Read Matthew 5:21-37
Murder
5:25,26pp — Lk 12:58,59
21“You have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,1a and anyone who murders
will be subject to judgment.’ 22But I tell you that anyone who is
angryb with a brother or
sister2 will be subject to
judgment.c Again, anyone who says
to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,3’
is answerable to the Sanhedrin.d
And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.e
23“Therefore, if you are offering your gift
at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something
against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go
and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.
25“Settle matters quickly with your
adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the
way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand
you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26Truly
I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall not commit adultery.’1a 28But I
tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery with her in his heart.b 29If your right eye
causes you to stumble,c 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. 30And if your right hand causes you to stumble,d
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 go into hell.
Divorce
31“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces
his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’1a
32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for
sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries
the divorced woman commits adultery.b
Oaths
33“Again, you have heard that it was said
to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath,a but fulfill to the
Lord the vows you have made.’b 34But I tell you, do not
swear an oath at all:c either by heaven, for it is God’s
throne;d
35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it
is the city of the Great King.e 36And do not swear by
your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37All
you need to say is simply ‘Yes,’ or ‘No’;f anything beyond this
comes from the evil one.1g
Think
This
is quite a lot to digest. Jesus is
teaching about Old Testament law and putting it into practical terms for the
present. He is teaching what it means to
have the law in your heart – rather than to just be a law keeper.
Pray
Lord, write your law on my
heart – so that what you want will be what I want.
Amen.
pp
Identical or nearly identical passages are noted with “pp.”
1 Exodus
20:13
a Ex 20:13; 21:12;
Dt 5:17
b Ecc 7:9;
1Co 13:5; Eph 4:26; Jas 1:19,20
2 Some
manuscripts brother or sister without
cause
c 1Jn 3:15
3 An Aramaic
term of contempt
d Mt 26:59;
Jn 11:47; Ac 5:21,27,34,41; 6:12
e Mt 18:9; Mk
9:43,48; Lk 16:24; Jas 3:6
1 Exodus 20:14
a Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
b Pr 6:25; 2Pe 2:14
c ver 30; Mt 18:6,8,9; Mk 9:42–47; Lk
17:2; Ro 14:21; 1Co 8:13; S 2Co 6:3; 11:29
d S ver 29
1 Deut. 24:1
a Dt 24:1–4
b S Lk 16:18
a Lev 19:12
b Nu 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 23:16–22
c Jas 5:12
d Isa 66:1; Mt 23:22
e Ps 48:2
f Jas 5:12
1 Or from
evil
g Mt 6:13; 13:19,38; Jn 17:15; Eph 6:16;
2Th 3:3; 1Jn 2:13,14; 3:12; 5:18,19
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