Friday
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 angryb
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
Jesus points to a way of being righteous that depends on having a pure
heart. A pure heart comes only from
God's grace. From learning to surrender
to His power.
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