The Place of the Lord’s Disciples in the World (Matthew 5:13-16)Seeing
that salt is a preservative (Matt. 5:13a), the very presence of the Lord’s people
on earth (the blessed ones of vv. 3-12) helps prevent total moral corruption that would otherwise necessitate
the world’s destruction. But if followers of Jesus fail to endure in the face
of worldly temptations, distractions, and persecutions (vv. 10-11), they lose
their Christlike influence and therefore serve no useful or impactful purpose
(v. 13b; cf. Mark 9:49-50).
As
Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5),1 it is said of
his faithful disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14a),
illuminating the realm of spiritual darkness and dispelling ignorance and sin
by living and proclaiming God’s word (cf. Matt. 10:27; Mark 4:21-25; Luke
8:16-18; 11:33-36). Note the broad-to-narrow focus: world … city … house (Matt.
5:14-16). The behavior and works of Christ’s loyal followers are observable,
with the express purpose of glorifying the heavenly Father (Matt. 5:16).
The
expression “Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16, 45, 48; 6:1, 9, 26; 7:11, 21) is not
found in the Old Testament. The expression “our/your Father” does not occur in
Luke, only once in Mark (11:25), but multiple times in Matthew (5:16, 45; 6:1,
4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 18, 32; 7:11).
The
Law of Moses and the Law of Christ (Matthew 5:17-48)
Speaking
to a pre-Christian Jewish crowd—at least two years before Christ’s new covenant
was ratified (cf. Heb. 9:15-17)—rather than taking
issue with or negating the Mosaic Law at this point in his ministry, Jesus
opposes wrongful interpretations of it. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.
I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and
earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled”
(Matt. 5:17-18).
These
listeners were assured that Christ’s purpose was not to nullify (destroy,
overthrow, abrogate) the Law or the Prophets. In fact, Jesus himself was an
Israelite who was amenable to the Jewish Law (Gal. 4:4; cf. Matt. 8:4), and he
kept it perfectly. Instead, his purpose was to “fulfill” (plēróō = to fill up or make full) all that the Law
and the Prophets had said concerning the promised Messiah.
One
of the primary aims of Matthew’s Gospel is to establish the fact that Jesus and
all that was accomplished in his ministry were in fulfillment of the prophetic
scriptures (Matt. 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:54,
56; 27:9, 35). Accordingly, these things were not to remain unfulfilled for
millennia after the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Once Jesus
accomplished his mission on earth, the role that the Law and the Prophets had
served for centuries was complete (see Gal. 3:16-25; Heb. 8:6-13). In other
words, when the intended purpose was fulfilled, that purpose then became
obsolete.
Contrary to what many have inferred from this
text, the Lord did not say that the old Mosaic legal system was to remain
binding until the end of time. Twice in this passage he uses the expression héōs án (“until”).
From the standpoint of his contemporary Jewish audience, heaven and earth could
pass away at any time. Yet the Lord affirms that until that happens
(whenever that might be), nothing will fail from the Law or the Prophets until
all things come to pass. This is a statement of assurance, i.e., the Law will
unquestionably be vindicated and will have served its purpose when Jesus has
completed his personal mission on earth (cf. John 4:34; 5:36; 17:4; 19:30).
The
six antitheses
of Matt. 5:21-48, rather than taking issue with the written Law
of Moses, contrast the traditional misinterpretations of the Law vs. the
loftier conduct expected in the Lord’s kingdom (cf. v. 20). Note, “You have
heard that it was said …” (Matt. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43), NOT “You have read” or “It is written …” The Law never states, “hate
your enemy” (Matt.
5:43b; cf. Lev. 19:17-18), but apparently this is what
these Jews had heard from their misguided teachers. The Law did not justify
unrighteous anger as long as it didn’t lead to murder, or lust as long as it
didn’t lead to adultery, or divorce for any or no reason, or questionable
oaths, or senseless retribution, or hatred …. irrespective of what others had “said”
to the contrary.2
Murder
Begins in the Heart (Matthew 5:21-26)
Anger
itself is not necessarily sinful (cf. Eph. 4:26), but it is when generated for
the wrong reason and/or expressed in the wrong way. Sinful anger leads to
sinful actions, like murder, or sinful words, like hracá (Aramaic “empty head”) or moré (“fool”).
The impulsive venting of hostility with hateful and insulting labels is what
Jesus condemns. Although saying the English word “fool” is not inherently
sinful (cf. Matt. 23:17), it is an English translation of Matthew’s Greek
translation of Jesus’ Aramaic description of something irrationally spoken from
a sinful heart – however that translates into English.
If
a brother has something against you, you
are responsible for trying to make it right (Matt. 5:23-24).
If you have something against a brother, you
are responsible for trying to make it right (Matt. 18:15).3
Adultery
Begins in the Heart (Matthew 5:27-30)
Sexual sin stems from the premeditation
of a lustful heart (cf. Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21; 2 Pet. 2:14; also Acts 5:4; Job
31:1; Jer. 5:8). Jesus
uses graphic imagery to stress the importance of ridding oneself of whatever
leads to sin, and avoiding what he describes as géenna
(Matt. 5:29-30). Plucking out the right eye and cutting off the right hand
is hyperbolic, highlighting the seriousness of sin and its consequences. While
the Grecized term géenna is rendered in most English versions as
“hell,” it is derived from the Aramaic gēhannā and its Hebrew equivalent ge Hinnom, meaning “Valley of Hinnom.” Similar to
picturing heaven with the most beautiful and precious things known to man
(e.g., Rev. 21:11-21), the Lord portrays the destination of the wicked with
imagery familiar to his listening audience. The most disgusting place
imaginable was the rubbish dump outside of Jerusalem (the Valley of Hinnom),
with decomposing carcasses and cadavers covered in maggots (“where their worm
does not die”) and its perpetual smoldering (“and the fire is not quenched”) (see
Mark 9:42-48).4
Divorce
and Remarriage (Matthew 5:31-32)5
The
current Jewish attitude toward divorce (succinctly stated in Matt. 5:31) had
apparently become as lax as their attitude toward other moral issues discussed
in this chapter. According to the Law of Moses, the death penalty could only be
administered “on the testimony of two or three witnesses,” without which
execution would be unlawful (Deut. 17:6-7; 19:15). In cases of adultery, the
availability of two or three witnesses would have been so rare that divorce
became an alternative (Deut. 24:1; cf. Matt. 1:19; 19:7-8).6
The
term used in Matt. 5:32 to express the reason for the divorce is porneía, generally referencing any kind of “unlawful sexual
intercourse” (BDAG 854). In the plural form it might be argued that this word
“points out the various factors that may bring about sexual immorality” (ibid.),
e.g., lust, fondling, licentiousness, etc., but in its singular form (as in Matt. 5:32; 19:9;
etc.), it refers to the specific act of sexual intercourse.
Being
remarried to someone else following an unlawful divorce, Jesus says, “is committing
adultery.” The verb moicháō (along with
its noun form moicheía) is a specific
kind of porneía, namely “adultery,” i.e., consensual sexual
intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her legitimate
spouse (cf. Lev. 18:20; 20:10;
Deut. 22:22; Prov. 6:32; Matt. 5:28; John 8:3; Heb. 13:4). It follows that if a divorce occurs without divine
sanction, God does not recognize the dissolution of the marriage, thus every
time the unscripturally remarried couple engages in sex, they are committing
the sexual sin of adultery.
A few chapters later Jesus is asked about the
“cause” or “reason” for a lawful divorce, and he gives the same answer, reaffirming God’s intent from the beginning: one man and one woman for
life (Matt. 19:3-6). He then contrasts
the written Law of Moses (still subject to misinterpretation) with what “I say
to you” (vv. 7-9). There are divorces the Lord does not sanction
and remarriages the Lord does not sanction, and vice versa (cf. also Mark 10:1-12).
--Kevin
L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Unless otherwise noted,
scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (1996).
2
The so-called Golden Rule (“do unto others
...”) is cited in the same discourse (Matt. 7:12), and just because it
summarizes “the Law and the Prophets” does not mean it is no longer applicable
as a fundamental principle in Christ’s new covenant system.
3 See K. L. Moore, “Conflict
Resolution (Part 1),” Moore Perspective (17 June 2026), <Link>,
+ accompanying Link (Part 2).
4 See K. L. Moore, “One of the
Worst Things About Hell,” Moore Perspective (9 Dec. 2012), <Link>.
5 See K. L. Moore, “Divorce and
Remarriage (Part 2),” Moore Perspective (7 May 2015), <Link>.
6 In John 8:3-11 Jesus upheld
the Law while the scribes and Pharisees were in violation of it. Both parties who
were guilty of adultery (not just one) were to be punished (Deut. 22:22), but
only on the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:6), and the witnesses
were to cast the first stones (Deut. 17:7). Without these legal requirements,
neither Jesus nor anyone else could lawfully condemn her (to death). See K. L.
Moore, “The Pericopae Adulterae,” Moore
Perspective (12 Sept. 2018), <Link>.
Related Posts: Matthew 5:17-20, Sermon on the Mount: Part 1, Part 3
Image credit: https://faithequip.org/the-sermon-on-the-mount/
