Matthew 5:21

Matthew 5:21

In our last Bible study in Matthew chapter 5 we had been talking about the difference between imputed righteousness and good works. We pointed out that good works do not determine if we get to heaven or not, but they will determine a great deal about what happens to us when we get to heaven.

In Matthew 5:20 Jesus made the statement, "That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Through the rest of Matthew chapter 5, which is another 28 verses, Jesus goes on to explain the tremendous high standard that exists. He gives the ideal to which we must always aspire. In verse 48 He said, "Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

We constantly hear that humans need a challenge, that in order for our lives to attain something, we need to have goals. You will find no higher challenge, and no greater goals than those presented by the teachings of Jesus. We need to ask ourselves, “What are the proper goals?” The answer is to be found in the teachings of Jesus.

In Matthew 5:21 and 22 Jesus said, "You 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 judgement; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement; 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."

Jesus quotes Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13. "Thou shalt not kill." The basis for this commandment is the sanctity of human life. Once someone is born into the world they have every right to live their life to the fullest extent. Human life should never end by the act of man, but only by an act of God. The framers of the Declaration of Independence understood this concept and listed “life” as the first of the great rights of all humans when they said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

But Jesus explained that this commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," has a much broader meaning than may at first be evident. It might better be phrased, "Thou shalt not be angry." Anger seems to come so easily to human beings, and yet is so rarely justified. Ephesians chapter 2 says that we are by nature the children of wrath. We all recognize that to kill is a horrible crime and a horrible sin, but Jesus said that to be angry can have the same penalty as murder. If you have had the kind of anger that Jesus is talking about here then you are just as guilty as a murderer. As a matter of fact, anger is often a precursor to murder. So many of the murders in our society are not committed by criminals attacking a stranger, but are committed by ordinary people against their family members, neighbors, and co-workers. If only such individuals had learned to control their anger before it was too late.

To kill is the ultimate disrespect for others. Anger is given the same condemnation by Jesus, and He says in verse 22 that there are two other sins that are the same as murder and that show a similar type of disrespect for our fellow man. The first is if you should say to someone: "Raca". Jesus said to never call another person, "Raca." You may say to yourself that here is finally a commandment that I have never broken, because I know that I have never called anyone "Raca." Actually, the word "Raca" is an Aramaic word that means ‘worthless’. An equivalent to it in our language would be to call someone a “bum”. It is an insult directed at someone's life and character. We can kill with weapons such as knives and guns, but we can also kill with words. Candidates for political office should give attention to these words of Jesus, and be careful about what they say about their opponents. We will all one day give account to God of what we have said about others.

Jesus said that it is just as bad to say to someone, "Thou fool." To do so is to display an unacceptable disrespect for another human being. If you know something that is true, it is only by the grace of God that you know it. If you know something that someone else does not know, the goal should be to pray for them and perhaps to help communicate to them the things that they need to know, but to never call them a fool. To do so is a sin equated by Jesus with murder because it is a major disrespect for a fellow human being.

Jesus continues to talk about our relationships with others, and says in Matthew 5:23 and 24: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the alter, and there remember that your brother has anything against you; Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." We can not be rightly related to God if we are not also rightly related to the people around us. This is a theme that Jesus would bring up over and over. It is implied also in one of the beatitudes when Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

In Matthew 5:25 and 26 Jesus said, "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Verily I say unto you, You shall by no means come out from there, till you have paid the uttermost farthing." In many ways it is the unbelievers who control the material resources of this world. Every society will have its rules and laws. The believer should make every effort to live at peace in his society and culture and nation where God has placed him. Remember that in one of the beatitudes Jesus said, "Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the children of God." Christians should always be willing to compromise for the sake of peace, unless such a compromise would involve a direct violation of a clear commandment of God.

In Matthew 5:27 and 28 Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said by them of old time, "Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." Again Jesus quotes one of the Ten Commandments from the book of Exodus, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Adultery is a terrible thing because it is such a gross violation of the way that human relationships were meant to be. Adultery destroys marriages. It destroys families. It ruins a good conscience. It spreads diseases. Adultery is a sin to be much feared and avoided. According to Jesus, you can be guilty of adultery in your heart just like with murder, even though you have never committed the actual act.

The way to ensure that you never become guilty of adultery is to have your inner thoughts and motivations under control. We need to be aware of what contributes to lust, which is an inordinate and uncontrolled sexual desire; and we need to know the difference between lust and a normal, healthy attraction to the opposite sex.

It is God who created the attraction between male and female. Women are beautiful to men and that is good. Men are handsome to women and that is good. What is not good is when this normal and natural attraction goes over the bounds that God set for it. James 1:14 and 15 says, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin when it is finished, brings forth death." It is not a sin to be tempted. You have done nothing wrong when the birds fly over your head, but you are wrong if you allow them to build a nest in your hair. According to Jesus, a normal attraction to the opposite sex can go too far and turn from attraction to lust. When you cross that line, you have committed adultery. During the ministry of Christ, a woman who was taken in adultery would have been stoned to death by a group of men. But Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” It is no wonder that they all turned and walked away because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

How can you avoid giving in to these strong desires that Jesus condemns? First, accept the fact that sex is good but that it was meant for marriage and marriage alone. Make it always your goal to live by this principle. Second, realize that thoughts often enter our minds by way of our eyes. You will not lust until you first think about something, and you often will not think about something until you first look at something that initiates your thought process. There are certain magazines, movies, and pictures that are better to not look at because they purposely portray the opposite sex in the most enticing ways possible. Third, have the correct attitude toward the opposite sex. Someone who is a member of the opposite sex is not a sex object who was created for your gratification. They were created to glorify God, just as you were. Revelation 4:11 says, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created." Paul wrote to Timothy and told him how to treat the opposite sex and said to treat the older women as mothers and the younger as sisters, with all purity.

In Matthew 5:29 and 30 Jesus said, "And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. And if your right hand offend you, cut it off, and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell." One of the things that is immediately apparent from this passage of scripture is that Jesus believed in hell. Jesus taught that there was a hell, and He warned people about going to hell. Jesus came to the earth and died for our sins so that we would not have to go to hell. The word translated "hell", is the Greek word “gehenna”. “Gehenna” was the trash dump outside Jerusalem that was always burning, just like many of our trash dumps. It was a common term used by the Jews for hell. Jesus knew how the term was used and He used it the same way. Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." It is an ominous thing to be headed for hell. Hell is real, just as real as heaven. If you are not rightly related to Jesus, it is imperative that you become one of His followers and become forgiven of your sins before it is too late for you.

It is taught throughout scripture that there is a hell. Jesus teaches that there is a hell. And it also makes a lot of sense that there is a hell. Some of the crimes that are committed on this earth could not possibly be punished adequately by our judicial system. Some of the murders are so heinous, and the devastation done to the hearts and minds of family and friends of the victims are so great and last for so many years, that no punishment given by man could ever be enough to pay what is deserved. There must be a hell. True justice demands it. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay." Not only are the worst of sinners headed for hell, but the problem that we all have is that we are all guilty of having violated the great and high standard given to us by Jesus. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And so Jesus said in Luke Chapter 13, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

In Matthew 5:31 and 32 Jesus says, "It has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery." In verse 31 Jesus quotes the book of Deuteronomy, and then applies the teaching that came from Deuteronomy to the lives of the men to whom He was speaking. In order to correctly interpret scripture, several things must be kept in mind: who is speaking, to whom they are speaking, and the context. A verse that is taken out of context could be used to teach something other than was intended. One of the values of the way that this Bible study is being conducted is that we are going verse by verse through Matthew, and that reduces the chance that we would make the mistake of taking things out of context.

Jesus is speaking on the subject of divorce. He is addressing himself to men in a male dominated society. The men to whom Jesus was speaking had misapplied the use of divorce. These men had come to see women as a possession, a possession that they would discard whenever it suited them to do so. It is just like Jesus to take the side of the oppressed and the abused.

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