Matthew 5

v.2 Here Jesus is teaching the disciples, not the world.

In interpreting Scripture certain guidelines need to be followed: (1) The understandable and natural meaning is usually the correct interpretation. (2) If the interpretation of Scripture makes the meaning seem absurd, then the interpretation is wrong. (3) If the interpretation contradicts the general body of scriptural truth, then it is wrong. (4) If the Bible is approached with pre–conceived thoughts or ideas, the interpretation will suffer.

v.3-16 These Beatitudes list seven characteristics that make up the Christian character. The eighth Beatitude deals with the reaction of the world to these traits. These characteristics are all interrelated and progressive. The Beatitudes are not natural characteristics, and they actually create a sharp distinction between the Christians and non-Christians concerning the things they admire and the things they seek.

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

v.3a “Blessed” in the Greek means “Oh, how happy!” True happiness is a byproduct of a right relationship with God, and cannot be discovered by direct pursuit.

The first three Beatitudes have to do with our response to the revelation of God. (Romans 7:9; Luke 18:11) This first characteristic of the child of God is a foundation that God can build upon. God cannot build upon the foundations of pride, self will, or our own ambitions. God’s process is usually that of emptying before filling. (Luke 2:34; Jeremiah 1:10) A man who is truly poor in spirit will not be admired by the world. (Luke 16:15) “Poor in spirit” indicates a willingness to surrender to the authority and control of God, so that He might govern our lives. We will not be making demands, because we see ourselves as unworthy and undeserving of His blessings. (Genesis 32:10) Poverty of spirit is a consciousness of our own sinfulness and spiritual bankruptcy. (Isaiah 6:5; Daniel 10:8; Luke 5:8; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Psalms 8:3-4) The way to happiness is poverty of spirit. (Luke 18:10-14; Matthew 7:13)

v.3b In the New Testament the “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” are used interchangeably. The “kingdom of God” refers to God’s sovereign rule over the whole universe. of which the “kingdom of heaven” is a part.

There are two aspects to the kingdom of heaven: (l ) Present—The kingdom of heaven has come to those who have submitted themselves to Jesus to be governed by Him. (2) Future—The King will come to reign over the earth. The Kingdom of heaven will then be on earth. (Matthew 6:10; Revelation 11:15)

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN

v.4a The word “mourn” in the Greek is the most intensive kind of mourning. It is the same word used when Jacob thought that his son Joseph was dead. (Genesis 37:34-35)

Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3; John 8:57, 11 35; Luke 19:41; Matthew 23:37) There are three interpretations for mourning: (1) A very bitter, deep sorrow for the loss of a loved one, or a deep abiding sorrow from an impairing affliction resulting in a quality of character that can only be developed by suffering. (2) Mourning over the conditions of the world and the feeling of helplessness to do anything about it. When Jesus mourned over Jerusalem, He was grieving over the sin of the world. (Matthew 23:37-39) (3) Mourning over our own sinful state. Being poor in spirit creates a mourning over our own shortcomings and sins.

v.4b We’re comforted as God cleanses us of our unrighteousness and sins. (II Corinthians 7:10). We’re comforted by the hope of the better world that is promised to us. (Isaiah 2:4, 11:9)

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

v.5a When we realize the truth about ourselves, our attitude towards others is one of meekness. Meekness is related to lowliness, (Matthew 11:29; Ephesians 4:2) gentleness, (II Corinthians 10:1; Titus 3:2) and learning the Word of God. (James 1:21; Isaiah 61:1) We are to seek meekness. (Zephaniah 2:3) In the Greek the word for “meek” means “a happy medium between two extremes.” Meekness is moderation. A meek person can have anger when others are treated unjustly, but not be angry when he is unjustly treated. (Mark 3:1-5; John 2:13-16)

Another meaning for “meek” is “to domesticate a wild animal.” A life controlled by God produces meekness. Meekness is having others see the truth about ourselves and giving honor to others. The Jews didn’t expect their Messiah to be meek. They were anticipating His overthrow of the Roman government by force. (Philippians 2:3) We have examples in the Bible of men that were meek: Abraham, (Genesis 13:5-9, 21:22-34) Moses, (Numbers 12:3) David, (I Samuel 24) Stephen, (Acts 7:59-60) Paul, (Acts 26:21-22) and Jesus. (Philippians 2:5-8; John 4:34; Mark 14:36)

v.5b In a sense, a meek person has already inherited the earth, because he is a satisfied person. He has learned that happiness doesn’t lie in his possessions, but in a relationship with God. (Philippians 4:11) In the coming Kingdom when Jesus reigns, the meek will reign with Him.

TO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS

v.6a The first three Beatitudes were the emptying process. Now we come to seek for an answer to our helplessness. In the Greek this verse denotes one of desiring, not just a portion, but all of the righteousness of God. The primary purpose of the Church isn’t to take care of symptoms such as starvation and crime, but to bring the Gospel to men so that they will be brought into a position of hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Righteousness cannot be achieved in our own strength; it is a standing before God. God has imputed to us righteousness because we believe in Jesus Christ There are two types of righteousness: (1) Of the law, which at its best leads to self-righteousness which results in judging others. (2) Righteousness given by God through believing in Jesus Christ This is the righteousness of Christ. We cannot improve upon this righteousness, and it leads to gratefulness. Righteousness is being right with God and our fellow man. We’re not to hunger and thirst after happiness, but after righteousness. Blessed is the man, not who is righteous, but who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. It isn’t necessarily righteousness itself that brings happiness. (I Kings 8:18)

v.6b We shall be filled with righteousness.

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL

v.7a God is merciful (Psalms 103:8,11). Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. After being filled, we become what is described in the next three Beatitudes. Because we have received the mercy of God through repentance, we can be merciful. If we aren’t merciful, we haven’t actually received God’s mercy. Those who have received forgiveness show forgiveness.

The Greek word for “mercy” has its root in the Hebrew word meaning “to get inside someone else’s skin.” This means that you can totally identify with what he’s seeing, thinking, and feeling. (Ezekiel 3:15) God came “into the skin” of man through Christ in order to be able to identify with us. Sympathy is to suffer together or to experience together the pains and sufferings of others. (Luke 10:30-37)

The Gospel places the emphasis on what we are, not on what we are doing. (Ephesians 1-4) Because of this, the call to action is wrong. If we’re what God wants us to be, we’ll do what God wants us to do (Galatians 2:20; II Corinthians 5:17).

v.7b The Beatitudes are like a beacon light that calls us to self–examination. If we’re merciful, then others will be merciful to us. (Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 11:28,31)

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

v.8a The word “pure” here refers to a purity that is the result of a washing. The heart is the center of one’s being, the throne, that of the spirit. The Pharisees were concerned with the outward observances of righteousness. (Matthew 15:2) God is concerned with the inner heart. (Proverbs 4:23; Jeremiah 17:9) The heart needs to be cleansed. (Psalms 51:10) Being “pure in heart” is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Christian has a renewed heart in an unrenewed body. (Mark 14:38; Romans 7:15-25; Galatians 5:17; Psalms 103:14)

v.8b We can see God in His creation, in the events of history, and in our daily circumstances. (Romans 8:28) In the future we shall see Him face to face. (I Corinthians 13:12; John 1:18; I Peter 1:8; John 6:46; I Corinthians 15:53)

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

v.9a The Jews were longing for the Messiah to lead them in war, to conquer all Gentiles, and to rule the world. Peace is more than a passive existence; it’s a very positive state of good. A peacemaker is more than one who stops quarrels; he brings good into other people’s lives. A peacemaker might become involved in great conflicts. As long as the forces of evil prevail, there is no way to have peace except by destroying them. Peacemakers deal with the corrupted issues so that there can be a true state of peace. Jesus was fighting against the corrupted religious system and for peace between man and God. (John 2:14-16; Matthew 23:27) Real peace can never be found in a compromise with evil. There can never be a peaceful coexistence with sin. (I Corinthians 5:7; Isaiah 57:20, 48:22) Peacemakers bring others to God. Man’s basic problem is that he has to be reconciled unto God. Barnabas, which means “son of consolation,” was a peacemaker. (Acts 9:26-27)

v.9b “Called” means “chosen.” “Children” means “sons.” This actually should say, “they shall be chosen as sons of God.”

God initiated peace with man. We should have this same desire. (Luke 2:14; Romans 5:1) When Jesus comes again to the earth, He will be called “Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6) Even within our own lives, God will never make a pact with sin. Our sins need to be dealt with.

PERSECUTION FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE

v.10 The Lord is upfront in telling us that we will suffer and that the world will not react in love and kindness towards us. (Matthew 10:16-25; Acts 9:1-16)

v.11 To be righteous is to be Christ–like. We’ll be blessed for being persecuted because we’re righteous, not because we’re fanatical or stupid. (Luke 6:26; II Timothy 4:3-4)

The doctrine stating that Christians only go through suffering and afflictions if they don’t have enough faith is inconsistent with Scripture. (II Kings 13:14; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Philippians 2:27; II Timothy 5:23) The religious people were the ones who persecuted Jesus, because they were challenged by Him. Sometimes persecution comes from religious circles.

v.12 As Christians we should face persecution:

(1) by not retaliating against our persecutors (Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60) (2) by not holding resentment against them (3) by rejoicing in the fact that this proves that we are God’s children and have a great reward in heaven (Romans 8:7; Acts 5:40,41). Because we’re His children, our position in His kingdom is secure. We need to remember that we’re His ambassadors on earth, and we represent Christ. We need to remember where we’re going. (II Timothy 4:8) The prophets were persecuted. (Acts 7:52) All of the apostles were persecuted for Jesus’ sake. They persecuted Jesus Christ. Persecution has strengthened the Church. (Romans 5:3-5)

THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Now that we are what we are, we should be these things.

v.13a Salt has several uses:

(1) At the time of Christ, salt was used as a preservative to kill bacteria and retard spoilage. The Christian should have a preserving type of influence. (2) Salt is used to add flavor. Christians are to add life and flavor to people’s lives. We’re to make every experience “taste” better because of our presence. (3) Salt creates thirst. Christians should create a thirst within others to know Jesus Christ. (4) Salt prevents infections from setting in. Christians are to have an antiseptic effect on the open sores of the world.

v.13b If we’re not having a savory effect on this earth, we’re good for nothing. Salt that is cast on the ground destroys vegetation. Jesus here is giving the ultimatum. Be either a purifying influence or you’ll find yourself under the weight of a fallen society. (Judges 13-16; Esther 4:13-16; I Timothy 4:16)

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

v.14a Exodus 25:31-40; Jeremiah 2:13.

In the Greek, Jesus is emphatically saying, “Ye and ye only are the light of the world.” The light of Jesus Christ is to be reflected in our lives. (John 8:12) Light has several functions:

(1) Light dispels darkness. Our lives should have such an influence that wherever we are, we dispel darkness. (Matthew 4:16) (2) Light reveals. The light of Jesus Christ reveals the darkness that is in others. (John 3:17-19) (3) Light shows the way out of darkness. We should be leading men out of darkness through that work of God’s love and Spirit in our lives. (I John 1:7)

v.14b People are going to notice if we are children of God.

v.15 We should not try to hide our relationship with God.

v.16 These good works should draw attention to Christ.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE LAW

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding concerning this relationship. (John 1:17; Matthew 15:1-3)

v.17a Christ was the fulfillment of the law: (1) There is no more need for sacrifice. Jesus became the sin sacrifice for the world as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). (2) Jesus became our sacrifice of burnt offering, the offering of consecration. (3) Jesus became our peace offering, making peace between man and God (Ephesians 2:14). (4) Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath law, which was the rest that God had given to His people (Hebrews 4:9-10). The law condemns all men to death and has no power to save. Christ’s death upon the Cross fulfilled the righteousness of the law. (Ezekiel 18:4; Isaiah 53:6; Colossians 2:14- 17) When Jesus came, He fulfilled over 300 prophecies from the Old Testament. (II Peter 1:16)

v.18 Jesus is saying that the law is to be fulfilled.

v.19 This verse refers to the relationship the law has to the Christian.

Our righteousness before God hasn’t been established through out own actions; it is based upon our faith in Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the law for us. (Romans 10:4; Galatians 5:4; Acts 15:7-20) Christ has fulfilled the righteousness of the law. God has imputed that righteousness to those who believe on Him. If righteousness could come by the law, then the death of Christ wouldn’t have been necessary. (II Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:10; Romans 5:20, 6:1,2,12; Galatians 2:20)

Because of our new relationship with God through Christ, God is giving us the power to will and to do of His good pleasure in us. (Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 10:16) There is a warfare going on between our renewed spirit and our flesh. (Romans 7:15-25)

TO EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

v.20a The true intention of the law was that we exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The law was to govern men’s attitudes as well as their actions. The scribes and Pharisees were the most “religious” people in the country. The scribes read and interpreted the law of God for the people. (Ezra 7:10) After the Babylonian captivity, the common people could no longer read the Hebrew language, and they depended on the scribes for the interpretation of the law. The Pharisees were a religious sect who spent their lives endeavoring to live by every detail of the law. They put the emphasis on the outward observances of the law and ignored the inward law of God. They obeyed the law with the wrong motive—wanting to be seen by men. The rest of Matthew 5 affirms the fact that God is more concerned with the proper attitudes that lead to the right actions. The Pharisees set certain standards of righteousness and sought to motivate others to conform to their standards. Jesus is the true standard of righteousness. (John 16:10) That righteousness is imputed to us through faith in Him. (Romans 4:5, 8:3-4; II Kings 5:10-14) This righteousness is manifested by the fruit of love in our lives. (I Corinthians 11:28)

v.20b Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:10.

v.21-48 Jesus wasn’t in conflict with the law, but He disagreed with what the people were being taught about the law. The scribes and Pharisees were disobeying the true intent of the law. They were thwarting the very purpose of God. Instead of being driven to despair through the law, they were resting in a false righteousness. (Romans 3:19-20, 9:30-33; Galatians 3:24; Hebrews 7:19) According to Christ, certain principles need to be followed when interpreting the law: (1) The spirit of the law is what matters most. (2) The thoughts and actions that lead to the obedience of the law are what should be judged. (3) The true intent of the law is to bring us into a positive relationship with God and our fellow man. (I John 1:3; Jude 24; Romans 8:3) It is wrong for us to take the illustrations that Jesus gives here and make a law out of them.

THOU SHALT NOT KILL

From this point on, Matthew 5 has to be looked at in the light of verse 20.

v.21 These Scriptures in the Old Testament have been placed together by the scribes and Pharisees, who weren’t looking at murder as a sin against God, so much as a sin against man.

v.22 The Lord goes back to the attitude of anger which perpetrated the action. “Raca” means “you vain fellow” or “you good-for-nothing.” God doesn’t want us to put down the value of an individual. (Matthew 8:36) “Thou fool” isn’t referring to a person’s ignorance. (Matthew 23:19; I Corinthians 15:36) The man who says “Thou fool” with anger and hatred will be in danger of hell fire.

v.23-24 Bitterness can stand in the way of fellowshipping with God. (Psalms 66:18; I Samuel 15)

v.25-26 Proverbs 15:1; Romans 12:18.

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY

v.27 Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10.

God established marriage vows so that the family unit could be strong. The breakdown of the family unit would have grave consequences. (I Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19- 21, 6:7-8; Romans 6:2)

We shouldn’t be continuing in sin as Christians. (Numbers 32:23; I John 3:9-10)

If we’re led by the Spirit, we’re not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18; I Timothy 1:9-10)

v.28 If we’re concentrating on not committing the physical act, then we’re thinking as the Pharisees thought. Even the tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet,” shows us that the desire for our neighbor’s wife is wrong. (Romans 7:7) The Lord is interested in what comes out of the heart. (Matthew 12:34, 15:16-20; James 4:1-6) Sin is born as we entertain sinful desires in our hearts. (James 1:13-15; Galatians 6:7,8) We’re not to join in with the worldly way of thinking. (James 4:4) We should cleanse ourselves daily with the Word of God. (John 15:3)

v.29-30 Jesus is stressing the importance of avoiding hell, even at the cost of losing a part of one’s own body. We dare not do those things that arouse our fleshly desires. (Romans 8:13; Matthew 26:41; Galatians 5:16,17)

In dealing with temptation there are certain things we should remember: (1) Do not think you can handle it yourself. (James 4:6-7) (2) Resist the devil. (James 4:7; II Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:7-13) (3) Start reading the Word. (Matthew 4:4-10; Psalms 119:11) (4) Draw nigh (near) unto God and He will draw nigh unto you. (James 4:8)

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE

v.31-32 Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

Because the hearts of the people had become hardened to God’s ideal plan for marriage, God wanted to establish this law to finalize divorce. There were two schools of thought in regards to the law.

(1) This major belief was held by most scribes and Pharisees. They interpreted “uncleanness” as meaning anything that was not pleasing to the man. This deprived the woman of her rights as the man could not be divorced against his will. (2) The other belief was that this law referred to moral “uncleanness.” Jesus is claiming that there should only be one cause for divorce. God’s intention for marriage is that they be no longer two, but one flesh. (Matthew 19:5-6; I Corinthians 6:15-20) The sin of adultery is pardonable. (Matthew 12:31; John 3:17-18, 8:7) This doesn’t mean that we can use the grace of God to cover our own sin fullness. (I Peter 2:16; Romans 6:1)

I Corinthians 7:10-16, 29:31; Acts 5:29.

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

God gave the law to prevent chaos and for our own benefit. (Psalms 1:1-3) To bear false witness is to lie. So often we lie to ourselves, to others, and to God. This leads to distrust, so that man has to swear to affirm that he is telling the truth. In Exodus 20:7 God said we shouldn’t take the name of the Lord in vain. This made an oath binding, and one had to abide by what he had said.

v.33 The Pharisees had created a legal way of lying, and they became clever in their speech.

v.34 Leviticus 19:12 says, “ye shall not swear by My name falsely.” This doesn’t mean that we cannot take an oath. (Matthew 26:63) God wants us to be trustworthy. (Psalms 15:4)

OUR PERSONAL RIGHTS

These verses need to be taken in context. If they seem unreasonable, then the interpretation is wrong.

v.38 This was originally given to instruct judges in what they should mete out in judging their cases. The scribes and Pharisees were incorrectly teaching the people that this was a personal duty to retaliate. (Romans 12:19)

As children of God we have renounced our personal rights. (Romans 1:1; James 1:1; Jude 1)

A servant or bondslave was a steward over his master’s possessions, but he had no rights of possessing anything that was his own. (II Corinthians 8:9; Matthew 10:24) Agape love is giving without asking for return. Phileo love is a reciprocal love. (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:11-12)

v.39a In the Greek this means “resist not the evil one.” We’re not to seek to get even in a personal way with the one who has wronged us. We can seek justice by going to the proper authorities.

v.39b Acts 23:3. This infers the blow to be one of insult, not one of physical injury. We’re to be able to take insults.

v.41 A Roman soldier by law could compel a man to carry the soldier’s gear for a mile. We should be courteous, considerate, and helpful.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

v.43 The Old Testament taught that we should love our neighbor, but nowhere does it say to hate your enemies.

v.44 Matthew 19:26.

v.45a We’ll be different from the people in the world. We’ll be Christlike and our actions will show that we’re children of our heavenly Father. (John 13:35; I Corinthians 12:25-26)

v.45b God doesn’t bestow special blessings through nature on Christians. God is good and rich unto all.

v.46 We don’t have the right to get even. (I Peter 2:21-23) If we seek to defend ourselves, God will not defend us. (Romans 12:19; Psalms 61:3, 46:1, 127:1)

v.48 This is God’s ideal requirement for man. (Philippians 3:12-14; John 6:28-29)