Read Matthew 5:21-37

Read Matthew 5:21-37

21 “You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’ ²²But now I tell you: whoever is angry^b with his brother will be brought to trial, whoever calls his brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Council, and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell. ²³So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

25 “If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute with him while there is time, before you get to court. Once you are there, he will hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. ²⁶There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than for your whole body to go to hell.

31 “It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’ ³²But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife, for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.

33 “You have also heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.’ ³⁴But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. ³⁷Just say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’—anything else you say comes from the Evil One.

Think

In all these teachings Jesus invites us to look deeper than the outward action into the attitude of the heart that produces it.  Inviting us to be pure from the inside out rather than just on the outside.

Pray

Lord, write your law on my heart.

Amen

---

21  5.21: Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17

^b whoever is angry; some manuscripts have whoever without cause is angry.

27  5.27: Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18

²⁹ 5.29: Mt 18:9; Mk 9:47

³⁰ 5.30: Mt 18:8; Mk 9:43

31  5.31: Dt 24:1–4; Mt 19:7; Mk 10:4

³² 5.32: Mt 19:9; Mk 10:11, 12; Lk 16:18; 1 Co 7:10, 11

33  5.33 a: Lv 19:12
5.33 b: Nu 30:2; Dt 23:21

³⁴ 5.34 a: Jas 5:12
5.34 b: Is 66:1; Mt 23:22

³⁵ 5.35 a: Is 66:1
5.35 b: Ps 48:2