The Word in Focus with Dr Larry Taylor

Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5-7

Part 7

Jesus did not issue new laws to replace the old ones. These are not laws, they are principles; they reflect wisdom under the Law. 

Jesus gives us six examples of how our righteousness (dikaiosuné), true inner goodness, doing right by God, self, others, and creation out of right motives, needs to exceed the standard religiosity: 

1. Anger.

“Call no one ‘Raca.’” Raca is an Aramaic word roughly meaning empty, moron, fool, good for nothing, or one of our many nasty expletives.  It’s kind of like flipping someone off. Devaluing others matters to God as much as murder. Love ascribes worth to others at a cost to me. Judging ascribes worth to me at the expense of others. The foundational sin in Genesis 3 is putting oneself in God’s place as judge.

He says here that the angry one is in danger of Gehenna. Jesus is not talking about hell as in eternal torture. Gehenna is another name for the valley of Ben-Hinnom right outside the old city of Jerusalem where Israel’s leaders once sacrificed children, and where Babylonian invaders tossed the bodies of the slain. There is some evidence that it was used later as the town garbage dump. A hill called Calvary stood next to it. (See 2 Chronicles 28, 33; Jeremiah 7)

Gehenna is an image of how God will hand people over to the destructive consequences of their actions, and by doing so remove evil from his world once and for all. God’s judgement is instructive and corrective rather than retributive. Sin ricochets back on us.

Before you do religious stuff like going to church or taking communion, seek reconciliation. Imagine you’re getting married, but just before you exchange vows, you remember somebody is upset with you, so you ditch the wedding and go find that person so you can be reconciled. This is radical teaching. Leave sacred ritual. And be reconciled. 

We can’t control the outcomes or how others will react. But we can ask ourselves: Does my heart long for reconciliation? Have I honestly done what I can? Reconciliation requires me to be prepared to sacrifice my personal interest or my desire to win the case. It’s not a good idea to show up to court guilty. If you’ve wronged someone, try to make it right. It’s better to be defrauded.

2. Adultery.

Never a good idea. 

^5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (Ex. 20:14) ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who goes on looking at a woman for the purpose of lusting for her (or, in order to cultivate lust), has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (GK.)

There is nothing wrong with finding another human being attractive. There’s nothing wrong with having friends of different genders. Women are not responsible for what is in the minds of men. Legalism blames women for men’s lust. Jesus is talking about a man (or woman) who stares at a woman (or man) in order to cultivate lust. Lust uses, objectifies, and dehumanizes others. It fails to see others as the imago Dei. Therefore, 

^5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin,tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into gehenna.³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into gehenna. (Gk.)

Jesus often uses hyperbole to make his points. He is not suggesting we disfigure ourselves so we can roll into heaven without eyes or limbs. Even if you maim yourself so you can’t murder or commit adultery, your heart can still be full of anger, contempt, obsessive desire, and the like.

3. Divorce.

A fuller picture of divorce has to take into account scriptures in addition to this one:

^5:31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ (Deut. 24:1) ³² But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery (or, makes her the victim of adultery), and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (or, causes her to be regarded as an adulteress).

Jesus says more on the subject:

Matthew19: ³Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” ⁴ He answered, “Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ (Gen. 1:27) ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (Gen. 2:24) ⁶ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” ⁷ They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” ⁸ He said to them, “It was because you were so hard-hearted that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery, [and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”] (not in all MSS)

There was an ongoing debate in Jesus’ time based on the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1: “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; …

Two schools of thought emerged based on the teachings of two prominent rabbis. Rabbi Hillel said a man could divorce his wife for any reason. If he didn’t like her, if she salted his soup too heavily, if he found someone else more attractive, he could dismiss her. The only caveat was that he should give her “a bill of divorcement” so she would be less likely to be accused of adultery. Rabbi Shammai taught that a man could only divorce his wife if she committed adultery. 

You’ve likely noticed that women in biblical times weren’t allowed to divorce for any reason ever. A few did, but they were mostly the rich and powerful. Women in biblical times were oppressed. They were owned, first by their fathers, then by their husbands. 

Practically speaking, a divorced woman had very limited options. She might have a family of origin that would take her in. She could maybe remarry. In those instances, she’d likely be treated like a servant, like damaged goods. Or she could become a prostitute.  That’s why Jesus tells the men that if they toss out their wives, they are causing them to commit adultery. 

Jesus has a high view of marriage. He sees marriage as the union of two into one unit. He calls us to find ways to forgive and reconcile. He is not trying to cover every possible scenario. He is not absolutely forbidding divorce. He is elevating women to personhood.

To be continued…