Day 5,
Matthew 5 
Today is one of those
days that I wish I was allotted more than 700 words! If you are interested in
learning more about the Sermon on the Mount, I've written much more
extensively about it here.
In the Beatitudes, as
they're called, Jesus lists the identifying characteristics of the blessed and
the blessings they can anticipate. If you look at those blessings closely,
you'll notice that they are all various aspects of what the blessed will enjoy
in the kingdom of heaven. Thus, by examining ourselves in the light of the
identifying characteristics of the blessed, we can determine if we are on the
road to heaven or not.
Have you recognized
your spiritual poverty, mourned over your sins, and humbled yourself in
repentance, now longing for righteousness (5:3-6)? Having received God's mercy,
have you become merciful towards others (5:7)? Is your heart pure, so that your
holiness is not just a thin veneer of religiosity like the Pharisees (5:8)? Are
you working to help others make peace with God through repentance, even those
who may persecute you for your righteousness (5:9-11)? If you can answer in the
affirmative to those questions, you are on the road to heaven, blessedly
transformed by God's grace.
The fact that holiness is the
mark of true believers is further affirmed in 5:17-20, pivotal verses in this
sermon. Jesus declared that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the
scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. He elaborated
on that theme in much of the remainder of His sermon, repeatedly exposing the
unrighteous doctrine and practice of the scribes and Pharisees so that His
followers would know how to do better.
The Pharisees were
contentious, murderers at heart, and focused more on rituals than
relationships; Jesus expects His followers to love each other dearly and
reconcile when there is division, as love is the important thing (5:21-24). The
Pharisees kept the letter of the law prohibiting adultery, but lustfully
ignored the spirit of it, and divorce was rampant among them. Jesus expects
much more from us (5:27-32). The scribes and Pharisees had invented elaborate
means to justify lying (for more on this, see 23:1-36); Jesus expects us to
always speak simple truth (5:33-37). By misapplying scriptures meant for judges
in Israel's court system, the Pharisees justified taking personal revenge for
the pettiest of offenses. Jesus expects us to be merciful even to our enemies,
displaying a love that is superior to the world's, imitating our merciful
Father (5:38-47).
Don't make the error
that so many do when they read Jesus' oft-repeated statements, "You have
heard that it was said...but I say to you..." Jesus was not correcting and
contradicting Old Testament statements of His Father. He was not altering moral
law. Remember, He declared early in His sermon that He had not come "to
abolish the Law or the Prophets," but to fill them to the full (5:17).
What Jesus was correcting was the false teaching of the scribes and Pharisees,
who had twisted God's commandments for their own convenience. This is
especially clear, for example, in Jesus' words, "You have heard that it
was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy'" (5:43). The
second half of that statement was obviously the teaching of the scribes and
Pharisees.
Do you want to be
great in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus revealed the secret: Obey and teach the
commandments (5:19). We will learn as we continue to study the New Testament
that, under the New Covenant, we are to obey the law of Christ (which
consists of all His commandments), rather than the Law of Moses, which was
given to Israel alone (see 1 Cor. 9:19-21). This is not to say, however, that
there isn't plenty of overlap between those two laws. Lust was a sin under the
Old Covenant (see Ex. 20:17), and it remains so under the new covenant (5:28). Incidentally, loving one's enemies is not a new concept under the new
covenant (see Ex. 23:5 and Prov. 25:21-22).
Clearly we see from
today's reading that there is a relationship between holiness and heaven. Those
who truly believe in Jesus obey Him.
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