The Teachings of Jesus. Pt. 10 The Sermon on the Mount
We were blessed with a wonderful Lord's Day of worship!
It was a day full of rich Christian fellowship centered around the gospel of Christ. I hope that each one of you have a church family that you are part of and that God is pouring out His blessings upon you.
Weekdays can be full of the mundane things of life and for most of us it is a very busy week. However, you can stop in at this blog and refresh your soul during break time or during lunch by reading some of the posts.
Look around you where you are working or living today because there are a lot of people who do not know the Lord. They are bearing heartaches and burdens with no strength to go on.
Will each one of you consider sharing this blog with other people today? When you tell others about this Bible study blog, it may bring that person face to face with the realities of sin, salvation and Christ.
Now we are ready to study the next paragraph of this powerful teaching of Jesus Christ. I would like to point out what Jesus is doing. He is pointing out the true intent behind each point of the law that He teaches on. He needed to do this because the religious leaders of Judaism taught that avoiding the actual sin was good enough.
Ye have heard that it was said.....
The text of the next section of Jesus' teaching is below. Please read through the text and then we will provide some explanation to help our understanding and application of the truth.
Matthew 5:21-26 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing
When Jesus uses that phrase "Ye have heard that it was said" He is referring to how the scribes and Pharisees taught the law of Moses to the people. The focus of the religious leaders was on external appearances. They stressed acting in a certain way, speaking in a certain way and dressing in a certain way in order to be viewed as a righteous person.
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
The 6th commandment is the focus of Jesus' teaching in this paragraph. It is the command against murder. This first part is straightforward. If you killed someone you were judged under the law and the sentence was capital punishment unless it was an accidental death.
The Lord Jesus immediately turns our thoughts to the intent of this law with regard to the human heart. We know that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The clear teaching of Christ brings this ugly fact right up front.
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Anger and rage often cause people to commit murder
Jesus focuses upon what emotion motivated murder in the first place. A deceitful and wicked heart that is enraged enough about something to kill someone. Anger and rage are often the driving force behind murders.
Jesus is showing us that it is not good enough to say "I never killed anyone." If we harbor angry thoughts toward a person it is as if we have a murderous attitude toward them. Let us all be perfectly honest. We all have had angry thoughts against another person.
We may have never told anyone else about our angry thoughts and we never said out loud what we were thinking but we had the angry thoughts. For this reason we may be in danger of judgment just like the murderer was in danger of judgment.
If we can see wrong thoughts and emotions as God sees them then that will help us seek to bring every thought under captivity of Christ. Paul brings this to our attention in the text below.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Jesus teaches us that if we are angry with our brother "without a cause" we are in danger of judgment. The word "judgment" means that a judicial decision has been handed down that includes condemnation and damnatory judgment.
What if our anger moves us to say harsh words to someone instead? One of the strongest words of insult when Christ lived was calling someone "Raca" which is a word from the Chaldean language. It means a senseless, empty headed fool and was reserved for the worst people of the culture.
Saying a vile thing to someone else means that the person who said it is in danger of being brought before the great council (Sanhedrin) of Jerusalem. Rome allowed this council to decide punishment for offenders in all cases except where capital punishment was called for.
However, calling someone a "fool" brings that person into danger of hell fire. This is the idea of eternal separation from God and suffering torment in flames.
Insulting words that spew out of our mouths are indicators of what is in our hearts. This is what Christ is trying to help us see. We need a new heart because our natural heart is infested with sin. It is deceitful and wicked.
While the Pharisees and scribes boasted that they never committed murder they would certainly come short of the mark if their angry thoughts toward others were exposed.
Christ gives the remedy for angry feelings
Before we ever come to worship Jehovah we need to go and find our brother and be reconciled. A breach in our relationship has occurred and it must be fixed by going to that brother and seeking a resolution to the conflict.
The word "reconciled" means to have a changed mind to renew a friendship. The party with the angry feelings must be willing to put them aside and work through whatever the problem is.
Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
A final warning from Jesus to deal with anger issues
Mat 5:25-26 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Jesus ends His teaching on the 6th commandment by issuing a warning. He said if we harbor any anger in our heart toward another person we should immediately go to them and take care of it.
Why did Jesus make such a big deal about the comparison of committing murder with having anger in our hearts toward someone? Because what we are thinking is what governs our actions. This is why the New Testament repeatedly urges us to renew our minds and to put off the old man. (Ephesians 4:26-32)
Matthew 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Points to Ponder....
It was a day full of rich Christian fellowship centered around the gospel of Christ. I hope that each one of you have a church family that you are part of and that God is pouring out His blessings upon you.
Weekdays can be full of the mundane things of life and for most of us it is a very busy week. However, you can stop in at this blog and refresh your soul during break time or during lunch by reading some of the posts.Look around you where you are working or living today because there are a lot of people who do not know the Lord. They are bearing heartaches and burdens with no strength to go on.
Will each one of you consider sharing this blog with other people today? When you tell others about this Bible study blog, it may bring that person face to face with the realities of sin, salvation and Christ.
Now we are ready to study the next paragraph of this powerful teaching of Jesus Christ. I would like to point out what Jesus is doing. He is pointing out the true intent behind each point of the law that He teaches on. He needed to do this because the religious leaders of Judaism taught that avoiding the actual sin was good enough.
Ye have heard that it was said.....
The text of the next section of Jesus' teaching is below. Please read through the text and then we will provide some explanation to help our understanding and application of the truth.
Matthew 5:21-26 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing
When Jesus uses that phrase "Ye have heard that it was said" He is referring to how the scribes and Pharisees taught the law of Moses to the people. The focus of the religious leaders was on external appearances. They stressed acting in a certain way, speaking in a certain way and dressing in a certain way in order to be viewed as a righteous person.
Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
The 6th commandment is the focus of Jesus' teaching in this paragraph. It is the command against murder. This first part is straightforward. If you killed someone you were judged under the law and the sentence was capital punishment unless it was an accidental death.
The Lord Jesus immediately turns our thoughts to the intent of this law with regard to the human heart. We know that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The clear teaching of Christ brings this ugly fact right up front.
Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Anger and rage often cause people to commit murder
Jesus focuses upon what emotion motivated murder in the first place. A deceitful and wicked heart that is enraged enough about something to kill someone. Anger and rage are often the driving force behind murders.
Jesus is showing us that it is not good enough to say "I never killed anyone." If we harbor angry thoughts toward a person it is as if we have a murderous attitude toward them. Let us all be perfectly honest. We all have had angry thoughts against another person.
We may have never told anyone else about our angry thoughts and we never said out loud what we were thinking but we had the angry thoughts. For this reason we may be in danger of judgment just like the murderer was in danger of judgment.
If we can see wrong thoughts and emotions as God sees them then that will help us seek to bring every thought under captivity of Christ. Paul brings this to our attention in the text below.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Jesus teaches us that if we are angry with our brother "without a cause" we are in danger of judgment. The word "judgment" means that a judicial decision has been handed down that includes condemnation and damnatory judgment.
What if our anger moves us to say harsh words to someone instead? One of the strongest words of insult when Christ lived was calling someone "Raca" which is a word from the Chaldean language. It means a senseless, empty headed fool and was reserved for the worst people of the culture.
Saying a vile thing to someone else means that the person who said it is in danger of being brought before the great council (Sanhedrin) of Jerusalem. Rome allowed this council to decide punishment for offenders in all cases except where capital punishment was called for.
However, calling someone a "fool" brings that person into danger of hell fire. This is the idea of eternal separation from God and suffering torment in flames.
Insulting words that spew out of our mouths are indicators of what is in our hearts. This is what Christ is trying to help us see. We need a new heart because our natural heart is infested with sin. It is deceitful and wicked.
While the Pharisees and scribes boasted that they never committed murder they would certainly come short of the mark if their angry thoughts toward others were exposed.
Christ gives the remedy for angry feelings
Before we ever come to worship Jehovah we need to go and find our brother and be reconciled. A breach in our relationship has occurred and it must be fixed by going to that brother and seeking a resolution to the conflict.
The word "reconciled" means to have a changed mind to renew a friendship. The party with the angry feelings must be willing to put them aside and work through whatever the problem is.
Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
A final warning from Jesus to deal with anger issues
Mat 5:25-26 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Jesus ends His teaching on the 6th commandment by issuing a warning. He said if we harbor any anger in our heart toward another person we should immediately go to them and take care of it.
Why did Jesus make such a big deal about the comparison of committing murder with having anger in our hearts toward someone? Because what we are thinking is what governs our actions. This is why the New Testament repeatedly urges us to renew our minds and to put off the old man. (Ephesians 4:26-32)
Matthew 15:18-19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Points to Ponder....
- Jesus offers a corrective to the wrong teaching of the Pharisees and scribes.
- Their teachings focused on the externals like not committing murder or adultery.
- Jesus honed in on our hearts being the root cause behind murder, in this text.
- If we have angry thoughts toward someone we must deal with them promptly.
- We must seek out that brother that we are angry with and resolve the conflict.
- We must remember that we carry the "old man" with us even when we are born again. Our deceitful and wicked heart still has potential to cause us to violate God's law.
- Remember, King David was a man after God's own heart yet at age 50 he committed adultery and murder.
- We must hide the Word of God in our hearts so that we do not sin against Jehovah.
- Read it, study it, memorize it and obey it.
Once again the clear teaching of Christ cuts through all the ways that we try to excuse ourselves for not obeying His word. He has shown us something very important. He has shown us that anger in our heart is an awful, terrible thing and that we must deal with it before we are led to commit some sin.
May our Lord and Savior help each one of us make real progress regarding the issues of our heart. May the Spirit of Christ convict us when we are angry without a cause so that we confess and forsake it and may we be swift to resolve the issue that is causing the anger.
Bob
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