The Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew - Jesus and the Old Testament - Part 2

 

Text: Matthew 5:33-48 “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.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 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 anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 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, 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

We spoke about what the King has to say about the Kingdom and the Old Testament.

We will see six examples that Jesus gives to stress the point that we are incapable of being right with God on our own. We saw that Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but to complete and fulfill the Law for us. Speaking to Jews, who felt that they were superior to other people, He is stressing that it is not the outward but the inward that God is judging on. We have looked at the first three yesterday, and conclude with the last three today. 

So, example number four is in regard to oaths (verses 33-37). Jesus again gives the basic concept (5: 33) – The Law says, “You must carry out your vows made to the Lord.” (Numbers 30:2). He goes on to give the broadened concept (5: 34 – 37) – Jesus says, “Don’t make any vows.” A simple yes or no should suffice. Again, if we are people of integrity, there is no need to swear by anything else. Remember, our relationship with God is demonstrated by our relationship with others.

So, He goes on to provide example number five in regard to retaliation (verses 38-42). The basic concept (5: 38) – The law says, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” (Lev. 24:19–21). With this, Jesus gives us the broadened concept (5: 39 – 42) – Jesus says to turn the other cheek and to do more than is demanded. The Bible teaches in both the Old and New Testaments that vengeance belongs to God. This is because our relationship with God is demonstrated by our relationship with others.

And, the sixth and final example Jesus gives is in regard to love (verses 43-48). We see the basic concept (5: 43) – The Law says, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” (Leviticus 19:18). The second part is the extrapolation that the Rabbi’s had developed from this verse. Jesus gives us the broadened concept (5: 44 – 48) Jesus says, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you.” All three of His examples of the proper way to interpret the Law all fall back to the concept that our relationship with God is demonstrated by our relationship with others.

When we see what the author of the Law meant when He gave it to Moses, it hits everyone very hard. We are reminded by James (2:10) – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (Emphasis added)

You see – the breaking of one point establishes that we have the Sin nature in us. We cannot make ourselves good enough to be accepted by God. However, Christ died to take away our Sin nature – and it is only by His righteousness that we can enter into Heaven.

We will continue with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount tomorrow as He teaches about giving.