"Now Hear This" #5

Jesus obviously knew early on that He, His message and His people would be rejected by the Jewish leaders. However, He had to be encouraged by the immediate reception he received from the rank and file people. Largely because of the miracles He performed prior to preaching the Sermon on the Mount, everywhere He went vast crowds quickly gathered because Jesus was doing exactly what the Old Testament prophets had predicted the Messiah would do and teach.

Following this Sermon, Jesus became the primary target of the religious leaders primarily because of this statement early on in His teaching -- 

• "I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20 

The scribes and Pharisees were viewed as the ultimate of righteousness. They were the lawyers and teachers who interpreted the Law given to Moses on Mt Sinai many centuries before. That word righteousness however means doing what God says is right. Jesus had just told them He had not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to bring it to it's completion, not it's destruction. What then follows are six specific reinterpretations of the Law of Moses which went way beyond what the leaders and teachers of the people had been saying for many centuries.

So in order to avoid becoming tedious I want us to look at each of those six in a summary format.

Jesus introduced each with this commanding statement:

• "You have heard it was said .......... but I say to you...." and I don't see this statement as directed at the commandments God gave to Moses at Exodus 20, but as the interpretation of them that became commonly taught to the people.

1. MURDER is a result of anger against another 5:21-26
The Law had forbidden murder but the traditional teaching had failed to address the real issue, uncontrolled anger. We all face situations in daily life that cause anger at someone or some kind of situation. And if that anger is not brought under control it will cause tragic consequences. Jesus said if one resorts to calling another a "fool" that attitude puts that person in danger of "hell fire". In fact, He said you shouldn't even approach your altar of prayer to God in that state of mind, but go and make peace with your adversary then come and offer your sacrifice of prayer.

2. ADULTERY is simply two married people engaging in a sexual relationship with someone other than their marriage partner. But Jesus redefined it in a new way. His assessment seems to address men in particular however the same can be applied to either sex although men are probably more prone to it than women. Jesus says that the real issue is "lust" that continues to look and feed that sinful desire to the point that one can commit adultery in the heart. So his remedy to prevent that eventual outcome is nothing short of unthinkable. If your heart cannot control your eye or your hand, cut it off in order to prevent the eternal outcome which He calls "cast into hell". Did He really mean what He said?

3. DIVORCE is the break-up of a marriage. Marriage is a divine institution of God founded upon a pledge to love each other for life. Obviously somewhere along the way God's intent for marriage became unworkable to some and Moses gave instruction to give the wife in whom he found some type of uncleanness a "certificate of divorce". But Jesus said that "sexual immorality" is the only reason for which a man can divorce his wife before God. The intent of His statement is obviously to reinstate God's original intent when He instituted marriage. One man, one woman for life. Sadly even today that purpose of God for the betterment of the human race has largely been lost. I am truly not smart enough to answer all the questions that can arise around this issue. So I simply leave it up to each person or couple to make up their own mind about what God would have them do. Satan can easily worm his way into any relationship and create chaos.

4. SWEARING obviously has been a common human habit for a very long time. The intent probably is to verify or certify that what one is saying is true and approved of God. In Jesus' day people used God as the one who approved of whatever oath they were speaking. No different for many people today. "I swear to God" is a pretty common phrase some folks use to lend credence to some promise or affirmation. But, it's just a careless habit that is learned early on and Jesus condemns it outright. His counsel is "don't swear at all" using God or anything else to certify what is said. There is no real need for that. Just let your "no be no and your yes be yes". Anything beyond that is sinful.because it was inspired by "the evil one himself".

5. GO THE SECOND MILE rather than merely react in kind when responding to an unjust or insulting occurrence. Jesus brings up what was obviously quite common in his day, namely "any eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". When someone strikes you, offends you, hit them right back. His obvious intent is pretty clear in the statement, "whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." Learn to be a giver without expecting to receive some kind of reward. I have known quite a few people who actually do this and all of them without exception, are always faithful to Jesus as Lord.

6. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES is often more than most of us can remember or agree with much less seek some way to actually do it. The love/hate relationship is common in many marriages, business opportunities, neighborhood relationships, racial encounters and on and on it goes. "Pray for those spitefully use you and persecute you" can be a real game changer for all of us. If we develop a love only for those who love us, we are falling way short of God's vision of our eternal destiny. I have always been really challenged by Jesus' closing statement in this charge to "be perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect". WHOA, that is one huge thought to ponder. Does my Father really expect ME to be as perfect as He is? I'll just leave that right there and let you ponder it for yourself.

Personal relationships are an essential element of every day life for all of us. And how we handle the opportunities and challenges that those encounters produce can have eternal consequences. Jesus will ultimately be our Judge. I encourage all of you to give some real consideration to how you're doing with that challenge. If Jesus has challenged you in a new way with His words, do something about it.