Matthew 5-7
Today’s reading comes from Matthew 5-7. You may know this as “The Sermon on the Mount”, and this may be among the most well known passages in the Bible. The Jews Jesus was teaching knew the Old Testament laws really well. Jesus took this opportunity to focus on what God really requires – he focused on matters of the heart, not just following the letter of the law.
For example, the old law said, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” Jesus took it further and taught, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” This is a difficult teaching, but wait – there’s more.
Then, in Matt 5:42-45, Jesus tells us, “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 sons 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.” – This is even harder to follow.
In this passage, Jesus is telling us more of the reason behind his new rules. God loves even those who hate him, and he does them good – in spite of their hatred for Him. And we should imitate this characteristic of God. Jesus takes this even further in verse 48, where he said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Ok, now this isn’t possible to obey without some serious help from God.
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus said, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Basically, this is asking God to forgive me only to the extent I forgive others. Jesus then told us plainly in Matt 6: 14-15, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – This is a pretty good reason to forgive others! – But still not easy to do.
Then, Jesus tells us in Matt 7: 1-2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Did you catch that? I will be judged in the same way I judge others. This is a pretty good reason for me to not condemn others! This goes back to the old saying, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”
As I read these passages, a couple things jump out to me. First, I need to imitate God as much as possible. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at doing this, so I need to beg for His forgiveness. Fortunately, He is loving and extends grace. From His example, I recognize I need to be loving, and extend grace too.
Second, once I recognize I am a worthless sinner, saved only by the grace of God, it’s suddenly easier for me to be less eager to condemn others. Then, if I can see them through God’s eyes – as other sinners in need of grace – that makes it even easier for me to extend grace to others. And that grace may take the form of forgiving them, or of not judging them, or even turning the other cheek if they hit me. On our own, this isn’t possible, but we can do these things with God’s help. Ultimately, we can (again with God’s help) come to the point of loving or enemies, and blessing those who persecute us.
Jesus closes this section talking about the wise builder (who built on a rock) and the foolish builder (who built on sand). The wise man was likened to someone who listened to Jesus’ teaching, and put it into practice – building his life on the rock. The foolish man was likened to someone who listened to Jesus’ teaching, and didn’t put it into practice – building his life without a foundation. In both instances, storms come. But only the house built on the rock survived. By analogy, only the life founded on Jesus’ teachings will not be destroyed.
So again, we find that today’s reading has implications for us today, and for eternity. And just knowing these truths isn’t enough, we must put them into practice. Please join me in taking this seriously. Apply this to your life. Ask God’s help living up to these requirements that are impossible to accomplish on our own. Become an imitator of God. The reward is eternal.
–Steve Mattison
Today’s Bible reading can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – Matthew 5-7.
Tomorrow’s reading will be Matthew 8:1-13 and Luke 7 as we continue on our Bible reading plan. SeekGrowLove.
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