Jesus on Moses' Law-- Matthew 5:17-48
Some think that I am setting aside the Old Testament, especially Moses’ law—but I have not come to do that. Rather, I have come to complete the Old Testament. Pay attention, here: even the least bit of Moses’ law will stand written, until every minor part of it is done as it stands written. Therefore, whoever is lax with Moses’ law and teaches others to do the same—they may enter the coming kingdom, but they will be unimportant there. But whoever emphasizes obedience in their own lives and in others’, they will be called great in God’s kingdom. Unless you have a better righteousness than today’s Bible teachers, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.You’ve heard the teaching, how Moses told the ancients, "Don’t murder." Some tell you that God judges just those who are guilty of murder. But I command you that every person who is hostile to others is going to be judged by God. In the kingdom, the one who insults another will be condemned by the Supreme Court. And the insulter will be punished by hell.
If you wish to make an offering to God and remember that you have wronged someone, then don’t finish making your offering. Making everyone else wait, first go and make it right with the one you wronged—then go to God.
You are going to God with all of these around you. Whomever you have wronged will accuse you before God. And for your debt to them, God will put you under the authority of Satan and Satan will put you in judgment. And you will not be released until you have repaid your debt, even the smallest bit.
You’ve heard the teaching, "Just don’t commit adultery." But I say to you that if you even look at the opposite sex with desire to possess, then you have already intended to commit adultery, and so you will be judged by God.
If your good eye is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, pluck it out and throw it away. It is to your benefit to lose even a part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown away into hell. If your good hand is what is encouraging you to fall from devotion to God, chop it off and throw it away. It is to your benefit that you lose even a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown away into hell.
You’ve heard it taught, "If you want to divorce your wife, just give her a written notice of the fact." But I command you that if you divorce your spouse you are causing them to be unfaithful to your marital covenant—unless they have already been unfaithful. This means that if you marry a divorcee, you are committing adultery.
Again, you have heard it taught that Moses said, "Don’t break your oath." They teach you, "As long as you invoke God, you need to keep your promise." But I say to you, invoke nothing in your promises— not heaven nor earth nor Jerusalem. If you invoke any of them, you are ultimately invoking God— for heaven is God’s throne, the earth is God’s footstool and Jerusalem is God’s city. You might as well not invoke your head, either—it is God who determines what happens to your head. You don’t have the power to make a hair of it either white or black. Instead of invoking anything, just make a promise and keep it. Or don’t make a promise. But if you do anything else, you are an evil person, associated with Satan.
Some teach, "Whoever harms one’s eye must have his eye harmed, and whoever harms one’s tooth must have his tooth harmed." But I command you, do not resist an evil authority. As an authority wrongly slaps you, give him an opportunity to slap you again. As a creditor takes you to court to collect what he can, give him an opportunity to take more than you can afford. As a soldier conscripts you a legal amount, offer him more than the legal amount. If an authority demands something from you—give it to them. And if they insist on "borrowing" from you, let them have it.
You have been taught that Moses said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I command you to love your enemies and to pray blessings on those who harm you. Do this so you will be like your Father in heaven, and so you will be his children and so inherit his kingdom. God grants sunshine and rain to everyone without exclusion—no matter they are good or evil, righteous or unrighteous. God rewards only the righteous—but if you love only those who love you, how are you more righteous than any evildoer? If you offer blessings only to those you like, how are you more righteous than any pagan? So if you want God’s reward, then love without exclusion, even as the Father does.
posted by Steve Kimes @ 10:52 PM
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