Matthew 5:43–6:4
There is one vital mark of a real disciple. It is the greatest mark. It is love for other people. It is love that is completely unselfish (not selfish). What you do matters. But it is not just actions that matter. Attitudes are important too.
Jesus began his last example of real ‘righteousness’. (This means to be right. It means to do what is right too.) It was also his last example of how to understand the OT laws. He said words from Leviticus 19:18. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees had added to the Bible passage. He also said some of their words. He showed that they changed the real meaning of the Bible passage.
The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees put people into two groups. There were neighbours or friends. But also, there were enemies. These leaders taught that there was a big difference between the groups. The original Law was not like this. Person A might hurt Person B. Then Person B would want to hurt Person A too. The Law taught that love must always win. The teachers and the Pharisees asked: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Jesus showed that the question was wrong. The neighbour is anyone who needs help. (Read Luke 10:25–37.)
The NT uses several words for ‘love’. There is the love that is between members of a family. There is the love that is between good friends. This is another word. There is sexual love between a man and a woman. A different word emphasises this. But Jesus used yet another word for love. This word emphasised a person’s will. It described good intentions. It was about wanting to help people. This kind of love will not change whatever people say or do. They may insult us. They may hurt us. But we will not allow ourselves to be bitter against them.
Jesus gave other reasons why a disciple must live in this way. He gave the example of God himself (Matthew 5:45). God has a special family love for his children. (Read Genesis 17:21; Psalms 103:17–18 and 147:20.) But he cares about everyone too. (Read Genesis 17:20; Psalm 36:6 and John 3:16.) God expects us to care about everyone too.
Jesus gave another reason (Matthew 5:46–47). God meant his laws to make his disciples different. They should not be the same as non-believers. But God’s disciples have a choice. They could choose the same standards as non-Christians. Then, there would be no difference between them. There would be no evidence that they were real disciples.
Matthew 5:48 ends all of Jesus’ teaching in this section. (The section is Matthew 5:21–48.) He seemed to refer to two passages in the OT. They are Leviticus 19:2 and Deuteronomy 18:13. He showed that the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were wrong. They thought that these passages referred to actions. They thought something else too. They referred only to the deeds that the Bible actually stated. In this chapter, Jesus taught that this was wrong.
Be serious about religion (Matthew 6:1–4)
First, Jesus dealt with the thoughts of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. This was in Matthew 5:21–48. Here, he dealt with their actions. God expected certain things from real disciples. They had failed to understand this. Their thoughts and their actions both showed it.
There is a general principle in verse 1. Three examples follow:
- good works (Matthew 5:2–4). This refers to the care that a disciple should show to other people.
- prayer (Matthew 5:5–15). This refers to the worship that a disciple should give to God.
- to fast (to go without food, Matthew 5:16–18). A disciple should try to stop sinning. This refers to the way that he should do it.
Jesus began by speaking against some people. He spoke about those who brought attention to themselves. They did this by religious actions (verse 1). He spoke against the actions of ‘hypocrites’ (actors). People like this still act in front of people. They do good things for other people to see. They pretend to be religious.
Jesus’ point is a simple one. The Jews were doing the right things. But they were doing them in the wrong way. A real disciple should want only to please God the Father (Matthew 5:4). So, a disciple should do good deeds to please God. This attitude will please God. God will bless him or her in this life. God will bless him or her in the next life too.
Questions
- Think about the teaching in Matthew 5:21–48. In these verses, we see spiritual things to check in our lives. What are they?
- ‘See how these Christians love each other.’ Is this what non-Christians think about you and people in your church? If not, what is the reason for this?
- Do it ‘secretly’ (Matthew 6:34). ‘Let your light shine’ (Matthew 5:16). These two verses seem to be opposite in meaning. How can they both be true?
