Matthew – Page 23 – Be Still…

Matthew 5:38-42 – An Eye for an Eye

Revenge is a scary thing. Jesus is helping us to be better in our relationships, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the other person will do likewise. We are often hurt by what others say and do or how they treat us. What do we do with those crushed feelings? How do we reconcile with someone who doesn’t even know they hurt us.

We hear in today’s reading that taking the “high road” is the way to go. We need to be the “bigger” person and do the right thing. The example we see here is when someone slaps us on the right cheek, we’re supposed to offer the left, too. As if the first pain wasn’t enough, we need to welcome more. Jesus told us this to support his charge to us to not resist an evil person.

Matthew 5:33-37 – Yes, I Will!

Read Matthew 5:33-37

How good is your word? When you say you are going to do something, do you get it done? Living in Mexico has really stretched us in this regard. The use of “mañana” means “tomorrow” or “sometime in the future.” David and I have always prided ourselves on being full of integrity. We want our word to mean something. If we are going to deviate from that spoken promise, we make every attempt to communicate the change. It is not necessarily the case here in the Mexican culture. Mañana is for sure sometime in the future, it’s just not a particular time you can rely on.

Matthew 5:27-32 – How to Avoid Sexual Sin

Read Matthew 5:27-32

Adultery. It’s one of the top 10 biggie sins. We recently walked through the book of Exodus (see other posts) and we learned how God gave Moses the law he wanted for his people. Adultery was one of the 10 Commandments. It is a sin that requires another person. This is a big subject to unpack. But I’ll try.

Divorce. Another huge subject. One that I’ve struggled with for 20+ years now. Ever since my own divorce, I wondered how my sinfulness was affecting my salvation. You know, a broken vow is a broken vow (stay tuned for a future post in Jesus’ sermon on the mount). So what does Jesus really say about divorce? We’ll see.

Matthew 5:21-26 – Anger Management

Read Matthew 5:21-26

Anger is an emotion that can quickly escalate into something very ugly. When left unrestrained, anger can become rage leaving many hurts in its wake. Anger is also dangerous when it’s bottled up inside. It can be devastating when it finally lets loose. I suppose that’s why Jesus is warning us against it. While murder is clearly sinful, Jesus knows that anger is oftentimes the root reason leading to murder. He didn’t want us to think that it was just the killing part that was wrong.

We are bound to feel anger from time to time. Disappointment that something doesn’t go our way, or frustration when another’s mistake has caused us some discomfort. It is how we handle our anger that matters. That takes a lot of control. We need to recognize the signs leading up to this strong emotion and make sure we are redirecting our frustration in a healthy way.

Matthew 5:17-20 – Obey the Law

Read Matthew 5:17-20

Wow – this could definitely be the wake-up call we all need to get back on track! If we had any doubt why Jesus came to earth, he clears it up for us right here. He didn’t come to abolish the laws of Moses but to “accomplish” them. So what does that mean exactly?

To be clear, these are not Moses’ laws, but the laws God gave to Moses to share with the people. For the years and years before Jesus came, these laws were what guided God’s people. As you can imagine, there were plenty of folks who broke the law or twisted the law, much like people do today. But there were also God-fearing people who followed the law, to the letter.