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The Sermon on the Mount
5
1 Now seeing the crowds He went up on the mountain, and upon His sitting down His disciples approached Him.
The Beatitudes
2 And opening His mouth* This appears to be a Hebrew idiom indicating a formal or serious pronouncement. He started teaching them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,† ‘Meek’ is not ‘weak’, it is power under control. It was said of Moses that he was the meekest man in his time, precisely because he was also the most powerful. Jesus said of Himself that He was ‘meek’, and He was also powerful.
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.‡ In James 2:12-13 we read: “Speak and act as being those who are about to be judged by a law of liberty (the judgment will be without mercy to the one not showing mercy). That law exalts mercy over judgment.” This accords with the description that Jehovah gave of Himself to Moses, on that rarest of occasions: “Jehovah, God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children unto the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7). He keeps mercy to the 1000th generation, He punishes to the 4th; the proportion is 250:1. That is why it is important that we show mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted on account of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.§ These ‘beatitudes’ are in the third person and so presumably of general application. From verse 11 on Jesus uses the second person and so the specific application is presumably to His disciples. The first and last of these ‘beatitudes’ say, “theirs is the kingdom of the heavens”. In Matthew 18:3 the Lord will say we have to become like little children to enter the Kingdom—that is being ‘poor in spirit’. To face persecution, you must be committed.
For disciples
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and speak all kinds of evil against you, lying, because of Me. 12 Rejoice and exult, because your reward in the heavens is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt becomes insipid with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled down by the people.* ‘Christians’ who have caved in to the world's values and life style are like insipid salt—good for nothing except to be thrown out. (Insipid salt was thrown on the road, where it helped to keep down the dust.) The implications of this have become increasingly serious in today's world. 14 You are the light of the world. A city located upon a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and place it under the hamper, but on the lampstand, and it shines on everything in the house. 16 So also let your light shine before the people, so that they may see your good works and may glorify your Father, who is in the heavens.† Nowadays if you stand up for Biblical values you will probably be persecuted, not praised; but the darker the night, the farther a light can be seen.
Jesus interprets the Law
17 “Do not suppose that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota nor one tittle shall pass away from the Law until everything happens.‡ The Lord here makes an impressively strong statement about the preservation through time of the precise form of the Sacred Text. Since our only access to the meaning is through the form, any alteration in the form will alter the meaning. One of the most effective ways of annulling a commandment is to corrupt the Text—something Satan understands quite well. 19 Therefore, whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments and teaches that to the people will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens. 20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will absolutely not enter the kingdom of the heavens!§ Did you get that? If you are like the scribes and Pharisees what are your chances?
About respecting others, especially ‘brothers’
21 “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder, so whoever murders will be liable to the judgment.’* The scribes had diluted the Text—the Law demands the death penalty (Exodus 21:12). 22 But I say to you that whoever gets angry with his brother without cause will be liable to the judgment.† God hates injustice and will judge it. Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “without cause” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). NIV, NASB and LB favor us with a footnote informing us that “some manuscripts” add ‘without cause’—by “some” they mean 98% of them!! More serious, the shorter text has the effect of forbidding anger, which would contradict other Scriptures (Ephesians 4:26, Psalm 4:4) and the Lord's own example (Mark 3:5). And whoever says to his brother, ‘Numbskull!’ will be liable to the council.‡ The Greek text has a transliteration of the Aramaic term, raka. The idea seems to be that this was an offensive epithet that could lead to a court case, for defamation of character (or whatever). But whoever says, ‘You absolute idiot!’ will be liable to hell fire.§ This presumably involves an offense against God, denigrating His image, disparaging His work. However, note that the Lord is talking about saying this to a brother. He Himself applied this term to the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. Verses 22-24 deal with how we treat ‘brothers’. Consider James 4:11-12: “Brothers, do not speak evil of one another. Because the one speaking against a brother and judging his brother speaks against a law and judges a law. So if you judge a law you are not a law-doer but a judge. The Lawgiver and Judge is One, the One who is able to save and to destroy. So who are you (sg) to be judging someone who is different?” I was surprised to find the Greek ετερος here, which usually refers to a different kind. I personally do not enjoy dealing with ‘brothers’ who are too different; I would rather question whether they are really ‘brothers’ at all! But James tells me not to do that. Each person is different (background, experiences, personality, training) and we must recognize that God can and will deal differently with different people. He uses one ‘law’ with me, another ‘law’ with you, and so on. A law is a set of rules or demands, so when I judge a brother I am questioning the way (‘law’) that God is working on him. As He is both Lawgiver and Judge, I will have to answer to Him for how I judged my ‘brothers’. (For ‘different one’ the eclectic text currently in vogue has ‘neighbor’, following some 12% of the Greek manuscripts [as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.].) 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,* Verse 23 is linked to 22; insult or injury is involved—an overt action, an unpleasant scene that will presumably be alive in your memory. 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled with your brother and then, returning, offer your gift.† Verses 23-24 refer to moral debt, through abusive language. 25 Be agreeable to your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest the adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.‡ Verses 25-26 refer to financial debt, through property damage, a loan, etc. There is no doubt about the fact of the debt, and the time limit has expired; and you are on the way to court—at that point the only way out is to humble yourself and throw yourself on the mercy of the creditor.
About sexual sin
27 “You have heard that it was said,§ Perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts add ‘to those of old’ (as in AV and NKJV). ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.* If he had the courage and the opportunity, he would do it. 29 So if your right eye is causing you to fall, tear it out and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell.† This is literal, but mostly theoretical, since by the time people realize they are in trouble it is usually too late; they are already trapped. Perhaps this is why Hebrews 3:13 tells us to “exhort one another daily… lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”. Sometimes others see that we are in trouble before we do. 30 And if your right hand is causing you to fall, cut it off and throw it away; because it is better for you that one of your members perish than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 31 It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for a case of fornication,‡ Presumably a reference to premarital sex, where a groom discovers that his bride is no longer a virgin (like the situation that Joseph faced in 1:18-19). See Matthew 19:3-12. causes her to commit adultery,§ In that culture such a woman would look for another man as a matter of physical survival. and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
About swearing
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, because it is God's throne; 35 nor by the earth, because it is a stool for His feet; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your word be ‘yes yes’, ‘no no’;* Presumably this precludes any and all exaggeration, putting a ‘spin’ on things, etc. for whatever is more than these is from the malignant one.† Do we really believe this? If not, we had better go back to the drawing board. [!!]
About retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’‡ The reference is to Exodus 21:24, but verse 22 makes clear that it is “as the judges determine”—we are not to take the law into our own hands. 39 But I say to you not to resist the evildoer; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.§ Do not use physical violence to respond to physical violence—but we can use our spiritual authority. Animals must resort to force, but Adam was given dominion over the animals, which presumably was not exercised with physical force—we should not lower ourselves to the animal level; but Satan tries to trick us into doing so. If someone lashes out in anger, turning the other cheek should shame him.
40 “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have the cloak as well.* Do not use legal action to respond to legal action—but we can use our spiritual authority. If they are resorting to legal action they presumably do not want to talk it over, they are trying to impose something on us; so turning the other cheek could shame them. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.† A Roman imposition on subjugated peoples—any Roman soldier could compel a local non-Roman citizen to carry his pack one mile. A cheerful response to this humiliating situation could at least deprive the soldier of sadistic satisfaction, and maybe even shame him into carrying his own pack. 42 Give to him who asks you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.‡ Presumably this does not refer to professional beggars (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but to someone overtaken by adversity who needs temporary help, someone you know who is part of the community.
How to treat enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said: ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’§ Leviticus 19:18 says to “love your neighbor”, but not “hate your enemy”. The scribes had added an unwarranted inference. 44 But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,* Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, offer a truncated form of this verse (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). 45 that you may prove to be sons of your Father in the heavens; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your friends,† Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘brothers’, as in many versions. what are you doing extra? Do not even the tax collectors do so?‡ The reference to “reward” and “extra” suggests that the procedures previously enjoined are demonstrations of practical righteousness—we are to be examples, rise above the level of the surrounding society. Tax collectors were Jews, part of the community, but despised as traitors. 48 Therefore, you be perfect just as your Father in the heavens is perfect.§ “Perfect”—the Father is our point of reference; we are to be like He is. A standard is a standard; it is not invalidated just because we may feel that it is unattainable. Comparing this passage with texts like Deuteronomy 7:10, “He repays those who hate Him to their face”, and Psalm 5:5-6, “You hate all workers of iniquity”, I take it that we must distinguish between personal enemies (those who oppose us for personal reasons) and enemies of God and His truth. To be like the Father we also must hate workers of iniquity (because of the consequences to others).

- Matthew
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- 5
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*5:2 This appears to be a Hebrew idiom indicating a formal or serious pronouncement.

†5:5 ‘Meek’ is not ‘weak’, it is power under control. It was said of Moses that he was the meekest man in his time, precisely because he was also the most powerful. Jesus said of Himself that He was ‘meek’, and He was also powerful.

‡5:7 In James 2:12-13 we read: “Speak and act as being those who are about to be judged by a law of liberty (the judgment will be without mercy to the one not showing mercy). That law exalts mercy over judgment.” This accords with the description that Jehovah gave of Himself to Moses, on that rarest of occasions: “Jehovah, God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children unto the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7). He keeps mercy to the 1000th generation, He punishes to the 4th; the proportion is 250:1. That is why it is important that we show mercy.

§5:10 These ‘beatitudes’ are in the third person and so presumably of general application. From verse 11 on Jesus uses the second person and so the specific application is presumably to His disciples. The first and last of these ‘beatitudes’ say, “theirs is the kingdom of the heavens”. In Matthew 18:3 the Lord will say we have to become like little children to enter the Kingdom—that is being ‘poor in spirit’. To face persecution, you must be committed.

*5:13 ‘Christians’ who have caved in to the world's values and life style are like insipid salt—good for nothing except to be thrown out. (Insipid salt was thrown on the road, where it helped to keep down the dust.) The implications of this have become increasingly serious in today's world.

†5:16 Nowadays if you stand up for Biblical values you will probably be persecuted, not praised; but the darker the night, the farther a light can be seen.

‡5:18 The Lord here makes an impressively strong statement about the preservation through time of the precise form of the Sacred Text. Since our only access to the meaning is through the form, any alteration in the form will alter the meaning. One of the most effective ways of annulling a commandment is to corrupt the Text—something Satan understands quite well.

§5:20 Did you get that? If you are like the scribes and Pharisees what are your chances?

*5:21 The scribes had diluted the Text—the Law demands the death penalty (Exodus 21:12).

†5:22 God hates injustice and will judge it. Less than 2% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “without cause” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). NIV, NASB and LB favor us with a footnote informing us that “some manuscripts” add ‘without cause’—by “some” they mean 98% of them!! More serious, the shorter text has the effect of forbidding anger, which would contradict other Scriptures (Ephesians 4:26, Psalm 4:4) and the Lord's own example (Mark 3:5).

‡5:22 The Greek text has a transliteration of the Aramaic term, raka. The idea seems to be that this was an offensive epithet that could lead to a court case, for defamation of character (or whatever).

§5:22 This presumably involves an offense against God, denigrating His image, disparaging His work. However, note that the Lord is talking about saying this to a brother. He Himself applied this term to the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. Verses 22-24 deal with how we treat ‘brothers’. Consider James 4:11-12: “Brothers, do not speak evil of one another. Because the one speaking against a brother and judging his brother speaks against a law and judges a law. So if you judge a law you are not a law-doer but a judge. The Lawgiver and Judge is One, the One who is able to save and to destroy. So who are you (sg) to be judging someone who is different?” I was surprised to find the Greek ετερος here, which usually refers to a different kind. I personally do not enjoy dealing with ‘brothers’ who are too different; I would rather question whether they are really ‘brothers’ at all! But James tells me not to do that. Each person is different (background, experiences, personality, training) and we must recognize that God can and will deal differently with different people. He uses one ‘law’ with me, another ‘law’ with you, and so on. A law is a set of rules or demands, so when I judge a brother I am questioning the way (‘law’) that God is working on him. As He is both Lawgiver and Judge, I will have to answer to Him for how I judged my ‘brothers’. (For ‘different one’ the eclectic text currently in vogue has ‘neighbor’, following some 12% of the Greek manuscripts [as in NIV, TEV, LB, NASB, etc.].)

*5:23 Verse 23 is linked to 22; insult or injury is involved—an overt action, an unpleasant scene that will presumably be alive in your memory.

†5:24 Verses 23-24 refer to moral debt, through abusive language.

‡5:26 Verses 25-26 refer to financial debt, through property damage, a loan, etc. There is no doubt about the fact of the debt, and the time limit has expired; and you are on the way to court—at that point the only way out is to humble yourself and throw yourself on the mercy of the creditor.

§5:27 Perhaps 10% of the Greek manuscripts add ‘to those of old’ (as in AV and NKJV).

*5:28 If he had the courage and the opportunity, he would do it.

†5:29 This is literal, but mostly theoretical, since by the time people realize they are in trouble it is usually too late; they are already trapped. Perhaps this is why Hebrews 3:13 tells us to “exhort one another daily… lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”. Sometimes others see that we are in trouble before we do.

‡5:32 Presumably a reference to premarital sex, where a groom discovers that his bride is no longer a virgin (like the situation that Joseph faced in 1:18-19). See Matthew 19:3-12.

§5:32 In that culture such a woman would look for another man as a matter of physical survival.

*5:37 Presumably this precludes any and all exaggeration, putting a ‘spin’ on things, etc.

†5:37 Do we really believe this? If not, we had better go back to the drawing board.

‡5:38 The reference is to Exodus 21:24, but verse 22 makes clear that it is “as the judges determine”—we are not to take the law into our own hands.

§5:39 Do not use physical violence to respond to physical violence—but we can use our spiritual authority. Animals must resort to force, but Adam was given dominion over the animals, which presumably was not exercised with physical force—we should not lower ourselves to the animal level; but Satan tries to trick us into doing so. If someone lashes out in anger, turning the other cheek should shame him.

*5:40 Do not use legal action to respond to legal action—but we can use our spiritual authority. If they are resorting to legal action they presumably do not want to talk it over, they are trying to impose something on us; so turning the other cheek could shame them.

†5:41 A Roman imposition on subjugated peoples—any Roman soldier could compel a local non-Roman citizen to carry his pack one mile. A cheerful response to this humiliating situation could at least deprive the soldier of sadistic satisfaction, and maybe even shame him into carrying his own pack.

‡5:42 Presumably this does not refer to professional beggars (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but to someone overtaken by adversity who needs temporary help, someone you know who is part of the community.

§5:43 Leviticus 19:18 says to “love your neighbor”, but not “hate your enemy”. The scribes had added an unwarranted inference.

*5:44 Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, offer a truncated form of this verse (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

†5:47 Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘brothers’, as in many versions.

‡5:47 The reference to “reward” and “extra” suggests that the procedures previously enjoined are demonstrations of practical righteousness—we are to be examples, rise above the level of the surrounding society. Tax collectors were Jews, part of the community, but despised as traitors.

§5:48 “Perfect”—the Father is our point of reference; we are to be like He is. A standard is a standard; it is not invalidated just because we may feel that it is unattainable. Comparing this passage with texts like Deuteronomy 7:10, “He repays those who hate Him to their face”, and Psalm 5:5-6, “You hate all workers of iniquity”, I take it that we must distinguish between personal enemies (those who oppose us for personal reasons) and enemies of God and His truth. To be like the Father we also must hate workers of iniquity (because of the consequences to others).

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD