They which are persecuted - Δεδιωγμενοι, they who are hard pressed upon and pursued with repeated acts of enmity. Those who insist that a Christian may take such oaths point out that Christ, in this place, was clearly not talking about judicial oaths and that Almighty God himself is represented as taking an oath in these words, "Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath" (Hebrews 6:17). Amen! THE BEATITUDES, AND THEIR BEARING UPON THE WORLD. Because it is said, He that sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. But it is very likely that our Lord refers here merely to traditions and glosses relative to the ancient Mosaic ordinance; and such as, by their operation, rendered the primitive command of little or no effect. In certain places, where oaths are frequently administered, people have been known to kiss their thumb or pen, instead of the book, thinking thereby to avoid the sin of perjury; but this is a shocking imposition on their own souls. That this requires exertion, self-denial, and determination of heroic proportions is seen in the implied comparison of plucking out the right eye. He went up into a mountain - That he might have the greater advantage of speaking, so as to be heard by that great concourse of people which followed him. Tribulation results in patience (Romans 5:3,4). To pretend much love and affection for those for whom we have neither - to use towards them complimentary phrases, to which we affix no meaning, but that they mean, nothing, is highly offensive in the sight of that God by whom actions are weighed and words judged. How frequently do we find, inexplebilis honorum Fames-Sitiens virtutis-famae Situs, the insatiable hunger after honor, a thirst for virtue, thirst after fame, and such like! - αγγαρευσει . Let this be thy bill of divorce from me, a writing of separation and expulsion, according to the law of Moses and Israel. Thou art therefore free for any man. And why? A particular place in this valley was called Tophet, from תפת tophet, the fire stove, in which some supposed they burnt their children alive to the above idol. Interestingly enough, Jesus abolished the death penalty for adultery. The calcium and magnesium chlorides are hygroscopic (take water out of the air) and will thus literally dissolve the sodium chloride. I broke a piece of it, of which that part that was exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks and particles of salt, Yet It Had Perfectly Lost Its Savour: the inner part, which was connected to the rock, retained its savor, as I found by proof." Ye are the light of the world. This fully explains the meaning of the preceding verse. Those who have tried it unanimously affirm that it works. The Jewish nation had long held the Law of Moses in the utmost respect and honor. A little more salt (true followers of God) would have preserved Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction (Genesis 18:32). But A Defiled Heart Cannot See God: but He Must Be Pure Who Wishes to Enjoy a Proper View of a Pure Being.". Herod. Indeed it is the property of a Pharisee to abstain only from the outward crime. Probably our Lord alludes to the advantages those had, who were legally pure, of entering into the sanctuary, into the presence of God, while those who had contracted any legal defilement were excluded from it. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Leviticus 19:18 is the Old Testament passage which says, "Love thy neighbor." At the outset, every candid student of the Holy Scriptures should admit and understand that there is not the slightest possibility of his ever graduating from this school, "Magna cum Laude"! He who loves for the sake of pleasure or interest, pays himself. THE REVISION OF THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT IN THE DECALOGUE (MATT. But the most unwarrantable violence must be used before it can be pressed into the service of either of the above antiscriptural doctrines. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. Dummelow expressed it thus, "A Christian, whether rich or poor, must have the spirit of poverty, he must possess his wealth as if he possessed it not, and be able to resign it at any moment without regret, and to say with Job, `The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord'."[3]. Jots ... tittles ... were the minutest markings and characters, forming parts of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. A contradiction? There seems to be nothing of embracing thought of in this case, though that, doubtless, was practised anciently among relations, and intimate friends, as it is among modern Asiatics.". - The Dishes, For the dishes, By the dishes. Dummelow said, "It is this possession of prophetic gifts by the first disciples which justifies the church in regarding the New Testament as the inspired word of God"[7] (Acts 11:27; 13:1; 15:32). Therefore, Christ quite early in his ministry took pains to spell out for them his true and proper relationship to the Law of Moses. Matthew 9, Coffman Commentaries on the Bible, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the Church of Christ, presents a verse level look at the Bible. in Sanhedrin. There is nothing dishonorable about any of these motives. He whose soul is not delivered from all sin, through the blood of the covenant, can have no Scriptural hope of ever being with God. Now at that feast, &c.— Pilate had already sent Jesus to Herod, having learned that he belonged to Galilee; and Herod had sent him back to him. And earthly power doth then show likest God's. Whatever mercy a man shows to another, God will take care to show the same to him. Under the interpretation of the Pharisees, the divine prohibition was against "SWEARING" a lie. And glorify your Father - The following curious saying is found in Bammidbar Rabba, s. 15. 15: sec. Whatsoever is more than these - That is, more than a bare affirmation or negation, according to the requirements of Eternal Truth, cometh of evil; or, is of the wicked one - εκ του πονηρου εϚιν, i.e. "Should any one, in the words of Exodus 34:14, Thou shalt worship no Other, אחר achar, God, change ר resh into ד daleth, he would ruin the world." And. See the notes on Deuteronomy 4:26; Deuteronomy 6:13. Light of the world, עולם נר ner olam, was a title applied to the most eminent rabbins. 5:33-37). The original word, δωρον, which we translate gift, is used by the rabbins in Hebrew letters דורון doron, which signifies not only a gift, but a sacrifice offered to God. My own obstinacy and uncharitableness must render me utterly unfit to receive any good from God's hands, or to worship him in an acceptable manner; bat the wickedness of another can be no hinderance to me, when I have endeavored earnestly to get it removed, though without effect. The school of Hillel gave much greater license. It is profitable for thee that one of thy members - Men often part with some members of the body, at the discretion of a surgeon, that they may preserve the trunk, and die a little later; and yet they will not deprive themselves of a look, a touch, a small pleasure, which endanger the eternal death of the soul. Has it appeared unreasonable and absurd to some? Chapter 17. Your blood of your lives will I require. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be perfect as God is perfect, what a challenge this is! Talmud. We must not love in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Chapter 22. "Righteousness," in the Scriptural view, means keeping God's commandments (Luke 1:6); is revealed in the gospel (Romans 1:17); and may be obtained in only one way, namely, by obedience to God's commandments, all of which "are" righteousness (Psalms 119:172). Berac. Luke 23:6-11.At former passovers the governor had courted the favour of the people, by gratifying them with the pardon of any one prisoner whom they pleased. Jesus Christ design's to make men happy. But let your speech be Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one. iv. These angari are now termed chappars, and serve to carry despatches between the court and the provinces. There are several cases on record, where this was literally done by the martyrs, in Queen Mary's days. The only possible exception, and there is no unanimity of opinion even on this, is that of a Christian's taking a judicial oath to assure proper and legal testimony in a court of law. Leave there thy gift before the altar - This is as much as to say, "Do not attempt to bring any offering to God while thou art in a spirit of enmity against any person; or hast any difference with thy neighbor, which thou hast not used thy diligence to get adjusted." Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Some people "pity believers; some have a patronizing air in their attitude; a few would abolish"[9] Christians; but, in this passage, Christ shows that Christians are truly indispensable to this world. Many would abhor to commit one external act before the eyes of men, in a temple of stone; and yet they are not afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and in the sight of God! Raca - ריקה from the Hebrew רק rak, to be empty. Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. The rabbins have a saying similar to this: "It is better for thee to be scorched with a little fire in this world, than to be burned with a devouring fire in the world to come.". Any change in the status of their law was sure to be received unfavorably by them. That is, "One good apple can heal a barrel of rotten apples!" Tanchum, fol. Interpretation of the precepts relative to murder, anger, and injurious speaking, Matthew 5:21, Matthew 5:22. on StudyLight.org What an awful consideration is this! "But where is the person thus saved?" Christ exposed the weakness and sinfulness of such views. An eye for an eye - Our Lord refers here to the law of retaliation mentioned See Exodus 21:24, (see the note there, and see Leviticus 24:20; (note)), which obliged the offender to suffer the same injury he had committed. I saluted them sometimes with the Salam aleikum, and I had often only the common answer. 2nd. CHAPTER 5. It is very remarkable, that the criminal code published by Joseph II., late emperor of Germany, though it consists of seventy-one capital crimes, has not death attached to any of them. The obvious meaning is that a Christian's word is his bond. Shall see God - This is a Hebraism, which signifies, possess God, enjoy his felicity: as seeing a thing, was used among the Hebrews for possessing it. Mark. "The book of Deuteronomy came and prostrated itself before the Lord, and said: 'O Lord of the world, thou hast written in me thy law; but now, a Testament defective in some parts is defective in all. Now he is necessarily miserable who hates another. Christ's disciples must resemble their heavenly Father, Matthew 5:48. He maketh his sun to rise on the evil - "There is nothing greater than to imitate God in doing good to our enemies. Ye are the light of the world - That is, the instruments which God chooses to make use of to illuminate the minds of men; as he uses the sun (to which probably he pointed) to enlighten the world. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 'One is bound to swear to his neighbor, and he saith, ראשך כתיי לי ריד Vow (or swear) to me by the life of thy head, etc. "O cursed hunger after gold! נשים ירבה לא lo yirbeh, nashim, he shall not multiply wives). [Because the command would then run, Let every thing that hath breath Profane the Lord]. Matthew 5 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary brings color to the Biblical story of Jesus Christ's life as recorded by Matthew Resist not evil - Or, the evil person. Midras Tillin, fol. So strictly was it attended to at Athens, that if a man put out the eye of another who had but one, the offender was condemned to lose both his eyes, as the loss of one would not be an equivalent misfortune. s. 6, in fin. See more on this under Matthew 18:15. To the learned reader it will justify my translation, and the unlearned must take my word. St. Clement, Strom. The desire for righteousness is the only desire of man that can be truly and finally satisfied. Matthew 5, The Bible Study New Testament, This commentary, one of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, takes one through the New Testament verse by verse. Chapter 7. "Should any one, in the words of Hosea, Hosea 5:7, They have dealt treacherously, ביהוה beihovah, Against the Lord, change ב beth into כ caph, he would ruin the world." The weight of the prutah was half a barley-corn, and it was the smallest coin among the Jews, as the kodrantes, or farthing, was the smallest coin among the Romans. They did not pretend to forbid All common swearing, but only what they term Much. They allotted that murder only to be judged by the council, or Sanhedrin, that was committed by a man in propria persona: let them speak their own sense, etc. (Also 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20; 3:5; 4:11, etc.). He who showed him mercy; i.e. Here is the principle that the New Testament is essentially an extension of the Old, minus its types and shadows, plus an elevation and perfection of all its latent spirituality. Of course, the Pharisees were the obvious and notorious examples of that very condition; they kept the commandments, but were children of the devil. Passages which contain this injunction are Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; and Deuteronomy 19:21. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. They quarreled over this trifling strip. Chapter 1. The goal or ideal is necessary that man may continually know that he is unworthy of salvation, that he can never in a million years merit it, and that any real perfection he might eventually attain must be the free gift of Christ. Some of these are Jude 1:1:3; 2 Timothy 3:17; 2 Peter 3:2; John 12:48; 1 Corinthians 14:37; Hebrews 2:1-3; Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18,19, etc. Of impure acts and propensities, and the necessity of mortification, Matthew 5:27-30. Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy but to fulfill. This is he that slays himself. Matthew 27:15. His wife said to him, 'Rekah, if thou make restitution, even thy girdle about thee is not thine own, etc.' See more in Schoettgen. If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee. Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. It is very probable that our Lord means no more here than this: if a man charge another with apostasy from the Jewish religion, or rebellion against God, and cannot prove his charge, then he is exposed to that punishment (burning alive) which the other must have suffered, if the charge had been substantiated. The Jewish rabbins have many good sayings relative to that poverty and humility of spirit which Christ recommends in this verse. And thus our Savior equals the sin and penalty in a very just parable. Only the poor in spirit can enter God's kingdom. It never did, and never can, answer any good purpose. Do not equivocate; mean what you assert, and adhere to your assertion. In this subdivision of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ spelled out his own authority as being superior in every way to the edicts of the Decalogue, noting at the same time that he was not destroying but fulfilling them. And if any man would go to law with thee and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. This is true because such expressions find their origin in a heart full of hatred and enmity. Chapter 12. "Happy is he who gains the knowledge of the first cause of all things; who can trample on every fear, and the doctrine of inexorable Fate; and who is not terrified by death, nor by the threatened torments of the invisible world!". And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not thy whole body be cast into hell. See his Trav., 5th edit., last page. But Christ made his commandments to be of overwhelming importance and set forth the principle that "the least" of his commandments was to be received and honored with infinite respect and obedience. As a man's child is called his, because a partaker of his own nature, so a holy person is said to be a child of God, because he is a partaker of the Divine nature. See the note on Leviticus 2:13. A Christian's speech is limited to "Yes" and "No" with regard to oath. "Can we be fully saved from sin in this world?" They were something like the tythe-farmers of certain college-livings in some counties of England, as Lancashire, etc. Reading Made Easy. This is often the case among those who are called Christians. Men are very often less inquisitive to know how far the will of God extends, that they may please him in performing it, than they are to know how far they may satisfy their lusts without destroying their bodies and souls, utterly, by an open violation of his law. Matthew 5 Commentary, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary only covering the Gospels and is full of insight and wisdom of the author, John Lightfoot "He who shows mercy to men, God will show mercy to him: but to him who shows no mercy to man, God will show no mercy. - The Lamb, For the Lamb, By the Lamb. Thou shalt love thy friend, and hate thine enemy. 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