Jesus—His Life and Message: The Sermon on the Mount

(You can read about the intent for and overview of this series in this introductory article.)

The Law and the Prophets (Part 2)

In part one, we read how Jesus stated that the righteousness of those who dwell in the kingdom of God must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. He also said that He wasn’t abolishing the Law and the Prophets (the Hebrew Scriptures), but rather came to fulfill them. Jesus then gave six examples which illustrate a concept of righteousness which goes beyond the keeping of the Law as prescribed by the scribes and Pharisees and addresses the roots of our actions in our hearts and spirits. These examples are presented as contrasts between what “was said” in Scripture and Jesus’ fuller and more expanded explanation of what these scriptures mean to those who follow Him.¹

The form Jesus used to express what He was teaching was “you have heard that it was said … but I say unto you …” In the first instance, He states: “You have heard that it was said to those of old …” In four of the next five examples the phrase is shortened, but the meaning is the same. Jesus was conveying that while the Law made a statement, such as “you should not murder,” He was now giving it a more comprehensive meaning.

Each of the six examples Jesus cited is based on a passage or theme in the Mosaic Law. The first of the six statements says: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’”² The King James Bible translates “to” as “by” so that it reads: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Newer English translations, including the New King James, translate it as meaning that it was said to them and not by them. Some examples of newer translations are “those of old,” “the people long ago,” “our ancestors were told,” “the ancients were told.” These are more accurate translations. Using “by them of old” gives the impression that “those of old used to say …” and now Jesus was giving the right interpretation. However, that isn’t the case. Jesus was contrasting what was stated in the Torah, the books of Moses, with His fuller interpretation. Each of the six examples used the phrase “it was said.” The Greek word used for “said” in all six examples is only used in the New Testament to refer to something which God had spoken.³ It wasn’t referring to the teaching of the Pharisees.

The six examples include murder, adultery, divorce, the swearing of oaths, retributive punishment, and love of neighbors. When speaking about each of these, Jesus brings out general principles regarding living His teachings.⁴ The first principle is that it is the spirit of the Law that matters, not the letter only. For example, looking at the commandment “You shall not murder,”⁵ Jesus goes beyond looking at only the outward action of murder. He speaks of anger and contempt, which while they may or may not result in outward action, can be sins against God and others. To truly keep the Law, to follow the spirit of the Law, is more than a matter of not doing the one thing which the Law states. Jesus addresses the inward core of our deeds—our attitudes, our motives, and the thoughts and intentions of our heart. God is concerned with the inner source that leads to the action as well as the action itself. To fulfill the intent of the Law is not only refraining from murder; it’s refraining from having contempt and hatred for others, working toward forgiveness, and having an attitude toward others which is positive and loving.

Another principle Jesus brings out is that the Law should not only be conceived of as a list of all the things that we shouldn’t do, with all the “thou shalt nots” at the forefront. Our focus isn’t meant to be on the things we’re not supposed to do, but rather on living in a manner which is pleasing to God and glorifies Him. We are to be discovering and following God’s will, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, living in a Christlike manner.

Jesus gave a new outlook and understanding that is meant to move us beyond following set regulations, the “don’t do this or that” mentality, and toward living according to the principles that underpin the Law as set out in His teachings.

The goal is not to follow a set of rules which will make us good and pleasing to God. The true goal is to be in relationship with Him, to live for His glory. The question isn’t whether we’re mechanically following a specific set of rules, but whether we are being Christlike, and whether our inner life is synchronized with what He has taught. We may not have committed murder, but have our hearts and thoughts been full of anger and contempt? If they are, then we are sinning.

Jesus used the six examples to help His followers move beyond Law-keeping and have a deeper understanding of the principles behind the original Law. He was creating a new people of God, those who would live within the kingdom or reign of God, who would go beyond finding righteousness in obedience to a set of rules and would focus on aligning themselves with the spirit and intent of God’s Law.

Let’s take an even closer look at the first example:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.⁶

The Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures) contains the commandment not to commit murder and declares the penalty of death for those who do. You shall not murder.⁷ Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.⁸ The book of Numbers⁹ defines murder by giving examples: striking another human with a fatal blow with an iron object, a stone, a wooden object, or a fist, or intentionally shoving or throwing something at a person so that the person dies. The person who commits the intentional act of murder, after being properly tried and judged guilty, was to be put to death by “the avenger of blood.”¹⁰ The book of Numbers also differentiates between intentional murder and manslaughter, where one kills another without premeditation or intent.¹¹ A person who committed manslaughter would be protected from the avenger of blood by going to one of the cities of refuge.¹²

Most contemporary Bible translations render the verse as You shall not murder. The King James translates it as Thou shalt not kill. Murder is a more accurate translation, as it differentiates from accidental killing, killing in self-defense or in defending another, killing in war, etc.

When Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment,” He was referring to the various Old Testament verses regarding murder, the procedures for determining guilt, and the penalty.¹³ The Mosaic Law was clear about not committing murder, but Jesus taught us to go deeper than what was prescribed by the Law, to what was behind the act of murder.

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother¹⁴ will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

The principle Jesus was teaching is that actually committing murder is only the outward manifestation of an inward attitude.¹⁵ He speaks of anger and insults, saying that those who demean others with insulting words will be judged by God. Some translations render the sentence about insults as whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council.¹⁶ Raca, an Aramaic word, is only used in the Bible this one time and is an insult understood to mean an empty-headed or stupid person. Other translations render it as good-for-nothing, a fool, an idiot.

Murder is an act which proceeds from the intent of one’s heart. Hatred, anger, or contempt generally precede such an act. Jesus makes the point that people might feel they are in right standing with God because they haven’t committed murder, but in order to correctly understand and interpret the meaning of this commandment, we have to go to the root of the intent. He’s causing the hearers to face questions such as, have they ever been unjustly angry with someone, hated them, or held them in contempt, verbally abused or degraded them, or committed character assassination? Have they ever wished someone were dead? If they have, then they are guilty of sinning against God and others, even though they did not go as far as the actual act of murder. His point is that it’s not enough to simply obey the written code of the Law; what’s in the heart and mind matters as well.

There are some examples in the Gospels of Jesus getting angry. When He asked the Pharisees if it was lawful to do good or to save a life on the Sabbath and they refused to answer, He looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.¹⁷ He showed anger when He drove out those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of money-changers.¹⁸ He even called the Pharisees blind fools when He was castigating them for being hypocrites.¹⁹ Was Jesus being inconsistent?

D. A. Carson explains:

There is a place for burning with anger at sin and injustice. Our problem is that we burn with indignation and anger, not at sin and injustice, but at offense to ourselves. In none of the cases in which Jesus became angry was his personal ego wrapped up in the issue. More telling yet, when he was unjustly arrested, unfairly tried, illegally beaten, contemptuously spat upon, crucified, mocked, when in fact he had every reason for his ego to be involved, then, as Peter says, “he did not retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats.”²⁰ From his parched lips came forth rather those gracious words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^{21 22}

Jesus went on to give an illustration of what it means to live beyond anger and in reconciled relations with others.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

This illustration makes the point that reconciliation with another is more important than the sacredness of offering a sacrificial gift in the temple.²³ Considering that Jesus spent most of His time preaching in Galilee, telling someone to leave their gift at the altar—which was in Jerusalem—and to reconcile with his brother who was most likely in Galilee, He was suggesting they do something that would have required about a week of travel! This reflects the importance Jesus placed on having a right relationship with others and taking decisive action, as needed, to repair such relationships.

Jesus followed with another illustration:

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

In Jesus’ day, a person who didn’t pay his debts could be thrown into debtors’ prison until the money owed was paid. In saying “come to terms with your accuser before you go before the judge,” Jesus was stressing the urgency and importance of personal reconciliation, of finding peace in our personal relationships.

Scot McKnight wrote:

I am thinking we would do better to ponder the ordinariness of Jesus’ examples: immediately suspending what we are doing to find peace with our own relations. What comes to mind for me are the relations of husbands and wives, the relations of fathers and mothers to children, of sibling relations, and of the relations of neighbors and community members and those with whom we work. It is far too easy to ponder reconciliation of monstrous problems like those in Rwanda, than it is to ponder the day-to-day pursuit of peace and reconciliation in our own relations. Here’s the nub of the issue: we must be intentional about reconciliation for it to become a pervasive lifestyle. We must ponder those with whom we are not living fully reconciled lives, and those who may not even know that we are harboring bitterness and resentment. Reconciliation is not likely to be something that happens to us, as it is something we pursue.²⁴

To summarize: In Matthew 5:21–26, Jesus gave the first of several examples of how the righteousness of those in the kingdom is to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. He tells His followers to avoid anger; and, when it arises, to let it go through reconciliation. He emphasizes the importance of speedy reconciliation with those we have offended, in order to make the effort to heal broken relationships among God’s people. We should aim for health and wholeness among those in the kingdom.²⁵

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Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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