The Good Life, pt. 4

Intro.

*STORY OF CRAIG MEMORIZING SERMON ON THE MOUNT*

Two men go into a church sanctuary, a common and quiet area to reflect and pray. One man looks up and thanks God that he is so good at doing everything God asks and that he is not like the no-good beggars and homeless. A second man, ragged and dirty with hair in all directions, kneels in prayer and begs the Lord for forgiveness and a transformed heart and thanks God for His everlasting mercy.

Which of these two men understand the nature of God’s commands more?

The second man!

Why?

Because the second man has his heart in it, not just his actions.

In the days of Jesus, the Pharisees were the teachers of the Law, and they were supposed to serve as examples of purity according to the Law before God. When the Law said, “Do not murder,” or, “Do not commit adultery,” it is fair to suppose these men had not ended a human life unjustly or slept with anyone besides their wives. However, Jesus comes along and He preaches a moral standard above this!

Murder: An Act by Desire

Matthew 5:21–25 LSB

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

“Whoever is angry...”

The word for anger here is a kind of deeply settled and intensely burning anger. Not an explosive anger, but slow burning fire which may last a long time.

It is not always used in a negative sense

It is here negative because it is against another human being as the result of some form of pride and vanity leading to the division of relationships.

Angry Insults

In this famously quoted passage, Jesus says that this anger, which some later manuscripts will have added “angry without cause,” is tantamount to murdering someone — this is a serious charge, and if we regard these words of Jesus as true, we ought to seek to discover what it is that is so egregiously wrong with this anger, which one commentator writes is essentially equivalent to hatred.

Raca and “Fool”

Raca: “Blockhead,” or a stupid person; “empty” or “empty-headed”

Fool: “Moron,” or “foolish person”; this latter in Scripture is correctly focused toward the person who will not concede to the counsel of God toward righteousness.

One author has attempted to clarify the nuance of these words by says “raca” insults the mind and intellect while “fool” may insult the character or heart of a man.

What, then, is the problem?

I do not believe Jesus is saying the emotion is itself what is wrong; rather it is the heart of the person that is angry.

This person which Jesus says will be guilty before judgement is not simply angry, but deeply so and even to the point of verbal abuse of another human being. And not just any human being, but Jesus says “his brother” How often in the Church have we seen, or even have some of us perhaps participated in, verbally tearing down a brother in Christ and causing a rift between us due to unresolved anger. Jesus says this is a damnable offense if not rectified.

This offense is so serious, in fact, that if your brother has an offense against you because you have so abused him in your wrath, God will not accept your worship until you’ve done your part to make amends.

Adultery: Lustful Lingering

Matthew 5:27–30 LSB

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 “But if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 “And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Now, Christ turns to another of the original ten commandments: “Do not commit adultery” (Ex. 20.14).

In the Greek, this particular act is sexual intercourse with a person other than your spouse. This is the violation of the covenant made between you and your spouse before God.

Looking Too Long

Just as murder may as well be committed without the taking of life, adultery may as well have been committed without physical contact. The point of the command is not merely the physical action; it is the heart which goes into it. A person can certainly have an adulterous heart before they have physically committed to it.

Physical Affair v. Emotional Affair

To lust is to desire something deeply. On a positive note, this word is translated elsewhere as “desire” in the context of what the righteous may desire (ex., if one desires to be an elder).

Why is this lust so egregious?

Infidelity to covenant is a big deal to God, Who is always faithful to His covenants and expects us to be the same.

You are desiring and lingering on that which you have by covenant sworn off — all other persons to the exclusivity of your spouse.

Now, realize also that it is not the looking which is the sin either. In our current Christian culture, we have begun to treat the seeing of nakedness in and off itself as a sin; while this is a totally fair, reasonable, and wise boundary to have, Jesus does not say the seeing in and of itself is the sin. It is the intent to lust. The heart of the matter, not the action; just as the Pharisees were doing the right things by offering the sacrifices, fasting, praying, and studying Scripture yet they were wicked in heart because they did so for their own glory rather than God’s. We see, then, how the heart truly is that which defiles a man, as according to Jesus.

So serious is this sin of lust, that Jesus says to remove that member of your body causing you to sin! Now, He is not literally commanding that we do so, but He is certainly emphasizing the gravity of the issue — lusting will cast you to hell just as much as hatred.

Ethical Takeaway

To be thus angry with your brother as to be abusive is, rather obviously, contrary to love, which is the building up of another and investing in their betterment! If, as we have said, to live a truly ethical life is to reflect the character of nature of God, how could we ever think to do so while abusing, insulting, mocking, and belittling people made in God’s image? Especially those of God’s children?

Likewise, lust is secretive, fleshly, traitorous, and deceitful. None of which are characteristics of God! We know that, according to Romans, the flesh is at war against the Spirit and those who walk by it will reap destruction! We know according to Titus that it is impossible for God to lie! We know that God has entered into covenant through the blood of the Son, and He will not leave or forsake us according to Jesus in John! Therefore, no such behavior has a place in the life of a Christian seeking to serve God.

Conclusion

Obviously this is not an exhaustive study on the Sermon on the Mount and what God has to teach us about right living through it. However, I believe that this whole section, which includes things we did not have time to cover, really get at the heart of the Sermon.

Where is your heart? Is your heart right, or is it full of hatred for a brother and/or lusting after those to whom you are not married. These are not things which are not common to mankind, and with every temptation God provides a way for us to escape it! Therefore we must cling to Christ our King and our God; flee from every form of evil!

Family, if you are stuck in these kinds of sins which we have discussed today, let us as the Church pray for you and help you however we can. If you have the responsibility to reconcile with a brother you know you have offended, it is passed time that it be done so that we all may “walk in the unity of Spirit in the bond of peace”.

Let us all pursue to have righteous, Christ-centered hearts.