There is a series of teaching that Jesus did while preaching to crowds in the countryside that begins in Matthew chapter 5 and goes to chapter 7. He was preaching on a wide range of subjects and had a way of opening up the scriptures for all to understand. But he also added to the scripture by saying “You have heard that it is said”… and then took it a step further. For example, in chapter 5: 27-28 Jesus says You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It bothered the Pharisees that Jesus boldly added to the scriptures like that but they didn’t know that they were hearing from the very Word of God Himself. If they knew who Jesus really was they would have all fallen on their faces before Him. But their hearts were cold and they didn’t realize who Jesus was.
Let’s look at some of the Beatitudes this morning.
Do Good to Please God
Read Matthew 6: 1-4
(1-2) Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
I remember when I was young, although my father ran the mission in Washington, DC and held Sunday and Thursday services there, we used to attend a church in Arlington, VA. As well.
One particular Sunday the church had a need and the pastor was asking who would give money to take care of the needs. But they did things oddly this Sunday and I don’t remember them doing that ever again. It was all about pride in giving before others.
I remember he started with “Is there anyone here that would pledge 500 dollars?” First let me remind you that this was probably in the 1960s and in the 60s that was a lot of money. Not so much by today’s standards.
Someone stood up and said they would give 500 Dollars. I remember that sounds that came from the congregation. “Ooh! Aah!” Then someone else got up and said they would give 500 dollars. “Ooh! Aah!”
When no one else stood up he said “Is there anyone here who would pledge 250 dollars?” Several men stood up to pronounce that they would. 150 dollars. 100 dollars. 50 dollars. It went on until just about every person had pledged something.
The reactions of the congregation was as expected. Those who pledged 500 dollars got “ooh” and “ahh”. At 250 it was the same response but softer. By the time they got to 50 dollars it was silent because nobody was impressed by that. As I said, I don’t recall the church ever doing that again. It’s not what God wants.
They were playing on the emotions and pride of the men in the church. And it worked quite well. I think they got Dad for 250.
(3-4) But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, “that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
Jesus is making a point here by saying something silly. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Can you do that? I can’t. He was making a point not to let others know what you are giving. Your reward is with God, not man. If it is with man, there is nothing more coming from God. You have your reward here on earth.
Jesus is saying here that we do need to give but do it in private.
Love Your Enemies
Let’s look at Matthew 5: 38-42
Jesus really turns things upside down when he goes directly against the Jewish rules about dealing with people that do wrong to you. It is shocking how he tells the crowd not to follow the old Jewish customs and laws.
Vs. 38 You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
Jesus was referring to several verses in the old testament. In Exodus 21:23-25, it says
But 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.
His reference extends from Leviticus 24: 19-21;
If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him- ‘fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death.
It is found again in Deuteronomy 19: 20-21;
And those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity: life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Jesus was quoting from three separate scriptures from the Old Testament. But now let’s see what Jesus does with these sayings and what he says we need to do now;
Read Matthew 5: 38-42
38; 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.
You know, this is easy to read but nearly impossible to actually follow. Let’s do a reality check here. Mr. Lawrence Carter is a big man sitting in this congregation. If I walked down there and gave him a full slap in the face right now… does anyone here believe he is going to turn his head and give me the other cheek to slap? No, he is going to ball up his fist and send me across three pews.
We are taught by our fathers and by the street that as men, we dare not allow someone to humiliate you like that without giving back to him more than what was given to you.
Being a Christian means that we have to live as Jesus wants us to live and there is nothing easy about being a Christian. I hate it when people say you are a Christian because you need a crutch. I say you are a Christian because you are brave enough to stand apart from the world.
40-41; 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.
Jesus was referring to the Romans. Under the Roman empire, if you were not a Roman, any Roman soldier could stop you -even if you were going in the opposite direction that he was, and he could order you to carry something for him for a mile. And you had to do it. … It was cruel and meant to make the non-Roman to feel like less of a person. And Jesus said to walk 2 miles instead. Wow. Anyone still think being a Christian is easy?
42;Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Similarly, in the book of Luke 6: 30-31;
Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask for them back. And just as you would want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
So, lets see if we can get a handle on this. If somebody takes something of ours…. Don’t ask for it back? Really? Do you see how this idea of being a Christian isn’t really as easy as it may seem?
These are hard things that Jesus is asking us to do. I’m not there. He is working on me but I’m not there.
So does that mean that I am not a Christian because I am choking on some of Jesus’ words. No. Not at all. God knew I wasn’t perfect when he accepted me into the family. Are any of us there yet? I doubt it.
Is there a time or stage in our life when we are perfected and able to be everything that God would have us be? Yes.
…right after your last breath.
So, since we will never really obtain that perfection in this life, why do we even try?
Because that is what God wants from us. Not perfection but that we do our best to try. And when we mess up, we fail, we lose our way… get back up, dust yourself off, and get back to doing what is right.
If you are honest with yourself, you will admit this morning that you aren’t where you need to be.
So what did we learn?
-Do good to please God -not man. So give but don’t broadcast what you give or that you give.
-Also, we are to not only love those that love us but to love our enemy.
If we can just grasp these two lessons that Jesus taught on his Sermon on the Mount, part of the Beatitudes, we will come a long way to getting closer to God and further from the standards and morals of this world.
Who wants to be the first to come this morning?
