Monday
Matthew 5.20 “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The law of God was always intended as a guide to life, a way to be walked and a light in dark places or at dark times. It was not a set of rules to keep, but a way of loving God that sets the heart free. Jesus calls us, his followers, not to break the rules, but to go further. When the law is written on the heart, then our personal obedience becomes a matter of love, a way of showing we are God’s children. In other words, obedience is love for God made personal.
Tuesday
Matthew 5.21-22 “You have heard that it was said to people long ago, “Do not murder.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgement.”
It’s about the heart, that mixture of thoughts and feelings and motives that governs how we behave and treat others. Anger is many things: simmering resentment, corrosive envy, gnawing bitterness, wounded grievance, toxic jealousy, inflammatory rage. Those inner thoughts and emotions that create in us the will to harm someone else. That, said Jesus makes us subject to judgement. To wish harm is to cause harm, to the other, and to us.
Wednesday
Matthew 5.22b “Again, anyone who says to his brother or sister ‘Raca!’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says ‘You fool’, will be in danger of the fires of hell.”
The Jewish law provided for those public insults, which could be dealt with at the level of the magistrate’s court (Sanhedrin). Jesus is talking about the inner springs of such insulting language. To ridicule, to humiliate, to despise, to diminish another person – these words and actions spring from a heart that default is to insult rather than respect. And it’s not good enough says Jesus! The danger is that left unchecked, devaluing others, and taking pleasure in their hurt, demonstrates a heart no longer caring about God or others. And that’s a dangerous place to frequent.
Thursday
Matthew 5.23-24 “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.”
These words are amongst the most challenging in the whole Sermon. We can’t come to worship a God of holiness and faithful love while there is resentment and hurt are churning away in our hearts. Sure, we can’t force reconciliation if someone is determined to keep the hurt and the grievance going. But as Paul said, “So far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Yes, practice a righteousness that knows how to go further than the strict rights and wrongs of a situation.
Friday
Matthew 5.27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ’Do not commit adultery’. But I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
“But I tell you…” Six times in chapter five Jesus shows his authority by making it very clear, obedience isn’t just about what we do; it is about the state of the heart. Adultery is hardly the most edifying subject for a ‘Thought for the Day’, you might think. But faithfulness, trust, covenant promises – these are the moral supports of a community, and Jesus knows the threat to them starts in a heart that has already betrayed them. It matters what we think, because out of the heart comes the motive and energy to act, for better or worse.
Saturday
Matthew 5.38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Those who know the Gospel story know that Jesus was assaulted repeatedly at his trial. This is not a call to pacifism; it is the way of Jesus in which the chain reaction of violence is halted by personal non-retaliation. The same principle says by walking the second mile willingly you take back control from the one who uses force. These are hard sayings, and each of us has to find how they apply in the relationships and circumstances of our everyday. Following Jesus will take us into unfamiliar and even uncharted territory in our relationships – it’s called the way of the Kingdom of God!
Sunday
Matthew 5.42 “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
Really? But let’s ask, how does God treat us? Or at least, how would we want God to treat us? How should God answer our prayers? Generously, we would hope, and responsively, as one who knows our need. Right first time, says Jesus! Now go and do likewise! Be the answer to someone else’s asking for help. And if they don’t deserve it, give anyway, and demonstrate you are salt that has not lost its saltiness!
Tapestry of 'Wild Goose, Celtic sympbol of the Holy Spirit.
Photo of King's College Aberdeen.
Painting, David Hockney, The Sermon on the Mount.
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