Matthew 5

Intro

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Question: Who is the greatest figure in the OT and why?

-> first notice “you have heard it said”

> exactly from whom did Israel hear it said “you shall not murder?”

>Parallels— giving of the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai and the Sermon on the Mount

> Moses is great—(I would argue) the greatest figure in the OT

Moses’s greatness:

a special relationship with God

Exodus 33:11 ESV

Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

2. God defends Moses to the people

Numbers 12:6–8 ESV

And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

3. Moses saw the afterglow of God’s glory.

4. Moses is given the law

5. Moses is the proto-messiah to lead God’s captive people to freedom

6. Moses is the proto-intercessor standing in the gap for the people of God

7. Moses is the proto-righteous judge of the people (in fact the rulers in Israel from Moses forward are said to “sit on Moses’s seat)

>Moses is GREAT—but not great enough (he doesn’t get to go into the land of promise)

>but there is a promise of a coming prophet, greater than Moses

Deuteronomy 18:18 ESV

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.

—> the book of Deuteronomy ends, anticipating this prophet

Question: Who is the next greatest prophet in the OT?

> Elijah is disconsolate when he realizes he is not the prophet greater than Moses

1 Kings 19:4 ESV

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

—> Don’t miss the significance of what is happening here:

—The Jews are still looking for this prophet who fulfills Deuteronomy 18:18

—Muslims believe this refers to Muhammad

> but Christ is claiming the authority to speak about the law not as another messenger, but as one with authority over the message

Matthew 7:28–29 ESV

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Anger

Anger is a response to what our heart treasures

when what I love, desire, or worship is threatened, anger quickly follows

We do what we do because we want what we want

Anger is an issue of the heart

—> What are ways that we struggle with anger?

—> How do we change?

evaluate selfish motives and the root of idolatry

put off the old man, put on Christ

become peace makers, meek, slow to anger

—Question: what do we do with a verse like this:

Ephesians 4:26 ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,