DevoToday.com

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4

Notice first that we have moved out of the “you have heard” section, where Jesus speaks to explicit Biblical command yet refines the current understanding of them (fulfilling the law). But that doesn’t mean Jesus is done correcting the conventional wisdom about following God. Oh no… He had plenty more to say.

In the next few passages, Jesus speaks out against those who are doing the right thing notionally, but who are not engaging in it wholly.

He starts with helping the poor. It is taken as an assumption that this is the right thing to do… But when we give we must do so for the sake of giving, not to be recognized as a giver. I’ve always recognized with the youth I lead that for some their motivation for our annual work trip is to be able to put that week of service on a college or job application. In fact, we market it that way (at least in part). This isn’t what it should be about. Of course, we hope through the course of serving that their eyes are opened.

When you give, do so with the right mindset and spirit. It’s not about how much you can give, it’s about how much they need. You are simply a conduit for God’s grace, sharing his blessings to you as a blessing to others.

Be God’s — every day.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48

This sermon is getting tougher and tougher…

It’s relatively easy to love those you live with, work with, see often, etc. Mainly because we see how this helps us, too. Showing love to one another brings peace, which makes us all happier. So even those we might feel neutral about, we can over the hump and show them love.

But our enemies?

Jesus is calling us to go the extra mile. To be more than what “others” are. To take the first step toward bringing peace. Loving those who love us is easy, but loving our enemies shows that we’ve been transformed through the grace of God.

Be perfect… Wow. Another translation of the Bible I use (above is the NIV, this one below is the new Common English Bible) phrases that as “becoming complete in loving others.” We won’t ever be perfect. But we can fill our lives with love, living more and more like Jesus.

Be God’s — every day.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:38-42

I can still hear my mom coaching me with the “turn the other cheek” verse…

This was a pretty radical message in Jesus’ day, and it’s a radical message today. It’s not about you, it’s about others.That’s hard, especially when those “others” are being unreasonable. They want something, give them more.

The challenge becomes, then, do you ever stop? If someone sues for your shirt, do you give everything until you are naked and poor? Even if the one suing you already has plenty of clothing and wealth? Where is the sense of justice in that?

We should all be careful about missing some likely hyperbole here. We have plenty of examples of Jesus taking things to an extreme — like all great orators — to drive home a point.

The point is to be a giver. Go beyond what is requested or required. Love wins. Vengeance loses.

Be God’s — every day.

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.
Matthew 5:33-37

The point that Jesus makes is not that contracts or promises are evil. Rather, it is that our integrity shouldn’t be subject to what it is written down.

Many oaths at the time called upon diety to punish people who broke them. Jesus reminds us that we don’t have the power to tell God what to do — that is his throne. We control our own actions… And we should keep it as simple as that.

Our actions speak louder than our contracts. How we live should be a testament to who we are and who we follow, not a dramatization of what we agree to on paper. Living a life of integrity is valuable, both to others on earth and to God.

Do what’s right. Worry less about the “contracts” and formalities.

Be God’s — every day.

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.
Matthew 5:31-32

The Old Testament laws about marriage and divorce were procedural. The verse to which Jesus refers (in Deuteronomy) essentially says that if you get divorced you can’t marry that woman again. The purpose seems to have been to discourage hasty divorces.

Jesus makes this more about the sanctity of marriage. Unfaithfulness breaks that sanctity… But otherwise he teaches us to live our promise. While his words refer to how divorce affects the woman, we should assume it applies to us all.

The vows we take are serious. Marriage isn’t always easy, but we are called to make it work. Stay faithful, and commit to an ongoing partnership.

Be God’s — every day.

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.
Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus is casting a pretty wide net here. In an era and society where sex sells, and when evoking lust becomes part of a competitive strategy (think the godaddy.com commercials), it’s tough not to fall victim.

That’s not an excuse. It’s still a sin.

Jesus is making the point that what we actually do is not all that matters. God knows what is in our hearts and in our minds… So what we are thinking matters too. Our intentions and thoughts will also be judged.

Yikes. That sets a pretty high standard.

I had a conversation not long ago with someone who had commuted adultery, and I mentioned that God probably sees most men as adulterers. We don’t know if God has a hierarchy of sin — commuting adultery may or may not be “worse” in God’s eyes than swearing at another driver in traffic or fibbing to get a great deal on a car. We don’t know. It’s all sin.

We are all sinners. Whether our sin was/is visible to the world isn’t the point. We have all missed the mark in God’s eyes. We all need forgiveness, which requires recognizing our brokenness and turning it over to God.

Be God’s — every day.

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.
Matthew 5:23-26

This comes just after Jesus preaches that thinking maliciously against your fellow believers will be judged, just as a murderer is judged. This is his solution.

Make it right.

Don’t delay. Go and settle the matter. You can’t get right in terms of judgment if you can’t get it right with other people.

Jesus doesn’t give us a ton of wiggle room. It’s not a “deposit your offering, then set up an appointment to work things out” kind of deal. Nope. Settle your disputes first.

What open issues are there in your life? What can you do to settle them?

Be God’s — every day.

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.
Matthew 5:21-22

A few clarifications:

“Brother or sister” in this verse does not mean your biological siblings. The word used is also interpreted as “fellow disciple” in other places. So it more generally means “others.”

“Raca” was a term of contempt or anger. Try using that one when you are angry at the guy who cut you off (hint: you have to spit a little bit on the ‘c’).

So what do we take from all of this?

Clearly, Jesus is holding us to a different standard that what the Old Testament commands say literally. In this case, it’s a considerably more difficult standard. “Do not murder” is no longer the layup commandment.

This is Jesus fulfilling the law: coming to Earth to create a new standard. We will see more of this through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

A youth in my group Sunday described how hard it would be to not be mean an entire day. Well, Spencer, you are certainly right. But as Jesus says, we are accountable for our anger and contempt — just as for murder. Makes you want to try harder, eh?

Give it a shot…

Be God’s — every day.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20

This is a difficult passage. What are we to take from Jesus declaring that he fulfills the law?

In Jesus’ day, may believed that when the Messiah came that a new law would be established — the laws of the Old Testament would go away, and new rules would be established. Jesus is correcting that, simply stating that the prophecy points to him (he is fulfilling) and that he embodies the law. In the coming passages of Jesus’ sermon, he explains this thinking more specifically — for example, the OT says “do not murder”… and here is what that really means.

So this passage is part declaration: Jesus is the Messiah. It is also an introduction: just you all wait and see what the law really means.

There is an important application for us, in the context of our modern faith. We may have developed expectations about what the law of the scriptures is and what it means. But like Jesus did in his day, we need to recognize that Jesus is the completion of the law. We need to follow him. He will show us what the law really means.

Be God’s — every day.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16

We have a purpose. God put us here for a reason. As the salt of the earth, we are called to season things with the love of God. As the light of the world, God wants us to shine and make it known that He is the source of our light.

When we stop seasoning or shining, we become less meaningful. Being the salt and light is what brings meaning — it’s not that we feel meaning, so we shine in return. Shining is our purpose.

So go and be salty! Shine!

Be God’s — every day.