The Gospel of Christ
According to the Evangelist Matthew
Part 2
Meditations on
Chapter 5:1 – 11:1
Al-Hayat al-Fudla - Beirut – Lebanon
We introduce to you, with the help of God, the “Meditations on the Gospel of Christ according to the Evangelist Matthew,” which brings to light important guidelines in a commentary on this first and longest book of the New Testament, together with fundamental decisions of the Christian law.
The aim of our explanations is to give you a good understanding of the teachings of Christ, that you may study the rights of His new law, continue in your worship and cling to your Savior, according to His calls to repentance, faith and love.
At the end of every meditation, you will find a short prayer. We encourage you to pray it with us and complete it by adding words of your own, depending on your own needs, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and commit yourself to your good Shepherd.
After these meditations and prayers, you will find questions, which can help you to penetrate deeply into the Word of God. If you answer, in brief, 80 percent of these questions well and mail to us your answers to the questions throughout the book, we will send you
‘The Certificate of Maturity
In the Study of the Gospel
of Christ
According to the Evangelist Matthew’
We will also send you as a valuable gift a useful book to help you to acquaint yourself with the Holy Bible and bring the good news of salvation to those who do not know the living Christ.
If you have questions about faith, or about the Gospel, please write your questions on a separate sheet and send them to us stating your full name and address.
We pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you safe. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Table of contents
CHRIST TEACHES AND MINISTERS IN
GALILEE
(MATTHEW 5:1 –
11:1)
(The First Collection of the Words of Jesus)
The Beatitudes 5:1-12
The Purpose of the Sermon on the Mount 5:13-16
The Infallibility and the Fulfillment of the
Law of Moses in the Law of Christ 5:17-48
Forbidding Murder Aims at Reconciliation 5:21-26
Forbidding Adultery Signifies Seeking Purity 5:27-32
Forbidding Oaths Signifies Telling the Truth 5:33-37
Meekness Overcomes Revenge 5:38-42
Hatred of Enemies is Replaced with Love 5:43-48
Almsgiving in Secret 6:1-4
Prayer in Solitude 6:5-8
The Lord’s Prayer 6:9-13
The Inevitable Seeking of Reconciliation 6:14,15
Fasting Joyously 6:16-18
He Who Collects Money for Himself Shall Serve Satan 6:19-24
Trusting the Providence of Your Heavenly Father 6:25-34
He Who Knows his Lord, Judges Himself not Others 7:1-6
The Prayer of Faith in God the Father 7:7-11
The Golden Rule 7:12
The Two Ways 7:13,14
The False Prophets 7:15-20
The Application of the Law
by the Power of the Holy Spirit 7:21-23
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man 7:24-29
2. THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST IN CAPERNAUM
AND ITS SURROUNDINGS 8:1-9:35
The Leper Healed 8:1-4
Christ Heals the Centurion’s Servant 8:5-13
Peter’s Mother-in-law Healed 8:14-17
Principles of Following Jesus 8:18-22
Jesus Calms the Storm and the Waves 8:23-27
Thousand Devils Cast out of Two Possessed Men 8:28-34
Christ’s Authority and Power to Forgive and to Heal 9:1-8
The Calling of Matthew, the Tax Collector 9:9-13
The Baptist’s Disciples Question about Fasting 9:14-17
A Girl Brought Back to Life and a Woman Healed 9:18-26
Two Blind Men and a Dumb Man Healed 9:27-34
3. THE TWELVE DISCIPLES ARE SENT OUT
TO PREACH AND TO SERVE 9:35-11:1
The Great Compassion of Christ 9:35-38
The Calling of the Twelve Disciples 10:1-4
(The Second Collection of the Words of Christ)
The Fundamental Principles of Preaching 10:5-15
The Risks of Preaching 10:16-25
Encouragement Amidst Trouble 10:26-33
Division as a Result of Preaching 10:34-39
The Sublime Aim of Preaching 10:40-11:1
CHRIST TEACHES AND MINISTERS IN
GALILEE
(MATTHEW 5:1 -
11:1)
1. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
(MATTHEW 5:1 - 7:27)
(The First Collection of the Words of Jesus)
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)
5:1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. (2) Then He opened His mouth and taught them saying:
Christ had compassion on His people who knew neither their Lord nor themselves. He chose His disciples out of these lost ones. He called them and led them to a hill where He sat and taught His chosen disciples and the crowds around them. In the midst of nature, Christ declared the principles of the divine kingdom and revealed His heavenly constitution.
The many miraculous healings of Christ in Galilee, which we read about at the close of the previous chapter, were intended to prepare the way for this fundamental sermon and to dispose people to receive instructions from the One in whom appeared the divine power, goodness and mercy. Probably, this sermon was the summary of what He had preached in several synagogues of Galilee. His basic theme was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Through His sermon He wants to reform not only our acts but also our aims, not only our deeds but also our intentions. He reassures us of God’s word: “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:7).
The place of the sermon was one of the hills in Galilee. Christ had no convenient place to preach in, any more than “to lay His head” on. While the scribes and Pharisees had Moses’ chair to sit in, with all possible comfort, honor and state, and there corrupted the law, our Lord Jesus, the great Teacher of truth had to choose a hill as His pulpit. This hill was not a holy place as the mountain of Zion. In this way Christ intimates that men should pray and preach the holy Gospel everywhere.
Christ delivered this sermon as an exposition of His divine law upon a mountain, because upon a “mountain” the Old Testament law was given. But observe the difference. When the law was given to Moses, the Lord “came down” upon the mountain, now the Lord “went up.” On the mount of Sinai the Lord spoke in thunder and lightning, but in Galilee, in a kind voice. Previously the people were ordered to keep their distance, now they were invited to draw near, a blessed change! (2Corinthians 3:7; Hebrew 12:18)
The listeners standing near to Jesus were His disciples who followed His call (Mark 3:13; Luke 6:13). To them He directed His speech, because they followed Him for love not of necessity, while others attended Him only for healing. He taught His followers, because they were willing to listen. They wanted to understand every word He taught. Because they were to teach others in future it was necessary that they should have a clear and distinct knowledge of all details of His Law themselves.
Jesus opened His Sermon on the Mount with the unique word “Blessed.” He repeated it nine times like a bell ringing from heaven, proclaiming to us that happiness and rejoicing are the basis and the secret of the law of His kingdom. You do not have to fulfill burdensome commandments and statutes or perform certain rituals to enter the kingdom of God, but you should accept the kind words of Christ with the simplicity of faith. Then you will be saved from divine judgment and delivered from eternal punishment. Christ invites you to overwhelming joy since He did not come to destroy sinners but to save them. God’s constitution for mankind is based on everlasting joy, thankfulness and exultation, not on ordinances and tears.
QUESTION 43: Why does the law of Christ begin with the word “Blessed” instead of “You shall” or “You shall not?”
5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Isaiah 57:15)
Christ begins His sermon with beatitudes, for He came into the world to save and bless us. He came not just to provide some of His blessings for us, but to pour out all His blessings on us (Ephesians 1:3). He does it “as one having authority,” as one that can command the blessing and grant eternal life. He offers His blessing again and again, as He had promised to the repentant. He calls them “blessed and happy” and makes them so, for those whom He blesses, are blessed indeed.
The Old Testament ended with “a curse” (Malachi 4:6 [3:24]), the law of the New Testament begins with beatitude and “a blessing.” We are called to inherit His blessing.
Christ assures us, first, that nobody can enter the kingdom of heaven except through the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit who unveils our sins and our wrong intentions. He breaks our pride that we might bow down and admit that we, the poor and miserable, are guilty and perishing before God’s holiness and appear unclean with respect to His cleanness and kindness of His majesty. We recognize our selfishness in the light of His love and our lying before the light of His truth. Blessed are you if the Spirit of God has uncovered your sins, led you into faithful repentance and cured you of your spiritual blindness. Then the gate of heaven is wide open to you for only a repentant sinner can come to God. The repentant sinner who comes to the Lord does not only enter the kingdom of heaven, but also possesses it as his inheritance eternally as it is his forever.
It is remarkable that Jesus chose his disciples only from the followers of John the Baptist. They had confessed their sins and were baptized in the river of Jordan. Only broken, repentant ones can enter the kingdom of God. The first beatitude is the unavoidable step to the riches of all the other beatitudes.
QUESTION 44: Why does “the poor by the spirit” enter into the kingdom of heaven?
5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Psalm 126:5; Revelation 7:17)
The second ring of the bell of God’s love concerns those who mourn. Christ says full of compassion for them, “Do not weep, for a new era has begun. I overcame through my sacrificial death all reasons for distress and sorrow. The Spirit of God will come upon you and comfort you. This Holy Spirit is your peace and your hope” (Ephesians 1:14). The sorrow of your heart, no matter how big, is overcome by the joy and comfort of heaven. Christ gives certain hope to our sorrowful world; so rejoice, thank and be glad at His great salvation. Our songs and hymns of thankfulness and praise will overcome the deepest sorrow. Wait for the near coming of the Lord, as then He will fulfill our glorious hope. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 7:17; 21:4; Isaiah 25:8).
The happiness of heaven consists in being perfectly and eternally comforted. The joy of our Lord is “a fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). It will be doubly sweet to those who have been prepared for it by a “godly sorrow.” Heaven will be a heaven indeed to those who suffer on earth. It will be a harvest of joy, the return of a “seed-time of tears” (Psalm 126:5-6); a mountain of joy, to which our way lies through a vale of tears (Psalm 30:5).
5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 11:29; Psalm 37:29)
The meek rest in peace. They surrender and submit themselves to God, to His word and to His rod; they follow His directions and comply with His designs. They are gentle towards men and bear provocation without being inflamed by it. They are either silent, or return a soft answer; and who can show their displeasure when there is occasion for it, without resorting to any unbecoming behavior. They can be cool when others are hot and in their patience keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of any thing else. They are the meek, who are seldom and with difficulty provoked, but quickly and easily pacified. They would rather forgive twenty injuries than revenge one, having the rule of their own spirits.
These meek ones are really blessed, even in this world. They are happy, for they follow Jesus who says, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). They imitate Christ who is Lord of His anger, and in whom fury is not. They are blessed and happy, for they have the most comfortable, undisturbed enjoyment of their Lord. They are fit for any relationship, any condition and any company – fit to live and fit to die.
But the powerful, leaders, rich and proud will mourn when Christ comes again. They will become desperate for they do not recognize the basic principles of the law of God and break it. They will be subjected to severe punishment and loss. The meek Christ will inherit the earth together with all those that have accepted Him and changed their nature from violence into meekness.
Question 45: Why will the meek and not the powerful inherit the earth?
5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Luke 18:9-14; John 6:35; Romans 3:23-24)
The fourth ring of the bell of God’s love inspires with hope those who hunger for righteousness, those who have woken up from their sleep in sins. Everyone desires to do good and longs for the success of humanity, but no one can do it of his own accord, for we are slaves of sin. Yet, Christ has justified all sinners through His sacrificial death. Whoever longs for righteousness and holiness can find in Christ the fullness of the divine righteousness prepared for him and shall receive the power to live up to the true love. Come to Jesus that He might cleanse your heart and renew you for steadfastness in God. Then you will not build your joy upon your personal abilities, but upon God’s grace only, since your faith has saved you, and the joy of Christ dwells in you.
Righteousness is a summary of all spiritual blessings (Psalm 24:5). These blessings we should hunger and thirst after. We are encouraged to desire them, as one who is hungry and thirsty desires food and drink and will not be satisfied with anything else. Our desires for spiritual blessings should be earnest and unceasing. God’s own righteousness is prepared for you. If you believe in Christ, you will be satisfied forever, for God’s righteousness is available to all who repent and accept it with thanks.
Prayer:
Oh Holy Lord, we love You and praise You, for You had mercy upon us in the coming of the beloved Christ. Please forgive us our pride, pessimism and violence. Purify us with the blood of Jesus and consecrate us by the power of Your Holy Spirit to live pure lives. Give us the certain hope that, together with all the faithful, we may enter into the joy of Your presence in the eternal kingdom.
Question 46: How does Christ quench our thirst for righteousness?
5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 25:35-46; James 2:13)
The merciful are those who are piously and charitably inclined to pity, help and succor others in misery. A man may be truly “merciful,” who has not means to be bountiful or liberal, then God accepts the willing mind. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but partake of the afflictions of our brethren. Pity must be shown and bowels of mercy put on (Colossians 3:12).
We should have compassion on the souls of others too and help them, pity the ignorant, instruct the careless and warn who is in a state of sin and snatch him as a brand from the burning.
We should also have compassion on those who are in sorrow and comfort them and not be severe with them. We should recognize those who are in want and supply their needs with wisdom. “Extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul … share your bread with the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7,10). Nay, a “good man is merciful to his beast” (Proverbs 12:10).
He who is justified by the blood of Christ, the mercy of God dwells in his heart. He who loves Jesus for His great reconciling love, will voluntarily forgive all his enemies’ faults. He who has an anointing from the Holy Spirit, does not despise a simple man, he rather helps him, blesses him and comforts him. He sacrifices what he has for him. Thus, God is love! He who believes in our Father in heaven shall enter into that love. He who does not know God will remain in hatred, contempt and under judgment. Have you become merciful like Christ, the most merciful? If so, the power of God will flow from your heart into our dying world. Because of your faith in Christ, you will be justified and rise from the dead into everlasting life. You will be saved from the final judgment by His mercy only, which will be realized by the love of God poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit given to you. You are not saved by your good deeds but for the sake of the blood of Jesus Christ who changes you into a loving servant.
The merciful have a certain privilege as we read in the Old Testament, “Blessed is he who considers the poor” (Psalm 41:1). Herein we shall resemble God, as Jesus commands us, “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). We are invited even to become perfect, as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This is an evidence of the love of God. One of the purest and most refined delights in this world is mercifully doing good deeds. In this word, “Blessed are the merciful,” a word of Christ is included, which is only found in the testimony of His apostles, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Question 47: How can we change from being selfish into being merciful?
5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Psalm 24:3‑5, 51:12-13; 1John 3:2-3)
Are you pure in heart? What do you dream of night and day? Christ wants to cleanse your heart, purify your inner thoughts and fill you with the purity of His Spirit, that lust and covetousness might not overcome you. He wants you to enter into the freedom of the children of God and admit that it is impossible for you to live in purity by our own efforts. However, the Spirit of God can overcome the evil desires of your soul and body, make your tongue true, control your thoughts and refine your feeling.
True faith brings heart-purity. Those who are inwardly pure, show themselves to be under the power of a pure and undefiled religion. True Christianity lies in the heart, in the purity of heart, the cleansing of the heart from wickedness. We should lift up to God, not only clean hands, but a pure heart (Psalm 24:4,5).
Jesus confesses, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). If our hearts are the source of our uncleanness, we need a new heart, a cleansed conscience, which will be granted by the redemption of Jesus and His gift of the Holy Spirit.
God promises you that you will see His glory, not because of your achieved goodness or your own righteousness, but because the blood of Christ cleanses you from every sin (1John 1:7) and His powerful Spirit helps you to overcome the whims of your flesh. The joy of seeing God is promised to those, and those only, who are “pure in heart.” None but the pure in heart are granted to see God, and there will be no lasting joy for the impure, who will not see God. What pleasure could an unsanctified soul take in the vision of the holy God? As He cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot endure to look upon His holiness. No unclean thing can enter into the new heaven, only those that are “pure in heart,” all who are sanctified, having desires wrought in them, which nothing but the sight of God will satisfy. The divine grace will not leave those desires unsatisfied.
Do you participate in the struggle of the Spirit of God against your sins? He who overcomes by the name of Jesus shall see God our heavenly Father and shall be with Him forever. Do you long to see God, or do you seek to return to your impure and corrupt old life? Come to your merciful Lord, and he will purify you through the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from all sin (1John 1:7). He is faithful to you, even if you slip into sin again unwillingly.
Question 48: How can you become pure? (1John 1:7)
5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Hebrews 12:14)
The seventh ring of the bell of God’s delight calls you to the service of peace. The faithful one does not live for himself. He does not relax into laziness and selfishness. He rather goes out as an intercessor between God and men and invites the perishing into peace with God. Tell people how the heavenly peace came to dwell in your heart. Call them to faith and hope. Then you are one in harmony with the Spirit of Christ and you become a brother of Christ, who by His death reconciled the world to God His Father. He wants to spread His peace all over the world. God in His love receives you into His heavenly family, then sends you to others to bring the message of peace to them. But never forget that there is no peace without the cross, and he who wishes to make peace without the Prince of Peace will definitely fail.
The peacemakers shall be called sons of God. The everlasting Lord will accept them as “His sons” and send them as peacemakers into the world full of hatred. God Himself is the God of peace; his only Son is the Prince of Peace; the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Peace. God has revealed Himself to us as our forgiving Father, but He will not accept those who are implacable in their enmity to one another. If the peacemakers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers!
Christ never intended to have His religion spread by sword or fire, or penal laws, or to acknowledge bigotry, or intemperate zeal, as the mark of His disciples. The children of this world love to fish in troubled waters, but the children of God are the “peace-makers,” the “quiet in the land” (Psalm 35:20).
There was a critical objection on the ground that there is a difference and contradiction between this verse and the word of Jesus, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Christ is the real Prince of Peace who commands all his followers, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you,” and “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also,” and “I tell you, not to resist an evil person,” and similar verses (Matthew 5:38-48).
He nonetheless says, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” His purpose in this statement is not to create dissension and dispute or to remove love and peace. His purpose is to make a clear distinction between holiness and filthiness. There can be no agreement between His pure truthful spirit and the corrupt principles of those that have deviated from the truth and strayed from the right path by lying. Christ has come to create a distinction between truth and untruth, between light and darkness. Many young believers struggle with this call of Christ. They will not die in the struggle with themselves, but will suffer in their struggle with their relatives and friends who want to turn them away from truth. How often a new believer has acted in opposition to his parents out of love for his own salvation. How often a believer has preferred to follow the gospel and as a result enrage his relatives, friends and parents because he looks forward to that which is more lasting and better.
Question 49: How will Christ use you to bring peace to others?
5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (1Peter 3:14)
The eighth ring of joy sounds somehow bitter, for it is directed towards God’s servants, His peace-makers, those who are beaten for their love’s sake, mocked at for their bringing the good news of reconciliation to God and despised for forgiving others’ faults. Do you think the result of your preaching would be better received than that of Christ and his followers? Blessed are you if you suffer for the sake of your testimony. In case you are facing troubles for the sake of the righteousness of God and His gracious justification of sinners, you are in actual fellowship with Christ. As a result the Savior of the world will dwell with you, empower you, comfort you and keep you as the apple of His eye. Do not be angry bearing grudges against others, but rather rejoice, for your Lord is greater than the earthly possessions lost for the sake of His righteousness. He has provided for you a spiritual kingdom in His presence forever. All that God owns is waiting for those who are persecuted for the sake of His righteousness.
Question 50: Why do the propagators of the gospel of peace sometimes experience violent opposition?
5:11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 10:22; Acts 5:41; 1Peter 4:14; Hebrews 11:33-38; James 5:10)
The Lord repeats the blessing of his rejected messengers. For the spirit of the world hates God and those who are born of His Spirit. The sons of this world test the sons of the Most Holy as Satan had tested Christ and His apostles. The Lord tells them clearly, in advance, of what will happen to them. They may be “persecuted,” pursued, run down, abandoned as the “dregs of all things” (1Corinthians 4:13), fined, imprisoned, banished, stripped of their estates, excluded from places of profit and trust, scourged, sometimes delivered to death and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. This has been the effect of the enmity of the serpent’s seed against the holy seed, ever since the time of righteous Abel. It was so in Old Testament times. Christ has told us that it would much more be so with the active believers in His church, and we are not to think it strange (1 John 3:13). He has left us an example.
In the bitter hour of suffering, when you lose your house or your job due to persecution, the Son of God encourages you to rejoice and be exceedingly glad. The sufferings of the present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in you and in other faithful believers. So why should you mourn? Rejoice, exult and be thankful, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
God will provide for those who suffer for His sake. Even those that loose their life shall not lose Him in the end. Life in heaven with Jesus, at last, will be an abundant recompense for all the difficulties we meet in our days.
The prophets were persecuted and abused like you. Can you expect to go to heaven any differently? Was not Isaiah mocked for his teachings and Elisha for his bald head? Therefore don’t marvel as if it is a strange event, and don’t murmur because it is a difficult thing. It is a comfort to see the way of suffering as a road traveled by many and as an honor to follow such leaders in faith. That grace which was sufficient for them, to carry them through their sufferings, shall not be less available to you. Those who are your enemies are the seed and successors of them who of old mocked the messengers of the Lord.
Therefore, “rejoice and be exceedingly glad.” It is not enough to be patient and content under these persecutions as under common afflictions and not to render railing for railing. You should rejoice, because the honor and dignity, the pleasure and advantage, of suffering for Christ, are much greater than the pain or shame of it. Not that we may take a pride in our sufferings (that would spoil all), but we should take a pleasure in them, as Paul (2Corinthians 12:10), knowing that Christ remains with us, and that he will not forsake us.
Prayer:
We thank You, Heavenly Father, for accepting us as Your sons by grace. Forgive us our fear, stubbornness and our clinging to earthly values. Teach us the mercy, patience and purity of Christ. Give us power and courage to confess the gospel of Your peace. Keep us when we are rejected by our friends and our family that we might bless those who hate us, love those who beat us and pray for those who persecute us. Make us firm in joy and gladness for You are with us, centered in us. Please comfort those who suffer today for Your holy name.
Question 51: What are the wages paid to persecuted believers?
The Purpose of the Sermon on the Mount:
The Application of the Law of God (5:13-16)
5:13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34-35)
Food without salt has no savor. Such is the world when there are no active followers of Christ. It loses the true love. As salt preserves food from putrefaction, so the message of Christ and its bearers keep the world from ending in total darkness. Just as salt compensates the loss of some substances of the body, the gospel builds the new life in those who are dead in sins. Without salt, human life cannot be sustained. Believers should have their lives seasoned with the gospel. The doctrine of the gospel is a “salt,” it is penetrating, quick, vivid and powerful. It reaches the heart. It is cleansing, relishing, and it preserves from putrefaction.
Salt was also required in the sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13) and in Ezekiel’s mystical temple (Ezekiel 43:24). Now Christ’s disciples, having themselves learned the doctrine of the gospel and being employed to teach it to others, were as salt. Thoughts and affections, words and actions, all are to be seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6).
This is what they are to be in themselves. What should they be to others? They should not only be good but do good and influence the minds of people, not to serve secular interests of their own, but that they might transform others into the taste and relish of the gospel. Mankind, lying in ignorance and wickedness, was unappetizing, ready to putrefy, but Christ sent forth his disciples, who by their lives and testimonies were to season it with knowledge and grace, and so to render it acceptable to God, to the angels and to all who desire the divine spirit.
If not, they are as salt that has lost its savor. If you, who should season others, are yourselves unsavory, empty of spiritual life, grace and vitality, your condition is sad, for you are in a disastrous state. “Wherewith shall it be salted?” Salt is a remedy for unsavory food, but there is no remedy for unsavory salt. Christ will give a man a flavor; but if that man will take up and continue the profession of it, and yet remain flat and foolish, graceless and insipid, no other doctrine and no other means can be applied to make him savory.
If the salt loses its flavor, it is then good for nothing. What use can it be put to, in which it will not do more harm than good? As a man without sense, so is a Christian without grace. He faces ruin and rejection. He shall be “cast out” – expelled from the church and the communion of the faithful, where he is a blot and a burden, and he will be rejected as trodden under foot of many.
Christ is inviting you to partake in building and preserving a new world amidst the corruption of our civilization. So do not be deceived by the thought that you can change people of our earth by means of your abilities, for whoever trusts human activities shall lose his message, become futile in words and in conduct, and people shall mock him. So do not reject the message of the gospel for it alone creates in you an ability to be the salt of the earth; otherwise people will reject you because of the insincerity of your love.
Question 52: What does it mean that Christ invites you to be “the salt of the earth?”
5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (John 8:12; Philippians 2:14-15; John 15:8; Ephesians 5:8-9)
How great is the grace of Christ! He caused the light of His kind love and the rays of His holy truth to glow in His followers. Do not think that the new light within you is yours. It is a gift of your Lord. Do not hide your divine gift fearing the opposition of men, for Christ has given you the constant privilege and hope to be lights in our pessimistic world. Do not be ashamed of being like a lit match for it can be seen from miles away, even in the darkest night. When Christians meet in fellowship sharing their faith they are like a city that is set on a hill shining as a group of glittering stars guiding straying vessels to the safety-port.
Christ is inviting you to be a light for those in darkness. He changes you into a witness of His virtues and enables you to proclaim His Name in your house, in your school and in your office. One young believer worked in a factory where people were ungodly. They tried to spoil him with their unclean words. His friends warned him, “Leave this work lest you fall into the pit of misery,” but he answered them, “I am not alone there. Christ stands by me, protects me and dwells in me. He promised not to leave me, and where I am there He is also, therefore I will fear no evil.”
The divine King of Kings orders you to pluck up courage and to radiate with the light shining in you. So do not hide yourself or keep yourself out of sight, but go on reassured as one sent by God to your neighbors and colleagues. Meet people and talk to them in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. What can people see in you all day long? Does Christ clearly shine in you?
Christ is inviting you to live a pure life. Then people will honor God for His kindness and power in you and will believe by virtue of your conduct whether the Spirit of God dwells in you.
As lights of the world, followers of Christ are shining – and they are being watched by all who know them. Some observers admire them, commend them, rejoice in them and seek to imitate them. Others envy them, hate them, censure them and seek to destroy them. All believers need therefore to walk circumspectly before men. They are examples of Gods gift to the world and should avoid all that is wrong, because they are constantly watched.
Christ gave you a chance and the privilege to participate in glorifying His Father in heaven. In the Sermon on the Mount we read in this verse for the first time the great secret that the almighty God is our Father! The Holy is neither far from us nor fearful to us. His divine love appears to us in the authority of “the Father.” Jesus enables people to believe in the Fatherhood of God through our conduct in the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. You are allowed to be either a proof of the unity of the Holy Trinity or a reason for unbelief and reluctance of others. According to your nature you are a sinner since childhood, but the Spirit changes you from a lost person in darkness into a son of light. The Spirit of Jesus dwelling in you appears through your words and work, that the greatest promise should be fulfilled in you according to the words, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1John 4:16).
Our light must shine – by good works. Our deeds can cause others to think well about Christ. We should do good works that benefit others, but not that we might be seen. We are told to pray in secret, and what lies between God and our souls, should be kept to ourselves. But whatever is open and obvious to the sight of men, we should seek to make conformable with our profession and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Our friends should not only “hear” our good words, but also “see” our good works; that they may be convinced that religion is more than a bare name, and that we do not only confess our faith, but abide under the power of it.
Yet, for what purpose should our light shine? That those who see your good works may tend not to glorify you, but to glorify your Father, which is in heaven. The glory of God is the great aim we should keep in mind for all we do. We should not only endeavor to glorify God ourselves, but we are called to do all we can to bring others to glorify our Father in heaven.
Our good works could guide others to glorify God our Father. Let them see your good works, that they can recognize the power of God’s grace in you and begin to thank Him for its rays of piety in you. Let them see your kind behavior, that they may be convinced of the truth and excellence of the Christian religion and be provoked by a holy zeal to imitate your good works and glorify the holy God.
Believers in some difficult countries are unable to express their faith openly before conservative fanatics, but their silent conduct is a living testimony to their Savior and Heavenly Father.
Prayer:
O Heavenly Father, You are the holy light. You have sent your beloved Son Jesus as a shining light into our world. We were in darkness, but the Spirit of Your Son furnished us with divine light. Please let Your light shine into our surroundings that many people will be freed from their sins and become pleasing lights too. We glorify You for Your great salvation and seek Your guidance in the best use of the light that no one would become an unbeliever because of our acts, but recognize You in us. Amen.
Question 53: How can you be a light in the world?
The Infallibility and Fulfillment of the Law of Moses
In the Law of Christ (5:17-48)
5:17 Do not think 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, till heaven and earth pass way, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (19) Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Luke 16:17; Romans 3:31; 10:4; James 2:10; 1John 2:7)
Do not preach nor teach the gospel with zeal unless you are certain that Christ had called you into this service, for He weighs not only your words, but your acts as well. If you do not do what you talk and preach, you are a hypocrite and a deceiver. If you do not conduct yourself prudently, your testimony will be meaningless. Your acts are the measure of your words.
Christ alone is the perfect teacher of the Law of Moses and of His own Gospel. He did not cancel any essential commandment of the Law but fulfilled them in explanation and teaching and lived them out in His perfect life. Christ protected the infallibility of the inspiration of the Old Testament by His clear declarations. Who will then dare to claim that the scriptures of the Old Testament and the Prophets are corrupted after having been verified by the Son of God? Neither the least jot nor the smallest tittle of His divine inspiration has passed away or been changed. It is stupid to despise the Old Testament, its promises and commandments proclaimed to the patriarchs and chosen prophets, for God, from antiquity, spoke to men during their history and their particular situations. The Word of God is neither a fantastic philosophy nor a common subject. The Holy One chose sinners and made a covenant with them, guided them by His Law and punished them in His anger. Those who attack and reject the Old Testament are poor indeed, for they reject the Word of God and consequently God Himself.
Woe to the man, who is called by the Lord to preach the whole Word of God, but changes it a bit or denies its inspiration. It would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be drowned. Everyone who changes, falsifies, or criticizes the Word of God wrongs not only himself but new believers as well. When Christ calls you to preach, announce His word with fear and wisdom that you might not be a reason for the hardening of yourself and others.
Christ invites us not only to the Old Testament, but also to Himself. In Him the Word of God became flesh. He was the Law moving among us, the incarnate love of His Father. So let us adhere not to lifeless letters but to the living Son of God. He has fulfilled the Law by His deeds on earth. He is now perfecting it by His faithful intercession and will complete it in His second coming. Then, the necessity to Law ends, for the heavens and the earth will pass away; our Lord creates a new earth and a new heaven in which those born of the Holy Spirit will dwell in righteousness.
But since we are still on earth, Christ declared to His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). With these words, Christ summarized the Mosaic Law and His own Law in one sentence, making Himself, the measure of our love. Thus, He is our incarnate Law, for He lived out what he said.
The Son of Man knows that no man can fulfill His law completely; therefore, He established through His atonement a comprehensive justification and granted His followers the power to fulfill His commandments. Let us not serve God and men by our own ability but by the guidance of the power of His grace, as Paul, the apostle, admitted, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Accordingly, neither the Law of Moses nor any Christian Law can press on us any more since they have been fulfilled by Christ for us.
The Law of Moses was given to train us in repentance and to judge us spiritually, but Christ came to fulfill the law in our place. The Holy Spirit comes to us as law and also as the power to fulfill it at the same time. He pushes us to keep it through His remaining in us.
Observe that the care of God concerning His law extends itself even to subtle details that seem to be of least account in it, “one jot or one dot”; for whatever belongs to God and bears His stamp, be it ever so little, shall be preserved. The laws of men are full of imperfection, but God will stand by and maintain every jot and every tittle of His law.
Some people claim that the books of the Old Testament had been corrupted. But in these verses we read the unique confirmation of the infallibility of the unchanged Torah, Psalms and Prophets by the Son of God. Whatever critics may say is of no value compared to the authority of Jesus, who is truth in Himself.
Prayer:
O Father, we thank You and glorify You, for Christ has fulfilled the law by His love and suffering; He is the incarnate law. Forgive us our many faults and sins. Teach us obedience and mercy in the power of Your Spirit, that we may follow Christ and live under the compulsion of His power according to the law of Spirit centered in our hearts.
Question 54: How can we keep the holy Law of God?
A. Our Duties Towards Men.
Forbidding Murder Aims at Reconciliation (5:21-26)
5:21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. (22) But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca! Shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, you fool! Shall be in danger of hell fire. (23) Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (25) Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, 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 till you have paid the last penny. (Exodus 20:13; 21:12; Mark 11:25; Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 12:58-59; 1John 3:15)
Christ, by His authority, proved the Law of Moses. He put us in His shining light, uncovering the hidden intents of our hearts. He did not stress on legal interpretations of the constitution of the kingdom of God, and did not describe the principles of the creed of faith, but He made His divine love the true measure of our daily life. Holy love is the fulfillment of the law and the fundamental piety of the kingdom of heaven.
A killer deserves judgment and severe punishment in our world. He will also experience God’s wrath in the final judgment and live restless forever, unless he repents and is justified by Christ.
Christ tells us that rash anger is like murder popping up from the heart, which breaks the sixth commandment. Anger is a natural passion and can sometimes be lawful and laudable, but it is sinful, when we are angry without an essential cause. When, for example, we are angry with children or servants for mistakes or forgetfulness that we ourselves might easily have been guilty of, it is “without cause.” When anger exceeds due bounds, when we are hardy and headstrong in our anger, violent and vehement, outrageous and mischievous, and when we seek the hurt of those we are displeased with, it is “without cause.” This is a breach of the sixth commandment, for he that is this angry would kill if he knew he would suffer no consequences. Cain’s killing of his brother began with anger. He is a murderer in the reckoning of God, who knows our heart, out of which murder comes (Matthew 15:19).
Speaking in abusive language to our brother is tongue-murder. When God examines your heart, what will He find in it? Love or hate? When such language is given with mildness and for a good end, to convince others of their vanity and folly, it is not sinful. Even James says, “O foolish man” (James 2:20); and Paul, “Foolish one” (1Corinthians 15:36); and Christ himself, “O foolish ones and slow of heart” (Luke 24:25). But when it proceeds from anger and malice within, it is the smoke of that fire which is kindled from hell and falls under the character of murder.
“Raca” was a scornful word and came from pride. It says, “You empty-headed fellow,” looking upon one’s brother, not only as mean and not to be honored, but as vile and not to be loved. Malicious censures are “poison under the tongue,” that kills secretly and slowly. Bitter words are as arrows that would suddenly wound (Psalm 64:3), or as a sword in the bones.
How many times did you dishonor a man calling him an animal? Be sure that in such a case you deserve the flame of hell for every word like this. God is love, and he who does not love like Him contradicts His law. All the intents that are not based on His love will fall down for they are woven with selfishness. Everyone who does not love is a killer in his heart, who shall receive the wages of a killer. Do not think that these words are philosophy and fantasies; they are an explanation of the divine constitution from the pious judge Himself. Did you recognize that you are a killer in the eyes of the Lord, and a heart of a killer is beating within you?
We ought to train ourselves in Christian love and carefully preserve peace with our brethren. If at any time a breach happens, we should labor for a reconciliation, by confessing our fault, humbling ourselves to our brothers, begging their forgiveness and making restitution, or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word or deed, as appropriate. We should repent quickly for two reasons:
1. Until we have faithfully tried to reconcile, we are utterly stressing our communion with God in holy ordinances.
2. We will not be acceptable to God, if we remain in anger, envy, malice and spite and behave without love. These sins are displeasing God, since nothing pleases Him which comes from a heart wherein hatred and enmity remain dominant. Prayers made in anger are offered mostly in vain (Isaiah 1:15; 58:4).
Do you love your enemy? If you say yes, prove it. Go to him and be reconciled to him. Do not say superficially, there is nothing wrong between us. Go to him, knock at his door and visit him. If you were wrong, even one percent in the matter with him, humble yourself and beg his forgiveness. You make the first contact, for this is the direction God’s love guides you. How can you pray to God when you live in bitter enmity with someone? Judgment will be more severe on believers with hatred in their hearts than on sinners who have never repented. Hypocrisy before God is filthier than the offense. Woe to you if you praise God and hate your brother! Ask God to forgive your pride and lead you actually to a complete reconciliation. God is love, and if you are filled with His love, He will make you a merciful, tolerant and humble child of His. If you do not respond to this purpose of God, you will fall prey to a hateful spirit – a killer since the beginning. Did you let God melt your stony heart? Go at once and be reconciled to your adversary as long as you both live.
Prayer:
O Holy Lord, who am I? Deep in my heart I am a rejecting, hateful killer. Please forgive my malice. Purify my heart and make it clean with the blood of Your only Son who loved us to death though we were His enemies. We pray that you will renew our hearts with the power of Your Holy Spirit that we may be filled with love and determination to be reconciled to our adversaries in wisdom and live with them in peace.
Question 55: Who is a killer according to the Law of Christ?
Forbidding Adultery Signifies Seeking Purity (5:27-32)
5:27 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 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. (29) If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (30) And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Exodus 20:14; 2Samuel 11:2; Job 31:1; 2Peter 2:14)
Christ is the divine legislator in the New Covenant. He confirmed the essential meanings of the old law and explained and developed them with the holiness of His love. He did not abrogate the previous commandments but fulfilled them by teaching and by His conduct. He had the authority to declare, “But I say to you.” In these verses, we read an exposition of the seventh commandment given by the same hand that had set the original law. He has the right and the wisdom to be the interpreter of it. This law against any uncleanness fitly follows upon the former. That one laid a restraint upon sinful acts, this one upon sinful intentions, both which ought always to be under the government of reason and conscience, and if indulged, are equally pernicious.
Christ loves sinners and invites them to salvation. Therefore, we should not despise any kind of sinner but rather love them. People usually point to a woman who conceived in sin or gave birth to an illegitimate son, condemning her evil deed, not knowing that they are more evil than her, for whoever looks at another person with the eye of lust is considered an adulterer before God. Men are full of lust, impure motives and unclean desires. We are all corrupt in our intents and dreams. There is no one who does what is right (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:12). So beware of hypocrisy and do not claim that you are better than the rejected and despised adulterer. Confess and say, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
Did you recognize that every man is a real sinner in his nature? Christ addressed the tempted sinner saying, “Pluck out your offending eye and throw it away.” Christ is aware of the intents of the heart, the source of evil. We are in need of a spiritual doctor to cure and renew our deceiving hearts. Even more, that He will “create in us a clean heart and renew a stedfast spirit within us” (Psalm 51:2).
If you cut off your offending hand, your tongue will remain, in spite of that, polluted with slander and evil words. None of the apostles carried out this command of Christ, but they received a new heart, cleanness of the Holy Spirit and divine purity. When Christ said, “Pluck out your eye” and “Cut off your hand,” He did not inspire us to practice that literally, but He wished to reveal to us our condition and show the extent of the danger, which lies in wait for us and can lead everyone of us to hell.
Our flesh is impure and our soul is evil from our youth. But the blood of Christ is able to cleanse our conscience of every deadly act, and His Holy Spirit builds in us the new desire that overcomes your flaming lusts. If you fall into sin, do not stay in its mud. Get up and resort to your Lord. He is aware of your longing for purity, and He supports you in achieving victory over self. Abide in Christ, for He is the only way to a pure life. He is the true Savior, and your faithful Helper who does not condemn you but continuously loves you. He waits for you!
Prayer:
O Holy Lord, we appear unclean before Your purity and holiness. Please forgive us every unclean thought, bad word and wrong action. Purify us completely. Create in us a clean heart through the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive us our sins that we will follow Your guidance. Help us to avoid circumstances that lead us into immorality and adultery. Sanctify us completely that You may not separate us from Yourself.
Question 56: How are we freed from the temptations that lead us to uncleanness and adultery?
5:31 Furthermore it has been said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. (32) But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:4-12)
Man’s divorcing of his wife for any cause (except adultery), is a violation of the seventh commandment, as it opens a door to continuous adultery. Jesus explains, “It has been said”; He does not say as before, “it was said to those of old.” This was not a precept like other commandments, as the Pharisees wanted to believe, this was a permission.
Some of their Old Testament regulations suggested that a man should not divorce his wife by word of mouth when he is in rage. He should do it deliberately by a legal instrument in writing, attested by witnesses. If he would dissolve the matrimonial bond, he may do it solemnly. Thus some of their laws tried to prevent rash and hasty divorces. In earlier times, writing was not common among the Jews, and that made divorce something rare. But in the process of time it became common, and this direction of how to do it, when there was just cause for it, was understood as permission of it for any cause.
God, in His mercy, brought in the ordinance of “marriage to one woman only,” that each of the partners would serve the other in true love and mutual respect. The secret in the matrimonial bond is not the unity of the flesh alone but the respect and appreciation shown to each other. The Holy Spirit will sanctify the relationship between both partners if they continue in the word of the Gospel and in love.
If one of them commits adultery, this could be the result of a previous spiritual separation between both, that they lost mutual confidence, respect, service and caring. But if they live in godliness, His love will bless their love and keep them in harmony and sympathy. If Jesus is not the Lord of any marriage covenant, the practice of adultery will penetrate faster than we can imagine. Christ will be the sponsor in marriage, if the partners faithfully abide in Him, for He teaches us forgiveness, tolerance, patience and endurance.
Christ, to Him be the glory, did not open the door of breaking the matrimonial relation as other religions did. When the matrimonial relationship is broken because of spiritual discord or dislike, and the will for forgiveness is lost, then some suggest the possibility of divorce, but that is contrary to Christ’s commandment. They claim that such a divorce would be the best solution for both partners to avoid quarrels and violence. Those poor people ignore the power of divine love and the reconciliation in the cross of Christ.
Every divorce (except in case of adultery) is considered as adultery. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. The matrimonial unity is established not only by the flesh but also by the soul. The woman remains related to her first husband even if she were married to another man. Woe to the partner who does not forgive and divorces thoughtlessly. He would be the greatest sinner. We are all stained with sin and need God’s ongoing forgiveness and an every-day purification of our inner feeling. The Holy Spirit is able to cure our subconscious diseases and to purify us. Without the Spirit of Christ, we are not able to practice sound marriage or lasting purification, because this Spirit honors the Creator and does not deny natural principles.
Prayer:
O Lord Jesus, we worship You because You lived among us in perfect purity, and Your Holy Spirit controlled Your body with absolute purity. Please forgive us our egotistic lust and bad deeds and plant in us the purity of Your Holy Spirit that we may be humble and forgive others as You have forgiven us. And help us to forgive the adulterer instead of condemning him.
Question 57: Who is an adulterer according to the Law of Christ?
Forbidding Oaths Signifies Telling the Truth (5:33-37)
5:33 Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. (34) But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; (35) nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for 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 Yes be Yes, and your No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3; Matthew 23:16-22; James 5:12)
The world overflows from lying, deception and exaggeration. Every man flatters the other. Students cheat in their exams. The germs of deception and cheating penetrate into the areas of commerce, politics and different aspects of social life. The greatest deception is that people swear by God for their devious lying, due to the sense of weakness in their statements. Hasty swearing often indicates hidden lying.
Some people pretend that they are clever and that their ideas are undoubtedly right, but God alone knows every secret. He is the Omniscient One and aware of our intents and of the real reasons for our actions. Our knowledge is not perfect but limited, and our judgments are not always sound. Without God’s help, our knowledge and judgments are as far removed from God’s as heaven is from our world.
It is difficult to know one’s attitude or words even though they were supported by an oath. We have to admit that sometimes we do not know the truth. Then we will listen to others’ views and get ready to learn from friends, even from the simple minded and their positive experiences, knowing that we all are useless servants (Luke 17:10). A proud person or a fanatic swears since he dreams that he is sure of himself; but a believer does not trust in himself but in his Savior, the Lord.
The Holy Spirit teaches us to always tell the truth humbly and without exaggeration; and guides us to glorify and honor God. Here we find the initial difference between the liar and ourselves. They appear proud, longing for celebrity, just like their wicked father, Satan, who cheated himself imagining himself as great; while we, in Christ, humble ourselves, confessing our weakness and sins and cling to God’s salvation and grace, seeking His guidance.
Jesus has freed us from serving persons of distinction and guides us to serve everyone in truth. Love without truth is lying. Similarly, truth without love can be like killing. Let us exercise love based on truth and offer God’s truth in the wisdom of love.
Christ, alone, is able to save us from every lie and exaggeration. He who enters His school of the divine truth learns to reject lies, even “white lies,” and not to take the name of God in vain. We should learn to honor Him with straight testimonies, that our tongue might become true and our conscience holy, for we are not the children of the father of lies, but of the Father of truth. We should not speak more then necessary, and when we have to speak, it should be short and clear and in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
O Heavenly Father, our tongues often tell lies. Please burn every exaggeration, every twisting and every lie out of them. Teach us humbleness that we may become true in Your Holy Spirit. Illuminate us that we may know the truth. Guide us to the truth and fill us in Your name, for You are the truth, that we may become true in our intents and thoughts and walk in truth, rightness and justice. Let the Spirit of Truth reign in our thoughts and words.
Question 58: How can we become true in speech, actions and behavior?
Meekness Overcomes Revenge (5:38-42)
5:38 You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. (39) But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. (Exodus 21:24; John 18:22-23; Romans 12:19-21)
This old legislation was a fixed principal to the judges of the Jewish nation until today. They had to inflict punishment in cases of maiming, for frighten everyone who planed to do mischief on the one hand, and for a restraint to such as have suffered mischief done to them on the other. They should not insist on a greater punishment than is proper. It is not written, “a life for an eye,” or “a limb for the tooth.” But everyone should observe exactly the proportion, “an eye for an eye” only. It is intimated (Numbers 35:31), that the forfeiture in this case might be redeemed with money; for when it is provided that “no ransom shall be taken for the life of a murderer,” it is supposed that for maiming a pecuniary satisfaction was allowed.
Christ, the essence of truth, has declared Himself as love, for He is the incarnate truth. Jews and Muslims cannot prevent anybody from taking revenge, for their laws command them to do so. If they forgive freely, they have sinned. However, the New Testament considers any kind of revenge a sin, since Christ has carried the guilt and even suffered the punishment for every sinner. Therefore he was entitled to reveal the new law of love which supports us with the right to forgive and the power of meekness to give up our assumed rights willingly. The blood of Jesus has silenced the demands of the Old Testament law: No forgiveness without bloodshed! (Hebrew 9:22) Since the sinless Son of God died on the cross for all, revenge is no longer necessary. Jesus has freed us from this demand of this Mosaic Law.
The Holy Spirit forbids us from carrying out our supposed rights and personal aims with violence. He does not allow us to attain our desires using devious ways. God is love and He does not accept disobedience. His Spirit fights against the principles of vengeance. He is the divine stream of patience and toleration. Therefore, we wait for the providence of God and yield to His right guidance. You might ask, “Is this attitude not a weakness and failure to the will of man and a treading on his rights, which might open the door to increased wickedness?”
No! The meek one is the stronger if he submits himself to God, but the avenger is the weaker, for he allows hatred to rule his heart. He who renders evil for evil to anyone is as wicked as his adversary is, but he who meets iniquity with love is victorious over his selfishness. Wars and quarrels do not build any society. They destroy and poison it, but love, confidence, meekness, condescension and patience open to us the gate of hope.
Christ does not always expect from us a literal obedience with His saying, “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” When He was slapped during His trial before Ananias, the high priest, He did not ask the servant to slap Him again (John 18:22 and Acts 23:2). Christ makes clear to us that our exaggerated sensibility should be crushed, if we desire to enter the kingdom of heaven. So, give up your rights and do not defend yourself too much. Commit yourselves unto the Lord, and He will take the responsibility for you. The Holy Spirit will overcome your boiling agitating soul. If anyone slaps you, the proper thought would be: I deserve to be slapped for the numerous sins that I have committed. Blessed be God our Father that my meek Savior bore more than my painful slaps on the cross for me.
Prayer:
O Heavenly Father, You are the truth full of love. For your righteousness You should punish every sin and sinner; but You loved us and put all our sins upon Your beloved Son that He might suffer instead of us. You delivered us from our punishment and forgave us our sins. Your Son paid and died for everyone. So we can also forgive our enemies since Christ took away their sins and their punishment as well. Please help us to forgive without exception that we may not harbor feelings of hatred against those who do evil to us.
Question 59: How did Christ deliver us from the law of revenge and punishment?
5:40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. (41) And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. (42) Give t