Sermon Tone Analysis

Letter vs. spirit

The written law was given as instructions for godly living and along the way man twisted it, made exceptions to it and forgot the spirit of it.

The spirit of it was for godly living, for protection of God people in having a godly relationship with Him.

It was to lead to the time when the Messiah came to fulfill the Law.

Jesus is dealing with the scribes and Pharisee’s and their interpretation of the Law and the true spirit of the law in the sections we are looking at today.

Jesus uses under the law about divorce and oaths and expounds on the spirit of law in purest form.

Jesus is continuing with the six anti-thesis to the statement previously made (Mt5:20)

We need to keep in two sections, today we will focus on oaths, but we cannot do a passover on the divorce section though this not a through section, teaching on divorce, Jesus covers that more in other places.

Remember the context, He is speaking, teaching about righteousness of the kingdom dweller.

The treachery of divorce

The treachery of divorce is laid out in Mal2:13-16.

We know God’s intentions in Gen2:24-25 and due to the hardness of heart Moses allowed divorce (Mt19:8).

Our section today, another of Jesus “but I say” sections really focuses on the certificate of divorce vs. divorce itself.

But to understand the treachery of divorce we need to look the passages mentioned.

now that we have looked at that for a brief moment let’s look at the first part of our scripture today.

In this passage there is partial quotes that come from the law, Deu24:1-4 and Jer3:1

The instructions in Deu24:1 were given for protection for the woman.

What is meant by that is the certificate of divorce protected the woman from the husband treating her capriciously, threatening to kick her out if burn the toast one day and demand she return the next.

When the certificate was issued there was no going back.

In this passage Jesus is allowing divorce with narrows the permissible parameters.

- unchastity, in other passages it says sexual immorality

The treachery of divorce is found in (v.32) - makes her commit adultery.

You may be asking how, why is this making her commit adultery.

It is because she would want to be married and if she married again she would become an adulterous and the man she is married to an adulterer.

She she would be defiled, that is why the first husband could not take her back as it says in Deu24:1-4.

The scribes and the Pharisees focused on the certificate of divorce as allowed by Moses; Jesus focus is on the sanctity of marriage, as God established it, in the first place

The purpose of these two verses it not to be extensive regarding divorce, these verse are a part of the anti-thesis regarding righteousness.

And the law where as it is good, the spirit of the was more in tuned with God’s righteousness and it surpassed that of the scribes and the Pharisee’s.

Now that brings us to our 2nd section for today.

How about those oaths?

The next example that Jesus offers up in His anti-thesis (remember Mt5:20) has to do with what the Law says about oaths, the scribes and pharisee’s interpretation and Jesus expounding on it with the true interpretation.

Are you a person of your word?

Are your yes’s yes’s and your no’s no’s?

Do people take you at your word?

Or, there is on the other hand people who they are not believed unless they confirm it by an oath.

In our passage now, we want to look at it and ask the following questions.

What did the Law of Moses really teach about oaths

How did the scribes and Pharisee’s interpret and apply the Law (in general?

What did Jesus teach concerning oaths?

The Law of Moses and the swearing of oaths

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The Law as displayed by the scripture (Lev19:12; Num30:2; Deu23:21)

The Law did demand truthfulness and faithfulness as stressed by the Psalms and the Prophets (Ps15:1-2; Ps24:3-4; Jer5:1-2; Hos4:1-2)

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The Law as displayed by the scripture (Lev19:12; Num30:2; Deu23:21)

Add to that

and then add

You can see if you are going to swear, make a vow to the Lord you better keep it or it will be sin to you if not.

The Law as displayed by the scripture (Lev19:12; Num30:2; Deu23:21)

The Law did demand truthfulness and faithfulness as stressed by the Psalms and the Prophets (Ps15:1-2; Ps24:3-4; Jer5:1-2; Hos4:1-2)

A person making, swearing an oath better mean it

He must be faithful to keep it and carry out his word.

Keeping your word, being a person of integrity, and speak from your heart

One who s not sworn deceitfully.

The prophets spoke often of words that were given that were not from the heart, not truth from the heart.

or look at what the prophet Hosea had to say as given by the Lord.

So, I’m sure you get it, vows that were made were to be kept!

Truthfulness was the standard and what was expected.

What had transpired is the scribes and the Pharisee’s had taken the Law of Moses and expanded them to matters of technicalities.

Such as oaths by heaven were more weighty than oaths on earth.

Oaths made on heaven were to be kept at any coast and on earth could be ignored.

I should bring in another passage to help solidify this even more (Mt23:16-17)

See the oath swearing here?

Swearing by the gold of the temple not the God of the temple.

By the offering instead of the altar that sanctifies the offering.

What did Jesus teach about oaths?

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Jesus exposes hypocrisy in degrees of oaths (Mt23:20-22; Mt5:34-36)

Jesus agrees with the importance of truthfulness (Mt5:37)

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Jesus exposes hypocrisy in degrees of oaths (Mt23:20-22; Mt5:34-36)

So that goes hand in hand with our passage tonight, doesn’t it?

Jesus points out that if you are swearing by the temple or the throne of God you are swearing by the Lord also, so keep your vow, your oath to the Lord that you already said you would.

Jesus also teaches that you cannot swear by anything without involving God for Heaven is the throne of God, earth is His footstool and only God can change the color of your hair (well, without you purchasing hair dye and doing it artificially)

Citizens of the Kingdom are to be truthful, we are to do as we say!

We are to be oath keepers.

When we are then our righteousness will exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees (Mt5:20).

May our yes’s be truthful and our no’s be that.

May our words be exactly what we mean whereas people can trust our words without an oath.