Matthew 5-7

Jesus is about to explain the kingdom, He’s not trying to sound spiritual or mysterious. He is explaining that only those who follow Him in discipleship will be the ones who make up the kingdom. Matthew has ordered the chapters in his book on purpose to best argue His main point, “Be and How to Be Disciples of Christ.” Chapter 1 introduce us to the Christ with many proofs in His family pedigree and with prophecy about Him. In chapter 2, He is still a young child Matthew has shown us two groups have already formed concerning Him, one to worship (wisemen) and one to oppress Him (Herod and Jerusalem). In chapter 3 we see a call to repentance by John and a calling to show fruits or works as a result of that repentance. The repentance call is for everyone to hear the message of the kingdom, the Gospel, repent and turn to Christ to be His disciples. In Chapter 4 Jesus resists Satan as a man, even though He could of done it as God. He refused to use supernatural power to defeat Satan because He was demonstrating how disciples of Christ are to follow Him. After leaving the wilderness victoriously, Jesus speaks with power and authority. This is the kind of life we can imitate in Christ as we follow in His footsteps.

Matthew 5. Jesus prepares the crowds and his new “disciples” for a teaching and explanation of God’s kingdom. In verse three, Jesus rightly begins with the mindset of those wishing to find entrance into the kingdom. “Poor in spirit” refers to the acknowledgment of our powerlessness without Christ. There reward in coming to Christ in this way is entrance to the kingdom. This poor in spirit is the essence of repentance that John and Christ had been preaching (3:2;4:17). Here in humility before the Lord basking in His presence never have I felt anymore safe and secure in His love and grace. Blessed is the man, the bible says, and so he is. Blessed is he that mourns, for by reason of Christ and His kingdom. Their promise is the the guarantee of comfort. Perhaps these are those that mourn over their own sin, or mourn from the oppression against them, but their reward is the sure comfort that Christ will deliver either now or in upon His coming (5:4). Now the poor in spirit and the mourners are also humble or meek in demeanor. Disciples must show these fruits in the walk with the Lord as the travel the road of of true discipleship. Anger, aggressiveness, temper, and controlling behavior is not the kind of the kingdom but of sinful man. The opposite is humility, meekness, gentleness, and love, such as the kind demonstrated by our Lord of Power. We face contradictions in our hearts towards what the Lord demonstrates for us in teaching and His own behaviour. But let us continue to mark the Lord’s example as our own in this life until we meet Him face to face.

More qualities of the disciple are shown for us: verse 6 speaks of the disciple’s hunger for righteousness. This hunger is the desire to do right for God and Jesus’ sake. The thing that pleases God should also be our pleasure to fulfill and demonstrate. Righteousness for God, rather than self-righteousness is pleasing to Him. As Jesus hungered for earthly food in the wilderness (4:2), yet He hungered for what pleased God more than own His bodily needs. Oh, how I have terribly missed the mark in my own life. But what is impossible with men is possible with God. The merciful (5:7), the pure in heart (5:8), the peacemakers,(5:9), are all characteristics of those in kingdom ie. the fruits that Jesus’ disciples should seek and strive towards. These virtues are all sown in a garden of humility. Such fruits are in majority unaccepted by the world’s philosophies and standards. The world will seek to persecute and ridicule kingdom seekers (5:10-11). The Lord Jesus will be first to reward His people for bravely and humbly face oppression for righteousness and His name’s sake (5:12)

Now “armed” with the peaceful weapons of humility, and meekness, Christ’s disciples are to turn the world upside down. They’re to be the “light” or “salt” of the earth. Matthew is writing as an disciple himself telling us how good God is, showing us evidences and proofs of Christ’s message and calling. The point is clear. We are called to repent and be disciples. Following our conversion we are to bear fruit (3:8). These fruits and good works that come from repentance is the light of the world. The vehicle of which the kingdom is displayed to the world (5:16).

Now Jesus’ message turns slightly to explain His own personal relationship to the Law and the Old Testament (5:17). Jesus’ doctrine of repentance and discipleship is not doing away with the Old Testament, rather He is going to establish it. The common misunderstanding that the Law was given for Jews to keep. But what Jesus says is so profoundly true, it cuts the religious self-righteous attitudes of the day. Jesus says, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (5:20)” This means the most religious, pious, and seemingly good people of the day was not good enough. If anyone things they’re going to gain entrance into the kingdom, then they will need a greater righteous that what man has never known before! This is probably where most people took offense to Jesus’ words. Because He is saying their good isn’t good enough nor will it ever be. Jesus continues to show them how even the best examples of men’s righteous falls short of the glory of God (5:21-48). Men who hold anger in their heart towards another is guilty of murder in God’s eyes and therefore unrighteous (5:21-26). Jesus teaches that even lusting after another in your heart is the same as adultery even if you haven’t committed it physically. This causes one to be forever unrighteous under the law(5:27-32). Already it is certain that even the Pharisees are guilty of such sins, and therefore without of entering the kingdom. Divorce was also rampant then as it is today and because of it, many are considered adulterers in God’s eyes and unworthy of the kingdom. Also, Jesus also points out the self-righteous man’s sin by exposing their habits to swear oaths. Swearing oaths on heaven, or God’s city, or even by one’s own hair on their head was considered taking God’s name in vain. Simply saying God’s name as a curse word is what commandment meant, even though it does certainly include it. But swearing oaths on God’s name or on heaven or by anything else out of man’s power was to take God’s name in a vain manner. A man has no power of any of things whereby he swears an oath, even his own hair color. All of those things man swears by is under God’s authority, not mans, thus taking God’s name in vain. Jesus said, anything more than saying “yes or no” invites evil and sin. This kind of preaching made Jesus famous and infamous. He continues, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil:…” It was common for anyone including Pharisees to retaliate when someone had done them wrong. But Jesus is calling for a righteousness unlike the Pharisees’. Giving away the cloak, and walking the extra mile surpassed what was excusable by the letter of the law. Of which the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were not known for their kindness in such manners. Jesus drives the point home with “loving your enemies” (5:44), a bewildering statement to Jewish leaders; giving alms in secret (6:1) Jesus often watched how the Pharisees and other gave in the temple only to cause attention to themselves. Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy in public prayers to be seen of men. They fasted hypocritically wanting to be seen as a person of great spiritual power (6:16). Many of the men present here had a love for money, though money is not chiseled like an idol, it became these men’s idol. The loved it more than God, therefore when choosing between God and money, their true master was easily seen. Jesus is systematically tearing down their false foundations. These men believed that they were true self-righteous enough to be accepted by God. But these arguments by Christ left people either speechless, humbled, or furious (7:29).

Finally, Jesus who knows men’s wicked hearts teaches that judging others will only condemn yourself in the same way (7:1). Jesus has proven without a doubt, that all present on the earth, including the best among us are sinners before the law. Jesus said before He had come to fulfill the Law, and so He shall. Only His righteousness in acceptable in God’s sight, thus we need it, and we need Jesus. He is the only one that has ever fulfilled the Law. So Jesus returns to main point of His sermon. The last few chapter have not been some spiritual babel about good works and mere recommendation for healthy living, but a call to repentance. Jesus likens the one who obey’s His word like the wise man who built his house upon rock. The wiseman’s house will stand because his repentance and works will be accepted in the day of judgement, but the foolish man who rejects Jesus for another way will see his house and all he has built crash to the ground. Matthew once again showing us by Jesus’ own word two kinds of people of the world, Jesus’ people and everybody else. Perhaps many people at that time didn’t not fully understand what Jesus meant, but captivated by His works backed up by the testimony of His life drew people to follow Him, which is entirely the point. But only those who truly renounced other ways, believed His word will bring forth fruits meet for repentance.