TBR Bible study -- Matthew 5

Matthew 5

The Beatitudes

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
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5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
​

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
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7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
​

8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
​

9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
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10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
​

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.


14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

17"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. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.


23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

An Eye for an Eye

38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

Matthew 5 is one of the most important chapters of the entire New Testament. The teaching recorded in this chapter is referred to as "the Beatitudes" (declaration of blessed people/things) and also "the Sermon on the Mount". There's a ton of things to talk about here, and I'm looking forward to digging into all of it with you guys.

 

Yeah, you might want to take chapters 5-8 in smaller chunks than a whole chapter at a time, given the wide range of topics that are listed back-to-back.

 

HB, will you discuss the divorce section, verses 31,32 I've always had a question about a "Biblical divorce" being for adultery, but "anyone who marries a divorced woman, causes her to commit adultery."

 

Oh, yeah. I'm definitely planning to.

 

There's an interesting reversal of methods Jesus shows here. Up until this point, He's been going to the people -- starting with Simon and Andrew, and over time a great deal more through healing and some teaching. This is the first time He really checks to see who wants to follow Him by heading up the side of a mountain and teaching just those who followed Him.

 

There are two key words/phrases that jump out to me in this verse: "blessed" and "poor in spirit".

"Blessed" in this context refers to a positive state of being -- basically, it's a good thing to be 'this', whatever 'this' is.

"Poor in spirit" is referring to having a humble soul. The Greek word translated as "poor" here is ptochos, which does translate as 'poor', but it's more about the social status of being poor. Ptochos can also be translated as 'lowly' or 'humble'.

So I think what Jesus is saying here is that it's not the religious leaders of that day who are the most favored by God. God favors people who are humble -- who know they're imperfect and appreciate God's love and grace. Knocking the religious head muckety-mucks down a peg or two became a major component of Jesus' three year ministry, and ultimately (I believe) led to His crucifixion.

 

I'm not sure if you wanted to address this chapter in a specific order, but I am interested in the verses on fulfillment of the law. I have often heard the opinion that the NT did away with the teachings or expectations of the OT, but this would seem to refute that.

 

I'm glad you clarified the meaning of "poor in spirit," because in modern language, it sounds like something very different.

What about the meaning of "meek" here? That word can have some positive connotations, but also has some very negative ones.

What does it mean to "hunger & thirst for righteousness?" Or to be "pure in heart?"

 

Verses 31 & 32 seem to be a reinforcement of God's intent for marriage and the closure of a loophole that was being exploited by the Jewish culture of that day. I think Jesus' intent here is to slam the door on that loophole and remind people of how seriously God takes marriage. I think He's saying here is that without adulterous behavior, any divorce certificate issued is illegitimate. Therefore if a man divorces his wife for a reason other than adultery, they're not actually divorced and any romantic acts with another man would be adulterous because she's technically still married.

In the Old Testament passage Jesus refers to (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), the certificate of divorce was given for impurity found in the wife after the wedding. Over time, the Pharisees apparently broadened the application of certificates of divorce to a point that was unacceptable.

Judging by the other abuses of the Mosaic law that Jesus called the religious leadership out on (basically finding ways to fulfill the letter, but not the spirit of the law), I think divorce had become pretty much what it is today -- anyone can get a "legal" divorce for any reason under the sun, which is a far cry from what God originally intended for marriage.