Text: Mathew 5:21-48
Theme: New Life Values
Plato likened the soul of a man to a charioteer whose task was to drive two horses. One is reason another is passion. Life is a conflict between these two. There is an inner tension between the good and the evil, Spiritual and carnal. All are living with this split personality. A desire for hidden things and a desire for purer life.
Introduction:
Mathew ends the sermon on the mount by saying that Jesus taught them with an authority (Mark1:22, Mathew 7:28-29). In fact, the word authority is a legal term. The Greeks used the word “exousia” for authority which meant - “the power to add and the power to take away at will”.
We know that the Law of Moses was unique, authoritative, holy and sacred to the Jews. No one was ventured enough to speak against or alter the teachings of the Law of Moses. God warned that if any one adds or removes or alters will be cut off from his people (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, 30:6, Revelation 22:18), but Jesus took that authority with him which was vested only with God, while he was teaching his disciples. He cited an earlier proposition of the law of the Moses which were theses and he made an authoritative counter proposition, or antithesis. It could be done by a person who is either Mad or God. Jesus was doing it either with grandeur illusion of madness or spiritual revelation. That’s why in some occasions Jews called him as Mad fellow. However, Mathew boldly records the bold declaration of Jesus was that “all authority has given unto me (Mathew 28:18, He taught with authority - Mark 1:27, He judged with authority - John 5:27). Sometimes they called him mad.
Jesus spoke six antitheses on the sermon on the mount. He called these teachings as surpassing standards of Life, or New Life Values set for the disciples, believers and followers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus taught a new look on the sins. He taught them that it’s no more an act but a “wish to Commit it or to do itself” is sin. Man will be judged not only by deeds but by his evil desires and wishes. Jesus was concerned about the thoughts.
1. The first antithesis was:
Anger is equivalent to Murder (Mathew 5:21-26)
Jesus was condemning even a wish to kill somebody. Jesus told them that anger without cause is a sin. Anger was expressed by Greeks with these two words: Thumos – the flame which comes from dried straw. It quickly blazes up and also very quickly dies down like unharmful crackers (G\; thdntbfs; ;). Another one is ‘orge’- it is an inveterate, long lived, nursed with indignation and wrath to be flamed up, broods further and will not die in the mind and thoughts till it completes the evil act.
Calling Raca (Aramaic term) refers to the tone and accent used by the person to contempt. Raca means brainless idiot, a silly fool, an empty-headed blunderer. Calling Moros refers to moral fool. So, such person is worthy to be cast in Gehenna. Gehenna was a place of filth, waste, useless, ever burning and never quenched and useless place equivalent to hell.
It originally refers to the valley of Hinnom south west of Jerusalem, Ahaz introduced the fire worship to Molech by burning his sons as an offering (2 Chronicles .28:3). King Josiah turned this into a garbage place to burn all the dusts and the scraps to burn day and night (2 Kings 23:10). There came loathsome kind of worms can’t be killed by fire (Mark 9:44-48).
How often our hearts become hell with all these elements by the heart of anger. Hence, the long-lasting anger is bad. The breach between God and man cannot be healed unless the breach between the man and man was reconciled and bridged. Bitterness breeds bitterness, enmity feeds enmity at the end split is inevitable. Apology leads to building up the relationships. Devotion, praises and offering to God can’t get along with the egoistic anger. Hating man and loving God is impossible. If you can’t love the person whom you see then how is it possible to love God whom we can’t see.
2. The second and third anti-theses are more or less one and the same:
A Lust is equivalent to an Adultery, Divorce leads to Adultery and destroys the institution of family (Mathew 5:27-32).
Rabbis said: “the eyes and the and the hands are the two brokers of sin”. “Eye and the heart are two handmaids of sin”. Today the world has opened the gates of the lust through all kind’s electronic appliances, they help the eyes to capture ads, porno's, movies, books and the jokes. They are skandalon (traps) for the believers. Looking at woman with deliberate intention of lusting after her make’s eyes cranky, stimulates the desire and awakens the passion. In fact, it is the window adultery Like window shopping. Death penalty was awarded for Adultery during OT times (Leviticus 20:14).
One of the popular Hindu Guru - said in one of his discourses after his sex scandal. I can enjoy the sexual pleasure in my mind and really not in body. ‘Sex is a mind game and not a physical game’. Pleasure can be experienced, enjoyed in mind without touching anybody physically.
But Jesus condemned these ideas and demanded the surgical acts. He warned his followers to the extent of removing eyes, removing hands are demands of the purity. So, Jesus was serious about sin and sanctity.
Saint Anthony went to the Egyptian deserts to live as a monk. He was tempted by Satan for 35 years about his sacrifices, such as, leaving his wealth, loving siblings, glories of life, earthly beauties. Finally, Satan took a form of a woman to entice him and was lying beside him on his bed. He has overcome that temptation.
Jesus Christ has grown among the cultures of Jews, Greeks and the Romans. We first must comprehend the kinds of marriages existed in all these cultures.
Jews had very high regard for marriage. Therefore, if anyone who refuses to marry was considered as a man who had lessen the image of God and had slain his posterity. That’s why God killed the sons of Judah (Genesis 38:7-10). Jews taught that Yahweh hated divorce (Mal.2:16). At the same time the divorce among Jews was Deuteronomy 24:1).
Jewish thoughts on divorce were influenced either by School of Shammai or School of Hillel. Former was conservatives and later was liberals. Former believed divorce was permitted only for adultery but the later school taught divorce bill can be executed for even petty things like adding extra salt in food, speaking with other men on the street, etc.,
Greeks believed that wife is a title of dignity and not for pleasure. Wives were kept in absolute purity and used them for having children legitimately and of having faithful guardian for all the household affairs. But husbands had courtesans for the sake of pleasure; they had concubines for the sake of daily living-together. They can dismiss their wives in the presence of two witnesses.
Romans believed home as the base of life. Marriage is a lifelong fellowship with all divine and human rights. Prostitutes were held as dishonored persons in society. First five hundred years of Roman rule there was not even a single case of divorce in their empire. But their contact with the Greek culture destroyed their own moral ideals and marriage become an unfortunate necessity.
Jesus taught that marriage must be built by love of both husband and wife. None can take it for granted. Freedom cannot be misused and none can be treated as property of one another. Today our society had gone out of marriage ties, wedlock. What does “#me too” movement convey to the society. Whom to blame man or woman. It shows how the morality of the society has gone down. People lost interest childbirth, rearing children. Interested to live together, live for pleasure, enjoy and die. Live a hassle free, duty free, responsibility free lives.
3. The fourth antithesis was:
Forswearing and truthfulness (Mathew 5.33-37)
Jewish Rabbis taught that God hates four kinds of personalities: Scoffers, hypocrites, liars and slanderers. How often we experience these people in the Church, how often we take one of these roles in our lives.
Jewish Rabbis also taught that the world stands on three things: Truth, Justice and Peace. In our language on Jesus.
Jesus taught his disciples to say YES as YES and No as No. People often respond how do I know, or I don’t know. The forswearing teaches us that using the most sacred words in a more meaningless way is sin. That’s why Jesus taught us that “Yes is Yes, No is No” beyond this is evil. Only evil people and liars will bring God, His throne, His Bible and His city for swearing in. in that way they want to fool others. They don’t take solid stand with justice. Today justice is denied and delayed because of the feeble witnesses and people with double standards.
Paul says, ‘Let your conversion be full of grace, seasoned with salt’(Colossians 4:6). James says, ‘If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check (James 3:2). David says ‘Keep your tongue from speaking evil and lies (Psalms 34:13). True Religious identity is keeping the tongue tight (James 1:26) and not to have loose talk. Peter Says ‘That will give you long life on the earth’(1Peter 3:10). Solomon says ‘With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor (Proverbs11:9). Beware of your friends and brothers they are deceivers and slanders (Jeremiah 9:4).
Destroying one’s reputation is greatest sin to be punished at hell. Arguments, debates and discussions are reciprocal. You are aware and sure of the persons who are against, who are truthful, who are concerned about you. But the person who spreads rumors is dangerous, unbelievable, they are pestering you and behave with indiscreet. Anything said without proof and verification is very bad and equivalent to murder. contemptuous speaking is worse, and the careless malicious talk to destroy one’s name is worst. I am one of the victims of the rumors for many years.
4. The fifth antithesis was:
Retaliation and submissiveness (5.38-42)
Jesus refers to the Lex talionis means a law of tit for tat which was very much existed among the Jews and even among the gentiles. Kindly read the passages, such as, Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, Deuteronomy 19:21 which are talking about this law. This is not savage (violent or ferocious) law but a law of mercy. This Law leads to limitation of vengeance.
Otherwise the tribes would have killed each other just for a loss of one teeth of their community man. So, this retaliation was not to be done on individual capacity but at a Jury level. Judge will try the case and pronounce the punishment (Deuteronomy 19:18). The punishment was never in the form of physical punishment but in the form of compensation of money: For injury, for pain, for healing, for loss of time, for indignity suffered. These were the rules laid in Lex Talionis. So, no more vengeance but compassion and abundant mercy (Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 25:21, 24:29, Lamentations 3:30) to the man who committed this act.
Jesus said at no account you retaliate or resent. No more rights concepts but responsibilities. Liberty takes the back seat and the duty, service to others take the front row of life.
5. The sixth anti-thesis was:
Hate and love (Mathew 5.43-47)
Greeks used four words for love: Storge, Eros, philia, agape.
Storge is found among family members, Eros found among husband and wife, philia found among the closest, nearest, and truest friends.
Agape love to the person no matter what that person does, no matter how he treats us, no matter if he insults, no matter if he injures, no matter if he grieves us. We will never allow any bitterness against him in our hearts but will regard him with that unconquerable benevolence and goodwill which will seek nothing but his highest good. Agape is the power to love those whom we hate, don’t like and who may not like us.
This is the hardest doctrine Jesus taught on the earth. Its impractical, very unrealistic. I found it very hard to practice it for the last 32 years in my ministry and for the last 37 years in my Christian life. In fact, I love my enemies who are in other faiths than my enemies who share same faith and same platforms. I love my enemies who serve in other organizations than my enemies in Methodist Church. I never seen any of my enemies who had shown this love to me who are called to be born again believers and minsters. One of my Christian enemy hired contract killers to eradicate me, another Christian enemy went to the sorcerer to see me on the stretcher, and another Christian enemy wanted to kill our entire family through rowdies.
If you challenge me, if you say that it’s not true with us. Then why we have hatred, enmity, departing from one another in the Church. If not, why we show our face down when we meet such person in our life. Search out your heart. How long you are going to run from one denomination to the another, one fellowship to the another.
One thing is true, when fullness of Christ and the fullness of Holy Spirit indwell us then this love can spring up. We can kill the bitterness only through our prayers. How the enmity with fellow worshipers, fellow believers remain as it is and how can we pray to God, how can we praise Him, how can we take the Gospel? These things and prayers can’t go together. Jesus meant personal relationship with one another is more important. God calls for perfection in functional activities (v.48).
I don’t know, where are you? What is your position in all these antitheses? If you are touched by the Holy Spirit commit yourself to the LORD. Take the first step towards perfection. May the good Lord bless you. Amen
