Sunday, August 18th, 2019 - AM - The Disciple in Community, Part 1 (Matt. 5:21-48)

Expounding the Spirit of the Law in Light of Its Letter

Matthew 5:48 KJV 1900

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Introduction:

Ill - KS Civil Meeting Opening Prayer:

Omniscient Father:

Help us to know who is telling the truth. One side tells us one thing, and the other just the opposite.

And if neither side is telling the truth, we would like to know that, too.

And if each side is telling half the truth, give us the wisdom to put the right halves together.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Perhaps that was (and is) a necessary prayer, but nevertheless it was a desperate expression of cynicism!

This cynicism regarding truth extends to the literature of our day as well. University of Chicago professor Mortimer Adler, editor of The Encyclopedia Britannica and the Great Books of the Western World series, says in his classic How to Read a Book:

The question, Is it true? can be asked of anything we read. It is applicable to every kind of writing.… No higher commendation can be given any work of the human mind than to praise it for the measure of truth it has achieved; by the same token, to criticize it adversely for its failure in this respect is to treat it with the seriousness that a serious work deserves. Yet, strangely enough, in recent years, for the first time in Western history, there is a dwindling concern with this criterion of excellence. Books win the plaudits of the critics and gain widespread popular attention almost to the extent that they flout the truth—the more outrageously they do so, the better.[Kent Hughes PTW]

Main Thought:

Protected Heart = Projected Testimony = Presented Gospel

Sub-Intro:

Provide the context of representing Christ in LEGAL settings within the community

Body:

I. How the Disciple Deals with Passion (Matt. 5:21-32)

A. An Advocate for Christ in the People’s Court (Matt. 5:21-26)

Matthew 5:21–26 KJV 1900

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Ill - Agreeing with an Adversary

“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison” (KJV).

According to Roman law, if a person had a quarrel that he could not settle privately, he had the right to order his adversary to accompany him to the praetor. If he refused, the prosecutor took someone present to witness by saying, “May I take you to witness?” If the person consented, he offered the tip of his ear, which the prosecutor touched; a form that was observed toward witnesses in some other legal ceremonies among the Romans. Then the plaintiff might drag the defendant to court by force in any way, even by the neck (see Matthew 5:25), but worthless persons such as thieves and robbers might be dragged before the judge without the formality of calling a witness. If on the way to the judge the difficulty was settled, no further legal steps were taken.

Jesus refers to this custom in the text. When the accused is thus legally seized by the accuser, he is urged to make up his quarrel while on the way to the judge, so that no further legal process should be necessary. [New Manners & Customs]

Jesus is quite clear about this basic fact—we cannot be right with God until we are right with one another; we cannot hope for forgiveness until we have confessed our sin, not only to God, but also to others, and until we have done our best to remove the practical consequences of it. We sometimes wonder why there is a barrier between us and God; we sometimes wonder why our prayers seem unavailing. The reason may well be that we ourselves have erected that barrier, through being at variance with our neighbours, or because we have wronged someone and have done nothing to put things right. [New Daily Study Bible]

B. An Advocate for Christ in the Private Court (Matt. 5:27-30)

Matthew 5:27–30 KJV 1900

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

What we do have liberty to say is only this (for this is what Jesus said): if your eye causes you to sin, don’t look; if your foot causes you to sin, don’t go; and if your hand causes you to sin, don’t do it. The rule Jesus laid down was hypothetical, not universal. He did not require all his disciples (metaphorically speaking) to blind or maim themselves, but only those whose eyes, hands and feet were a cause of sinning. It is they who have to take action; others may be able to retain both eyes, both hands and both feet with impunity. Of course even they may need to refrain from certain liberties out of loving concern for those with weaker consciences or weaker wills, but that is another principle which is not enunciated here.

What is necessary for all those with strong sexual temptations, and indeed for all of us in principle, is discipline in guarding the approaches of sin. The posting of sentries is a commonplace of military tactics; moral sentry-duty is equally indispensable. Are we so foolish as to allow the enemy to overwhelm us, simply because we have posted no sentries to warn us of his approach? [Stott, MSM]

C. An Advocate for Christ in Divorce Court (Matt. 5:31-32)

Matthew 5:31–32 KJV 1900

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Divorce and Adultery (5:31–32)

5:31–32 Jesus’s third example of his definitive interpretation of the law develops the biblical teaching on divorce. Matthew 5:31 (cf. Mark 10:11–12; Luke 16:18) refers to Deut. 24:1–4 (cf. Matt. 19:7), which in its original context prohibits a man from remarrying a woman he has previously married and divorced if she has subsequently been married to another man who has died or divorced her. The detail of the Deuteronomy passage most relevant to then-current views of divorce was evidently the existence of a written legal document (Deut. 24:1, 3).22 Apparently, many teachers of Jesus’s day had taken this passage as carte blanche for divorce. According to the Mishnah (compiled from earlier oral tradition ca. 200 CE), Hillel (first cent. BCE) permitted divorce if a wife had spoiled a meal, and Akiba (second cent. CE) permitted it if a more beautiful woman was available (Deut. 24:1; m. Giṭ. 9.10).23

Jesus’s strict view of divorce is evidently similar to that of Rabbi Shammai (first cent. BCE), who is also cited by the above text from the Mishnah.24 According to Jesus, a man who divorces his wife for any reason other than sexual infidelity causes her and her potential future spouse to commit adultery. If there has been no sexual infidelity, there can be no real divorce. If there has been no real divorce, there can be no remarriage, and additional sexual unions are adulterous. There is much debate on the word πορνεία (porneia, sexual infidelity), but it seems most likely that Jesus has in mind any sort of sexual activity not involving one’s spouse (W. Davies and Allison 1988: 529–31).25 Jesus prohibits what the Bible was understood to permit in the area of divorce. As the definitive eschatological teacher of the law, his interpretation is based on the original divine intent for marriage, not the expediency of the moment. The Pharisees’ overly permissive interpretation capitalized on a concession to human sinfulness (cf. the commentary on Matt. 19:3–9).

Why do Matt. 5:32 and 19:9 alone among the synoptic divorce sayings (cf. Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18) provide an exception to the prohibition of divorce?26 Answering this vexing question is not properly part of the exegesis of Matthew. Those who hold to Markan priority tend to view the exception clause as Matthean redaction, not authentic historical Jesus tradition (e.g., Hagner 1993: 123; Stein in J. Green and McKnight 1992: 194–95). Others wish to take Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:18 as proverbial statements offering an ideal general principle, with Matthew providing a contextual qualification (Keener 1999: 190–91). Another line of interpretation seems preferable, if not convincing, one related to the respective communities for which the Synoptic Gospels were written. In this view, Matthew retains the authentic dominical exception clause for his Christian Jewish audience because of the connection with Deut. 24:1–3 whereas it is omitted by Mark and Luke, who are writing for mainly gentile audiences.1

1 David L. Turner, Matthew, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 171–172.

II. How the Disciple Deals with Promises (Matt. 5:33-48)

A. An Advocate for Christ in the Court of Honor (Matt. 5:33-37)

Matthew 5:33–37 KJV 1900

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

To swear by heaven is to invoke God’s very throne (Ps 2:4; 11:4; Isa 66:1), and that is God’s prerogative, not ours. To swear by earth also goes back to God, for he created it and it is his. It is God’s right to use earth as his own footstool, not our right to use earth to bolster our own petty claims. To swear (facing) “toward” (εἰς) Jerusalem is to pretend that you can tell God what to do; it is his (the “great king,” Ps 48:2) city, not yours to control. [ZECNT]

Here is a great eternal truth. Life cannot be divided into compartments in some of which God is involved and in others of which he is not involved; there cannot be one kind of language in the church and another kind of language in the shipyard or the factory or the office; there cannot be one kind of standard of conduct in the church and another kind of standard in the business world. The fact is that God does not need to be invited into certain departments of life and kept out of others. He is everywhere, all through life and every activity of life. He hears not only the words which are spoken in his name; he hears all words; and there cannot be any such thing as a form of words which evades bringing God into a transaction. We will regard all promises as sacred, if we remember that all promises are made in the presence of God. [NDSB]

B. An Advocate for Christ in the Court of Charity (Matt. 5:38-42)

Matthew 5:38–42 KJV 1900

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

THE SECOND MILE

In an unequal power situation, you have no choice about the first mile. The soldier has the sword, so you carry his gear. And it’s a mile and an hour you can never get back. You’re the loser.

What’s to be done?

The second mile is your choice. It’s your way of saying, “God is in control here. He gives me energy, and a mere mile does not exhaust me. That sword is nothing; God is everything. Do you want to know where the real power lies? Try to keep up with me and I’ll tell you.” [Life App. Study Bible]

C. An Advocate for Christ in the Court of War (Matt. 5:43-48)

Matthew 5:43–48 KJV 1900

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

So, people will be teleios if they fulfil the purpose for which they were created. For what purpose were human beings created? The Bible leaves us in no doubt as to that. In the old creation story ...we find [that] Human beings were created to be like God. The characteristic of God is this universal benevolence, this unconquerable goodwill, this constant seeking of the highest good of every individual. The great characteristic of God is love to saint and to sinner alike. No matter what we do to him, God seeks nothing but our highest good.

Edward Denny’s hymn has it of Jesus:

Thy foes might hate, despise, revile,

Thy friends unfaithful prove;

Unwearied in forgiveness still,

Thy heart could only love. [NDSB]

Testimony: It can be difficult to envision how Jesus’ teaching on love of enemies might be lived out in its often messy particulars. We see a powerful example of love of enemy in the work of Dr. C. Timothy Floyd. Floyd, an orthopedic surgeon, tells of his 2003 experience as a member of the U.S. Army’s 934th Forward Surgical Team (FST) in Iraq. He writes,

The FST is located within 10 kilometers of active battle area. We treated wounded at camps near Karbala, Baghdad, Balad, Baqubah, and Tikrit. We often arrived to take wounded at a base just after the Air Force and Army Rangers cleared it, but before other units arrived.

Most of the people we treated were not Coalition forces. We treated Iraqi Army, Republican Guard, Special Republican Guard, foreign terrorists, and unfortunate civilians caught in the crossfire. Military medical doctrine calls for the humane and ethical treatment of all persons wounded in battle—regardless of politics, deeds, or ideology.9 [TTC]

Conclusion:

SIX WAYS TO THINK LIKE CHRIST

We are, more often than not, guilty of avoiding the extreme sins while regularly committing the types of sins with which Jesus was most concerned. These six examples expose our real struggle with sin. Jesus explained how he required his followers to live. Are you living as Jesus taught?

Reference

Example

It’s not enough to:

We must also:

5:21–22

Murder

Avoid killing

Avoid anger and hatred

5:23–26

Offerings

Offer regular gifts

Have right relationships with God and others

5:27–30

Adultery

Avoid adultery

Keep our hearts from lusting and be faithful

5:31–32

Divorce

Be legally married

Live out our marriage commitments

5:33–37

Oaths

Make an oath

Avoid casual and irresponsible commitments to God

5:38–47

Revenge

Seek justice for ourselves

Show mercy and love to others1

1 Bruce B. Barton, Matthew, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), 105.

Ill-

Christ in You

It is important that we do come to this fuller experience of God’s love because it is from such loving conduct that the gospel of Christ is communicated to the unsaved world. Someone has said that God has really given men five gospels. There is the gospel according to Matthew, the gospel according to Mark, the gospel according to Luke, the gospel according to John, and the “gospel according to you.” How, then, do men come to know God? They come to know him through Jesus Christ. And how do they come to know Jesus Christ? They come to know him as they see him in the Scriptures and in your conduct. You are the closest some men and women will ever get to Jesus Christ. If they do not see Christ’s love in you, they will never see it.

Some time ago I read a story in one of the books of Dr. H. A. Ironside that illustrates this graphically. Once when Ironside was in Ganado, Arizona, at a Presbyterian Mission Hospital there, he met a poor Navajo woman who had been nursed back to health through the consecrated work of a Christian doctor and the Navajo nurses. She had been cast out by her own people when they thought she was going to die, and was found after three or four days of exposure. After nine weeks in the hospital she recovered enough to begin to wonder about the unexpected care she had received. She said to one of the nurses, “I can’t understand it. Why did the doctor do all that for me? He is a white man, and I am an Indian. I never heard of anything like this before.”

The Navajo nurse, a Christian, said to her, “You know, it is the love of Christ that made him do that.” She said, “Who is this Christ? Tell me more about him.” The nurse called a missionary to explain the gospel. The staff began to pray. Several weeks passed. Then a day came when she was asked, “Can’t you trust this Savior, turn from the idols you have worshiped, and trust him as the Son of the living God?” As the Navajo woman pondered her answer, the door opened and the doctor stepped in. The face of the old woman lit up. She said, “If Jesus is anything like the doctor, I can trust him forever.” She came to the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted him as her Savior.

Do you see what it was that reached her? It was love. But it was not man’s love. It was God’s love manifest in a man. God’s love! That is what you and I are to show forth to an ungodly and rebellious world, and we are to do it as sons of our Father so that many may come to faith in his unique Son. [Boice]