eaRuth ( Matthew 5:13 ): Now salt in those days was used basically as a preservative because, they lacked vacuum-sealed packing and because they lacked refrigeration. (iii) The most important point is this. Socrates had his Diotima. There are people who are for ever standing on their rights, who clutch their privileges to them and who will not be pried loose from them, who will militantly go to law rather than suffer what they regard as the slightest infringement of them. And so you'd see a Pharisee out on the corner putting his finger down his throat and gagging and straining and pushing and trying to throw up. Selfish anger is always a sin; selfless anger can be one of the great moral dynamics of the world. So Jesus says that he who destroys his brother's name and reputation is liable to the severest judgment of all, the judgment of the fire of Gehenna ( G1067) . do not even the publicans the same? The principle which Jesus lays down is quite clear. To the Jew the Law was absolutely holy and absolutely divine; it is impossible to exaggerate the place that the Law had in their reverence. But whenever the Christian voice begins to wane, that society begins to deteriorate and ultimately be destroyed.And take a look at history and notice the preserving influence of Christianity, as long as it remained strong and a dynamic influence within the community, the community was strong and powerful. The sacred names should be kept for sacred things. In Greek there are two words for good. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." He lived the hermit's life; he fasted; he did without sleep; he tortured his body. The Valley of Hinnom is a valley to the south-west of Jerusalem. (ii) Some people have taken this beatitude to mean: Blessed are those who are desperately sorry for the sorrow and. Whosoever [he said,] therefore shall break one of the least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven ( Matthew 5:19 ). I must live!" The End Of Resentment And Of Retaliation ( Matthew 5:38-42 Continued). ", Ideally the Jew abhorred divorce. Blessed are the pure in heart: For they shall see God. The reality was coming: as for him, he was merely one to announce the advent of the King. also the sentiments of the Karaites, or Scripturarians, another It has nothing to do with what we might call abstract, philosophical, metaphysical perfection. Gods people must love their enemies. First of all, the man who calls his brother Raca is condemned. In a time of widespread social disorder, Moses had introduced a law to prevent easy divorce and protect innocent partners (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). In point of fact, that meaning is involved in the derivation of the word. The meaning of makarios ( G3107) can best be seen from one particular usage of it. The more we say, I will not think of such and such a thing, the more our thoughts are in fact concentrated on it. The Gospel of Matthew reflects the situation of the Matthean ecclesial community after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.). "He raises up the needy out of affliction, and makes their families like flocks" ( Psalms 107:41). The Psalmist spoke of the fool who has said in his heart that there is no God ( Psalms 14:1). But Jesus said, "I came to fulfill the law" thus He died for us. then using him in the most despiteful, as well as cruel manner; This is the love of benevolence, and this love we are to bear toward our enemies. There is an even greater thrill in having a share, however small, in the actual action. So, then, this sixth beatitude might read: O the bliss of the man whose motives are absolutely, pure, for that man will some day be able to see, The Bliss Of Bringing Men Together ( Matthew 5:9). It would appear that, in John the Baptist's preaching it, we have no ground for supposing that either he believed at this time, or that any other men till afterwards were led into the understanding of the form which it was to assume through Christ's rejection and going on high as now. 5:43-48 You have heard that it has been said: You shall love your neighbour, and you shall hate your enemy; but I say to you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become the sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Blessed are the peacemakers: For they shall be called the children of God ( Matthew 5:8-9 ). E. F. F. Bishop in his book Jesus of Palestine cites a very likely explanation given by Miss F. E. Newton. And yet all of this horrible anger can be boiling inside of you. If at the very beginning one of the parties had had the grace to apologize or to admit fault, a grievous situation need never have arisen. It describes man's only proper attitude to God. It is the inevitable law of human nature that the more a man says he will not think of something, the more that something will present itself to his thoughts. This is why Paul writes, And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV). Matthew 5:44 King James Version 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Read full chapter Matthew 5:44 in all English translations Matthew 4 Matthew 6 King James Version (KJV) Public Domain Bible Gateway Recommends If he has made the tooth of a man who is his equal fall out, one shall make his tooth fall out. The same thing that Paul said, "Oh wretched man that I am! The new standard kills all pride, and forces us to Jesus Christ who alone can enable us to rise to that standard which he himself has set before us. Christianity is caring. So the second possible translation of this beatitude is: Blessed is the man who has every instinct, every impulse, every, passion under control. As they pushed the barrow up the hill the box, which was the coffin, fell off the barrow and burst open. One voice is inciting him to take the forbidden thing; the other voice is forbidding him to take it. The one great principle was that in all things a man must seek God's will, and that, when he knows it, he must dedicate his whole life to the obeying of it. His going to Capernaum was the accomplishment of the word of Isaiah 9:1-21, specifically mentioned for the instruction of the Jew, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, "The land of Zebulun, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. So, says Jesus, it is only the pure in heart who shall see God. At each stage there was food for the courier and water and fodder for tile horses, and fresh horses for the road. The command, 'Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' may be intended to refer only to the immediately preceding section, but one is inclined to regard it rather as the summing up of the whole of the preceding series of commandments from Matthew 5:20 onwards. In every sense Romans are enemies both nationally and personally. "Blessed are ye, [there is thus a change. And in noticing this, "if your right eye offends thee, pluck it out and cast" he's not speaking literally of just plucking out your eye and throwing it away because through that eye you looked at a gal and you go "ooh eee" you know, that'll be nice. The reverence and the respect which are the basis of the Ten Commandments can never pass away; they are the permanent stuff of man's relationship to God and to his fellow-men. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." So, then, what Jesus is saying is: "Suppose your masters come to you and compel you to be a guide or a porter for a mile. Suppose there is a group of people, and suppose it is suggested that some questionable thing should be done. "I have been crucified with Christ," said Paul. The Greeks always called Cyprus he ( G3588) makaria ( G3107) (the feminine form of the adjective), which means The Happy Isle, and they did so because they believed that Cyprus was so lovely, so rich, and so fertile an island that a man would never need to go beyond its coastline to find the perfectly happy life. It is made a direct personal address] when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake." Matthew 5:43-48, love your enemies. There were occasions when Paul as it were, put himself upon oath. It is true that they spoke of the coming end of the world, and they clothed their message in the apocalyptic pictures of the end of the world in flames. The voice of God had said, "I hate divorce" ( Malachi 2:16). I. shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. As Stephen, when he was standing before the counsel said, "Which of the prophets have you not slain? Now we had one gal in a class at Bible school who was a real problem to me, she was extremely loud and weird. And when the invitations to the feast went out, they would read: "I invite you to dine with me at the table of our Lord Serapis.". The love of God is such that he can never take pleasure in the destruction of any of the creatures whom his hands have made. To present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding love. Would he have put forward the name of Thamar in such a connection? The Holy Ghost gives it all to us as a connected whole. The way they were interpreting it, it made them very pompous and self-righteous. It may well be said that this is the greatest compliment that was ever paid to the individual Christian, for in it Jesus commands the Christian to be what he himself claimed to be. Christ still needs his witnesses; he needs those who are prepared, not so much to die for him, as to live for him. So long as men are thinking of the praise, the thanks, the prestige which they will get for what they have done, they have not really even begun on the Christian way. To the ordinary person this passage describes essential Christianity in action, and even the person who never darkens the door of the church knows that Jesus said this, and very often condemns the professing Christian for falling so far short of its demands. The word used for to compel is the verb aggareuein ( G29) , and aggareuein is a word with a history. This was a worship which the provincial peoples were happy to give, for Rome had brought them peace and good government, and civil order and justice. There was a cynical Roman jest: "Marriage brings only two happy days--the day when the husband first clasps his wife to his breast, and the day when he lays her in the tomb.". 40. It was not His first acquaintance with Simon, Andrew, and the rest, as we know from the gospel of John. Sorrow can do two things for us. But the other school of rabbi's had begun to liberalize that law to the extent that if you found an uncleanness and your wife can constitute that she just didn't fix your eggs the way you like them in the morning, and that would be an uncleanness in her. The motive under which the Scribes and Pharisees lived was the motive of law; their one aim and desire was to satisfy the demands of the Law. and is peculiar to it. When a man has to suffer something for his faith, that is the way to the closest possible companionship with Christ. indignation be expressed against them, and yet his person be He sewed them in the skins of wild animals and set his hunting dogs upon them to tear them to death. There is not the slightest reference to His suffering on the cross; no intimation of His blood, death, or resurrection: He is instructing though not merely in righteousness. It seems a surprising way to begin talking about happiness by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." If you're only greeting those that greet you or only greeting your brothers, you're not doing any more than anybody else. They do not come of course, or by chance, but from God. Ahaziah vanishes, and Joash, and Amaziah, when the line once more reappears here in Uzziah. Jesus came to show men in actual life what it means to give to God the reverence and to men the respect which are their due. The great Jewish teachers had always had characteristic phrases in their teaching. No one had ever heard anything like this before. According to the literal meaning of the Greek the man who is condemned is the man who looks at a woman with the deliberate intention of lusting after her. The Christian aims to show his gratitude for the love of God; and to the claims of love there is no limit in time or in eternity. Now, there's an interesting thing; pornography, and about many of these other horrible things that are happening and you should know it.A man in our church who is the head of the Los Angeles police department in the division of child exploitation told me personally that whenever they make a raid on any of these child pornography places, where they're taking the pictures or where they're publishing the material; he said whenever they make a raid they always find an abundance of satanic literature and the aspects of satanic worship there. They have suggested that, since Matthew is the most Jewish of the gospels, and since Matthew wrote it specially to convince Jews, this is a saying which Matthew put into Jesus' mouth, and that this is not a saying of Jesus at all. It is not an absolute command in any of the books which they consider to be Divinely inspired. (ii) Further, this was never a law which gave a private individual the right to extract vengeance; it was always a law which laid down how a judge in the law court must assess punishment and penalty (compare Deuteronomy 19:18). don't even the rank sinners do the same? Men may seek to pare it down, but it is impossible either to cloak her shame, or to fritter away the grace of God. In a worried world, the Christian should be the only man who remains serene. The Bond That Cannot Be Broken ( Matthew 5:31-32 Continued), 2. Accordingly, therefore, while there is the doctrine of righteousness, there is the introduction of what is above it and mightier than it, with the corresponding blessedness of being persecuted for Christ's sake. There is no sin quite so unchristian as the sin of contempt. The Christian must be the person who holds aloft the standard of absolute purity in speech, in conduct, and even in thought. Rabbi Joshua ben Nehemiah used to say, "Have you ever noticed that the rain fell on the field of A, who was righteous, and not on the field of B, who was wicked? (ii) In the ancient world salt was the commonest of all preservatives. Michael A. Milton (PhD, Wales) is a long-time Presbyterian minister (PCA) and a regular contributor to Salem Web Network. It is the fact of history that it has always been the men with this gift of self-control, the men with their passions, and instincts, and impulses under discipline, who have been great. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Je ne touche point pour le present combien ils sacquittent vaillament et fidelement de ce dont ils se vantent de paroles, Cest une chose tant et plus absurde, que les devoirs de charite, qui dependent de la Loy, soyent mis en la liberte des hommes, de les faire, ou de les laisser, Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of). Will yearly on the vigil feast his friends. Agape ( G26) does not mean a feeling of the heart, which we cannot help, and which comes unbidden and unsought; it means a determination of the mind, whereby we achieve this unconquerable goodwill even to those who hurt and injure us. Even as it stands this is surely a great saying; and it is the statement of a principle which runs all through the New Testament. It was Jesus' teaching that it was not enough not to commit murder; the only thing sufficient was never even to wish to commit murder. There is no transformation in such scenarios. For instance a son of peace is a peaceful man; a son of consolation is a consoling man. In the King James Version the man who is condemned is the man who is angry with his brother without a cause. That we must do well to them: "Do good to them that hate you, and that will be a better proof of love than good words. If we look upon those who oppose, hurt, or persecute us as irredeemable, unchangeable Creatures of the Black Lagoon that are undeserving of our love and our forgiveness, then we must quickly run to the cross! The Sermon on the Mount is not one single sermon which Jesus preached on one definite situation; it is the summary of his consistent teaching to his disciples. Right at the beginning of his ministry, after he had been teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, it is said of his hearers: "They were astonished at his teaching; for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the Scribes" ( Mark 1:22). Jesus' advice may mean one of two things. A crowd awaited. So, then, the hunger which this beatitude describes is no genteel hunger which could be satisfied with a mid-morning snack; the thirst of which it speaks is no thirst which could be slaked with a cup of coffee or an iced drink. There was the school of Shammai, which was the strict, severe, austere school, and there was the school of Hillel which was the liberal, broad-minded, generous school. That is why it became a synonym for the place of God's destroying power, for hell. The Jews were quite clear that a man had to do his utmost to put things right himself before he could be right with God. The one purpose of light is to give light. Such, in the providence of God, was the place for Jesus. Here Jesus makes a great and a surgical demand: he insists that anything which is a cause of, or a seduction to, sin should be completely cut out of life. It is sometimes the Christian's duty to bring to his fellowmen the necessary warning. See his WORKS, vol. 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