‘“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
Teaching about Adultery
#5:26 Greek the last kodrantes [i.e., quadrans]. “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ Matthew 5:21-30(NLT)
Read: Matthew 5:21-30
Anger and lust are primitive impulses that, if not deflected, can lead to destructive and abusive behavior, like murder and adultery. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus probes into the deepest meaning of the commandments and reveals their original intentions. In this way, he challenges his listeners to channel the energies of their instinctive responses into more noble activities for the sake of God’s kingdom.
In the first illustration, Jesus teaches that the prohibition of murder implicitly prohibits the anger and abusive speech that can lead to violence (vv. 21-22). In contrast to such heated rage, the disciple should always seek to initiate a settlement. Offering concrete examples, Jesus says that fellow disciples should seek reconciliation over any offense before bringing an offering to God (vv. 23-24). Likewise, adversaries should settle out of court rather than suffer the direct consequences of judicial punishment (v. 25). In this way, Jesus shows how the heart of the law is aimed at broken relationships that need to be healed.
The second illustration demonstrates that the law against adultery implicitly prohibits lust (vv. 27-28). Jesus again shows the close relationship of external actions and internal dispositions. Lustful desires and coveting the spouse of another are ways of committing adultery in the heart. Jesus’s hyperboles do not advocate bodily dismemberment but stress the importance of doing whatever is necessary to control the primitive impulses of anger and lust that can flare out of control and lead to serious sin.
REFLECT: In what way might God desire to change my heart so that my obedience to God’s commandments goes beyond the literal requirements of the law?
PRAY: Lord God, who gave us the law through Moses, help me to understand the deeper implications of your commandments so as to live in a way that marks me as a disciple of Jesus your Son.
from Into The Breach – How A Christian Man Loves