Jesus starts to raise the bar...

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And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." - Mark 4: 9 (ESV)

Our key verse is an expression Jesus often used when teaching. The implication is clear. Far too often we hear but we do not hear. We hear as a matter of physiology but not as a matter of acceptance and understanding. We do not internalize it. We fail to understand and grasp the meaning. It is not enough to merely hear something if we are not going to learn from it. If we are not going to grow from it. If we casually toss it aside then of what value was it at all? While this is a bad practice in general it is a dangerous one when it comes to Scripture. As we continue in the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gospel and the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts to raise the bar on beliefs we hold.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. - Matthew 5: 21-26 (ESV)

There is a lot to unpack here but what we see is the start of a trend in the teachings of Jesus. He had just taught that He came to fulfill the law and now He begins to raise the bar of the law. To raise the standard we need to use when examining ourselves in relation to what God says is right and wrong. The religious leaders of His day knew the law and exactly how to fulfill the letter while ignoring the point. We see Jesus make this point over and over to them. They make sure to tithe yet ignore mercy for example. They focus so hard on straining out a gnat while they are swallowing a camel. Jesus here starts to deal with the root issues of sin instead of the actions of sin. Under the law, murder was the crime but Jesus teaches that the root cause of murder is anger. Sin always has a starting point. Cain did not just murder Abel by chance. His anger drove him to it.

Just as the Pharisees were experts at denying the sin that ruled them by avoiding the end game, we too can fall into these traps. We can excuse our anger, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, slander, and hatred under the guise of so many excuses. Jesus is expositing the totality of the law. It was not just that one should not commit murder but that one should not allow the devil a foothold in their lives through anger. If we are not careful we too can fall into these destructive habits. Claiming to be Christian yet secretly (or not so secretly) hating our brother. Yet what does the Bible teach us about that?

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. - 1John 4: 20-21 (ESV)

But Jesus was not done there yet. He also says that he who insults his brother is a perpetrator of the same crime as well. The Bible teaches us that we are not allow any coarse joking or evil talk escape our lips. Yet how many times do we find ourselves gossiping or maligning our brothers or sisters in Christ? Please beloved realize that these devotionals are always God ministering to me first. Of these I am the least. These are things I must remember and work on daily as well. But Jesus was not done here yet either. He also says that he who says "you fool" is guilty as well. This is referring to our propensity to speak down to our brothers and sisters. The word used here is "raca" and it infers a prideful or scornful remark. Let that one sink in and resonate for a second.

I love the next illustration. If we are set to make an offering to the Lord but realize that our brother has something against us, we are to leave that gift at the altar and reconcile. There are two critical teachings here. One is speaking against our proclivity to play church. God is saying do not come on Sundays and raise your hands in worship if you know there is a chasm of anger between you and someone else in the body. In many ways it is almost mocking God. To pretend to be living a surrendered life yet to know there exists this problem. Remember, one cannot claim to love God yet hate his own brother in Christ. The second important teaching here is that it does not matter whom is holding the offense. The way this is worded teaches that if we know someone else has something against us. Not that we are holding something. It might be subtle but the implications are huge. We excuse these differences away many times by pretending it is not our problem but the other person. We can say we have forgiven and moved on but God is saying there is no moving on until the matter is settled. Often times we must be the bigger person. We must go humbly even if we feel that our position is the righteous one. It does not matter to God - only the reconciliation does. I have known people holding anger, bitterness, and rage for decades against people. Then one day we stand over their grave and still blame them. Nonsense says God! Go and make it right; then you can come and raise your hands and offer sacrifice unto the Lord. Come to terms quickly! We know not what tomorrow holds. Jesus now moves into the area of lust:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. - Matthew 5: 27-30 (ESV)

The sin of adultery is conceived in the heart from lust. When David viewed Bathsheba bathing he still could have avoided the path he would go down. But he coveted what was not his and he lusted. We all know the end result of that was sin upon sin. Lust to coveting. Coveting to adultery. Adultery to murder. Sin never shows you the whole picture. It never shows you the end result. That is why Jesus is teaching us here to deal with the root causes and we will never have to deal with the end results. Please realize these are powerful metaphors. God is not teaching us to literally mutilate our body but rather the extreme measures we must take to avoid sin at all costs. We can choose what to focus on and what to turn away from. Joseph was but a 17 year old boy when he ran away from Mrs. Potiphar. The Bible teaches us:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4: 8-9 (ESV)

What is it that we choose to think about? To focus on? It is difficult enough in a sex saturated society to resist temptation to compound it by focusing on it. We must disciple our minds and our bodies to conform to the likeness of our Savior; as difficult as that might be. Job made a covenant with his eyes and we ought to as well. Jesus is picking up steam now in His difficult teachings:

"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. - Matthew 5: 31-32 (ESV)

Now, in the effort of full disclosure and transparency, I have never been married. So I recognize it might be easier for me to teach this and accept this than some who have gone through the pain of divorce. Regardless, the Bible says what the Bible says and even though divorce is certainly not the unpardonable sin, there is zero question that God hates it. The Bible says He hates it. But preacher, he was unfaithful to me! God still hates it. We ought to understand why beloved. Marriage is not merely the joining of two people to each other but to God as well. It is a covenant relationship with the Lord. The dissolving of the union is also the breaking of the covenant.

We also ought to understand the context. Jesus explains in another teaching that Moses allowed the certificates of divorce because of the hardness of the hearts of the Israelites. They were getting divorced for literally no reason or very superficial ones at best. That is how our society today operates. I remember once asking a young woman who worked for me if she was ready to get married, since it was close to the date. Her answers was, if it doesn't work, I'll just get a divorce. That is literally how people enter into marriages today so it is no wonder that the value of the covenant has been marginalized. By the way, when that is your starting point you have essentially guaranteed the divorce because things never "work out" fully. There are always ups and downs and it is only by keeping your covenant with God first can you survive them. That young woman is indeed divorced today.

Beloved I understand the difficulty in these teachings. I am not saying one has to stay in abusive relationships. I am merely saying what Scripture says. The final teaching here again raises the bar on divorce by explaining the ties it has to adultery. This is a teaching NEVER broached in churches today because people do not want to face the sins they may be committing. Jesus makes it very clear that sexual infidelity destroys the covenant. He may still hate the fact that what was once a covenant union is now destroyed but He recognizes the damage unfaithfulness does. If there was no unfaithfulness however, both parties are set up for adultery if they are to get married again. How so preacher? Because the original covenant is still in place. I know people as we all must who have essentially made their new spouses adulterers by way of second marriages when there was no Biblical cause to end the first one. Tough teaching? Absolutely. Unpardonable? Of course not. Like any other sin though it must be repented of. Now before people go off thinking God is too harsh remember that He views our relationship with Him in marital terms. We are the bride of Christ. We are in covenant with Him. Yet how often do we cheat? How often do we prostitute ourselves out to idols and the gods of this world? Yet every time God forgives us and takes us back. Thank God for His mercy that He does not hand me a certificate of divorce because Lord knows I deserve one! For side reading, check out the Book of Hosea and see a word picture for the marriage of God to His people and how He always redeems them, even after their repeated unfaithfulness. Hallelujah to the Lord! Jesus continues from the Mount:

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. - Matthew 5: 33-37 (ESV)

A subject not spoken of enough, oaths. The solemn word of a Christian. What is the standard Jesus is setting here and do we consider this at all in our walks? I love what Matthew Henry has to say about this often forgotten portion of Scripture:

"There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a court of justice, or on other proper occasions, are wrong, provided they are taken with due reverence. But all oaths taken without necessity, or in common conversation, must be sinful, as well as all those expressions which are appeals to God, though persons think thereby to evade the guilt of swearing. The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them. Our Lord does not enjoin the precise terms wherein we are to affirm or deny, but such a constant regard to truth as would render oaths unnecessary."

Wow, talk about a profound truth. The worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them. The final teaching for this devotional has less to do with oaths than it does about the content of our integrity. What is our word worth? A constant regard for the truth would render oaths unnecessary! Far too often however we do not regard the truth with the solemnity it deserves. I watch every day as Christians post, tweet, or repeat absolute falsehoods in the name of their politics, their church, and even their Savior. Job once had some friends who were acting as if the truth was malleable as long as they convinced themselves what they were saying was in defense of the Lord. Here was his answer:

Will you speak falsely for God and speak deceitfully for him?Will you show partiality toward him? Will you plead the case for God?Will it be well with you when he searches you out? Or can you deceive him, as one deceives a man?He will surely rebuke you if in secret you show partiality.Will not his majesty terrify you, and the dread of him fall upon you?Your maxims are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay. - Job 13: 7-12 (ESV)

Read these admonitions carefully beloved. God does not need us to lie on His behalf. He does not need us to slant our testimony and cheat on His behalf. We will not be able to deceive Him as we might be able to deceive man. I have witnessed the utter depravity of man lying and slanting testimony against pastors and ministers to achieve what their carnal hearts desired. Used by Satan as a tool to undo the works of God. The maxims they offered in their defense were mere proverbs of ashes, blown away by the wind. Defenses of clay, holding no form or substance. While I used to hold resentment these verses have taught me to pity them for they have lost the majesty of the Lord. It no longer terrifies them as it ought to. God does not need us to be deceitful on His behalf. When we think we are doing it for Him we must realize we are only doing it to feed our own carnality. Oaths are for people who know their word means nothing. Let it not be the case with you.

Chapter Five of Matthew's Gospel is so rich with theology because these are the actual words and teachings from Jesus Himself. They are not easy beloved because they grate against the world we live in and in many cases, against the church we attend. I offer none of them as points I have mastered but rather as teachings I must be mindful of every day if I am to grow in my walk with the Lord. I pray they continue to minister to you, even if they might bite back a little bit into our flesh. Better to know and repent than to turn a blind eye until we stand before Him to give account. Blessings from the Mount.

Reverend Anthony Wade - March 14, 2015

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.