Christ: The New Way versus the Old

The New Way vs. the Old

Matthew 5:21-48

Introduction

/This section of Matthew's gospel, 5:21-48 Jesus gives six examples of what was understood as acceptable practice in the light of Old Testament Scripture contrasted with a new standard based on the teaching of the Lord Jesus. Actually, this section is part of a larger sermon so there are some points that should be kept in mind when looking at this text. Going back a couple versus Jesus stresses the importance of these commandments and he also points out the fact that one's obedience must go beyond the legal adherence to the letter of the law (v. 19).  Jesus tells His listeners in order to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven, a person's righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20). 

For the Christian, the reality of this standard that Jesus speaks of is that man, of his own ability, is not able to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees.  Any attempt to fulfill the law based on man's own strength would only lead to matching the same standard. The only true way meet the standard that Jesus speaks of is to place one’s faith in Christ as only He in His perfect humanity qualified as the righteousness of God and as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The standard of Christ is a heavenly one.  Once, on another occasion of misunderstanding, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world” (John 8:23).  The standard of Christ is not of this world.

The first “You-have-heard” statement begins with v.21, “You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER.'” All of these statements deal with our relationships more than anything else.  Perhaps, Jesus begins with the commandment to not murder, to show us the consequences of a worst-case scenario of a relationship that has gone wrong.  On the other hand, we often hear an unbelieving person justify himself by saying, “I never murdered anyone…” We all know that murder is the epitome of wrong.  It is the universally recognized sin deserving of God’s judgment.  However, the teaching of Jesus is intended to take us beyond the point of avoiding being as bad as one can be. 

Murder is the consequence of built-up anger and bitterness.  When a person leaves an offense unresolved, he is actually taking the first step towards murder.  This is why Jesus’ words encourage us to seek immediate, practical resolution of our differences as opposed to hiding behind self-satisfying religious offerings.  There is no sense in pretending to please God at the altar when He sees us and the real need.  What pleases Him is that we have peace with those around us. Verse 23 is a picture of God’s grace as it works in the heart of the believer.  How often, in the midst of our service or worship does the Holy Spirit touch us? Like the words of Jesus: “and there at the altar you remember that your brother has something against you,” we are prompted to respond so that we can in truth “lift up holy hands” to God (1 Tim. 2:8).

Verses 5:21-26. 

21"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to 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, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; 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.

26"Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

This section is actually the largest contrast with a sober reference to the consequence of not dealing with our anger and offenses in this life time.  One could argue that there is a parallel between the condemnation worthy of the "fiery hell" mentioned in verse 23 and being thrown into prison by the judge and being unable to pay or to be freed mentioned in verses 25-26.  In addition to being reconciled to your brother, we should endeavor to “make friends quickly with your opponent at law.”  While there is time, we need to take care of our offenses because one never knows when our time is up and the deeds of our life will remain to accuse us before the Judge.  In reality, the only way to resolve this dilemma is to place one’s faith in Christ while there is time.  This is how we can resolve these things on earth, so we can be assured that they will be resolved in heaven.

Verses 5:27-30. 

27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';

 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 29"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"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.

The “You-have-heard” statement in verse 27 speaks of the commandment to not commit adultery.  It is contrasted with Jesus’ word to not look at a woman with lust.  There is a similar principle with the first contrast, which is the fact that a “small” sin in one’s heart can lead to something much more serious.  One look can be the start of a habit of looking, which can lead to the leaving of one’s spouse—if even for a brief affair.  The mental incident of unfaithfulness precedes the so-called “moment of weakness.” Society tries to say that it is just temporary weakness, which suddenly, without much warning causes the failure of a marriage.

Jesus uses very strong illustrations to emphasize the consequences and specific areas of weakness that must be addressed.  The first area begins with the eyes.  Men are very easily tempted by what passes before their eyes. It is a fact, and it is also a fact that every man knows what it means when one says, “Don’t look!”  The strong language and hyperbole to “tear out” one’s right eye is to emphasize the need that strong action steps must be taken to avoid falling into this temptation. It is also statement made to emphasize that the consequences, that the "whole body to be thrown into hell" would be far worse than losing one's sight in order to avoid this type of sin.

Verses 5:31-32. 

31"It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE';

 32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

This is the briefest section, and perhaps at the heart of this part of Jesus' discourse.  The rabbis took what was spoken of by Moses in the Deuteronomy 24:1-4 and applied a very liberal spin to the matter of marriage and divorce.  The passage does not command or condone divorce, but it does recognize that it happens under certain limited circumstances, namely adultery.  The overall teaching of Jesus is actually a rebuke against the dishonest and hypocritical keeping of the law outwardly, but missing God's intention. The Jewish leaders perverted the standard of God's justice by allowing a man to divorce his wife for any reason as long as he gave a certificate of divorce.  Jesus had already gone to the heart of the matter by pointing out that divorce begins first with committing adultery in one's heart (v.28).  The seed of adultery is planted by the unrestrained looking at a woman when one ought not. By allowing a man to divorce his wife simply because "she finds no favor in his eyes" (Deut. 24:1), this would result in the multiplication of adultery in addition to the multiple harmful effects upon society. 

Verses 5:33-37. 

33"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.'

 34"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.

 36"Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

 37"But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

This section makes a contrast between the hypocritical use of vows linking the Lord's name with the shallow promises often associated with religious ceremonies. Again, to be practical, a connection can be made to the subject of marriage.  Is not the marriage covenant between a man and a woman also a promise to the Lord?  Too often in our world the same conditional—even superficial—vows exchanged between a bridegroom and his bride are casually broken, though our heavenly Father was “their” witness.  Such vows are "false vows" (v. 33).  Jesus is therefore pointing out both the hypocrisy and the lack of logic of such a vow.  If a promise is made with open-endedness and with so many conditions that allow for its being broken, it is not a promise at all. In reality, it is nothing more than an affirmation with MAD principles (Mutually Acceptable Dissolution principles).  Thus, Jesus is not advising the complete abandonment of making vows; rather He is saying that we must not carelessly tag on to one's commitment the imprimatur of God.  If there is no humble awareness of the solemn implications involved, don't bring God or His name into that covenant.

Actually, to make a distinction by making one kind of promise "holy" while another is not is rather silly.  The phrase, "make no oath that all," is made in contrast, yet in conjunction with the phrase, "let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’ (v.37 NIV). All our words are accountable to God and they should not be profane, corrupt, or insincere (Eph. 4:29).  This standard reinforces the original command in Deuteronomy 23:21 and 23, which refers to the occasional voluntary vow.  The standard of Christ reaches higher to include all our words. The Christian will remember the words of Hebrews 4:13 that says, "no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Verses 5:38-39. 

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.

"An eye for an eye -- a tooth for a tooth."  The term actually speaks of the principal of law, which is that a punishment should match the crime. The street value of this popular saying is quite different and the expression is often quoted in films where the hero is nothing more than a vigilante who makes his own law.  How many times have we seen the Hollywood story line where a convict is made more noble because he seeks revenge against an unfair justice system?  The common theme is that an "eye for an eye" is not proper justice anymore – now, the hero must teach someone a lesson by going beyond what might be considered fair!

Jesus' word are definitely in contrast to this mentality.  When Jesus says, "but I say to you…" He is saying don't try to get even, and certainly don't try to teach a lesson based on man's faulty concepts of justice.  Jesus gives several very short examples that go against the grain of human thinking. 

How do fights often start?  With words, insults, and with a slap.  But notice this isn't a punch.  Jesus isn't saying don't defend yourself if you are being physically assaulted, nor is He saying "run!"  He is referring to bearing the humiliation associated with a derisive slap with the back a someone's hand.  Observe that Jesus said "whoever slaps you on the right cheek" (v. 39). Normally, a punch delivered by most right-handed persons would strike the left cheek of their opponent. A slap delivered with the back of the hand, being swung from the left shoulder to the right side, would strike the right cheek of the person facing them.  While the intention may not be to cause serious physical harm, normally such a blow would be interpreted as a humiliating insult, a strike against the heart of that person’s dignity.  In recent times this was often done with a glove when challenging a person to a duel.  The common reaction would be to strike back.  If a fight was being called for, only a coward would run, and the average man would be expected to accept the challenge. 

What does Jesus ask us to do?  To turn the other cheek!  This would be considered "impossible with man" (Matt. 19:26). It is very difficult for us to comprehend the scope of Jesus' request. Anyone who has ever been struck in that fashion knows how they felt.  To them, the relationship was over.  Any love or friendship that existed would seem as though it never existed before and no doubt, such has been final blow to many a stormy marriage.  Fortunately, with God all things are possible and terrible hurts can be healed.  The Christian knows that the way to overcome such rejection is to recognize that Jesus too was rejected of men -- He was even "smitten by God and afflicted." Remember how Jesus was mocked and spit on and whipped.  Our Lord bore the incomprehensible penalty for our sins as well as the physical pain – though He was completely without sin (see Isaiah 53:3-7). As new creatures in Christ, the Christian does not run nor does he seek revenge but he accepts opportunities to exhibit the character of Christ.  When someone throws an insult, we might find the seed of truth embedded in the comment and acknowledge it with wise humility.  If we are wrong, we should convey the willingness to receive the rebuke.  Even if we are not wrong and the insult is unjust -- though it would be so difficult -- we should be like Jesus, who "opened not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

Verses 5:40-42

 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.

Verses 40-42 develop these principles of little further.  The phrase, "If anyone wants to sue you” speaks of a principal that can be applied to the needless lawsuits that are so common in our society today.  Jesus is clearly saying that the "eye for an eye" system doesn't work.  One needs to go beyond a "legal" standard and reach for a God-standard.  If someone wants to sue, then there is obviously a grievance.  The one being sued for the shirt is being accused of some misconduct worthy of the shirt. However the Christian should be willing to take an honest look and even to be willing to sacrifice his pride and to go beyond the minimum legal requirements of restitution.  He should try to restore the friendship, or he should try to make his "opponent at law" (v.25) his friend.

Verses 5:43-48.

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,

 45so 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?

 48"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The previous section actually leads up to this last contrast seen with the phrases, "you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy" (v.43) and Jesus' words to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (v.44).  It is obvious that it is easy for us to love all those in our immediate circle of friends and family.  But it is not obvious why we should love our enemies.  We don't know how to, and we avoid it.  Nevertheless, this is the charge given to us in this passage.  We can apply the principles of this section by having a missionary heart for the lost.  Romans 5:8-10 tells us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us and that we were enemies of God, but through Christ's death we were reconciled and restored to God.  For example, consider those who have made themselves enemies of our country, the Islamic terrorists.  As Christians, we should pray for them and pray specifically for the gospel to reach those countries and that God would touch the hearts of believers who would be willing to sacrifice their lives if need be so as to share with them the glorious gospel of grace.

On the home front, we should consider the "enemies" we have made in our families.  Sometimes our strongest anger is aimed toward those we have loved in the past.  Our most bitter enemies are those who used to be our dearest family members or friends.  Estranged family members should be the first that we should reach out to.  Some couples live quietly and secretly, mentally divorced.  If one or both are Christians, they should do all that is in their power – and more – by God's grace to love that other person and pray for them with the same unselfish love displayed by Jesus, who died for us… while we were yet sinners.

In summary, this entire passage could easily touch on the following areas of the marriage relationship. The first section deals with the proper handling of one's anger and avoiding using hurtful words.  The principal found in verse 25, to "make friends quickly" can be similarly applied in marriage life on with the exhortation of Paul to "not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26).  The next section deals with taking care to avoid temptation through the lust of the eyes.  The third section deals with a sober reminder of the principle that marriage is meant to be permanent and that frivolous divorce is not acceptable in God's eyes.  The fourth section reminds us that our marriage vows are made before a holy God and they should not be taken lightly.  The fifth section reminds us that the marriage covenant is not some calculated 50-50 arrangement, and that there certainly is no place for an attitude of "getting even" when one's spouse makes a mistake.  Finally, while the last section doesn't have a stated application to marriage, a couple that chooses to live by the example of Jesus, with an attitude of loving their fellow man – even one’s enemies – with the same selfless love as Christ, will no doubt enjoy a marriage that is spared needless struggling or failure. Such couples will be a light to those around them and in this way will be perfect as their Heavenly Father is perfect.

| DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY27" You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';   | !!! DO NOT LUST FOR A WOMAN

28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. |    29 "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 "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.   |

|  38 "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'   | DO NOT SEEK REVENGE,!! SEEK RESTORATION

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 [g]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.   |

|  43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'   | !!   MODEL YOUR HEART

AFTER GOD'S

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?     |

|   | !! WE CAN'T BE PERFECT WITHOUT GOD,

BUT HE MUST BE OUR FATHER

48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. |   |