The ultimate reward for the disciple of Jesus is "the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5.3,10). Within His sermon Jesus has warned about various snares that might prevent someone from attaining the Kingdom. Adhering to a false standard of righteousness would prevent someone from entering the Kingdom (Matthew 5.20), and those who do righteous deeds out... Continue Reading →

Shortly after David fled from Saul he sought refuge at the Philistine city of Gath. However, David was forced to feign insanity in order to escape the Philistine King (see 1Samuel 21.10-15). David's life was in peril; he could not go home, but his military successes meant that no other nation would grant him refuge.... Continue Reading →

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 6.1) Righteousness is the major theme of Jesus' sermon in Matthew 5. His people are those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (vs. 6) and are persecuted as a... Continue Reading →

Forsaking one's right for vengeance and retribution (vss. 43-47) would have seemed radical enough for those brought up on the Pharisees' skewed notion of righteousness, but Jesus was not content to stop there. The righteousness He demands requires citizens of His Kingdom to do the most radical thing of all: love their enemies. 43 “You... Continue Reading →

A subtle shift of focus occurs begins with vs. 38. In the words of Paul Earnhart, “He has now moved from dealing with the problem of evil in ourselves to the challenge of wrestling with evil in others. It is one thing for the kingdom citizen to withhold all injury from the innocent, but what... Continue Reading →

33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool... Continue Reading →

The Pharisees' teaching on adultery had severely weakened God's will regarding the love and commitment which should exist between husband and wife. For them, the only sin to avoid was adultery. Jesus reset the bar to where God intended it to be: love and commitment in marriage prompts one to cleanse the heart of lust... Continue Reading →

Jesus continues His teaching on true righteousness, contrasting the righteousness of the Pharisees, “you have heard...” with the true righteousness of the Kingdom, “but I say to you...”. Having explained how true righteousness addresses the heart’s attitude toward others, not just violent actions against them (vss. 21-26), the Lord turns His attention to matters of... Continue Reading →

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty... Continue Reading →

Jesus emphasized the importance of righteousness when He declared that citizens of His Kingdom would be those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (vs. 6) and would be “persecuted for the sake of righteousness” (vs. 10). Simply put, righteousness is concerned with doing right. And since only God is qualified to determine right (see Jeremiah... Continue Reading →