‏ Matthew 5:21-48

Summary for Matt 5:21-47: 5:21-47  ^a You have heard. ... But I say: Jesus contrasts his own teaching to six misinterpretations of the law. Each antithesis provides an example of the surpassing righteousness of Jesus. Jesus reveals the will of God as it contrasts with traditions. 5:21  ^b our ancestors were told: The expression refers to the traditional interpretation of the teachers of religious law and Pharisees. Though their traditions prohibited murder, they did not prohibit hatred. The surpassing righteousness of Jesus demands reconciliation (5:23-24  ^c); merely refraining from committing murder is not sufficient (5:22  ^d).
5:22  ^e judgment ... the court ... hell: The second and third punishments are more severe than would have been typical in Jesus’ day, emphasizing the surpassing righteousness of Jesus and his followers (see 5:20  ^f). They did not tolerate unreconciled relationships or any devaluation of others.

• If you call someone an idiot: The Aramaic term reqa’ (transliterated as raca) means something like “empty head,” and the clause probably means the same as if you curse someone (literally if you say, ‘You fool’; cp. Jas 2:20  ^g). Devaluation of people is a sin that manifests itself in various ways.
Summary for Matt 5:23-26: 5:23-26  ^h Jesus gives two illustrations of reconciliation in community and society.
Summary for Matt 5:27-30: 5:27-30  ⁱ Jesus’ righteousness uncovers sin at a deeper level than the external; he reveals the true intent of the law.
Summary for Matt 5:29-30: 5:29-30  ^j good eye ... gouge it out ... stronger hand ... cut it off: These graphic images call for radical separation from sin. But even self-mutilation, radical as it would be, cannot stop a lustful mind. Jesus is calling for the surpassing righteousness that only he can bring. 5:29  ^k hell (Greek Gehenna): Gehenna originally referred to a valley outside Jerusalem where some of the kings of Judah worshiped idols and performed human sacrifice by fire (2 Chr 28:3  ^l; 33:6  ^m; Jer 7:31  ⁿ; 32:35  ^o). The site was eventually destroyed by Josiah (2 Kgs 23:10  ^p). In the New Testament, Gehenna describes the place of punishment by God. Unless disciples have surpassing righteousness, they will not enter the Kingdom (Matt 5:20  ^q) but will be punished eternally (5:22  ^r; 23:33  ^s).
Summary for Matt 5:31-32: 5:31-32  ^t Jesus challenges the misapplication of the Old Testament provision for divorce (see Deut 24:1-4  ^u; cp. Matt 19:3-9  ^v): Following the rules does not make divorce acceptable. Jesus allows only one legitimate reason for divorce, sexual infidelity, and forbids casual divorce (see also 1 Cor 7:10-11  ^w). 5:31  ^x A notice of divorce is a document stating the legality of a divorce. Evidence suggests that such a document permitted remarriage. “The essential formula in the notice of divorce is, ‘Lo, you are free to marry any man.’ ... The essential formula in a writ of emancipation is, ‘Lo, you are a freedwoman: lo, you belong to yourself’” (Mishnah Gittin 9:3).
5:32  ^y The exception clause permits but does not demand divorce when one partner has been unfaithful (see also 19:9  ^z). Notably, Jesus does not demand death for the guilty party (see Deut 22:21-22  ^aa).

• The implication seems to be that by divorcing his wife for illegitimate reasons, the man causes her to commit adultery by wrongly putting her in a situation where she remarries and so breaks the law.

• anyone who marries a divorced woman: It is not clear whether Jesus is referring to any woman who is divorced, regardless of the reason, or only to a woman who is divorced without an acceptable reason (unfaithfulness). The underlying assumption in Jewish divorce law was simple: Legitimate divorces permitted remarriage.
Summary for Matt 5:33-37: 5:33-37  ^ab Jesus here summarizes the Old Testament teaching on oaths (Lev 19:12  ^ac; Num 30:2-4  ^ad; Deut 23:21-23  ^ae; Ps 50:14  ^af; Zech 8:17  ^ag). The Pharisees had degrees of commitment for oaths—for example, ones that did not mention God were not as binding. Jesus shows that because God is related to all things (heaven, earth, Jerusalem, my head; see also Matt 23:16-22  ^ah), breaking any oath breaks God’s command (see Exod 20:7  ^ai). The point is that one must be altogether truthful. Jesus’ righteousness elevates the disciple’s everyday yes and no to the level of binding oath. Oaths become superfluous to the honest person (Jas 5:12  ^aj).
Summary for Matt 5:38-42: 5:38-42  ^ak The Old Testament permitted proportionate retribution (Exod 21:24-25  ^al; Deut 19:16-21  ^am), which was to prevent punishments from far exceeding the severity of the offense. Jesus, however, does not permit personal retaliation at all among his followers. Jesus’ way is not to insist on justice but to find victory through suffering and the cross (1 Pet 2:23  ^an). Some have taken this passage as a guide for all of life (including politics). Others understand it merely as the willingness to forgo one’s personal rights and to forgive as God has forgiven (see Matt 5:48  ^ao; 18:23-35  ^ap). Like the servant in Isa 50:4-9  ^aq and 53:7  ^ar (see also Matt 12:15-21  ^as), Jesus’ followers are to apply the same virtue to honor, possessions, time, or property. Righteousness does not insist on its own way.
5:41  ^at Forced labor was a humiliating fact of Roman occupation (see 27:32  ^au); Jesus turned it into an occasion for exuberant service to God. This saying shows Jesus’ opposition to Jewish revolutionaries, who advocated violent resistance (see 5:9  ^av).
5:42  ^aw See Deut 15:7-11  ^ax.
Summary for Matt 5:43-47: 5:43-47  ^ay hate your enemy: Jesus is opposing not the Old Testament, but a traditional, though mistaken (cp. Exod 23:4-5  ^az), interpretation of the Old Testament. The “hate” clause is not in the Old Testament (but see Ps 139:21-22  ^ba).
5:45  ^bb By loving all people, Jesus’ followers would not become children of God; they would show by their actions that they are indeed God’s true children, according to his nature and will (see Deut 10:18-19  ^bc).
5:47  ^bd If you are kind only to your friends (literally, If you greet only your brothers): Jews were instructed to greet Gentiles for the sake of maintaining peaceful relations, but such greetings were not the same as those for “brothers”—i.e., fellow Jews.
5:48  ^be This verse ties 5:20-48  ^bf together as a unit (see study note on 4:23-25).

• you are to be perfect: The term rendered “perfect” means maturity and wholeness in response to Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom, and complete consecration to God (19:21  ^bg; Eph 4:13  ^bh; Phil 3:15  ^bi; Col 1:28  ^bj; 4:12  ^bk; 1 Jn 4:18  ^bl). Perfection has love at its core (see Luke 6:36  ^bm).

‏ Matthew 6

6:1  ^bn This verse introduces the theme of 6:2-18  ^bo, that righteousness should not be done for public recognition but as a service to God.

• Good deeds are acts that conform to God’s pattern for proper behavior: e.g., gift giving (6:2-4  ^bp), prayer (6:5-15  ^bq), and fasting (6:16-18  ^br). Jesus urges secrecy to counteract the human propensity to seek praise for oneself rather than for God (cp. 5:16  ^bs).
6:2  ^bt the hypocrites: See study note on 23:13.

• The blowing of trumpets accompanied major rituals, including public fasts.
6:4  ^bu your Father ... will reward you: Both now and at the final judgment at the end of history (25:31-46  ^bv).
6:5  ^bw When you pray: Jews prayed regularly at 9 am and 3 pm (see Acts 3:1  ^bx) and had frequent times of public prayer. Hypocrites deliberately sought to be in public places at such times, to be seen by all.
6:6  ^by go away by yourself: Jesus is not prohibiting corporate prayer (see 18:19-20  ^bz; Luke 11:2-4  ^ca) but is instructing his followers to avoid using prayer as a means of drawing attention to themselves.
Summary for Matt 6:7-8: 6:7-8  ^cb God cannot be coaxed by endless repetition. The Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13  ^cc) is a model of simplicity in contrast with pagan wordiness.
Summary for Matt 6:9-13: 6:9-13  ^cd The Lord’s Prayer is similar in form to a common Jewish prayer (the qaddish). Jesus gave this prayer to his followers as a succinct expression of their new faith. 6:9  ^ce Pray like this: In contrast to the vain repetition of pagan prayers (6:7-8  ^cf), “the Lord’s Prayer” is a model of simplicity.

• Jews rarely addressed God as Father, but Jesus did so in every prayer but one (Mark 15:34  ^cg).

• may your name be kept holy: God’s name is profaned by the sin of his people (Isa 29:22-24  ^ch; Jer 34:15-16  ^ci; Ezek 39:7  ^cj; Amos 2:7  ^ck).
6:10  ^cl In praying for God’s Kingdom to come soon, Jesus’ disciples pray for his justice, righteousness, peace, and mercy to be established.

• Outside God’s will, no person will be permitted into God’s presence (7:21  ^cm; 12:50  ^cn; 21:28-32  ^co).

• on earth, as it is in heaven: This probably refers to all of the first three petitions, not just the third.
6:11  ^cp Give us today the food we need: The disciple, after confidently asking God to provide for daily needs, can go about Kingdom ministry relieved of care (6:25-34  ^cq).
6:12  ^cr as we have forgiven (see also 6:14-15  ^cs; 18:21-35  ^ct): Forgiving others is a reflection of a repentant, regenerate heart, which makes our own forgiveness possible. Those who have experienced God’s forgiveness will forgive. Jesus implies that those who are unwilling to forgive have not perceived God’s mercy, and perhaps have never truly repented.
6:13  ^cu And don’t let us yield to temptation: Just as Jesus was tested (4:1-11  ^cv), temptation will test the disciple’s character. Jesus urges prayer for God’s enabling to stand the test (see 26:41  ^cw; Ps 141:4  ^cx).

• from the evil one: Or from evil. The alternate reading refers to sin in general; the NLT reading refers to Satan, the tempter (see Jas 1:13  ^cy).

• The doxology appended to some manuscripts was added later (probably based on 1 Chr 29:11-13  ^cz) to tailor the prayer to the liturgy.
6:16  ^da Prayer and fasting are frequently connected (Lev 23:27-32  ^db; Neh 9:1-2  ^dc; Zech 7:3-5  ^dd; 8:19  ^de; Luke 18:12  ^df). The practice had been abused before Jesus’ time (Isa 58:3-12  ^dg).
6:20  ^dh treasures in heaven: This was a common image for Jews of Jesus’ day; doing God’s commands became virtually equivalent to accumulating treasures with God. The context (6:19  ^di; Luke 12:33  ^dj) suggests that Jesus primarily had acts of charity in mind.
6:22  ^dk Your eye is like a lamp: It gives light to the body and so enlightens the entire person.

• Healthy means morally healthy, with simple, wholehearted devotion to God (6:24  ^dl). Here it connotes generosity.
6:24  ^dm The term for money (traditionally mammon) is an Aramaic term for profits or material possessions. Since God tolerates no rivals, Jesus repeatedly warns of the danger of accumulating riches (13:22  ^dn; 19:16-30  ^do; 26:14-16  ^dp; 27:3-10  ^dq; 28:11-15  ^dr), which can be an idol (see Eph 5:5  ^ds; Col 3:5  ^dt). We must trust God to meet our needs (Matt 4:3-4  ^du; 6:8  ^dv, 11  ^dw, 25-34  ^dx; 7:7-11  ^dy; 10:9-14  ^dz; 14:15-21  ^ea; 15:32-38  ^eb), and the community of disciples is to be mutually supportive (6:2-4  ^ec; 10:40-42  ^ed; 19:21  ^ee; 23:23-24  ^ef; 25:31-46  ^eg; 26:6-13  ^eh; 27:57-61  ^ei).
Summary for Matt 6:25-34: 6:25-34  ^ej Jesus taught an anxiety-free existence of simple trust in God for provisions. Jesus’ disciples had abandoned all (4:18-22  ^ek; 9:9  ^el; 10:5-14  ^em); Jesus gave them comforting reassurance that God would provide for their needs.
6:26  ^en Jesus’ logic progresses from lesser to greater: If the Father tends to birds (the lesser), and the disciple is far more valuable to him (the greater), then he will certainly tend to the disciples’ needs (see also 10:29-31  ^eo).
6:30  ^ep Little faith results from the failure to understand one’s value to God and the extent of God’s providential protection.
6:32  ^eq unbelievers (literally Gentiles): Those who fail to know God and follow his will (see also 20:19  ^er).

• your heavenly Father already knows: Prayer does not inform God about needs; it expresses trust in his provision.
6:33  ^es Here Jesus gives the positive alternative to worrying. Single-minded commitment to God and seeking his reign through Christ (see 6:19-24  ^et) must be the primary concern of Jesus’ disciples.

‏ Matthew 7:1-6

7:1  ^eu Mercy is a dominant theme in Jesus’ teaching and practice (9:9-13  ^ev; 12:1-7  ^ew), but not at the expense of clear opposition to sin (see 18:15-20  ^ex; 23:13-33  ^ey). At the same time, Jesus calls for people to stop oppressively controlling others in the name of pastoral concern. The judgment Jesus prohibits often involves rigorous scrutiny of trivial matters (see 23:23-24  ^ez). God alone has the right to judge (see Jas 4:11-12  ^fa).

• you will not be judged: This might refer to God’s judgment at the end of history (see Matt 5:7  ^fb). God measures us by our treatment of others (see 6:12  ^fc; 18:21-35  ^fd).
Summary for Matt 7:3-5: 7:3-5  ^fe Jesus exhorts his disciples to minister to others rather than condemning them. Reference to a speck (speck of dust, chip of wood) versus a log in the eye is hyperbolic imagery, intended to heighten the contrast (see 5:29  ^ff; 23:23-24  ^fg; cp. Mic 6:6-8  ^fh).
7:6  ^fi Rabbis often referred to important ideas or Scripture verses as pearls. The mysteries of the Kingdom (13:11  ^fj) are holy (see Exod 29:33  ^fk; Lev 2:3  ^fl; 22:10-16  ^fm; Num 18:8-10  ^fn).

• Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy: Literally Don’t give the sacred to dogs. Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs (see Matt 15:26  ^fo; see Ps 22:16  ^fp, 20  ^fq) or pigs because those animals were unclean (Lev 11  ^fr). Some interpreters understand this statement as warning that the message of the Kingdom would not be well received by many Gentiles. Others see it as a warning about offering the message of the Kingdom to the resistant Jewish leaders (see Matt 5:20  ^fs; 10:11-14  ^ft; see also Heb 10:29  ^fu) or to unbelievers in general (see Matt 18:17  ^fv; see also 1 Cor 2:13-16  ^fw; 2 Pet 2:21-22  ^fx).