THE HEART OF THE MATTER
Matthew 5:21-48
There is a rare congenital heart defect that occurs in 1 in 12,000 pregnancies called Dextrocardia. This is a condition in which the heart is located on the right side of the chest and points to the right instead of being on the left side of the chest and pointing to the left. For those who are born with Dextrocardia, their heart is literally in the wrong place.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed several subjects that proved that the Pharisees’ hearts were in the wrong place. While it is easy for us to analyze and criticize those self-righteous leaders in Israel, we must be honest enough to admit that there are many times in our own lives when our hearts are in the wrong place.
The Scribes & Pharisees were known for their knowledge of (and seeming devotion to) God’s Law. This popular sect within Judaism was concerned with such rituals as avoiding certain foods, observing certain days, fasting, and the ceremonial washing of hands, eating utensils & furniture. However, they missed the spirit and true purpose of God’s Law. Upon close examination it is clear that the Pharisees suffered from “spiritual heart disease”.
Many people within the Church today suffer from the same sort of spiritual heart problems. It is imperative that we assess our lives and ensure that our hearts are truly right with God. Jesus’ teaching in this specific section of the Sermon on the Mount, makes it clear that He would have us to comprehend the reality that works, morals, rituals, and observances are not what matters most to God. What He wants is for us to have a clean and pure heart. This is only possible when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Once the Savior does His transforming work in our hearts good morals, works and observances will come. But these characteristics are the fruit of our salvation, not the source of it.
In the preceding verses Jesus’ teaching focused on the truth that it was not His intention to abolish or even amend God’s Law and the teaching of the prophets. He said, “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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished”.
After this declaration, Jesus warned against relaxing the least of God’s commands and teaching others to do the same. He said that those who foolishly do this will be called “least” in the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, He proclaimed that those who obeyed God’s commands and taught others to do likewise would be called “great” in the Kingdom. After these warnings and instructions, the Lord stated that unless one’s “righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, (they) will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (v20)
Following this sobering revelation, Jesus draws a contrast between the true meaning of God’s Law and the Pharisees and Scribes incorrect interpretations of it. The primary subjects that He covered were anger, murder, lust, adultery, divorce, oaths, and retaliation. It is important for us to examine these subjects because understanding and obeying the teaching that the Lord provides in these verses is essential if we seek to live a life that follows the Holy Spirit, honors Christ, and glorifies the Father.
We would all agree that murder and adultery are grievous sins. However, Jesus teaches that one may not literally kill another or even be involved in the physical act of adultery, yet he/she is still just as guilty as those who have done (and are doing) so. His primary point is that the root cause of such vile sins is the condition of one’s heart.
- I would like to listen to the words of our Savior and examine “The Heart Of The Matter”.
We have all been guilty of thinking that we are right with God because we possess good morals and because we are a religious people who seek to obey the commands and instructions that are recorded in the word of God. We avoid what God tells us to avoid and attempt to do those things that He has called us to do. This is certainly good and commendable but it is not enough.
Tragically, the world is filled with people who strive to live honorable and moral lives in an arrogant attempt to impress others with acts of piety and self-righteousness. This was a defining characteristic of the Pharisees. Throughout the Gospels we see that they were masters in the art of:
PUBLIC PIETY
The term “piety” refers to the quality of being holy, religiously devout, or reverent. Piety is commendable if it is genuine; however, many people are involved in what is called false piety, though they appear to be devout on the outside, inwardly they are corrupt, sinful and wicked.
We know that the Pharisees possessed an external, superficial, and hypocritical righteousness. However, most Jews who saw a Scribe or Pharisee on the streets, inside a synagogue, or within the Temple complex thought that they were the pinnacle of righteousness. These men went to great lengths to appear pious to others. Concerning this, Jesus said:
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others”. (Matthew 23:5-7)
“Phylacteries” were small cube-shaped leather cases that contained Scripture passages written on parchment. These phylacteries were worn on the left arm and the forehead as a literal way to obey the admonition recorded in Deuteronomy 11:18. There the LORD said: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. “Fringes” is a reference to tassels with a blue cord that were attached to the four corners of a man’s garment. The purpose of these fringes was to remind the people to be holy and to obey God’s commands. The Pharisees would make the phylacteries larger and their fringes longer in an effort to appear exceedingly pious to others.
The Pharisees also craved “places of honor at feasts” and “the best seats in the synagogue”. Whether it be at a banquet or a worship service in a local synagogue, in ancient Israel seating was commonly assigned to guests based on their position or status in the community. The Pharisees did not just want to enjoy the best seats and places of honor, they felt that they deserved them because of their piety. The Pharisees also enjoyed receiving “greetings in the marketplaces” and “being called rabbi by others”. The term Rabbi literally meant “my lord,” but it was also commonly used for renowned teachers of the law, most frequently heads of rabbinical schools. Jesus’ detailed description of their actions makes it clear that the Pharisees most certainly stood out in a crowd and that was their intention. They prided themselves on public piety.
Later in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns against acting in the same manner as the “hypocrites” who metaphorically sound a trumpet when they do a good deed. Such people do this, not to honor and please God but to receive praise from their fellow man. Notice the words of the Savior in (Matthew 6:1-3):
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Again I say, it is easy for us to analyze and criticize the actions of the Scribes and Pharisees, but there are many times when we are guilty of acts that are very similar and in some cases exactly the same as theirs. Many people, (even genuine Christians) have a tendency to do the right things for the wrong reasons. Rather than having an authentic desire to honor and please the Lord, they want to be seen and praised by man.
Tragically, many followers of Christ will stand before Him at the Judgment Seat and watch many wonderful works go up in smoke. Not because their deeds were wrong but because they were performed with the wrong motives. The only reward that they will receive is a brief (and usually rare) pat on the back from their fellow man.
Like the Pharisees, many people who are involved in religion put a great focus on their outward appearance. They wear certain clothes, they seek certain positions, they desire recognition for their actions, they publicly perform acts of charity and they crave being seen as pious by their peers. Unfortunately, their outward acts are deceiving; for on the inside they are consumed with selfishness, pride, lust, contempt and even hatred. Though they may appear pious to their fellow man, God sees their heart. The Lord says in Jeremiah 17:10, “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Public piety is not inherently bad. If we are genuine followers of Christ and servants who are faithfully devoted to God, this will be apparent to those around us. They will see our actions and recognize that there is something different about us. However, their praise should not be our motivation for living in such a way.
A logical question would be “why are so many people involved in false piety?” The answer is that they are consumed with internal impurity and selfish desires. For the hypocrite, the heart of the problem is a problem of the heart.
- Moving on from Public Piety let us consider:
INTERNAL IMPURITY
Jesus vividly described the internal impurity of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28, He said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
According to the Law, if anyone were to come in contact with a tomb, they would be deemed unclean for seven days. To prevent this from happening it was customary to whitewash the tombs so that they could be easily identified by passersby. In Jesus’ day, many of the tombs were very beautiful on the outside, but on the inside was nothing but death, corruption and decay.
There are countless people in the world today who appear to be righteous on the outside. They refuse to do the things that God says are evil and they seek to do the things that God says are good. They exhibit good morals and appear to be righteous and holy. But on the inside they are filled with wickedness and rebellion.
A fitting yet tragic example of public piety coupled with inward impurity is the politicians of our day. When running for office, politicians all seem to profess some sort of religious affiliation. Prior to the election they will attend church services, quote scriptures, perform acts of charity, speak of their “religious convictions” and declare their dependance upon the Lord. However, once elected the overwhelming majority show no signs whatsoever of having any sort of relationship with the Lord. They no longer attend church services, the scripture that they quoted during the campaign has no influence on their decisions, their charitable acts disappear, and their religious convictions and dependance on the Lord are nowhere to be seen, (that is until it is time for reelection).
You can find many common people in the church with similar motives. They are involved in religious activities and even seek to be publicly identified as followers of Christ but they have ulterior motives. They use religion as a means to impress others and to further their selfish worldly desires. Many of these people are quite successful at doing what God has commanded in His Word. The problem is that their works are only superficial and external. Internally, their hearts are filled with wickedness and rebellion.
The Scribes and Pharisees knew all about the Law and the ceremonies and though they may have done well at observing them, they did so for the wrong reasons. They impressed others with their outward acts of obedience. But God was not pleased, for he knew of the sin that filled their hearts.
In the Biblical context, the word “heart” refers to the center of one’s being. This is a reference to the mind, the emotions, and the will of man. No combination of rituals and ceremonies has the ability to cleanse a person. No matter how hard we try to “clean ourselves up” we will never succeed. Our only hope of holiness and genuine purity is to be changed from the inside. Thankfully, Jesus has the ability and the desire to transform those who are publicly pious, yet inwardly impure.
- We have considered public piety and inward impurity; before we close I would like to briefly examine:
CHRIST’S CLARIFICATION
In verses 21-48 Jesus draws a stark contrast between the teachings that had been handed down by the Jewish elders and the true intent and interpretation of God’s Law. Several different times the Lord says, “You have heard that it was said” and then follows up with “but I say unto you”. Jesus is not attempting to correct the Old Testament Law or the teachings of the Prophets. Rather He is correcting the misunderstandings concerning the Law that were prevalent during that point in time.
In the remaining verses of chapter 5, Jesus proclaims that if certain sins abide within the heart, one is just as guilty as if they had actually committed those sins. For example, one may refrain from the physical act of adultery, but if there is lust in his heart he is guilty of adultery. Someone may not actually take someone else’s life but if there is hate within their heart they are guilty.
The Pharisees were obsessed with the letter of the Law, but completely ignored the spirit of the Law. They may have appeared righteous on the outside, but inwardly their hearts were corrupt and defiled. I am certainly not implying that external observances and obedience to God’s commands is not important. God is honored and glorified when His people obey Him and live in accordance with His Word. However, our obedience should be done as a result of our love for Him, not in an effort to impress our fellow man.
The verses that we will examine over the next few weeks are not Jesus’ proclamation of a new truth, rather it is a clarification of the truths that God gave to His people through His servant Moses hundreds of years earlier. These truths were important to the Children of Israel in Moses’ day, they were important to the crowds in Jesus’ day, and they are important to us today.
Like the Pharisees, you may appear to be righteous on the outside. You may have everyone else convinced that you are holy, but you cannot fool God; for He knows the wickedness that abides on the inside. You may look like a Christian; you may know how to “talk the talk” and in many ways you may even “walk the walk.” You may live a good moral life; you may love your neighbor and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You may even live a “religious life” but religion is worthless apart from regeneration.
It is important for us to hear and heed the teachings of the Savior in this passage. We must surrender to Him and allow Him to cleanse our inward impurity. This is the only way that we will ever exhibit true and acceptable public piety.
- There is an old Hymn that says:
People often see you as you are outside
But Jesus really knows you, for He looks inside
How about your heart? Is it right with God?
That’s the thing that counts today.
Over the next few weeks we will examine in great detail what Jesus has to say about the condition of man’s heart as he seeks to obey God’s Laws. I look forward to learning what our Lord has to say about “The Heart Of The Matter”.
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