Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21-37 (NIV)
Murder
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

“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. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery
“ You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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 right hand causes you to stumble, 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
“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

In this passage, Jesus is giving his disciples guidance about the demands and costs of discipleship. Jesus is upfront, saying there will be many difficulties. Jesus has not come to abolish any of the 613 commandments in the Torah but to fulfil them. He explains in detail the greater demands, for example, not only is it wrong to murder but you must not even think it, therefore, all thoughts of anger must be dismissed. Jesus also speaks of adultery, saying not only should you not commit adultery, but you should not think lustfully over women either. 

Jesus makes the connection between an idea and a thought: a thought leads to a feeling, a feeling leads to an action, and action leads to a consequence. It, therefore, seems appropriate, especially as we approach the period of Lent to consider all the habits and routines we have in place and examine them in the light. Do they bring us closer to God or push us further away?

In the first letter of John 4:20, John says our attitude to others reflects our relationship with God. In the verses of today's passage from Matthew, Jesus gives us wonderful, practical ideas about how to have a more fulfilling life. 

• Avoid anger and hatred. 
• Have the right relationship with God and others.
• Keep our hearts from lusting and be faithful.
• Live out our marriage commitments.
• Avoid casual and irresponsible comments to God.
• Show mercy and love others. 

There are seven cardinal or deadly sins within Christian teaching, which were defined by Dante Alighieri as perverse or corrupt versions of love for something or another. They are deadly because each one leads to consequences, which take us from God. The sins are gluttony, anger, lust, envy, sloth, pride, and covetousness. 

A disturbing part of the text, which should not be taken literally, tells us if our right eye causes us to sin, we should gouge it out. If a body part causes us to stumble, we should cut it off and throw it away. Maybe Jesus is being humorous but he is definitely using hyperbole to express the point that we should not be doing certain things. In Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 9:6, God expressly tells us not to hurt ourselves. In Leviticus 19:28, God even forbids tattoos. I press this point because there is no way Jesus was telling us to hurt our bodies, which we should keep as a temple to God. 

This text encourages us to examine our lives, recognising our struggles and conflicts. I recent advert for BUPA UK Mental Health Hub says, "There are 7 billion versions of normal. With 7 billion unique people on the planet, there’s no such thing as ‘normal’." We all have different personalities, we are all at different stages of our life, and we are all developing both physically and spiritually in different ways, therefore, it is not unusual for there to be tension and conflict in the world. God, I think, allows that, especially as he gave us free will, but the love that we offer through the grace of Jesus is accepting one another's differences, listening to other people's opinions and in so doing enrich our thoughts and quality of life. 

No one forces people to become Christians. The Holy Spirit is at work, always. It is up to us as Christians to show the distinctiveness of life by putting God first, others second and ourselves third. This reading in Matthew comes after Jesus telling the disciples they had to be like salt and light. This passage helps us see more clearly how difficult it is to follow the commandments, especially in a society where moral values are turned upside-down but if we do want to make a difference, Matthew 5:21-27 inspires us to transform our lives and to be the disciples Jesus wishes. ​

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