As encouragement to all of us still working through the end of the Sermon on the Mount, here is Pastor Sam Crabtree from Bethlehem Baptist Church reciting it from memory:
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Week 15: Matthew 7:7-12 (ESV)
[7] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
[8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
[9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
[10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
[11] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
[12] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Perfection
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48). As I read those words, I can’t help but link them back to “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” from Leviticus 19:2 (cf. Deut. 18:13). Yet I’ve learned that with that last verse what Jesus is saying has a narrow and a wide view. Jesus concludes his teaching on loving your enemies (narrow), and in a sense, his whole teaching about righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees and scribes (wide).
The Father shows his perfection to his enemies in the way that he loves them. We must have a similar love, controlled by our choice and will, not by how lovely the other person is. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We were loved when we were God’s enemies. To show God’s love, we will go – we must go – and do likewise.
Reflecting on this passage in light of its ties to Leviticus and Deuteronomy, Don Carson reminds us of the connotations in the word “perfect” – the “perfect” sacrifice without blemish and the blamelessness of God’s people. Perfection carries the weight of wholehearted obedience to all Jesus taught, a “complete” devotion to his teachings.
The key to this verse is “as your heavenly Father”. We emulate him in all we say and do. His perfection is the goal for all our thoughts and actions, for all our relationships inside and outside the community.
Love your enemies
In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus confronts the teaching to love your neighbor but hate your enemy. Perhaps this was a popular understanding similar to the Qumran communities, who taught a hatred of the “sons of darkness”. Perhaps such an attitude was informed by passages in Deuteronomy and Psalms which deal harshly with surrounding nations.
Of course, Jesus is also confronting our natural inclination to “hate” those who oppose us, who are different from us. It’s easy for us to develop an exclusivity around “neighbors” such that we tend to “love” only our neighbors.
Jesus says we cannot love only our neighbors, only those who are brothers or who love in return. Jesus says we must make an on-going effort to love all of our enemies. He takes a singular “enemy” and universalizes it into all “enemies”. Don Carson defines the love we should show as “generous, warm, costly self-sacrifice for another’s good.” We are also to pray for those who persecute us. We return good for evil shown to us. We shower good deeds on those who malign us (Romans 12:20; 1 Peter 2:12).
Jesus, the pioneer of our salvation, showed us how when he prayed for his enemies to be forgiven (Luke 23:34). Stephen, one of the seven chosen to distribute food to the widows, followed Jesus’ example when stoned to death by the mob (Acts 7:60). Our goal in showing this type of love is to be sons and daughters of our Father who is in heaven. Children reflect the character of their father. God’s treatment of the evil and the good, the just and the unjust, provides us with our motive and motivation to love our enemies. Grant Osborne said that we show the mark of God on our lives as we show love to and pray for those hostile to us. “God’s people should be different. It should be obvious that we are extra-ordinary, for our Father is extra-ordinary.” (S. Ferguson)
Week 14: Matthew 7:1-6 (NIV)
[1] “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
[2] For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
[3] “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
[4] How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
[5] You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
[6] “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Are you not of more value than they?
Sometimes when I read the Bible, I can get “fuzzy” on the details of what I’m reading since it’s something I’ve seen much of my life. Jesus’ parables and teachings can become too familiar when I allow my brain to think “I’ve seen this before; got it; next topic.” Yet, the Spirit breaks through my fog now and again. He shows me new things from old verses.
That’s what happened to me this week as I was reading and learning Matt. 6:22-26. I found myself drawn to verse 26 as if I’d never read it before. It says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
When you read that question, I hope you pause to answer it. It’s a rhetorical question from Jesus. The answer is “yes, we are more valuable than the birds.” Now instead of moving on to the next verse, pause and think about all that the verse implies. The holy, transcendent God values you.
Your true worth is not determined by what you eat or what you wear. Your true worth is bound up in how valuable you are to your Father in heaven. If you are a human being, then look and see your value in what God gave in love to the world – his one and only Son, Jesus. If you are a Christian, then see your value in your adoption as a son or daughter of your Father in heaven. See your value as part of the larger Christian community, the church, in that Christ is the groom and the church, his bride.
Week 13: Matthew 6:27-34 (ESV)
[27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
[28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
[29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
[30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
[31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
[32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
[33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
[34] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Generosity as a means of Christian fellowship
The Philippians exhibited generosity in large degree in their relationship with Paul. Although he was in jail and far removed from their presence, Paul’s need was something they kept in mind. They were prepared to help Paul whenever the opportunity presented itself. That’s why the church in Philippi sent Epaphroditus with their gifts to Paul.
Paul did not desire their gifts. He tells them that he’s learned to be content in any and every circumstance through the power derived from Jesus Christ. Yet Paul also describes how grateful he is for their gifts. He is “well supplied” with gifts that are “a fragrant offering.”
Paul says something even more incredible than that – generosity produces the fruit of righteousness! That’s what Paul wanted, an increase in their good works, their fruit, their profit – not necessarily their gifts.
Paul’s words remind us of several things as we enter this time of year focused on thanksgiving:
- The needs of others cannot be a remote thing. We must be prepared to sacrifice for others when the opportunity presents itself.
- Generosity builds up our treasure in heaven. God is well-pleased with costly devotion to him.
- Generosity is a means of Christian fellowship. It connects our hearts and minds with others in our church, our community, our country, and our world.
Week 12: Matthew 6:22-26 (NIV)
[22] “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
[23] But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
[24] “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
[26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
“Lex talionis”
The law of retribution, the lex talionis, is a law that many of us harbor secret desires to see fulfilled. “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” We want to see a “tit for tat” justice system where everybody else gets what’s coming to them – except us, of course. For us, we want (and plead for) the mercy of the court! In this passage in Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus addresses our natural inclinations to mete out vengeance and instead forces us to see that the way of the kingdom involves generosity, overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21).
The teaching Jesus focuses on comes from several Scripture passages in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:21-25, Leviticus 24:17-23, and Deuteronomy 19:15ff). The law was prescribed for the nation and not individuals. It was designed to restrict violent escalation by making the punishment fit the crime (so to speak). Yet, as fallen people, we enjoy striking back at those we feel have wronged us. We foster hatred and revenge when we ask “how much revenge can I get away with and still meet the law?” Grant Osborne tells us that in Jesus’ time, the law was rarely applied literally, most times relying on monetary retribution.
But Jesus tells us that we must renounce the right to confront a hostile person with violence. One example from Jesus is being insulted. A slap on the cheek in a society dominated by the right side would be a backhanded blow – an insult, worthy of a large fine up to a year’s salary. Jesus is not here condoning submission to physical abuse. He appears to be saying that we should accept dishonor, being in a degrading and vulnerable situation, rather than retaliate. The Bible is full of commands to confront mistreatment – especially mistreatment of the disenfranchised.
The remaining examples discuss not seeking legal reparation in lawsuits, doing more than required (with Roman conscription), and giving to those who ask (loans or possibly otherwise). They emphasize evil done to you and our response. We respond by giving up our rights to trade insults, by giving away our prized possessions, by giving our time to others, and by loaning our money to others. Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 ESV)
“It is the unworthy who have experienced the good things of the kingdom; and as they have experienced the surprise of unexpected grace so they act in a similar manner toward the undeserving among them.” (Hagner, quoted in Osborne)