The Red Letters #6

The Red Letters: Diving in Deep to the Sermon on the Mount   •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  15:42
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Matthew 5:31–32 NRSV
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This subject is brought up again in Matthew’s gospel which helps us understand better as to what was happening regarding this subject in Jesus’s day and His take on it.
Matthew 19:1–12 NRSV
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he cured them there. Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
The Pharisees were testing Jesus as they often did. What we don’t realize at first reading is that there was this argument about divorce among the religious leaders, and it didn’t really matter what Jesus said, it would turn some people against him.
The controversy stemmed from the word “er-vah” or “uncleanness” as found in the law.
Deuteronomy 24:1–4 NRSV
Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; she then leaves his house and goes off to become another man’s wife. Then suppose the second man dislikes her, writes her a bill of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house (or the second man who married her dies); her first husband, who sent her away, is not permitted to take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that would be abhorrent to the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt on the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession.
There was one school of thought among the Jewish leaders that held that divorce was only allowed in cases of unfaithfulness. The other school of thought was that divorce was permitted for any reason, even for burning dinner.
Jesus would not allow Himself to get pulled in to the debate. Instead, He went back to the original design for marriage.
Genesis 2:24 NRSV
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Clearly God intended marriage to be permanent - until death us do part. Jesus directed us back to Gods’ perfect plan for marriage prior to sin entering into the picture.
Divorce is never part of God’s plan for a marriage. Unfortunately, because of sin in our world, relationships are not perfect, and sometimes marriages end in divorce. It is never God’s plan, but we know that God is merciful - and He can work in a life even when there is failure.
Therefore, not only should divorce not be sought after, seeing that God hates it, but the Christian should do everything possible to keep the marriage together.
The question, however, is did God who dislikes divorce permit divorce? And if so, is remarriage an acceptable option for those who’ve been divorced. Jesus says it is permissible in cases of sexual immorality. What does that mean? The Greek word is “porneia,” and it’s where we get our English word, “pornography.” It means prostitution, fornication, and any unlawful sexual intercourse including adultery.
In the Old Testament, these were punishable by death. Clearly, if the person responsible for sexual immorality is put to death, the idea of divorce and remarriage is moot. Once the guilty person was dead, the innocent partner was free to marry.
Our culture doesn’t really condemn sexual immorality the way that scripture does. But God’s Word holds the marriage commitment in highest esteem.
• God holds the vows of marriage to be sacred. But Jesus has told us that the innocent party is free from the marriage bond due to the guilty party breaking the vow.
Yet, even in these situations, it is never God’s plan for a marriage.
There is a brokenness, and brokenness has consequences. You can see it in the children of divorce, and in the brokenness of the one who experiences divorce. It is never God’s best, but due to the brokenness of our world, it unfortunately happens. The brokenness affects children and every other person in their lives. Many children of divorce develop self-esteem problems and anger-issues, depression, and aggression.
The innocent party has been granted the right to divorce, but being granted the right doesn’t mean it has to be exercised.
Clearly God’s best is for the marriage to stay intact. God’s best is forgiveness and reconciliation, not divorce.
Matthew 5:33–37 NRSV
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Actually what Jesus quotes them saying is not a direct quote of one Old Testament verse, but the truths are found in many scriptures.
Exodus 20:7 NRSV
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Leviticus 19:12 NRSV
And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.
Numbers 30:2 NRSV
When a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
Deuteronomy 23:21 NRSV
If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not postpone fulfilling it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you would incur guilt.
All of these scriptures underscore the importance of fulfilling a vow with truth if the vow is made to the Lord. So, the Jewish leaders created an elaborate set of rules and regulations by which oaths were to be given. They developed elaborate formulas limiting their exposure and the consequences attached. We can see these elaborate formulas in
Matthew 23:16–22 NRSV
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
They were trying to find ways where they could swear oaths and limit their liability. What we see is that it depended solely upon how closely it related to God’s name. What Jesus did, however, was to point out that no matter what they swore upon, it still referenced God, and it didn’t mean they could get out of what they had sworn.
Heaven is God’s throne, earth is God’s footstool, and Jerusalem is His holy city. Even the hairs on our head are out of our control. What Jesus is saying is that no matter what formula is used, all vows and oaths are completely binding.
For the Pharisees and the religious leaders, making a vow was their way of avoiding the consequences if they had failed to fulfill their promise. It was a way that they could lie without suffering the consequences.
What Jesus did, as He has been doing, is taking them back to the original intent of the law saying, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
The original intent of the law was that a person was to be honest and trusted for their word, but they had figured out a way to obey the letter of the law without actually telling the truth. Our word should be trusted whether there is an oath made or not.
What Jesus was saying by simplifying the language to yes and no is that our word should be enough.
And so Jesus is emphasizing honesty and truthfulness in the words we use, because honest people don’t have to resort to making oaths.
Jesus goes on:
Matthew 5:38–42 NRSV
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Jesus is responding to the law of exact retribution, which in this case is the dispensing of punishment. If someone suffered an injury or loss they had a legal right to repayment in kind.
The law states,
Exodus 21:23–25 NRSV
If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
This sounds excessive to us, but the law was written in order to set a boundary, so that the punishment would be limited and not excessive. But Jesus pointed to a more perfect way, a way of responding to wrongs that’s more in keeping with righteousness and mercy than judgment, and is based on love.
This same principle was also lived out in Jesus’ life and death. Jesus was both falsely arrested and falsely accused. He was spit upon, brutally beaten, publically humiliated, and jeered. Yet He never retaliated but forgave. He mirrored for us self-control and love that He expects from those who are His disciples.
Jesus then gives us four different scenarios to drive home the point.
Scenario One
Matthew 5:39 NRSV
But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
This goes beyond physical violence. The slap was administered by the back of the person’s right hand hitting the right cheek of the other person. It was considered a terrible insult.
In an odd sort of way, it’s easier to get slapped than it is to take an insult. Our honor has been impugned, and we must therefore retaliate to save honor, or to save face.
Jesus is saying that we are to give way to the insult and not retaliate in kind.
Scenario Two
Matthew 5:40 NRSV
and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
The coat or tunic was ones inner garment, while the cloak was the outer garment. By law the cloak was the one thing no one could take away even if it had been pledged. By law it was to be returned at night.
What Jesus is saying is rather than seeking satisfaction for a wrongful decision; instead we are to give them more than what they asked for.
This leads into the next scenario
Scenario Three
Matthew 5:41 NRSV
and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Palestine was occupied by the Roman Empire, and under their rule a citizen could be forced to carry a soldiers burden for one mile, but no further. Jesus wanted His disciples not to be spiteful but rather helpful and willing to go that extra mile to show their love for Him.
Scenario Four
Matthew 5:42 NRSV
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
There’s not any harm done in this scene, but what is evil is that they were looking to take something, and what Jesus says is that we need to be willing to give and not withhold from those in need.
These scenarios were given by Jesus to make the point that our responses to other’s needs should be based upon and limited to both our love and what the Bible tells us. Jesus is telling us we need to return good for evil, and not visa versa, and a disciple doesn’t demand their own rights through acts of selfishness.
Let’s now look at our last topic, and that’s love
Matthew 5:43–48 NRSV
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The law states
Leviticus 19:18 NRSV
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
What we see is that their statement omits the words, “as yourself,” in loving our neighbor. They left out the standard by which they were to love. Next we see their adding the statement of hating one’s enemies. They did this by saying that since one’s neighbor is a Jew, then everyone else must be their enemy.
But God’s word talks about doing good by our enemies.
Jesus then uses our heavenly Father as an example of the kind of love we’re to have, and that is a boundless love, where blessings are sent in the form of sunshine and rain upon both the good and the evil, the just and the unjust.
It’s the same love God demonstrates towards us. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us.
Romans 5:8 NRSV
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Jesus is calling us to the same radical love, one that even prays for those who harm us like He did when He was on the cross saying, “Father, forgive them, for they on not know what they do.” (Luke 23:24 NKJV)
Jesus is calling us into a radical love, a love that exceeds human boundaries.
Jesus ends by saying that we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, which we in no way can fulfill. But in the context of this passage, the perfection required is that of love. That we are to love others the same way God loves us, even to those who harm us or don’t love us in return.
As followers of Christ we must strive to love others, even our enemies, as God loves them. How much is that? He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for them as for us who were once His enemies as well.
Conclusion
In what we’ve read, Jesus is calling us to a greater righteousness and love than what is portrayed by the world. This righteousness can’t be attained through good works, or through the keeping the law. Rather it’s a deeper righteousness, the righteousness of Christ living inside all those who believe, and it’s a righteousness that’s being worked out in us and through us to this lost and dying world.
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