"21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members 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 of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” Matthew 5:21-32.
Jesus offers six examples of the surpassing righteousness to which He calls His disciples, including you and me. He sets up these examples with the phrase “You have heard that it was said” or “It was also said.” These words introduce either a quote from the law, the Torah, or a reference to the law, sometimes mentioning how the law was understood and applied. These examples are always followed by the words “But I say to you,” which are nothing short of a solemn declaration by Jesus that illustrate a deeper meaning of the law and how it is to be lived out in the kingdom of God. These certainly aroused the attention of his listeners. In the first two examples of the laws against murder and adultery (5:21–30). Take careful note how Jesus calls us to internalize the law by focusing on our motives, our thoughts, and and our attitudes. These are not just about, but certainly include, our behavior and actions.
The third examples concern the law that was intended to regulate divorce (5:31–33) — a provision that Jesus seems to regard as less than perfect in the eyes of God. If the root problems of marital infidelity are dealt with by living according to the kingdom of God, the law would not be necessary.
Notice that Jesus calls us to obey the command to love all people. With these varied examples, Jesus calls us and His disciples to a higher standard than that of the scribes and Pharisees, thereby bringing out the true meaning of the law. External conformity to the law is never enough. The law must be internalized so that it penetrates our hearts and lead us all to live according to God’s ultimate intentions (5:21-26).
With respect to murder, Jesus does not want us merely to avoid killing one another; He calls us to remove the attitudes and actions that lead to killing and, indeed, every obstacle to unconditional love (see Gal 5:18–20; Eph 4:31). He quotes the fifth commandment You shall not kill (Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17), which prohibited murder, not capital punishment or killing in war (Exod 21:12–17; Num 31:3–8). He then goes on to talk about avoiding anger and critical speech (5:22) that wound another person and destroy relationships. Whoever is angry with another person (end of 5:22) will face severe punishment.
5:23 is a most lovely verse about how we are to worship God. Jesus says that when we are about to worship but remember an unresolved problem in a personal relationship, we are to leave our gift at the altar, go first and be reconciled with our brother and sister. Jesus wants our hearts to be pure and free of sin as we come to worship Him. Jesus then challenges His disciples to settle with our opponents quickly while on the way to court. In other words, we are to make friends with those who hurt us. The dramatic image of being thrown into prison points to the consequence of not seeking reconciliation with our opponents (5:27-30 and 18:23–25).
Concerning adultery (Exod 20:14; Deut 5:18), everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Clearly, Jesus wants us to eliminate the root of sinful actions and to love from the heart. So Jesus sees lust as is a selfish desire to use another person’s body for one’s own pleasure. We must look within, into our hearts, to see already the beginning of sin, Jesus declares. The hyperboles about cutting out one’s eye or chopping off one’s hand if it causes you to sin are graphic illustrations of how crucial it is to eliminate every occasion of sin.
Finally Jesus addresses divorce, where, indeed, the law in Deut 24:1–4 did not permit divorce; it simply prevented an abuse that sometimes arose in divorce situations. But Jesus calls Israel back to God’s original plan for marriage as a lifelong union. He proclaims that whoever divorces his wife . . . causes her to commit adultery. If the divorced woman remarries, which she might do to survive economically, she would be living in adultery, because no bill of divorce can annul an authentic marriage bond. Similarly, Jesus says, whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery, going against the bond of her first marriage.
What strikes me the most is Jesus’ call to all of us to pay attention to our hearts, to what we hear and feel internally, rather than to focus just on our actions and behaviors. Sin comes from within and is reflected in our actions. This is all the more reason why daily prayer and reflection on the Scriptures is essential to all of our lives. So today look within and ask the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit. Ask for a clean heart and beg Him for His mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” Matthew 5:8.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” Psalm 51:10.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” Proverbs 4:23.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” James 4:8.
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