The Gospel of Matthew Chapter Five

Now we are coming to the Sermon on the Mount. If we look in verse 1 of chapter 5 we see that the multitudes were following Jesus and that He turned aside and went up onto a mountain and apparently only His disciples followed Him. Jesus would often go aside away from the multitudes for prayer or to take time to teach His disciples.

This message is meant for those who want to be a disciple of Christ. This first portion of the Sermon on the Mount is known as the Beatitudes. It consist of nine pronouncements of blessings which will be the result of walking the walk of a disciple. Now this is not to say that God is like Santa Claus who makes his list and checks it twice to find out who is naughty or nice. God does not bless us on that basis. However because of what Jesus did on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins, He has made everyone who will accept Him "nice" [so to speak], in the sight of the Father. God is now free to bless whomever He chooses to accomplish His will in this world and in the one to come.

The first seven are attributes [characteristics] of the disciple of Christ which when living them, bring about blessings some physical and some spiritual. The last two are the worlds reaction to them because the world for the most part, is opposed to the way that LORD would have His children live. And apart from a deep, close relationship with the LORD you cannot even begin to live the way this is suggesting. It takes more than just a passive commitment to the LORD.

Let us take a look at Revelation 3:15-16 it says, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.". Jesus is here talking to the church of Laodicea; their name meaning rule of the people. Instead of God ruling in their hearts, the people had fallen into the funk of religiosity. Laodicea was a wealthy town that had a couple of very profitable exports that consisted of textiles, and an eye salve. It was also a center for Caesar worship and there was a medical school there connected with it's worship of the pagan god Asklepios [Greek god of healing]. Because they were wealthy the natural tendency is to start thinking that you need not bother the LORD and that you are all set. This caused them to slowly drift away from Him. They also became apathetic about serving Him and preaching the Gospel. They were no longer having an effect on their community, hence Jesus calls them lukewarm.

Jesus was a master at teaching which only makes sense, He being God. When He taught, He would often use His immediate surroundings as an example of the point He was making. When He referred to the Laodiceans as being "lukewarm" He was relating to their surroundings. You see their water supply came from an aqueduct that was exposed to the open air and by the time it reached the city it was warm. Now I do not know about you but if you have ever had a drink of warm water on a hot day you just want to spit it out. That is exactly the picture here, you were expecting a cool refreshing glass of water and instead it is like "yuck!" That is how the Lord feels about our half hearted commitment. However He only tells us this for our own good as any loving father would. If we are passive in our walk with the LORD we will fall away from Him. We have to be willing to follow Him up the mountain if we want to "hear" His teachings and begin to live the Sermon on the mount. So back in verse 1 Jesus sits down and begins to teach His disciples. Back then it was customary for the teacher to sit down when he taught but in today's church services we got it all turned around, ha ha.

Verse 3... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The word blessed means happy and as I said, the next nine verses of the beginning of Jesus' sermon on the mount begin with this word blessed. Now when we here the term happy we generally think in terms of circumstantial happiness. Meaning if everything is going well we are happy. In fact we get our word happy from an Anglo-Saxon term happenstance which does refer to circumstances.

But the Greek word here is makarios, which refers to an inner joy not affected by circumstances. The more we understand these Beatitudes and walk in them, the happier we
will be with an inner joy that cannot be moved by circumstances in our lives. That is what the LORD wants for us and as we allow Him to work out these attributes in our lives we will be happier.

As Christians sometimes we tend to think like the world thinks, that material possessions and satisfying our physical needs will make us happy but in fact it is the total opposite. Self denial, knowing and serving the LORD which is serving others is what makes us the happiest or "blessed." But we cannot of ourselves or in our own strength work up these attributes in our own lives known as the "Beatitudes". Realizing this is what the first beatitude is all about. That we cannot work up these changes in ourselves. We need to be changed from within. Only from the place of humbleness will LORD to begin to work them into our lives. It says to be "poor in spirit." This means that you have come to the place where you realize that you are completely dependent on Jesus and Him alone for paying the price for your sin and that without Him you have no hope of heaven. Simply put, you have been saved, born again of the Spirit. It is at this point that Jesus can begin to conform you to His image so that these beatitudes will be realized in your life.

Verse 4... "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Once we have come to the point of being poor in spirit realizing our position before God we will mourn. We will mourn for ourselves being trapped in this body of death as Paul said in Romans 7:24 longing for deliverance. And we will mourn for the lost and dying world knowing what their end will be if they do not humble themselves and fall on the mercy of our loving Father for the forgiveness of their sin.

Verse 5... "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." In order to know what is meant here by the term "meek" it is always good to look at the original language. The word in the Greek is praus, pronounced [prah- ooce]. Among other things it is a term used
of a horse that has been broken and is now useful to its master willing to be under the authority of him. Now to be meek does not mean to be weak. The horse could just as easily rebel against it's owner and stomp him into the ground if he wanted, the horse being far stronger than man. But it is a willing submission to their master. It also encompasses what usually comes to mind when you think of the English use of meekness; gentleness of spirit, self control and humbleness. But it does not mean that you have to be a wimp. The following is a list of men in the Bible that have been called meek or humble, hardly mamma's boys. They gave up their will for the Fathers will. Abraham {Genesis 13:5-9, 21:22-34}; Moses {Numbers 12:3}; David {1 Samuel 24}; Stephen {Acts 7:59-60}; Paul {Acts 26:21-22}; Jesus {Philippians 2:5-8} {John 4:34}; {Mark 14:36}.

Verse 6... "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." The righteousness here spoken of is Christ righteousness which is given to us at
our new birth. We are indeed filled with the righteousness of Jesus but we hunger and thirst for that to be worked out in our day to day existence [or to be realized in our flesh].
Some have said that this speaks of a longing for righteousness on earth against the injustice and corruption here. This cannot be true however because as long as man is not submitted to God and His kingdom there will never be true justice or a lack of corruption in this world. So we could never be filled in this life. We are filled in a sense when we are born of the Spirit and at that point God exchanges our unrighteousness for Jesus' righteousness. Here we only get small victories of earthly righteousness but when Christ returns to rule on the throne of David {which God promised to Israel 2nd Samuel 7:16}, then true righteousness will reign.

Verse 7... "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Now as we go on in these Beatitudes we notice that they are progressive, in that once one becomes real in your life it opens the door for the next one. God working them out in us from "faith to faith". {Romans 1:17}. This is not to say that we cannot possess one of these characteristics until
we have attained the prior one. All these attributes are present when we are born again of the Spirit of God. However as we go on in our walks, the LORD causes growth in each of these areas and causes us to be conformed more and more into the image of, or likeness of Jesus. Romans 8:29 says, "for whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might become the firstborn among many brethren."

So what does it mean to be merciful? It means to have enough compassion on someone to the point that you are moved to action and try to relieve them of their present predicament. Whether it means giving money, or some physical assistance, or some Godly advice. However we must always seek the LORD to be sure how he wants us to respond in any given situation. Sometimes he may want their present suffering to continue, especially if it is concerning a brother or sister in the LORD. He may just be causing growth in a particular area in which they are lacking. In the case of an unbeliever, He may be bringing them to the place where they will have no choice but to look to Him and receive salvation. First from their earthly situation and then from the judgment that hangs over them and everyone that does not know the forgiveness that comes from God through Jesus. That is why it is important that we have mercy on them in the case of their spiritual well being by sharing the Gospel with them. Most people now a days especially the young, are completely unaware of their spiritual poverty. They have been raised in a humanistic culture very often devoid of any true Christian teaching and influence. The enemy has succeeded in removing nearly all hints of any Christian influence having to do with the founding of our nation or the origin of man from our schools and colleges. And the reason he has succeeded is because the church has failed to understand this beatitude and apply it. We must be willing to share the truth with people no matter the cost. If we are persecuted for it that is okay. True mercy should be willing to endure persecution for the sake of those who need to hear the message of the gospel.

Verse 8... "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Now this word
pure has several facets of meaning and all of them apply to the richness of this text. The
word in the Greek is "katharos" which has as a primary definition, pure or clean like something that has been washed by water. I believe that this is a picture of being washed initially when we are saved. However, as we go on in our walk with the LORD we are being continually washed by the water of the Word. Ephesians 5:26 says, "...that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,...". Then there are also some sub definitions for the various uses of the word which I think just reading them will give us a flavor of what the LORD is saying here and what it means to have a pure heart.

1.) The first is in the physical sense:
a.) As when metal is purified by fire to separate any foreign matter from it.
b.) In a similitude, as when a vine has been purged to "cleanse" it in a
sense from the unfruitful branches that just drain resources so that the productive parts bear more fruit.
2.) Then in a liturgical sense [of things used in the priesthood]:
a.) Clean, meaning the use of that which is not forbidden, no uncleanness.
a.) Free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt.
b.) Not having any hint of that which is false, being sincere, genuine.
c.) Blameless, innocent.
d.) Not having any stain of guilt.

So the more we immerse ourselves in God's word and in doing His will, keeping ourselves unstained by the world and it's influences, the more we will "see" God. Now I do not personally know anyone living who has seen Him but He has appeared to many of His followers in the Bible. Luke 18:8b says, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Are we walking in faith and are we keeping ourselves pure? I am not talking about just the blatant sins that are apparent to all. But what about things we watch on TV. Are they really acceptable to God? Or have we deceived ourselves into thinking that because they are not rated "R" or "PG-13" for that matter that it is okay. An what about our conversations, are we gossiping? Are we justifying ourselves in certain areas by rationalizing that our standards are slightly higher than the worlds? Psalm 139:23-24 comes to mind... "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if [there is any] wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."

Verse 9... "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Being a peacemaker is the natural outflow of being a son [or daughter] of God and walking in the spirit. When we are walking in the spirit, this is where we will be most happy. As I said, these beatitudes are progressive, and this is the final one in that it is calling us to "be". The rest of this section known as the Beatitudes will deal with the worlds response to you living the Christian life and walking the walk. But if we are going about actively engaged in fulfilling it's admonishments, it will make us the most blessed. For in so doing we fulfill [in a sense], the ultimate will of God. That ultimate will is to be peacemakers. Jesus being the ultimate peacemaker. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Let us look at Colossians 1:20... "and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." So God through Jesus has made the way to have peace with Him. Through His sacrifice God's justice has been satisfied and God can relate to us as though we have never sinned and we have peace with Him. Now we need to pass on that peace by sharing the good news and showing the way to others, how they can have peace with God. We are to strive to make peace in every situation {Psalm 34:14}, but as we will see in the next couple verses, the world does not always want to have peace.

Verse 10... "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This will generally be the response from the world when we are walking the walk, they will persecute you. The primary definition for the term "persecuted" in the Greek is, "make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away." If you are really telling people the truth about religion and their present predicament they may run you out of town; or at least want to. Notice, however, that it says, "persecuted for righteousness sake." It does not say for being obnoxious, or ignorant, or lazy etc., fill in the blank. If you are doing more witnessing than working, you ought to be fired. Or if you are presenting the Gospel in manner that is overly offensive, like yelling then do not be surprised if they yell back and in less than Christian terms. The message of the cross is offensive enough because it attacks our self-righteousness and exposes our sin. Most people do not want to admit to either. So we do not have to add to the offense by the way we present it.

But the Bible is clear on this; 2nd Timothy 3:12 says, "Yes and all who desire to live
godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." We have been very blessed in this nation so far in that we have not seen the level of persecution that other Christians have experienced.

There have been untold hundreds of thousands of martyrs for Christ in other countries since the early church. The Crusades were responsible for the deaths of many true believers because they did not conform to the heresy of the Church establishment of that time. What they did is no different than what the true Muslims are doing in our time. In there case the Koran tells them to do what they are doing; but the Bible says we are to love our enemies.

In China and other Communist countries and in the Sudan and in many Muslim nations there are Christian being beaten and imprisoned and murdered everyday. No surprise though, Jesus told us what to expect if we would follow Him. In John 15:18-19 He says, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Not the kind of verse you will find in a book of scripture promises. But when we are persecuted for the LORD's sake we will be blessed here and in heaven.

Verse 11... "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." Jesus is now expounding on verse ten a little more which indicates that He wants to reassure us that He is aware of those who suffer persecution and that it will not go unrewarded. Notice though that the enemies of Jesus lie about the saints. One time I was at the local mall with a friend and we struck up a conversation with a lady who was renting one of the kiosk there. We somehow brought up Calvary Chapel without her knowing we were attending there. Then she said, "Oh, I heard that was Satan's church." Now we did not ask this lady who told her, or why they told her that it was a church of Satan but we quickly reassured her that it was not. But is that not just like the enemy; in {Mark 3:22} the Scribes said to Jesus that he casted out demons by the power of Beelzebub. It just goes to show you what lies the enemy spreads to keep people from the truth or to create an atmosphere for persecution. Just like Hitler did with the Jewish people; He spread enough lies that people began to believe them. So much so that they had no problem with killing them like they were wild animals. They were gunned down in the streets, tortured, their women were abused and they exterminated them by the
millions. We can thank God that we have not seen that kind of persecution as Christians in
our lives, at least not in this country.

Verse 12... "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." So if you are being legitimately persecuted be assured that it is not in vain. Paul said in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." We cannot even begin to imagine what God has in store for those who follow His will and walk in the path He has prepared for them. But notice your reward is in heaven, not necessarily here in this life.

Verse 13a... "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses it's flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." Now Jesus is the best teacher [obviously], whoever walked the earth. And as such, in this case he comes up with the best examples to illustrate his points. Here he uses the comparison of the believer to salt.

Salt is an element that has several unique qualities that we can glean insight from knowing it's characteristics. The first one is:
1.) Salt is used to add flavor to it's recipient. The world offers a false taste of life which leaves you unsatisfied. All the power, all the wealth, all the partying, and any relationship you may have, whether it be in marriage or out of marriage will never satisfy you. It is only when we give our lives to God through Jesus that we can taste what real life is all about and then we find true happiness. And as we are born again of the Father, we are to become salt to the world. People should be able to look at our lives and taste what God is
really like and it should create a desire for them to want what we have. This brings us to the
second property of salt.

2.) Salt is an element that when ingested, creates thirst. The drinking
establishments and restaurants know this, that is why they usually offer you free chips or
nuts or popcorn; salted of coarse. This will increase your desire to drink. The question is, are we creating a thirst in those around us for things of the LORD? When people examine our lives do they begin to thirst for a relationship with God? Or are we so much like the world that there is no contrast between ourselves and the non-believers? Are we watching the same things on T.V. that the world is? But more importantly, where are our hearts that we desire to watch certain things? Are we laughing at the world's jokes? Are we gossiping at
work about our co-workers or putting them down in order to lift ourselves up? There was a young believer who once pointed out to me that I was going around seeking approval from others by putting down other peoples work and methods in my trade. This of coarse is completely not the way God wants His children to be and I had to repent. Philippians 2:3 says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." And do not worry about your lot in life but rather "...seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." {Matthew 6:33} But as we allow the Spirit to work in us we will continue to see these bad traits diminish and the LORD will come through more and more.

3.) The third property that salt has is that it is a preservative. When I was growing up my mother had told me some stories of what it was like when she was young. My mother grew up on a farm in northern Maine and her family did not even own a refrigerator. As a matter of fact, I am not sure if they even had electricity at her house. It took a long time for the utility companies to make it out to the rural areas. The cities and the suburbs were the first to get wired. Consequently, one of the things that she and her family would have to do is to preserve their food by other means. For fruits and vegetables they would use air tight jars in a process called "canning" which could keep the food good for years if necessary. For meat however, they would have to use salt. She told me how they would slaughter the animals and then take a wooden barrel and put a layer of salt on the bottom. Then take some meat and put a layer of that in, then a layer of salt, and another layer of meat and so on until they filled the barrel. The result was that the meat was completely encompassed in salt. This would stop any bacterial growth from ruining the meat. This is the effect the LORD wants the Church to have in the world, to preserve it
somewhat until the Church age is complete and He sets up His Kingdom on earth. If it was not for the Church and it's influence on society the world would be a very different place. As it is, we are not much different from the time of Noah when, "...the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually." {Genesis 6:5} As I said earlier, I think that we are losing the battle. The moral depravity thermometer is just about to burst. This leads us to the next
part of our verse.

Verse 13b... "...but if the salt loses it's flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" Have we as Christians lost our savor? Are we having a preserving effect in the world? Are we living in such a way that we are being a benefit to those around us and pointing them to a Savior
that can preserve them for all eternity from the effects of sin? Do people taste God's love for them when they are around us. If not, God forbid, then the next part of this verse may apply. "It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." If we as Christians fail to be salt then we will be trodden under the foot of the world. A lot of Christian;
trampling the Church, they think that true believers are fanatics comparable to radical Islam and they mock real Christianity. Persecution is on the rise and if we do not stand for the truth and get on the offensive then we will soon be reaping the fruits of our failure to be salt. This has been the enemies plan all along, to intimidate us into silence and complacency. Let us look at Matthew 16:18 which says, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Upon the fact that Jesus is the Christ and that He has won the victory against the enemy and we no longer need to fear him or listen to his lies. It is time to speak out against evil and let our salt do it's work.

Verse 14-16... "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all [who are] in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." You are the light of the world and when you are set on the hill of life you cannot be hidden either. If you are a real follower of Jesus, walking the walk, then you will stand out. The world cannot help but notice when you turn in the wallet you found with the money still in it, or you do not laugh at their jokes anymore, or you do not swear and talk like you use to, or watch the same movies. When you are in the Spirit, these types of behavior will just naturally fade away. Light by it's nature expose the darkness. Do not be afraid to expose wrong doing and crime when you see it, even seemingly small things.

Galatians 5:16-25 says, "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." When you come to the place where you are so consumed by the LORD and you fall in love with Him, everything that is a temptation to you or that you struggle with will just fade away. Just like when you fall in love with someone here in the physical realm; everything else does not matter anymore. All you want to do is be with them and please them and just enjoy their company. So it is when you walk in the Spirit, you will "be - [in the proper] - attitude." All the bad behavior we just read about will become less and less desirable and the fruits of the Spirit will flow out of you.

So we have come to the end of this section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Be-attitudes. Now I would like to touch on the Christian influence that was present in the founding of our nation as I said I would earlier in this writing. The fact of the matter is that many of the founding fathers were true Christians who had the fortitude to stand for the truth but there were a lot of make believers as well. But please do not confuse
the fact that some of Christ's teaching on being peacemakers and loving your enemy do not negate the necessity for the rule of law and for governments. As it says in Romans 13:1-7... "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For
he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor." Also in Luke 3:14 it says, "Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." The soldiers were responsible for

These also are a part of real Christianity; government, military, and yes capital punishment. This is why it is so important to learn the Word of God book by book, line upon line as it says in Isaiah 28:10... "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." The founding fathers knew this and back then there were no qualms about it. This will become apparent as we read the following statements by them.
John Adams and John Hancock both affirmed on
Samuel Adams:
"He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all... Our forefathers opened the Bible to all." ["American Independence", August 1, 1776. Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia]
Benjamin Franklin:
"God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the
ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His
concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel" Constitutional Convention of 1787.

In Benjamin Franklin's 1749 plan of education for public schools in Pennsylvania, he insisted that schools teach "...the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."
Thomas Jefferson:
"The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend to all the happiness of man."
"Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus."
"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
[Letter to Benjamin Rush April 21, 1803]

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but
with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and
that His justice cannot sleep forever."
[Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781]

"It [the Bible] is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
[Jan 9, 1816 Letter to Charles Thomson]
This is but a few examples of what was in our founding father's hearts and minds as they were engaged in a life and death struggle for the birth of these United States of America. The list of these types of statements by our founding fathers is very plentiful. We need to repent as a nation, turn back to God, and back to righteous living.

Verse 17-18... "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Here in the rest of chapter five, Jesus begins to teach the Law the way God intended. And just as in Jesus' time, today, many of the Jewish and Christian denominations of the world have again reverted back to legalistic and works oriented methods to relate to God. They think they are made righteous by their outward acts of ritual and good works or that if they go to church once a week it makes up for their bad behavior. They have totally lost the purpose and meaning for God giving the Law.The Law was given to us as a tutor to show us that:
A.) Apart from God we cannot even begin to keep the law as the LORD intended it. Galatians 3:24 "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith." How was it our tutor? Let us look in Romans 4:15, "...because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression." If there are no posted speed limits or general rules against driving fast then no one can give you a ticket.
B.) That we are made righteous by faith in what God has done for us. Ephesian
2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest any man should boast." Our works will not save us. In
Isaiah 64:6 it says... "But we are all like an unclean [thing], And all our righteousnesses

Verse 17... Jesus here perceives His disciples concerns that He was doing away with the Law. No doubt the talk of the town was that some of what Jesus was doing was in violation of the Law. That is to say, the Law as it had been erroneously interpreted by the religious leaders of the day. Then Jesus says He has come to fulfill it and as is His "modus operandi", He will teach them the real meaning of it and what God's intentions were for it. To fulfill it Jesus will continue to do that which was prophesied about His first coming and also in our time and yet future the things concerning His second coming and the end of this age. Things are lining up quite nicely, [in a prophetic sense] for the return of the King.

Verse 18... "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." When Jesus uses the term "assuredly", whatever follows that you can take to the bank. As a matter of fact, whatever He says you can take to the bank. Here He reassures His disciples that the Word of God is a sure thing and that all prophecy will be fulfilled. Not one thing that is written will fail, all will be fulfilled. Thirteen times Matthew uses the word fulfilled in regards to the prophetic Scriptures coming to pass. Even in our lifetime prophecies concerning the reestablishment of Israel as a sovereign nation have been fulfilled. Ezekiel 36:24 says... "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land." That is an incredible prophecy that has come to fruition in our time. In 68 AD the Roman general Titus Flavius Vespasian was dispatched to Judea to put down the rebellion and by 70 AD was recalled to Rome. He left His son Titus to finish the job which he did and the Jews were dispersed throughout the Roman empire and Israel ceased to be a nation. But as God promised, in 1948 Israel became a nation again. This is an unprecedented event. Never has their been an ethnic group who have lost their country, sovereignty, and dispersed throughout the world for nearly two thousand years and then brought back and reestablished.

Verse 19... "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches [them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Now as I was looking at this verse to see what I might want to comment on the Holy Spirit brought something to my attention that I never noticed before when reading this passage. That is what I like about studying the Word of God, there is always something new to learn and the LORD has it all planned. He knows what to teach us and when to show us something new. It is all part of the process of becoming more like Jesus until that time when we are finally with Him and the work is complete. As it says in Philippians 1:6... "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;"

Now what He showed me is something that reassures me of the grace and mercy that are ours if we are in Christ. Jesus is addressing His disciples [followers/believers] and He says... "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Notice that the persons in question are in the kingdom of heaven. We cannot be in the kingdom of heaven if we are not saved. Unfortunately however, we will still break the commandments but we are still in the kingdom, it is not our performance that keeps us. That is what the gospel [good news] is all about, that in spite of ourselves we are saved by what God has done through Jesus. The words "least and great" here in the Greek imply what level of position or status we will have in the kingdom as a result of what we do and do not do here in this life. The more you can put to death the deeds of the flesh and serve the LORD the greater your position in the kingdom of heaven. So, "What on earth are you doing, for heaven's sake?"

Verse 20... "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Now in the eyes of everyone listening to this teaching from Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were way above them. They felt;

Implicit in the afore mentioned challenge to His disciples that their righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees is that at present the scribes and Pharisees are not going to make it to heaven. This is an indirect hint for the scribes and Pharisees that they need to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. As it says in Psalm 14:12 ..."There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Jesus knows what we need to hear and when we need to hear it. Sometimes He is subtle and
sometimes He needs to be very bold in order to reach us that He might heal us. Whatever He does it is always ultimately in our best interest. Here He is reaching out to them that they might be saved.

Another thing I want to point out is how Jesus teaches and speaks with absolute
authority. "You have heard... but I say", as though this is the final word on the matter, and it was. You see the common people at this time in history did not have a copy of the Bible. They had to rely on what the religious leaders told them. This opens up the door for corruption as far as the Word is concerned; [what it said and what it meant]. By the time Jesus comes on the scene; the religious leaders had come up with some 613 rules about keeping the law and many traditions which were contrary to intent of God's Word and the spirit of the law. Jesus brings this up later by citing from Isaiah 29 verse 13 which in Matthew 15:7-9 says... "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying... 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." So Jesus is now going to begin to try and correct the people's thinking about what God's
intentions really were concerning the law while steering them away from the "commandments of men."

Verses 21-22... "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. 22 'But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.". In this section of chapter five are six different issues Jesus is going to address that will take us through the rest of chapter five. The first three are from the Ten Commandments and the rest are from other portions of the law. Here in verse 21 we have the first illustration of what God intended the law to teach us. Jesus starts with the sixth commandment; "You shall not murder". He is attempting to show that whatever you have in your heart will eventually work it's way to outside actions. It is not only that you should not commit murder, but that you should not even have the desire in your heart. Just thinking it is as though you already carried out the act. Jesus here gives us three different examples of offense and three different degrees of punishment. The first being if you are angry without a cause you will be in danger of "the judgment". The term for "the judgment" is the Greek word pronounced "kre-ses" {S = 2920} from which we get our word crisis. In this instance it probably refers to one of several regional tribunals throughout Israel which consisted of a panel of seven judges. Jesus here is making the point that anger without a cause is as serious as a crime which would bring you before the tribunal.

Next He says, "whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council." There are no words of profanity in the Hebrew language so this word "raca" which means empty, i.e. a senseless, empty headed man, was one of the terms they would use for the purpose of maligning someone. The word translated "the council", is the Greek word süne'dreon; {S = G4892}, which can refer to a town assembly for judicial purposes or it also can mean specifically the main assembly of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Here however I believe it is referring to the Sanhedrin. This would be consistent with pattern that with each one of these examples, the severity of the outcome increases. The Sanhedrin consisted of
seventy one members including scribes, elders, prominent members of the high priestly families and the acting high priest. This is the group that would eventually condemn Jesus to be executed. Now the final thing He brings up in this set of examples is if you call someone a fool you will be in danger of hell fire. This being the worst fate of the three and the point to all this is that the motives of the heart are just as serious as carrying them out and are worthy of judgment.

Verse 23-24... "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.". Note the word "therefore" in verse 23. Whenever you see the word "therefore" you need to find out what it is there for. In this case it is referring back to the content of verses 21-22. With all that in mind Jesus is saying if your heart is not right; [if... "your brother has something against you"], make it good then come to the alter. We must approach God humbly and with honesty, not pretending that we can hide things from Him. That is all He expects from us; to be honest, swallow our pride and admit our wrongs. He does not expect sinless perfection from us because in a practical sense we cannot obtain sinless perfection this side of heaven. That is why Jesus had to come and be the final sacrifice and impart to us; [in a positional sense] His sinless perfection. And now God is able to be gracious toward us and bless us freely. His justice was satisfied in Jesus.

Verse 25-26... "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.". If we have wronged somebody we should humble ourselves and make it right. If for some reason we cannot come to terms with the person or party we have an issue with, then as believers we must do what the Bible says. First we should always be in prayer and in the Word. We also may want to see if the LORD would have us apply verse 40 of this chapter to our situation. However if this does not apply to our situation, the next thing would be to follow what it says in 1st Corinthians 6:1-11... "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? So if both parties involved are Christian, we should not allow things to go to the legal system. Of coarse sometimes there may be certain circumstances when court is the only option. If the other party is supposedly Christian and not acting that way or our dispute may be with an
unbeliever and they might not be reasonable, but if they are, we are better off settling out of the secular courts.

Now Jesus continues with the next three examples of the six that are given here as to the purpose and intent of the law. Again, take notice how the LORD teaches with authority; "You have heard... but I say". He teaches that way because He can, He is God incarnate. The very one who wrote the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets at mount Sinai. Further on in His ministry Jesus will make statements that put Him on the same level as God the Father. ref. {John 8:38 and 10:33}. This is one of the reasons the religious leaders used to justify their actions against Him and sought to kill Him. But what they refused to see was that Jesus was and is God the Savior.

Verse 27-28... "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Here again Jesus turns our attention to the thoughts and intents of our hearts. When we entertain these kinds of thoughts; [in God's eyes] it is as bad as if we carried them out. But the Father wants us to learn to deal with our flesh. When the enemy tempts us with thoughts of sin we are to "nip it in the bud". It is only when we dwell on it that we get into trouble. As it says in James 1:14-15... "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."

Verse 29-30... "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast [it] from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast [it] from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

I have been a Christian since 1983

Verses 31-32... "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." Jesus here continues His exposition on this the seventh commandment. Remember when I was commenting on verse twenty of this chapter I had
mentioned that the religious leaders had compiled some six hundred and thirteen new rules to explain what God meant when He gave us the Ten Commandments. Just as our courts have re-interpreted our Constitution and laws to try and push their immoral and increasingly liberal socialist agendas on the populous in our time, it had been the religious leaders who had re-interpreted what God meant by the time Jesus shows up on the scene. The "interpretation" of the divorce clause {Mark 10:5, Deuteronomy 24} given by Moses had gotten to the point that all the man had to do is say "I divorce you" three times for whatever reason and the woman was out in the streets. Jesus brings it back to the only allowable reason which is fornication. This word [fornication] is the Greek word porneia {por na' ä S = G4202} which is the root of our word pornography. Which means any sexual act which is outside of the allowable physical relationship between one man and one woman married in the eyes of God and government.

If anyone divorces their spouse for any other reason except fornication, they cause them and their future spouse to be in a position of adultery because God will not except it.
God does not want divorce to be easy because He wants husbands and wives to work out their problems and to learn forgiveness. Even in cases of adultery God would rather there be forgiveness and reconciliation as He has done with us. The only reason He allows divorce at all is because of the hardness of our hearts as it says in Mark 10:5.

Verses 33-37... "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." Now Jesus is addressing the third commandment. Basically it says that you should not take the LORD'S name in vain. Although using the term "Jesus Christ" as an expletive is an offensive thing to do, it is not what is meant here. There are a couple of things such as professing to be a Christian and living as though no regeneration had taken place or to swear by God to do something and not follow through, that are a more probable meanings to this passage. However some think the chief meaning had to do more with a judicial practice of swearing to testify truthfully in any given matter. Jesus however wants to clarify this by saying that we should stop all forms of swearing an oath whether it be by God or anything else. When He alludes to the fact that we "cannot make one hair white or black", He is referring to the fact that there is no power in our swearing about anything because we are a fallen being living in a fallen world. When "push comes to shove" or when circumstances go beyond our control we will probably fold and not make good on our oath and if we swear by God then we drag His name down. Just say yes or no; agree or disagree, then act accordingly with all that is in your power to do what you have said.

Verses 38-39... "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. In the Law it is written in Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20 and Deuteronomy 19:21; "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Jesus however is now directing us to a higher law; the law of love. The law when filtered through the lens of love and lead by the Holy Spirit may require quite a different response to the various predicaments we find ourselves in. The principles laid down in the Law are for the police and the courts to carry out; {Romans 13:4}. But before a matter reaches that level God may want us to handle the situation ourselves. The example Jesus uses here is one such situation. "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also". If you get in a situation where someone hits you, the assumption first of all is that you did not deserve it and the offender is misinformed or just looking for trouble. Love would say not to fight back but rather forgive and try and diffuse the situation in hopes of being a witness to God's love and forgiveness in our lives. However he is not saying that you have no right to self preservation if there is no alternative. Also in the interest of public order and peace the offender may need to be dealt with according to the laws of the land but that is for the civil authorities to decide as they have been put in place by God to keep the peace and administer justice; {Romans 13:1}.

Verses 40-42... If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have [your] cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." In these verses Jesus is driving the point home that we are to give to the needy and the greedy as a witness to the Fathers nature and love in giving to the undeserving as well. Willingly giving of ourselves to those who would use us and think themselves as yielding power over us is a strong witness. Remember, at this time Israel was under Roman occupation. One of the things the people were obliged to do was that a Roman soldier could compel you to carry his pack for one mile. Jesus wants us to blow people away with kindness because they are expecting the normal reaction of people begrudgingly complying with this rule. When one willingly offers to do more than is required, it speaks to their heart.

Verses 43-48... "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more [than others]? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Here is another example of man twisting
In this case the religious leaders have added that God would have us hate people who are against us. Nowhere in the Bible that I am aware of does God instruct us to hate any person. We should hate their sin and ours as well but not the person.

Here in verse 44 Jesus is now revealing the father's heart in the matter which is "love". Remember we were once enemies of God in many different ways. Jesus says in Luke 11:23 that... "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters." So even though you do not know it, if you are not living for the Lord you are in the enemies camp and against God. But Jesus and the Father call us to love our enemies as He loved us when we were against Him. In verse 45 He tells us why and uses the example of how He bestows all the physical blessings on everyone. He gives us the sun and rain to keep us warm and to grow our food, also air to breathe and many other things in nature to benefit both His children and the unbelievers. We are to emulate this by showing love to our enemies and thereby be sons of our Father.

In verse 46 He is saying that people who are in any given group or who have interest in common have no trouble helping each other and doing good to each other. But to bless people who are against you, that is the tough part. Then He continues in verse 47 saying that people who share the same values and ideals say hello to each other. But do we reach out to the the people who oppose us or the stranger, or the loner, or the one who society shuns? Therefore [verse 8] if you want to be "perfect", as your heavenly Father, do these things. Show love to the lawless, greet the grouch, and help the hellion.

The capital "S" when used in defining words denotes that the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance reference number for Biblical words is being sited and the definitions are from the aforementioned work.