1540 | MattheW 5:21
Murder
5:25,26pp — Lk 12:58,59
21
“ You have heard that it was said to the peo ple long ago , ‘ You shall not mur der , a and any one who mur ders will be sub ject to judg ment .’ 22 But I tell you that any one who is an gry with a broth er or sis ter b , c will be sub ject to judg ment . Again , any one who says to a broth er or sis ter , ‘ Raca ,’ d is an swerable to the court . And any one who says , ‘ You fool !’ will be in dan ger of the fire of hell .
23
“ There fore , if you are of fer ing your gift at the al tar and there re mem ber that your broth er or sis ter has some thing against you , 24 leave your gift there in front of the al tar . First go and be recon ciled to them ; then come and of fer your gift .
25
“ Set tle mat ters quick ly with your ad ver sary who is tak ing you to court . Do it while you are still to geth er on the way , or your ad ver sary may hand you over to the judge , and the judge may hand you over to the of fi cer , and you may be thrown into pris on . 26 Tru ly I tell you , you will not get out un til you have paid the last pen ny .
Adultery
27
“ You have heard that it was said , ‘ You shall not com mit adul tery .’ e 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a wom an lust ful ly has al ready com mit ted adul tery with her in his heart . 29 If your right eye caus es you to stum ble , gouge it out and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell . 30 And if your right hand caus es you to stum ble , cut it off and throw it away . It is bet ter for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell .
Divorce
31
“ It has been said , ‘ Any one who di vorc es his wife must give her a cer tif i cate of di vorce .’ f 32 But I tell you that any one who di vorc es his wife , except for sex u al im mo ral i ty , makes her the vic tim of adul tery , and any one who mar ries a di vorced wom an com mits adul tery .
Oaths 33
“ Again , you have heard that it was said to the peo ple long ago , ‘ Do not break your oath , but ful fill to the Lord the vows you have made .’ 34 But I tell you , do not swear an oath at all : ei ther by heaven , for it is God ’ s throne ; 35 or by the earth , for it is his foot stool ; or by Je ru sa lem , for it is the city of the Great King . 36 And do not swear by your head , for you can not make even one hair white or black . 37 All you need to say is sim ply ‘ Yes ’ or ‘ No ’; any thing be yond this comes from the evil one . g
Eye for Eye
38
“ You have heard that it was said , ‘ Eye for eye , and tooth for tooth .’ h 39 But I tell you , do not re sist
a
21 Exodus 20:13 b
22 The Greek word for brother or sister ( adelphos ) refers here to a fellow disciple , whether man or woman ; also in verse 23 . c
22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause d
22 An Aramaic term of contempt e
27 Exodus 20:14 f
31 Deut . 24:1 g
37 Or from evil h
38 Exodus 21:24 ; Lev . 24:20 ; Deut . 19:21
5:21 – 48 Jesus presents six antitheses — statements using opposites to make a point — to illustrate what it means to have a righ teous ness that surpasses that of the scribes ( teachers of the law ) and Pharisees . The righ teous ness required of Jesus ’ disciples goes beyond the observation of the written law . However , Jesus ’ teaching here does not overturn the existing Jewish law ; it merely supplements or elaborates its teachings with principles for living the ethics of the kingdom of heaven ( see note on v . 17 ).
5:21 You have heard that it was said This expression ( or a variation ) occurs six times in this passage . Compare Ex 20:13 . 5:22 I tell you Highlights Jesus ’ authority . hell The Greek word used here is geenna , often transliterated into English as “ Gehenna .” The underlying reference is to the Hebrew name “ Valley of Hinnom ,” which was a place near Jerusalem linked with idolatrous sacrifices in the OT ( e . g ., 2Ch 28:3 ). Over time , Gehenna came to represent a place of God ’ s wrath , hence the affiliation with fire . Compare note on 1Pe 3:19 . 5:23 something against you Likely refers to a legitimate complaint . 5:27 You shall not commit adultery See Ex 20:14 . 5:28 looks at a woman lustfully Jesus wants his followers to deal with sin where it starts : the mind or emotions .
5:29 – 30 The two examples Jesus gives in Mt 5:29 – 30 call for extreme measures to prevent and eradicate sin .
However , they are not intended literally ; they are hyperboles — deliberate exaggerations to make a point . Jesus is saying that people should be vigilant in avoiding sin , making every effort to remain pure .
5:29 hell See note on v . 22 . 5:30 lose one part of your body Jesus uses this illustration to emphasize the way that sin stands between people and God . He also demonstrates the desperate need for a person , through the power of God , to rid their life of sin . Jesus is showing that for many people their desire for sin is so powerful that it keeps them from having relationship with God and thus leads to them experiencing God ’ s judgment and wrath . See note on v . 22 . 5:31 must give her a certificate of divorce Jesus later indicates that divorce in the Law of Moses ( see Dt 24:1 – 4 and note ) was permitted only because of people ’ s hardness of heart ( see Mt 19:8 and note ). 5:32 except for sexual immorality Jesus addresses this issue again at various points in his ministry ( e . g ., 19:3 – 9 ). In this text , Jesus indicates that sexual infidelity is an acceptable reason for divorce . 5:33 fulfill to the Lord the vows People swore oaths to guarantee their truthfulness . Jesus calls on his followers to practice honesty without the use of oaths . See Nu 30:2 . 5:38 Eye for eye This principle , often referred to as lex talionis or the “ law of retaliation ” ( see Ex 21 – 24 ) contrasts with the unexpected generosity that a member of the kingdom of heaven should display .