4-JESUS' TEACHING ON VOWS

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Matthew 5:33-37

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, 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36"Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37"But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.

Here is another misapplication of their religious teachings and practices-making oaths or vows they did not intend to keep. They made many vows (promises), but found ways to get around them. This was not in legal situations, but in ordinary conversation.

Jesus is referring to: · Swearing that something is true when one knows it is false. · Failing to do what one has promised under oath.

In the Old Testament, if you would swear something and bring God's name into it, it better be the truth and you better do what you said-fulfill your vow. The Pharisaical practice was to trick people (usually the outsiders) by swearing to do something or that something was true "by heaven" or "by God's creation (earth)" or "by Jerusalem." The trick might be to swear "by the Holy Temple" that you will do this or that. But, among the Pharisees they knew that you had to swear "by the gold in the Holy Temple", then it was binding. They were caught up in getting around doing what they said they would do by the technical use of terms. They also felt that God, Himself, was not involved in these transactions and therefore they were not binding.

Jesus had 4 things to counter this action: FIRST-God cannot be separated from life's transactions. Heaven is God's throne, earth is God's footstool and Jerusalem is the Messiah's Capitol.

SECOND-Don't make vows you don't intend to keep.

THIRD-Don't make vows that depend upon your control as if you are in control. God is still in ultimate control, so any decision must be accompanied by IF GOD WILLS.

FOURTH-Fulfill your vows to the Lord by being clear with your words-yes means yes and no means no.

This is not applicable in a court of law. Jesus responded to an oath in that situation. Here are some practical applications:

· Always speak the truth and you won't need to hedge with some sort of oath. I think it's funny when a person prefaces a statement with "I'm going to tell you the truth!" What was he saying prior to this? Lies?

· When you make an oath, keep it.

· Do not make someone else responsible for your statements.

It all comes down to this: God is still on His throne-He's in control, so talk like it!

3-JESUS' TEACHING ON DIVORCE

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Matthew 5:31-32

31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

NOTE they were used to "Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce." Divorce was allowed by Moses in the Law as an accommodation to the failure of a marriage. Divorce was permitted for about as many reasons as we have in our society today. The reasons were as loose as they are today-even for being obnoxious!

The way they thought about divorce was that it was important to do your paperwork, so that it was all lawful. So, they divorced for the most minute reasons. As long as they did there paperwork, then divorce was allowed. Jesus is saying that marriage is more serious than this. In Luke He says that the problem is divorcing one woman in order to marry another. Divorce is not a frivolous transaction, but demands your full attention. It's a very serious and destructive thing, especially handled in this way.

Two observations here: FIRST-When you divorce your mate, you force him/her into an adulterous situation. When a person's 1 + 1 = 1 relationship is broken, then the adulterous play is set in motion.

SECOND-Your marriage is a serious commitment and therefore divorce is a serious offence. God hates divorce. He hates it, because it brings destruction and distortion to the individuals involved and to His image of one flesh.

Remember, the issues of divorce and making vows are being used as illustrations by Jesus of how the Jewish leadership has typically had an improper emphasis of the Law. This goes along with other teachings of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law regarding purifications, keeping the Sabbath and tithing. With respect to purifications, they were like whitened tombstones-looking good on the outside, but absolutely dead on the inside. With respect to keeping the Sabbath, they taught that the Sabbath was to be kept so legalistically that even showing compassion and healing was forbidden until after sunset. With respect to tithing, they practiced tithing the very smallest of things and as Jesus said, "They swallowed camels." They tithed the little things in order for the show of it all, yet ignored the weightier things.

All of this adds up to being technically righteous, but practically quite unrighteous. I'm reminded of the statement, "Being so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." It's all about the show.

All religious expressions run the risk of being all about the show and little reality. I recently heard, "Showing off is the fool's idea of glory." Or, the Texans say it this way: BIG HAT-NO CATTLE. In the Kingdom of God your lifestyle is all about a life of substance, reality and authenticity. And, this is exactly what everyone is seeking-EVEN YOU!

2-JESUS' TEACHING ON ADULTERY

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Matthew 5:27-30

27 You have heard that it was said, `YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than, for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 



In the same way that an angry heart is murdering someone, so is lusting after someone in your heart committing adultery. Again, the religious are most concerned about whether or not they could be viewed as having committed adultery. Jesus is saying there is something deeper (internal) that counts most.

Jesus is teaching a couple of significant things here: FIRST-Lust in your heart for another is committing adultery. According to Jesus, if you have ever lusted after another, then you are an adulterer. Note that this has nothing to do with a physical or emotional affair; this is a matter of the heart. We tend to draw the line as good Pharisaical believers at "having sex" with another. But Jesus erases all lines and calls the lust in your heart adultery. So, are you an adulterer? Sadly, I am. I don't know of anyone with a pulse who isn't.

SECOND-Do whatever you have to do to keep from stumbling. This is like a doctor cutting off a limb to save a person's life. It's Jesus' use of hyperbole and is not to be applied literally. However, it points to the seriousness of violating the principles of God.

Jesus is pushing very hard at this point. There is literally no way out of being convicted of this sin. You see, Jesus is setting it all up. God requires perfection. Plan A says that you must be perfect. But since no one is able to rise to this perfection, you must move toward the perfection of Jesus, the Messiah. That's Plan B.

NOTE ONE MORE THING: In both of the first two illustrations here Jesus says that those who lust or are eaten up with anger are seriously deserving of hell. Jesus won't ease up on matters of the heart. He insists on performing surgery on each of us. Here's the point. If you think you have reason to view yourself as self-righteous, then think again. You are totally guilty, due to the quiet lusts of your heart.

So Jesus starts by calling you a murderer and now an adulterer. I mean to tell you, there's no way out, EXCEPT through Jesus. You are guilty at the core of your being-your heart-and only Jesus can get you out of this planet alive.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life AND I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, even though he dies, shall live."

1-JESUS' TEACHING ON MURDER

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Matthew 5:21-26

The first pair that Jesus presents is MURDER and ADULTERY. Both of these illustrate how important it is to focus on the internal over the externals. The first one of the pair is MURDER:

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 judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. 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 that person; 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. [This refers to a debtor's prison. Handle your conflicts to the best of your ability to avoid hurtful circumstances.]

Jesus is going for the jugular when speaking of murder. He is going deeper to the core of murder-anger. The problem is that no one is exempt when it comes to Jesus' teaching. Everyone has anger toward others in his heart. And Jesus points out that this core anger or resentment is worthy of the fire of hell. What they had been taught was the external-murder-was the most important, but Jesus says there is something deeper to be concerned about-your anger. Most people believe if they look good and haven't actually murdered anyone, then they are righteous. Jesus is saying that if you have anger or resentment toward another, then you are guilty of murder.

I don't think anyone would be against this teaching that a murderer ought to be sent to court for some accountability. Jesus takes the entire matter deeper. He is saying that murder is not committed simply on the social level between people (externally), but murder goes deeper into the heart (internally).

Jesus notes there are three degrees of murder. 1st Degree Murder is everyone who is angry at another brother. The root of murder is in the heart-anger! Now, you will have anger, but don't hang on to it and allow it to fester. That will prove to be as destructive as the social act of murder.

2nd Degree Murder is everyone who calls his brother "good-for-nothing". The word, Raca, has to do with attacking one's head, calling him stupid.

3rd Degree Murder is everyone who calls another a "fool". This term has to do with contempt for a person's heart and character. Jesus covers the entire spectrum of anger here.

Jesus then turns to driving His point home by using an extreme illustration. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you. In other words, Jesus says that even the high act of worshipping God must not take precedence over your relationships with others. This is a powerful point. He will reiterate this dynamic later in His speech. You must understand that your relationships with one another are at the heart of God. Jesus sets out the best procedure to follow:

· Leave your offering there-stop your worship or attention toward the Lord. · Go to your brother-seek out this offended one. · Be reconciled to him-as far as it depends upon you. However, you may not accomplish full reconciliation in return. · Then come and present your offering, because now you are ready to face the God of gods.

Be careful not to act like a Pharisee and wrangle over words like saying, "Well, I haven't really had 'anger' in my heart, maybe 'dislike' but not anger. Nor have I called anyone 'stupid' or 'fool', therefore I've not done any of these things that are at the heart of murder.

GET OVER IT! You may not have murdered someone in society (an outward act), but you are guilty of murder through one or more of the degrees of murder (an inward act). NOW ACT UPON IT THE JESUS WAY. Be willing to acknowledge that you are just as bad off as any murderer in society. When you are tempted to rationalize your external behavior, quickly check out your heart. That's where God is checking you out.

THREE APPLICATIONS OF THE LAW

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Matthew 5:21ff

Remember, this entire seminar Jesus is giving is answering, "Jesus, how do your teachings differ from what we've been taught?" Throughout the rest of this 5th chapter Jesus is going to compare His teachings with what they've been taught by the use of the Mosaic Law. I call this section the PRECEPTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is where Jesus actually moves through 6 specific teachings taught by the scribes and Pharisees and then gives His teaching on each one. Each teaching is from the Law which Jesus says He will not abolish, but will fulfill. Each time He prefaces the teaching with something like "You have heard it said, but I say to you." In each case the difference is very clear and deeply convicting.

What's most important to understand with these 6 illustrations is that Jesus is setting forth three primary ways their teachers have misapplied the Law.

NOW, think of the 6 illustrations as three pairs. NOTE what the theme or basic teaching of each pair is. It seems that each pair does have a certain theme and maybe the most important factor in Jesus' choosing of these 6 to illustrate how His teachings are so different. In order for Kingdom Righteousness to go beyond that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, these themes must be practiced:

FIRST-Jesus refers to THE INTERNAL APPLICATION OF THE LAW-Kingdom Righteousness is an inside job. The external expression of righteousness always has a more important inner dimension. Just because you are keeping the external form doesn't mean that you are righteous according to the Kingdom lifestyle.

Jesus illustrates this with the teaching about murder. Jesus takes murder deeper into the heart to its source-anger. Then, again, Jesus takes their teachings on adultery. He goes much deeper than adultery to its source of lust. If you're going to apply the teachings of the Law, you must begin at the deepest, internal level.

SECOND-Jesus refers to THE PROPER EMPHASIS OF THE LAW-Kingdom Righteousness is not just getting your paperwork done. That's the wrong emphasis. So, Jesus uses the practice of divorce and making vows to illustrate this wrong emphasis. The practice of the day was emphasizing the wrong things. The marriage covenant is very serious and your word is your bond. So, instead of placing emphasis upon whether or not you divorce or whether or not your vows are proper or effective, emphasize your personal covenant and your personal word.

THIRD-Jesus refers to THE ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW-Kingdom Righteousness is a lifestyle that moves to the beat of a different drummer than the rest of the world. It's the lifestyle that revolves around the one and only, Jesus. To be Jesus to the world around us demands a radical stance of perfect and complete love. Jesus chooses to illustrate what an ultimate fulfillment of the Law might look like. He uses the practice of retaliation and loving your enemies.

Over the next few days we will discuss each of these illustrations. I want to unpack them in such a way that we can embrace the bottom-line of what Jesus' teachings are.

Basically religious systems have always focused on the externals over the internals, overemphasized a few distinctions and fall far short of the ultimate standard Jesus sets for living life to its fullest. Again, we are left with the understanding that religion is the best that man can do; a relationship with God is the best that God can do. In the beginning in the Garden of Eden there was no religion of man, no worship and no prescribed set of do's and don'ts in order to be approved. There was only relationship. And, that is what Jesus came to re-establish with you and me. It's a relationship with the Creator-God-a relationship where you feel safe, significant and secure. So, this is Jesus' intent concerning you. All He is looking for is your willingness to hang out with Him. So, what do you think? It's your move.