Matthew 5:17-48 – Jesus Speaks About The Hot Topics Of His Day – Part 1

I read an article in the online edition of the Evening Leader, which is the local St. Marys daily newspaper.  This article was talking about the history of the “hobo” in the St. Marys, Ohio area.  Now some of you might not know what a hobo is/was.  Back in the 1930’s through about the 1950’s in this area there was a traveling group of men that moved from place to place seeking work.  Their main mode of transportation was the railroad that ran through the heart of town.

They would hop on the trains and go from place to place to work and earn a little money to go to the next place.  They would establish hobo villages if you could call them that.  They were more accurately places they would congregate for protection from the weather and to share their stories with one another.  It was quite an interesting article.

Anyway, reading that reminded me of this story about a hobo who walked up to the front door of a big house in a rich neighborhood.  The hobo knocked on the door and when the owner answered the hobo asked, “Sir, could I please have something to eat?  I haven’t had a meal in several days.”

The owner responded, “I have made my fortune in this world by never giving anything away for free.  If you go around to the back of my house you’ll find a gallon of paint and a clean brush.  Paint my porch and I’ll give you a good meal.”

The hobo agreed to do this and within an hour announced to the home owner that he was finished.

The owner said, “Well that was fast.  Come on in and eat.”  The hobo replied, “Thank you sir.  But I must tell you that you don’t have a Porsche, it’s a BMW.”

One of the challenges to communication is making certain that instructions are clearly understood.  One of the reasons that pastor’s ramble on and on is because they want to be sure that people understand clearly what God’s Word is saying.

I actually heard about a pastor that spent 6 weeks teaching on the first four words of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God.”

We’re immersed in the Sermon on the Mount where we are being instructed by the Holy Spirit on matters related to kingdom living.  You’ll recall that Jesus began His teaching on this subject with a series of “blessed are the . .”  We call these the Beatitudes and what we see is they are “upside down” when compared to the world’s ways of thinking and doing things.

For example Jesus says recognizing our spiritual poverty leads to gaining eternal life; mourning over this situation leads to confession and repentance and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

It is the indwelling Spirit that bears fruit in our lives – gentleness, mercy, hunger and thirsting for righteousness.

Picture the scene that day folks.  I imagine that the vast majority of the people on the mountainside that day were strangely silent as they listened to Jesus speak of a better life.  A life that He said could be lived closer to God and their fellow citizens.

I imagine that heads would have nodded in agreement; quick glances would have been cast at neighbors with an expression of “are you getting this?” on their faces.

Jesus’ words made so much sense and yet they were upside down because this was not what the people were taught by the religious leaders of their day.  But this was intentional on Jesus’ part.  He didn’t come to maintain the status quo.  Jesus came to share the father’s love and to communicate clearly the Father’s instructions for a right relationship with Him.

I’m fond of Yogi Berra and his famous “Yogi-isms.”  Young people today might know Yogi as the old guy getting his hair cut in the AFLAC commercials.  But did you know that Yogi Berra is a baseball Hall of Famer who still holds several major league records?

Even in his playing days Yogi was famous for side-splitting humor.  What makes his comments so funny is that people tend to think he really thinks the way he talks.

Yogi is credited with saying:

“Never give up because it ain’t over till its over.”

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“Don’t always follow the crowd.  Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded.”

“Stay alert.  You observe a lot by just watching.”

“Remember whatever you do in life, 90% of it is ½ mental.”

And my current favorite from the AFLAC commercial, “And they give you cash which is just as good as money.”

It’s funny when Yogi Berra talks like this or when comedians make light of life in their jokes but I don’t think it’s funny when Christians are confused over God’s Word.  It is actually tragic when people who profess a faith in God don’t seem to care what His Word tells us concerning life.

The problem is being exacerbated today by pastor’s who won’t teach the Bible because people don’t want to hear it.  People don’t want to hear the Word taught because pastors have given them milk for so long their teeth have rotted out and it becomes painful to try and chew on the “meatier” things of the faith.

It becomes a true “Catch-22.”  Taken as a whole, this problem reveals that the underlying issue is trusting in God and His Word.  Today Christians are just as inclined to seek out what Dr. Phil, Oprah, Montel, or any host of talking heads have to say as they are to go the Bible and seek God’s wisdom.

This is not a new development.  The people sitting on the mountainside listening to Jesus had been steeped in the very same thing.  Consider that after Moses was given the 10 Commandments as well as the civil and ceremonial laws by God, the Jews began to develop what came to be called the “Scribal Law.”  We are perhaps more familiar with the phrase “Oral Law.”

The Oral Law became over many centuries a vast system of rules and regulations that were intended to define and apply the original law of God.  Around the 3^rd century AD these rules and regulations were written down and this became known as the “Mishnah.”

The Mishnah is about 800 pages of instructions on exactly what the Jews thought God meant and suggestions on how best to carry out the rules (notice I said how to carry out the rules – not God’s commandments).

Jewish scholars then decided to write books explaining the Mishnah (sort of like explaining the explanation).  These were known as the “Talmuds.”  Two different Talmuds were written; the Jerusalem Talmud became a 12 volume work and the Babylonian Talmud became a 60 volume collection.

Now, all of these books, 1000’s and 1000’s of pages were written to try and explain the practical application of God’s law for every situation in life.

Take the Sabbath day for example.  The principal God gives us is that we should have a day of rest.  The Jewish scribes wanted to understand what constituted work.  Instead of accepting the clear teaching that God gave us the Sabbath to remember Him, reflect on His goodness toward us, and to rest from our labors, the scribes wanted to define what could legally be done and not be considered work.

Could a person carry an object from point A to point B on the Sabbath without violating the commandment? Talk about staining gnats and swallowing horseflies.

Here’s what the religious leaders decided could be done.  A person could carry food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine to fill a small goblet, milk enough for one swallow, one piece of paper and one pen to write on the paper.

Adding to this silliness was the fact that while the religious leaders said a person could carry a piece of paper and a pen to write with, a person could not write more than two letters of the Hebrew alphabet because writing three was considered work and thus a violation of the Sabbath commandment.

You can see why Jesus opposed the religious leaders.  The Jewish leaders had gotten so far away from God’s Word and intention that they taught obeying their rules and regulations was the means of salvation.

It was into this environment that Jesus came to set the record straight.

Some people read this statement and wonder, “What is that doing here?  Why would Jesus change the subject?”

The answer is He’s not changing the subject.  Jesus has been teaching the people about the kind of person that God accepts (poor in spirit, mourning over sin, humble, etc).

The people Jesus spoke to were trying to understand how what Jesus was teaching could be reconciled with what they had been taught by their religious leaders.  The people were hearing a new word from Jesus.  There was a marked contrast to Jesus’ words.

So this led the people to wonder perhaps out-loud, “What does He think of the Law; what does He think of Moses and the prophets?”  Interestingly, it was always on matters of the Law that the Jewish religious leaders confronted Jesus.

So Jesus answers the questions on the minds of the people that were prompted by what He has already said.

Talk about upsetting the apple cart.  What we see because we are removed from this situation, because we are looking back on it and have the benefit of seeing it through born-again eyes, is that Jesus is offering freedom.  He is offering hope and a new perspective to the people.

Can you imagine the impact v20 had on the people listening to Jesus?  It must have staggered them.

How in the world would they ever be holier than the holiest people they knew?  “What hope is this?” they must have wondered.  Jesus was in effect saying, “You need to understand what God is saying through His Word.  Unfortunately what you’ve been taught misses the mark completely.”

How does Jesus demonstrate His point?  By addressing 6 major issues of the Jewish culture of that day.  Six issues the Jews had twisted and perverted.  Six “hot topics” if you will.

As we work through these I want you to see that Jesus is speaking of an ability to live a life pleasing to God.  One of the points Jesus makes in this passage is that the ability to live for God is the result of an internal change not external observation of rules and regulations.

Jesus introduces His point with a familiar phrase each time.  Look with me at:

V21 – “You have heard that the ancients were told”

V27 – “You have heard that it was said”

V31 – “And it was said”

V33 – “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told”

V38 – “You have heard that it was said”

V43 – “You have heard that it was said”

What is the point Jesus is making by using this phrase repeatedly?  He is saying, “here is what your teachers tell you because it is what their teachers told them and that is what their teachers before them taught . .”

Here is what the people on the mountainside that day would have heard Jesus say: “The Mishnah and the Talmud give this instruction, but let me tell you what is at the heart of God’s Word.”

Now I love the implication here folks.  Don’t miss this – when Jesus said “You’ve heard that it was said, but I say to you” He was clearly claiming for Himself the authority to speak on behalf of God the Father.

Then He launches into the first issue:

It isn’t enough to refrain from the physical act of murder because anger carried to far or having the wrong motivation is the same thing as murder in God’s eyes.  That’s why God is opposed to His people manifesting slander, contempt, and malice to each other.  Each of these behaviors is a type of character assassination, a type of spiritual murder.

I’ve heard people say over the years that this is carrying it a bit far; taking the Word a bit too seriously.  That perspective tells me a couple of things.  First, they’re probably harboring some of these attitudes and second, they are not reading the Word but merely interjecting their opinions in its place.

Even the world understands this truth to a degree.  Consider these lyrics from a popular song:

  ‘I know I can’t hold the hate inside my mind,

         Cause what consumes your thoughts controls your life.

So I’ll ask the question . . .what if?

What if your words could be judged like a crime?”

Don’t buy the world’s compromise exemplified by the attitude of the man who said, “I’m so glad I got religion.  I have an uncle I used to hate so much that I vowed I’d never go to his funeral.  But now since I have religion, I’ll be glad to go.”

(Buzzer) Wrong answer!  You might be thinking, “So, I’m going to hell for calling someone a nerd?”  No, the point Jesus is making here is that being right with God means having a heart of love not malice or anger toward people.

Author Steve Farrar in his book Pointman makes the following observation:

“Let’s cut the double-talk.  Let’s put the cards on the table.  Let’s call adultery what it is.  In the war on the family, adultery is treason.  But we don’t call it treason.  We have developed a more refined and sophisticated term.  Adultery has become an “affair.”

When a man leaves his wife and children for another woman and acts as impulsively as an aroused junior high kid on his first date, it’s not an “affair.”  It’s adultery.  An affair – that word has a sort of nice light airy ring to it.  It certainly isn’t a judgmental term like adultery.  The word “affair” is fluffy and non-threatening.

When I was a kid, I used to go to the fair.  We would have a great time eating cotton candy, riding the ferris wheel, and playing games on the arcade.  When you go to a fair you left all the responsibilities of normal life behind, at least for a few hours.  Life was a lot of fun at the fair.  Maybe that’s why we call adultery an affair.  It’s leaving your responsibilities behind.”

Hear me brothers and sisters.  I know that some of you have perhaps been stung by this sin and some have perhaps sinned in this way yourself.  I want you to hear me loud and clear.  If you’ve confessed that sin you’ve been forgiven and cleansed.  If you’ve extended forgiveness toward a spouse for this you have been guarded from the bitterness and grip that can have on your life.

Jesus is not condemning the one who has sought or extended forgiveness.  He is not even addressing that person.  Jesus is speaking directly to the person who thinks they can play with sin in their mind and get away with it.

Let’s unpack this a little more.  Jesus is not talking about noticing an attractive person of the opposite sex.  He is talking about allowing your gaze to linger and then your mind to imagine what it would be like to engage in sexual activities with that person.

It should be painfully obvious to everyone today that the so-called sexual prophets of the 1960’s who trumpeted the “Age of Aquarius” and the “Sexual Revolution” were wrong.  Free sex and open relationships come with a tremendous cost for individuals, families, and society as a whole.

Jesus makes this point metaphorically by suggesting that it would better to lose an eye or hand than to fall into sexual sin.

When Jesus brought this topic up He stepped right on a hornet’s nest.  At that time there was a huge controversy concerning acceptable grounds for divorce.  One side said only a very serious issue was acceptable grounds.  The other side said divorce was permissible for any reason the “man” thought was acceptable.

We shake our heads at such nonsense but listen to these reasons being cited for divorce today:

Contrasting this Jesus said divorce is a very serious thing and not something to be taken lightly.  In spite of what some of my well-intended brethren have to say on the subject, divorce is not the unpardonable sin and it does not disqualify you from serving God.  It is neither God’s intention nor His desire but there are certainly grounds for divorce and Jesus mentions one here.

Again, many of you have experienced the pain of divorce.  If you were not the initiator of the divorce I don’t believe Jesus is even speaking to you here.  And if you have experienced divorce and you were the instigator then there is forgiveness available.  Jesus is speaking to the one who believes that he/she can treat marriage as a convenience rather than as a commitment.

The Sermon on the Mount picture from Vinelife UK.