Honesty and Integrity Matt. 5:33-48

What type of person has Christ called us to be? And What example has he set for us to be that type of person?

This may be one of the hardest teachings for us to live out

Turning the other cheek, praying for those who hate you, and doing GOOD to those who treat us harshly? How could it ever be done?

Matthew 5:33–48 CSB

“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one. “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Keeping Our Word

We as a culture still have a lot of value for a person’s word: is this someone who’s yes truly does mean yes and no truly mean no. However, this often comes in the form of promises and swearing by whatever we think will make enough punch.

Christ calls us to shake off the need to swear by anything, simply saying yes or no, carrying it out, and allowing our word to be enough for business in the world.

Anything that we swear by is technically not ours to swear by anyway, as we were created by God, have given all of our earthly relationships and possessions to God, and have a heavenly inheritance that is ultimately from God.

James 3:4–6 (CSB)

4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Giving revenge to the Lord

V.38-41, This is such a hard thing to consider. It goes against the natural human desire to stand up for ourselves and get back at those who hurt us. Not to resist an evildoer is called passive, sad, even cowardly. It is a call to let loose of our personal rights and privileges. The slap of the cheek was less a physical attack and more of the greatest form of shame and insult.

We see other places in Scripture where protection of one’s bodily safety is not condemned, such as Luke 22:36–38 “Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in me: And he was counted among the lawless. Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment.” “Lord,” they said, “look, here are two swords.” “That is enough!” he told them.”

also see Paul interacting with the Roman law, Acts 22:25 “As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?””

So in what situations do we allow misfortune to fall us? I think within the context of Jewish custom as well as the verses that are before this tell us that people ridiculing and insulting us shouldn’t phase us. Those who want to get the upper hand over us in this life, that shouldn’t phase us because we have a heavenly home that is being prepared for us even now.

Special note on v.42, we are called to live in a state of always being ready to help those who ask, and we are called to act wisely with that which God has given us. The Holy Spirit shows us those who we should give a gift too, and sometimes we may see a better way to help those in need than only giving a little bit of money.

Loving Our Enemies

one note that I found on this passage was very insightful, This type of living in v.43-48 is ridiculed in theory, but always revered in practice. What does that mean? You have heard what I mean in conversation when someone has done a good deed to someone who was mean or did not deserve it. The critic’s words are always “well you’re a better one than me!” How telling that people realize the radical act of love towards those who do not deserve it. Is this the type of love that Jesus said that we would be known by?

With the end of Chapter 5, we begin to see in plain view what Jesus was getting at when he said Mark 8:34-38 “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? What can anyone give in exchange for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

What does Jesus reveal to the disciples right before he said this? That he would suffer physical harm for us, that he would die for our sins, and that he would raise from the dead after 3 days.