Jesus Interprets the Law- Pt IV

I think we can agree that the Pharisees and the scribes were taking the Law literal and Jesus was taking it conceptional by the spirit of the law in which God meant it in the first place.

Jesus finishes up this part of the sermon on the mount, still with much to say but to wrap up this part.

Law of retribution (5:38-42)

Law of love toward neighbor (5:43-47)

Law of direction not perfection (5:48)

Law of retribution

Mt5:38-42 “38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”

What do you see, what do you notice in your read of this passage?

Are there any words that you think we should define? (Let them look for words, don’t assume they will have any)

Now let me show you what the Mosaic law said

Exo21:24 “24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,” (Obligation on personal level) - had been twisted to communal level; Jesus is bringing back to the personal level where it was meant to be in the first place.

Q: What does Jesus mean?

Jesus said we are not to resist and evil person, but not that evil is never to be resisted, he did resist evil by overturning tables in the temple, did he not?

Barclay said “Jesus is here saying that the true Christian has learned to resent no insult and to seek retaliation for no slight.” When we think how Jesus himself was insulted and spoken against, he was called a glutton, a drunkard, a bastard child, a madman, yet he did not retaliate, he lived a peaceful life. He could have called 10,000 angels, or even one, yet He did not. When Jesus speaks of a slap on your right cheek He knew what a deep insult was, He understood it was not always a physical attack. The verbal insult could hurt worse than the baseball bat.

Jesus is addressing this regarding personal insult, not to be the same as when Paul is addressing the government in Rom13:1-4; and the government and restraining evil conduct.

I am to to turn my cheek to a personal insult, and boy, that can be hard at times, but the government has a responsibility to protect me from a physical assault. .

OK, moving on

Mt5:40 “40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.”

Q: What does your version say? Does is say tunic and cloak?

You have heard it said they want the shirt of your back right? Well if someone wants the shirt off your back, give them the coat too. Even when under the Law of Moses the coat must be returned to them

Exo22:26 “26 “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets,”

Jesus is expounding on that. We need to be willing to go the extra mile when it comes to the law of retribution.

“We should be willing to part with something that we can lawfully keep” according to Carson.

That leads us to our next point

Going the extra mile

Mt5:41 “41 “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”

Maybe yours says, demands, compels, impresses, presses, or even constrains you to go one mile, then go with him two. - - - under Roman military law, a soldier might command a Jew to carry his pack for one mile, but no more. Jesus is saying, well do it, but go one more, go an extra mile. But do it out of love. This is how we demonstrate love. This is a free will offering.

France said, and I don’t think I have used him before, I found him a little obscure before:

“The Jews fiercely resented such impositions,and Jesus’ choice of this example deliberately dissociates him from militant nationalists. Rather than resisting, or even resenting, the disciple should volunteer for a further mile.”

We live in a society that demands everyone to demand its own rights rights. It was no different than either.

Morgan said:

“Insist on your own neighbor, hate your enemy, and so secure your safety. The new says, Suffer wrong and lavish your love on all.”

Oh no! Jesus way may not we so easy may it?

Next!

Mt5:42 “42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”

Hum, What do you make of this verse?

Is this a literal? A figurative? Does this take some discernment?

Can someone take and use this improperly against a Christian as you must let me borrow money?

Then consider

Rom13:8 “8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

Love, we are to do things from love, lend and pay back from love. It would be evil to borrow from manipulation with no need, or with no intent to repay

Now lets drive home the rest of this chapter, believe or not we may finish it today, well at least try.

Mt5:43-47 “43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

Q: what is the theme, main theme of this passage?

Q: Do you see a contrast in these verses?

Under the old covenant this is what it says

Lev19:18 “18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

Q: Can someone define the word enemy? How would you describe an enemy?

In Jesus days, they changed it some, added an opposite, hate your enemies, as if that were an obligation. Do you think that is an obligation.

In the Jewish mindset they looked at anyone who was not a Jew as their “enemy.” So all Gentiles. They also looked at all people they considered unclean, leapers, etc. as their enemies. So they were not obliged to love them.

Jesus says “love your enemies, Pray for those who persecute you(see Mt5:11 too). For all are your neighbors. Even those you may consider your enemies, to those Jews the Gentiles, the unclean, not only their friends. To us, not only those who think, act, talk like us but others too.

Jesus knew that they, and we would have enemies in, yet they, and we are to respond to them in and with love, trusting that God will protect our cause and destroy our enemies in the best way possible, hopefully, prayerfully bring them to the truth of the gospel, and transforming them to be friends.

Again France said: “ The disciple’s attitude to religious persecution must go beyond non-retaliation to a positive love.”

You maybe asking why on some of this stuff, good question.

Mt5:45 “45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

I don’t want to belabor this too much, just one quote for want to finish this chapter today for there is still so much meat left in the Sermon on the Mount

This quote from Spurgeon

“As though he did not regard human character at all, God bids his sun to shine on good and bad. As though he did not know that an men were vile, he ids the shower descend on just and unjust. Yet he does know, for he is no blind deity. He does know; and he knows when his sun shines on yonder miser’s acres that it is bringing forth a harvest for a churl. He does it deliberately. When the rain is falling yonder upon the oppressor’s crops, he knows that the oppressor will be the richer for it and the means that he should be, he is doing nothing by mistake and nothing without purpose.”

The day of judgment is not yet. It is coming, but not yet. So, blessing come now, on the just and the unjust. This is the time of free grace, but salvation is for those who believe. Judgment will be for those who do not believe and rewards for those who do believe.

We are to be sons of our Father in Heaven. We are are sons by regeneration through faith in the Son.

Remember this

Mt5:46-47 “46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

God loved us while we were yet sinners and sent His son. So we too should love those who are not like you, do not look like you, act like you, talk like you, that you may even think are youre enemies, that are not your neighbors. For all are your neighbors according to Jesus standards.

What a journey Chapter 5 has been. Strap in as we get ready to travel into chapter 6 next week.

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