Plymothian

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

²⁸ When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,^[c] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

³⁰ Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. ³³ Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart,son; your sins are forgiven.”

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

Chaos and Darkness

In the Bible water is evil, quite often.  The seas of chaos are the anti-creation.  God brings order where chaos rules.  This is emphasized when the squall on the Lake of Galilee suddenly subsides and even the water grows calm as the wind dies down.  This is not natural, it is supernatural.  Jesus is commanding the forces of nature to be peaceful and calm.  This is what happened after the Spirit of God descended upon the waters of chaos at creation.  Jesus is exhibiting that power.

Jesus also exhibits power over the chaotic demonic.  A legion of demons terrorizing a man throw pigs to their deaths.  Since two men are recorded in Matthew and one man in the other gospels, we can say that there were two and there is no contradiction.  If you have two, you already have one.

Finally Jesus deals with the evil that is done in the name of organised religion.  He commands a man to be healed on a day that the religious zealots had decreed a no-healing day.  The crowds watch on in awe.

What do we see in all of this?  We see that Jesus is God.  He commands the authority that God commands over nature, demons, and sickness.  If Jesus has such authority it affirms the choice to leave the crowds and become disciples who willingly place themselves under his authority.

Questions

1. What miracles does Jesus perform in this passage?
2. What do the miracles show?
3. What were the reactions of those in the three groups Matthew has established (Jewish leaders/crowds/disciples)?
4. What is your reaction to reports that Jesus can speak to nature, demons, and sickness and command them as he wills?
5. How can you be a deeper disciple knowing Jesus’ authority better?

¹⁸ When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

²¹ Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Harsh Responses for Wannabe Disciples

It struck me for the first time that Matthew classes those asking Jesus to cut them slack as disciples.  these are people who have come out of the general crowd and have made some sort of commitment to Jesus.  Subsequently Jesus tels them that their expectations of discipleship will not be met.  Most Rabbis established themselves in a region, made a name by expounding scriptures and then got rich.  They would share the wealth with their disciples who would then take a share in the fortune and inherit a crowd to teach with sayings of their own.  Jesus doesn’t walk in the footsteps of another Rabbi and he has no plans to establish a home base.  He was not a vagabond, he stayed at houses of friends and family, but Jesus took on very litle in the way of personal property.  This disappointed a disciple who might have expected something different.

The second disciple is looking to bury his family and in effect puts Jesus second.  Jesus will not be second in the eyes of his disciples – not even to family.

Jesus’ kingdom seems harsh, but it is everything to those who understand it.  With a right understanding of God and Jesus’ fulfilment of the law, those who get it cling to him even if it means they lose family, property, and status.  I don’t think we have created a church that is that committed, do you?

Questions

1. With what requests is Jesus presented?
2. How does he respond?
3. Why do you think Jesus responds this way?
4. How do you view having a relationship with this kind of Jesus?
5. Are you ‘all in’?

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. ² And behold, a leper^[a] came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ³ And Jesus^[b] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him,“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go,show yourself to the priest andoffer the gift that Moses commanded,for a proof to them.”

⁵ When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying paralysed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷ And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go’, and he goes, and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes, and to my servant,^[c] ‘Do this’, and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he marvelled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel^[d] have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ¹² while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

¹⁴ And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. ¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Lepers, Gentiles, Women, Everyone

I have psoriasis.  I have had it from childhood.  I also have a crooked finger because I broke a tendon when I was 13.  I am unclean.  That is, I am ceremonially unclean.  If you touched me in the ancient Jewish system, you would not be able to offer a sacrifice without cleansing yourself.  Unless you were Jesus.  Jesus’ purity washed away the spiritual and physical impurities in others.  He wanted to keep it quiet because people would misunderstand what he was about.  However, he couldn’t help healing people by virtue of who he was.

Some people didn’t want a low-life, itinerant Rabbi from the backwaters healing them, but many more began to seek him out.  Leprosy is a term used in the Bible to describe conditions like psoriasis, ringworm, dermatosis, lupus and other skin conditions that we have cream or shampoo for today.  Hansen’s disease (what we usually call leprosy) was extremely rare.  Most people who had to walk with a bell and cover their face and make sure no-one touched them were people more like you and me than we realise.

Who is this Jesus character?  He cares for the outcasts and he has authority over sicknesses that science would take centuries to treat.  He was unafraid to cross purity boundaries.  He entered into places where people suffered and he made a difference.  Maybe his disciples were grateful enough that they decided they would get out of their comfort zones, but that came later.  For now, at this point in Matthew, even those who knew him realise that they know very little of what he is capable.

Jesus then heals a Roman centurion’s servant and the mother-in-law of a disciple.  Jesus takes on their sickness like a sponge but his purity crushes their impurity.

Questions

1. Does Jesus go to a leper or does a leper come to him?  Why?
2. Why does the centurion come to Jesus if he is not Jewish?  Why does Jesus respond as he does?
3. Who are the subjects who presume they are disciples of the kingdom, but who will be thrown out?
4. What misconceptions did people have about lepers, gentiles, and women and their role as disciples?
5. Examine yourself.  Do you think you presume you make a better disciple than crippled people, Arabs, the opposite sex, children, convicts, prostitutes, or used-car dealers?  Would you do what Jesus did and reach out to them to give them the opportunity to become disciples?  Do you?

Going Deeper

What can Protestants learn from the vicarious suffering of Catholic Father Damien who worked with lepers for 16 years before contracting the disease himself?

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04615a.htm

Health Check: Misconceptions

Health Check: Catching Worldviews

Health Check: Getting Healthy

Thank you for having us at the Moody Retreat.  The slides used for the retreat are above.  Please use them to review, but do not distribute them.

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Two Ways

People today would condemn Jesus as a bigot, I think.  He lays out two ways to live life:  His way and the wrong way.  The wrong way, ironically is a way of comfort.  Most people choose to follow the flow of those who enter by the broad gate and walk the broad path to destruction.  Few people find Jesus and when they walk with him, their path is not comfortable or easy compared with those who are self-serving or self-righteous.  Jesus challenges disciples, crowds, and religious-leaders alike to evaluate upon which path they are travelling.  As the NIV Application Commentary outlines:

• 7:13-14:  Will you enter the gate to life in the kingdom of heaven and embark on a life of following me?  Or will you reject me for the popular road that leads to destruction?
• 7:15-20:  Will you find in me the inner source of transformation that will produce the good fruit of life?  Or will you follow the prophetic voices of this world that hype a promise of life but will only take you into the fires of hell?
• 7:21-23:  Will you obey my Father’s will and come to me as your only Lord?  Or will you chase after false manifestations of spirituality that result in eternal banishment?
• 7:24-27:  Will you build your life on me as your solid rock?  Or will the pleasant ease of your life cause you to be unprepared for the storms that will come in this life and that will ultimately wash you away into the desolation of the afterlife?

So this leaves us to evaluate, upon which path are we walking right now?

Questions

1. How are those who follow Jesus’ way contrasted with those who do not?
2. How would the disciples, crowds, and religious leaders have responded differently?
3. How can a person tell if they are a disciple?
4. What is your reaction to The Sermon on the Mount?
5. What is the defining characteristic of the life you live?

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I Don’t Judge You, You Dog!

If we are not to judge one another, how can Jesus say not to give things to dogs and pigs?  Dogs were unclean animals that scavenged in the ancient garbage and could spread sickness and become vicious.  Pigs were unclean animals that might even feast on rotting flesh.  When angered wild pigs would sometimes kill small children.  If we are never to judge, how will we decide when someone is a dog or pig?

The key is the difference between discernment and condemnation.  To condemn anyone is not really a disciple’s job.  To judge in that sense is off limits.  However, we are to discern.  The problem with much of our discernment is that it is skewed by a desire to deflect from ourselves or elevate ourselves above others.  This is why Jesus talks of a plank or beam being lodged in someone’s eye.  We should pause and question our motives in discernment.  Do we really want to condemn?  Are we free from the sin we have identified in others.  I know some people who hate bossiness, yet they do not see how bossy they are.  I know of others who police sexual sin with a passion, but deny their own innuendo and obsession with sex in a suppressive way.  It is not that we should not deal with bossiness or sexual sin.  It is that we need to stop and check our heart on the issue.  Are we lovingly correcting someone or are we protecting ourselves?

People who show a pattern of rejecting truth in their lives are a waste of time and resources.  This does not mean that they are less human and we should write them off as people.  It just means that we should use the majority of our time and efforts on those who are appreciative.  In fact, the people who are antagonistic to the gospel probably want you to leave them alone.  Constantly trying to share God’s love with them isn’t as condemning as it is foolish.  It is like poking a wild pig or a rabid dog with a stick and expecting them to love you in return.

So we should discern people’s actions as godly or foolish, but we should check our motives first.

Questions

1. What are disciples not to do?
2. How can Jesus then go on to say some people are dogs and pigs?
3. What is the general rule for how to treat others?
4. How would you like to be treated?
5. How do you treat those closest to you?  Those with whom you disagree?

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^[c] your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy,^[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

How To Get What You Want

There is a trick in getting what you want.  It is to align what you want with what God wants.  Some of us say we want what God wants, but we don’t surrender our wanting because we fear that God can not keep us safe, or won’t.  Sometimes we fear what will happen if we relinquish control.  Our worry somehow seems to have the affect of holding tomorrow’s consequences at bay.  It is shown when we utter the lunacy, “If I don’t worry about it, who will?”  God has it all in hand and he is not worrying about it.

What do you want?

Do you want money?  You don’t need it.  Right now, you need nothing.  That is not exactly true.  The LORD is your shepherd, so you lack nothing.  The LORD is your shepherd, you shall not want.  ‘Want’ is connected to ‘lack’.  We want something because we perceive a lack of something.  Disciples lack nothing.

What do you want?

Do you want respect and acceptance?  You are accepted by God.  You were created to desire to show him respect and worship.  There is joy in letting go of our desires to stroke our own ego.

What do you want?

Do you want to be safe?  Do not fear man who can destroy the body.  God will sustain your soul and give you a new body for eternity.

What do you want?  Rest?  amusement?  Sex?  Why do we pursue these things?  They are markers of a bigger lack in our lives.  Our longings for small things are just indicators that we are never going to be satisfied until we seek our satisfaction in him.

Once we pursue God, we can cast our anxieties on him.  We can see more clearly that he has it all covered.  Secondly, all the material and emotional needs we have will be met in the right time and in the right way.

Questions

1. What things that people want does Jesus cover in Matthew 6:19-34?
2. Why do people in Jesus’ crowd and in Antioch (recipients of Matthew) want such things?
3. How does Jesus command disciples to align their thinking?
4. What do you want?
5. How should you be thinking about what you want?

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is donein secret, will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Motives

Why do you do spiritual things in public?  This assumes that you are?  If you are not giving to the needy, praying, or fasting, why not?  Some have a commendable desire to be authentic, but they are being authentically secular, if they are Christians.  To be secular is to empty an area of our lives of God’s desire for us.  Christians should meet together, worship together, give generously, fast, and pray.  If we have no desire to do these things, we should ask ourselves why not.  I think that my own motives dull when I do not see who God is and who I am.  I do not see the debt, the horror of sin, and I do not see the extent of God’s grace in my life.  My gratitude does not flow into religious acts when I do not see that I should have been destroyed horribly.  Perhaps we need to reflect on what we think of God, man and our values first, if we are not motivated to action.  If you are not motivated to action, you might want to question if you are a disciple.  If you are motivated by something other than joy and gratitude (like guilt), you might want to question if you know Christ.

Jesus assumes that disciples will be marked by action.  However, pharisees were very active in giving, prayer, and fasting among other things.  They were striving for acceptance by God and by the people.  This shows that they did not have the understanding of a disciple.  A disciple knows that they are accepted unconditionally by God and so they give back to God through grateful acts of service.  Without God we are in darkness, despair, and desperation.  With him we have love, light, and life.  Public acts by religious people often betray insincerity and dead rituals.  Jesus was assuming the motives for such actions was acceptance by men.  He affirms that they have received that.  They are not looking to grow closer to God through the disciplines.  They are acting like those who lack something rather than those who have everything.  We do not practice spiritual disciplines even to be accepted by God. We practice spiritual disciplines because the whole of our lives is about moving closer to him in relationship.

Marriage is a good illustration.  Do I do the dishes to be accepted by my wife?  I do them with guilt in such a case and I have a strong desire not to do the dishes.  I sometimes boast about doing the dishes to others because I feel they will accept me as a fine and loving husband.  What if I know that I am unconditionally accepted?   (Some women fear that the man will not do the dishes and only accept him on the condition of service – that is not like God).  If I know that I am unconditionally accepted I will do the dishes with joy and gratitude for her.  If I do not have that attitude, something about the underlying relationship needs to be fixed.  My acts of love are not for others and they are not to win my wife’s acceptance.  They are a right response to a true understanding of her love for me in spite of who I am.  In the same way, our whole lives need to be sincerely and quietly lived out for God.

Questions

1. What religious acts does Jesus highlight in this passage?
2. If this is a summary of Jesus’ sermon (as some think), what other religious acts could be included?
3. How were people in Jesus’ day doing good things with bad motives?
4. Why do you do (or don’t do) spiritual things?
5. On a scale of 1-10, how grateful would someone say you were to God if they saw the reasons behind your spiritual acts?

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{[f] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.^[g]

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’^{[h] 39} But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[i] and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Antitheses

In his commentary on Matthew, Michael J. Wilkins writes this about the intent of these verses:

• True disciples not only avoid murder but are transformed so that they do not strip away the personhood or identity of others through anger of defamation (5:21-23), and they continually produce reconciliation in offended relationships (5:23-26)
• True disciples not only shun physical acts of adultery but are so completely committed to God’s purpose for marriage that they have eyes and hands only for a spouse (5:27-28) and discipline every thought and action to be singly focused on the spouse (5:29-30).
• True disciples not only respect the purity of the marital relationship but have God’s values for the original design of marriage and are unreservedly committed to its permanence and sanctity (5:31-32).
• True disciples do not need to give oaths to confirm their trustworthiness, because their faithful lives repeatedly confirm the reliability of their words (5:33-37).
• True disciples are so secure in their transformed kingdom identity that when they are wronged, they do not merely adhere to legal retribution but use every opportunity to serve others , both good and evil people, so that the reality of God’s grace in their lives woos them to the kingdom of heaven (5:38-42).
• True disciples not only love what God loves and hate what God hates, but they have the renewed heart of God tat enables them to love the world of sinners for whom Jesus will eventually give his life (5:43-48).
• Climactically, true disciples have experienced the powerfully life-changing presence of the kingdom of heaven in such a way that their progressive transformation into the image of Jesus, the Son of God, secures their progressive growth into the very perfection of God the Father (5:48).

The questions remain, “Are you truly a disciple, or have you sunk back into the crowd?  Do you want to step out of the crowd and commit to a life that Jesus can build in you?”

Questions

1. What teachings have the pharisees been speaking to the people?
2. How is Jesus indicating that the way the rules of the Old Testament are being applied is missing the point?
3. How could some people read these verses and misapply them as a call to ‘try harder’?
4. Are you a disciple?  What kind of life does a disciple live?
5. How do you keep the perfection of God as a motivator in your life and not a demotivator?

The above picture shows how a person grows from the inside out.  It is taken from Dallas Willard’s Renovation of the Heart.  As you read Matthew 5:17-20, see how the above diagram relates.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Inside Out Law

In the above passage Jesus enters into some of the toughest ground of the religion of his day.  The major teachers of the law had spelled out the requirements of the law in such detail that the interpretation of the law was that one had to live out each law perfectly in order to know God.  Jesus says that if one is satisfying God by living out the law, one has to exceed the expectations of the law-keeping pharisees.  In other words one can not do such a thing.  Jesus points out to his own followers that if they are his disciples their hearts will be transformed in such a way that they will keep the law as a matter of course.  It is the heart that strives after God that pleases God, not a slavish obedience that just avoids breaking laws.

Questions

1. What does Jesus say about the law?
2. Which legal requirements of the law are fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection and therefore disappear from the Old Testament to the Kingdom of God?
3. Which legal requirements does a person still need to uphold by living in the Spirit?
4. How does Dallas Willard’s diagram relate?
5. Do you try to get it right or have you been made right?  Do you act out of fear or gratitude?