The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 5

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The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 5

The Bible Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.5.NIV

Sermons on the Mount 1

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

(Chs. 5-7, Compilation of the Jesus' Teachings)

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

(This is about Character of Believers. You may refer to for the section (2/3 down) https://cafe.daum.net/k331/PeqF/31 of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Beatitudes is the Version of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit presented by Jesus. You may read through, meditate the meanings, figure out how we may make the teachings our own in obedient life.)

He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Endurance, Patience)

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(Persecution/Suffering for our faith is inevitable by nature. But as we trust our Lord who had got through will help us to win the battles.)

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (The passage is self explanatory.

(In God, we live together, believe together, serve together, to be blessed, to be blessings, for His glory.)

The Fulfillment of the Law

(The Law or Prophets in Old Testament is the Action Code, governing our actions in reality. We must know what God want us to know; the Spirit/philosophy of the laws. The most important Spirit of the Law is LOVE.)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (So the ministry of Jesus is all about LOVE in its completion.)

18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Jesus accomplished this mission with His death on the cross out of His/God's Love for the world- Jn. 3:16.)

19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (We must not ignorant, therefore, of those laws and its spirit.)

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (When we know the spirit of the laws, LOVE, we may be able to do our share of loving each other, surpassing those hypercritical legalists- who keeps literal laws but not knowing the true meaning.)

Murder

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ (Sixth Commandment)

22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ (contempt/mocking) is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Under the sixth commandment, Do not kill, we not only avoiding killing others, but also respect and cherish the lives of all.)

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. (God prefers our love for each other than the sacrifice on the altar. 1Sam. 15:22, To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.)

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (It is wiser and better to make peace each other rather than creating conflict and quarrel.)

Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (Seventh Commandment)

28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (This is a serious challenge. But we have to know that desire gives birth to sin, and sin to death (Jam. 1:15). So we must guard our heart (Prob. 4:23) with Lord-Given prayer for His help (Mt. 6:13).)

29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.30And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (We are living in temporary life on earth in eternity of the Kingdom of God. We must know the Kingdom Value which will be lasting forever but not the temporary value such as our lust, desire, and pride. 1Jn. 2:15-16, Rom. 12:1-2)

Divorce

31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ (Ex. 20:14, This law is to protect a woman from a cruel, lawless husband but misused by those bad husbands getting rid of those innocence but vulnerable women.)

32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (The life partner, husband and wife, is the most significant other, by the design of God (Gen. 2:21-25). So, we must respect and cherish each other. This is the most basic relationship for entire social relationship within the fidelity. Celibacy might be an another talk.)

Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ (Num. 30:2, Lev. 19:12, We must be faithful for an oath (or guarantee) that we made with others on contractual relationship.)

34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.

36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.

37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (But we must realize that we are incapable of keeping our oaths. We, therefore, trying not to make an oath but should be honest with humbleness saying Yes or No. We don't know what might be happening tomorrow. Jam. 4:14-16)

Eye for Eye

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ (Ex. 21:23-25, Sounds fare? Yes, this law is fairness. it is legalizing revenge (pay back) but the intention, its spirit is "not too much", prohibiting over-defence.)

39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. (These are very challenging for us to do obey because it will cause many and much damages on ourselves. But it teaches heavenly wisdom beyond of our understanding which we may not know the taste of it until we actually follow this teaching and experience the God-Giving result, You First Me Later. Phil. 4:7. So now we have a way where challenge is.)

Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Lev. 19:18 & Deut. 23:6, Loving lovely and Hating ugly is very natural. But Jesus saying...)

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (We must know that those people I hate are also God's beloved people. So, even in our hatred we pray for them and also for my spirit of love regardlessly.)

46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (We must know and behave as newly created believers who have the true and eternal Kingdom Value.)

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Can we be perfect as our heavenly Father God? NO. But we live our lives looking at our perfect God as Enoch walked with God. Gen. 5:21-24)