Category Archives: Bible Articles

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Matthew 5:21-26

I’ve just got back to work after collecting my suit from the dry cleaners. I tried to collect it a couple of days ago but the man who has just taken over the running of our local dry cleaners has a new policy of only accepting cash for payments below £10. Since my cleaning came to £9.95 he would only take my card if I paid him an extra £1.50, which I refused to do. I stormed out and was so angry that I returned to work and started ranting at my colleagues about the preposterousness of this situation. Anger for me, as you might be able to tell, is a real challenge. I find that sometimes even trivial matters make me really angry. That’s why this particular passage of the Sermon on the Mount is so challenging to me.

Immediately prior to this section of teaching, Jesus stated that he had not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them. He went on to say that we should both practise and teach the commandments of the Old Testament. In this next section of scripture, he develops the Old Testament teaching even further, beginning with murder.

Confronted with the commandment ‘you shall not murder’ most people probably find their consciences clear. Murder is (thankfully) not particularly common, and few of us would have any difficulty obeying this commandment. Jesus does not view the commandments as a legalistic tick list, though, but as deeper guidance for life. If you have ever found yourself getting angry with another person, then you are subject to the same judgement that a murderer faces. In the spirit of verse 20 (‘for I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven’), Jesus has far higher expectations than adhering merely to the letter of the law; he expects the law to shape our character and to develop our righteousness.

Jesus continues by showing the importance he places on eradicating anger from our lives. He says that if someone is worshipping and remembers that they have a broken relationship with someone else, then they are to immediately stop what they’re doing and go and ‘be reconciled to them’. Reconciliation is viewed by Jesus as being even more important than worshipping God. And this makes sense when you think about it. How can you truly worship God when inwardly you are seething with anger at another person? Reconciliation takes precedence even over worship since if we are angry with a neighbour, our sinful behaviour simply serves to build another wall between us and Jesus Christ. Worship in this context is not so much genuine worship but merely going through the motions.

Jesus offers a further example concerning the importance of right relationships with our neighbours. If we find ourselves being taken to court by an ‘adversary’, perhaps over money we owe them, we should endeavour to solve the problem before reaching court. We should aim to find a peaceful out of court settlement to our difficulty. If we do not, then we may find that the judge punishes us to the fullest extent, perhaps throwing us in prison. We’ll still end up paying every penny of the debt that we owe, but we’ll also find ourselves also serving time in jail. Clinging to a belief that we are right and our neighbour therefore is wrong is sinful, since it is based on our own sense of self-righteousness. Not only is this harmful to our relationship with God, it also serves as a very poor witness to those around us.

In this passage Jesus offers some practical examples of how we are to live lives marked with righteousness. We must ensure that we do not simply follow the letter of the law laid down in the Bible, but ensure that the law percolates into our hearts, our minds and our souls, and shapes our actions. In particular, Jesus speaks here of the importance of maintaining good relationships with our neighbours to prevent small issues spiralling out of control. In addition, Jesus warns that we must ensure that we do not allow anger with another person to cripple us and to darken our souls. We must make reconciliation with those with whom we have damaged relationships an absolute priority. Only then can we ensure that we are living lives marked with righteousness.

Is there anyone that you can think of with whom you need to be reconciled today? Why not make this a key priority. If you can’t think of a particular person, why not pray that the Holy Spirit will direct your relationships with others and help you to avoid anger in the weeks ahead.

17 ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-21

A few years ago I spent some time on a mission in Belarus, which Condaleezza Rice, whilst US Secretary of State, described as “truly still the last remaining true dictatorship in the heart of Europe.” This was a truly life changing trip for me for many reasons, but particularly as a result of getting to know a young student named Macsim. Whilst speaking to Max, as we knew him, about the Gospel, it quickly became apparent that he knew as much as any of us about Jesus and about the teachings of the Bible. For him, though, the Bible was pure ‘head knowledge’ – he knew a great deal about it, but that knowledge had not changed his life. We spent a great deal of time telling Max that Christianity was not just about knowing stuff, but about allowing that knowledge to transform our hearts and minds and to shape our whole lives. I think, by the end of our time in Belarus, Max was beginning to understand this, and whilst he did not make a personal commitment of faith whilst we were with him, I am sure that we had given him a great deal to think about.

The passage that we’re looking at today speaks to me a great deal about the difference between ‘head knowledge’ and true, transformational faith in Christ. This is framed through teaching on the Law and the Prophets. Jesus was quick to challenge the role of the ‘law’ and the ‘prophets’, that is, the Old Testament. Clearly some people had suggested that Jesus believed that he had come to sweep away all the old scriptures, and was going to build a new set of guidance for living in a Godly way. Jesus stepped in to tell his audience that this was most certainly not the case. He couldn’t be any clearer in his statement at the beginning of this passage, “‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets’.” Indeed, in the coming verses, Jesus can be seen to be teaching a strict adherence to the rules set out in the New Testament, making it clear that obedience needs to be wholehearted and not simply a legalistic attempt to keep to the letter of the law. Jesus expected his followers to have a living faith and not just follow a behavioural checklist.

Jesus does not just say that he has not come to abolish the Law; he says that he has come to fulfil it. The Law set out what was necessary for humanity to establish and maintain a relationship with God. A key element of this was the establishment of a sacrificial system by which God’s people could make offerings to gain forgiveness from their sins. This was an imperfect system, which is evident from the fact that sacrifices had to be made over and over again. When Christ went to the cross, however, he paid the price for all of humanity’s sins, in a once-for-all offering that covered the wrongdoing of all people, across all time. The Law still applies, but in Christ’s sacrifice of himself, the punishment has been served. We are still required to strive for holiness, but when we inevitably fail, our sin is already forgiven since Christ was the fulfilment of the law.

Jesus is also the fulfilment of the Prophets. The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies – word from God sent to teach people about who he was, how people should live, and what they needed to do to build a relationship with him. Many hundreds of these prophecies also, of course, foretold the coming of a messiah who would save God’s people. The Jewish people had waited for hundreds of years for the arrival of this messiah. In Jesus, all of the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled. Here was the messiah who would save God’s people from death. And here was the person who embodied both perfect adherence to the Law and perfection in relationship with God, since he was not only wholly human but also wholly God.

In confirming that he has come to fulfil, and not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, Jesus also makes it clear that we, as his followers, are expected to both practice and teach the commands set out within them. Jesus tells his followers, “‘unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven’.” This must have seemed hugely shocking for those listening at the time. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were known for their knowledge of Biblical law and for their efforts to follow it. The issue was, though, that for them adherence to the law was something that they made a great show of, but which they did largely to show how great they were to others. Their righteousness was public and demonstrated by their actions, but it was not deep righteousness at the level of their hearts. Following Christ is not just simply following a check list of rules, but allowing the spirit of the laws to transform our hearts and our minds as well as our actions. We need to go beyond mere ‘head knowledge’ – knowing what the rules are, and aim for transformed hearts and minds.

These five verses are quite complex and within them lurks a great deal about the nature and purpose of Jesus. Much has been written on this short chunk of scripture, but for me, today, the take home message is how we respond to the commands found in the Law and the Prophets. Do we practise and teach these commands? Have they taken deep hold of us and impacted our hearts and minds as well as shaping our actions? Do we constantly strive to live in a righteous fashion? As we begin this new week and this new month, do take time to reflect on these questions and pray that the Holy Spirit might work within us to ensure that our righteousness ‘surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law’.