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Matthew Chapter
Five
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Sermon on the Mount
A. The audience and
scene of the sermon (v.1-2)
B. The
blessed ones (v.3-12)
C. The
salt of the earth and the light of the world (v.13-16)
D.
Righteousness exceeding that of Scribes and Pharisees (v.17-20)
E.
Five new laws:
1. The law of
murder (v.21-26)
2. The law of
adultery (v.27-32)
3. The law of
perjury (v.33-37)
4. The law of
retaliation (v.38-42)
5. The law of
love (v.43-47)
F. Be
perfect just as your Father in the heaven is perfect (v.48)
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Matt. 5:1 “And seeing the
multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came
to Him.”
YLT: “And
having seen the multitudes, he went up to the mount, and he having sat down,
his disciples came to him,”
Meaning of Words: “disciples”:
learner, pupil.
Literal Meaning: “the multitudes”:
the crowd. They followed the Lord with the aim of seeing signs for their
curiosity, being healed of diseases (Luke. 6:17-19), or eating of the loaves
and being filled (John. 6:24-26) and pressed on the Lord Jesus (Mark. 5:31).
“He went up on a mountain” Climbing the
mountain is strenuous and laborious. Thereby the Lord Jesus put aside those who
did not intend to hear His sermon.
“He was seated” It is the posture that a
rabbi used to teach his disciples, showing the authority of teacher.
“Disciples” are those who followed the
Lord with their hearts and they are willing to be trained and chastened by Him.
“Came to Him”: draw near to the Lord.
Spiritual Meaning: “He went up on a
mountain and was seated” It symbolizes that Christ was highly exalted, taken up
into heaven and sat down on the throne. “The disciples coming to Him” declares
that the followers of the Lord enter into the heavenly scene and have
face-to-face fellowship with the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To those who followed the Lord only for signs
and miracles, the Lord Himself did not trust Himself to them because He knew
what was in man (John. 2:24-25).
2) If we want to receive the revelations of the
Lord, we should do our utmost and lay aside sin which so easily entangles us
(Heb.12:1) and run and climb into the heavenly scene.
3) Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you
(James. 4:8).
4) A disciple of the Lord should not hope to live a
comfortable life. Only those who are willingly trained and taught by the Lord
can become useful vessels in the hand of the Lord.
Matt. 5:2 “Then He opened His mouth
and taught them, saying:”
YLT: “and
having opened his mouth, he was teaching them, saying:”
Literal Meaning: “them” The audience
taught by the Lord were not the crowd, but those who followed Him with hearts
to the mountain and came to Him (see v.1).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone is not willing to pay price will not
receive the words of the Lord. Though seeing they do not see, hearing they do
not hear nor understand (Matt. 13:10-16).
2) The intimate fellowship with the Lord in
heavenly scene and the receiving of words of the Lord (“He opened His mouth and
taught them”) are impulsion of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven to comply
with the heavenly demands.
Matt. 5:3 “‘Blessed
are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “`Happy the poor in spirit --
because theirs is the reign of the heavens.”
Meaning of Words: “blessed”: happy,
supremely blest and meritorious.
Literal Meaning: “poor in spirit”:
vain in the depth of spirit. Everything in this life could not satisfy one,
therefore he turns to God to seek for God and things of God.
“Blessed”: the joy welling from inner
heart. One feels greatly happy and fortunate.
“There is the kingdom of heaven.” The
present tense of the verb “is” shows that they now live in the region of the
kingdom of heaven and experience the reality of the kingdom of heaven because
they abandon the vanity of the earthliness and turn to seek for heavenly
things.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is not those
who repute themselves to be something but those who repute themselves to be
nothing that enter into the kingdom of heaven. God sets Himself against proud,
but to humble gives grace (1Pet. 5:5).
2) In the kingdom of heaven, the lord is God
instead of us. Therefore, what we should do is only to receive from God rather
than give to Him.
3) A man of natural talent may be the worst
Christian. A man of talent may consider what he can do for God rather than let
God do.
4) God uses one who considers himself as poor and
talentless. God would not use one who considers himself useful to God.
5) The center of those who serve God should be God
instead of them. We should stand on the side of God and should not ask God to
stand on our side.
6) The blessed ones whose is the kingdom of heaven
have abandoned worldly possessions and completely dealt with the desire of
possession in their hearts. They are the poor in spirit.
7) The poor in spirit are not under the power of
possessions. They have broken off the yokes which are put upon them by the
tyrant------possessions.
8) The poor in spirit know that they are in need.
Therefore, they are not proud and in their own eyes not righteous. At the same
time, for they are in need they will seek for God and draw near to God.
9) Those who gain the kingdom of heaven gain
everything and so that they have no desire to gain anything else.
10) No matter how great we achieve in spiritual
things, we should, like Paul, not count to have got possession ourselves but
stretch out to the things before (Pill. 3:12-13).
11) Only those who are willing to empty themselves
constantly will feel poor in spirit. We should empty our past ideas, knowledge
and opinions and seek to be filled by the Lord Himself.
12) Believers should cooperate with the Holy Spirit
every day: letting the Holy Spirit dig out stones in our hearts (sin) and make
our hearts humble and contrite (Luke. 8:13). In this way, after the seed of God
is sown into our heart, it will grow up freely and fully.
Matt. 5:4 “Blessed are those who
mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
YLT: “`Happy
the mourning -- because they shall be comforted.”
Meaning of Words: “mourn”: cry
grievously.
Literal Meaning: “mourn” One mourns
when he touches the feelings of God towards the failure of himself, the
coldness and falling of the saints, the desolation of the assembly, the
evilness and corruptness of the world, the hardness and unbelief of men. All
these make him grievous deeply.
“They shall be comforted.” God is of all
encouragement (2Cor. 1:3). Therefore those who are comforted gain God Himself
and experience various kinds of encouragement of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who have not mourned will not know what
encouragement is. God’s encouragement is real and not merely the word. Only
those who have experienced can appreciate it.
2) Today though we are mournful, we are still able
to rejoice in the Lord (Pill. 3:1). Moreover, in future God will wipe away all
tears from our eyes and grief shall not exist any more, nor cry shall exist
(Rev. 21:4).
3) When the Holy Spirit works in men’s hearts, He
shines, judges and demonstrates. When believers mourn for sins, the Holy Spirit
gets a chance to work deeply in them and deliver them out of things that are
condemned by God.
Matt. 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, For
they shall inherit the earth.”
YLT: “`Happy
the meek -- because they shall inherit the land.”
Meaning of Words: “meek”: gentle, not
resist.
Literal Meaning: “the meek” are those
who do not strive for themselves and hold themselves aloof from the
world------they stand aloof from the worldly rights and enjoyment.
“Inherit the land” is to inherit the
eternal inheritance of God in the coming age.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The meek not only seek nothing for
themselves but also request nothing from others. They are fully satisfied with
God’s arrangements. This kind of people not only overcome others but also
overcome themselves.
2) We are sojourners on the earth and we desire a better country, that
is heavenly (Heb. 11:13). Therefore, we do not contend for anything in the
world with men.
3) The one who is willing to take up his cross is truly meek. The one
who is not willing to suffer losses in every circumstance is not meek at all.
4) The meek do not insist on their own right. Therefore seemingly they
suffer losses. But actually they are the richest in spirit (“they shall inherit
the land”).
5) Being meek and never hard to God and He can dominate your heart. Then
you will go forward in spiritual road and broaden your spiritual experiences.
This is inheriting the spiritual boundary------the land.
Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
YLT: “`Happy
those hungering and thirsting for righteousness -- because they shall be
filled.”
Literal Meaning: “hunger and thirst
for righteousness”: eagerly seek to walk worthily of the righteous demands of
God.
“Be filled”: the eager spirit is
satisfied and does not feel regretful.
Strictly speaking, nobody in the world
could satisfy the righteous demands of God. Only the Lord Jesus is righteous
(1John. 2:1). Therefore, the truly hungering and thirsting for righteousness is
seeking for the Lord Himself to be our righteousness.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone considers himself righteous will be
condemned by the Lord (Luke. 18:9-14). Therefore, one should never consider
himself righteous and should “hunger and thirst for righteousness”.
2) All the spiritual progress lies in spiritual
thirst. Those who are not hungry will never be filled with good things (Luke.
1:53).
3) One hungers and thirsts for righteousness is
afraid to be unrighteous in everything and constantly desires to be righteous
completely.
4) Men’s knowledge of righteousness grows day by
day. One may not do what he thought righteous yesterday.
5) Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness
surely have good spiritual appetite. Once men have such spiritual appetite, he
will be full again and again for God’s recompense (Ruth. 2:12).
Matt. 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.”
YLT: “`Happy
the kind -- because they shall find kindness.”
Meaning of
Words: “mercy”: compassion and sympathy.
Literal Meaning: “merciful”: showing
sympathy and understanding to others and be willing to give others what they do
not deserve.
“Shall obtain mercy”: receive what we do
not deserve by God’s compassion and mercy.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should be
strict to ourselves and be lenient and merciful to others.
2) Whatever we may
will that men may be doing to us, so also do to them (Matt. 7:12).
3) Getting along
with brothers, we should be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another (Eph. 4:32). Thus we shall obtain mercy from God.
4) If we remember
that we owe God a lot and how greatly we obtain mercy from God, we should not
care for what others owe us or harshly haggle over them.
5) Today if we show
mercy to others surpassing righteousness, that day we will obtain mercy
surpassing righteousness from God.
6) The moment we see men, we will consider them
lovely and eagerly long for sharing the grace of the Lord with them. Until then
we are proved to have the merciful heart of the Lord and counted to have the
mind that is in Jesus Christ in us (Pill. 2:5).
Matt. 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in
heart, For they shall see God.”
YLT: “`Happy the clean in heart
-- because they shall see God.”
Literal Meaning: “the pure in heart”:
they have no adulteration in their hearts so that they desire none besides God
(Ps. 73:25). They simply thirst for God and fully seek for God Himself (Ps.
42:1-2).
“They shall see God.” “See God”: they
have face-to-face and intimate fellowship with God, i.e. they gain God Himself.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Pure heart” is the key to see God------the
simple and pure men will see God. If one’s heart is corrupted from simplicity
and purity, he will fall into darkness.
2) If we are carful and troubled about many things,
we will lose the good part and lose the Lord Himself (Luke. 10:41).
3) Satan usually makes use of many things to
deceive us so that our hearts may be corrupted from simplicity as to Christ
(2Cor. 11:3).
4) If we keep on communicating with God, day by day
the Holy Spirit will correct and purify our hearts until all the others things
fade gradually and the image of the Lord is clearly seen in our hearts. At that
time, your heart is like a pure water and a camera focused on the Lord and the
image of the Lord becomes deeper and deeper, clearer and clearer that is “to
see Him” (Heb. 11:27).
Matt. 5:9 “Blessed are the
peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.”
YLT: “`Happy the peacemakers --
because they shall be called Sons of God.”
Literal Meaning: “the peacemakers”
would terminate the opposing situation among the crowd and further make
harmonious relations in love.
“They shall be called sons of God.” God is the God
of peace (2Cor. 13:11). Therefore, peacemaking is to do what God Himself does,
i.e. is to let men see God from us. Thus men surely will call us “the sons of
God”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers should do their utmost to live in peace
with all men (Rom. 12:18).
2) The effect of glad tidings is to make
peace between God and men and have peace among men (Eph. 2:14-16). Therefore,
the best way to make peace is to spread the gospel (Eph. 6:15).
3) Whatever you say that would make brothers
reconcile with each other is good. Whatever you do that would make brothers
reconcile with each other is good.
4) Those who let the peace of Christ preside in
their hearts (Col. 3:15) are “peacemakers”.
5) When you receive the Lord Jesus, the prince of peace
(Is. 9:6), He will make you reconcile with God (Col. 1:21-22). The closer you
are with God, the closer you will be with men. You will also bring others into
the spirit of peace. At that time, you partake in the ministry of peace of the
son of God ------you have the sign of son of God.
Matt. 5:10 “Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “`Happy those persecuted for
righteousness' sake -- because theirs is the reign of the heavens.”
Literal Meaning: “those who are
persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” “For righteousness’ sake”: for the will of
God (what is right in God’s eyes), one holds fast the truth and righteousness
regardless of the opposition and threat from men under the power of darkness.
Therefore he is persecuted by them (1Pet. 3:14).
“For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
There is no place for them to shelter themselves in the kingdom of earth.
Assuredly, their reward is the kingdom of heaven.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The former verse “peacemakers” shows how we
treat others and this verse “those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”
shows how we are treated by others.
2) This world hates us because we are not of
this world (John. 15:19). Undoubtedly, we should live in peace with all men.
However, we should never follow the evil example of the world.
3) All indeed who desire to live piously in Christ
Jesus will be persecuted (2Tim. 3:12).
4) If we willingly bear all the persecutions,
humiliations and losses for God’s righteousness’ sake, we will be counted
worthy of the
5) Only those who make the effort “for the
righteousness’ sake” today are qualified to reign and judge others “for the
righteousness’ sake” in the kingdom to come.
6) Those that manifest the righteousness of God and
bear witness to righteousness will surely be persecuted by the evil. However,
they will overcome with Him and be glorified together in the end.
7) If one does not follow the bad example of the
world, or drift with the tide of the world, or compromise with the dark,
lawless and unrighteous world, he will unavoidably be persecuted. It is this
kind of people that lives in the reality of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore,
the Lord said that, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Matt. 5:11 “‘Blessed
are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against
you falsely for My sake.”
YLT: “‘Happy are ye whenever they
may reproach you, and may persecute, and may say any evil thing against you
falsely for my sake –”
Literal Meaning: v.11 and v.12 could
be regarded as the detailed explanation to v.10. Therefore, there are “eight
blessings” in Matt.5; v.11 and v.12 could also be regarded as different kinds
of persecutions: in v.10 it is the persecution for righteousness’
sake------being persecuted for not willing to partake in the evilness of the
world; in v.11 it is the persecution for the Lord------being persecuted for not
willing to deny the faith and the name of the Lord. If so, there are “nine blessings”
in Matt.5.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The world hates us because it has hated the Lord
before us; If they have persecuted the Lord, they will also persecute us (John.
15:18-20).
2) If we indeed believe in the Lord, we will
be persecuted. Being persecuted for the Lord is essential for citizens of the
kingdom of heaven. If one has never been persecuted, probably he does not truly
believe in the Lord.
3) Lies and slanders are common ways used to
persecute Christians. The world is unable to find any fault of the true
believers so that they make fabrications. From the other point of view, if we
lie, actually we are persecuting others in disguised form.
4) Sometimes it is tolerable being reviled or
persecuted by others. But it is intolerable being slandered with fabrications.
Whether it is tolerable or not, we should take it calmly.
5) Many people are weak when not faced with
persecutions. However, they are very strong on the contrary when persecutions
come to them. Because the life in them manifests its feature to willingly stand
for the Lord.
Matt. 5:12 “Rejoice and be exceedingly
glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.”
YLT: “rejoice ye and be glad,
because your reward great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the
prophets who were before you.”
Literal Meaning: there are two
reasons to “be exceedingly glad”:
1) “Great is your reward in heaven” It shows that
the reward in heaven is unspeakably “great”------the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18).
2) “They persecuted the prophets who were before
you.” It shows that we are highly exalted to be listed with the prophets and
counted worthy to be dishonored for the name of the Lord (Acts. 5:41).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning the road of a Christian, if there are
persecutions, they are blessings because there are heavenly rewards. It is
abnormal if everything goes smooth and prosperously.
2) If we are willing to receive the reward
that the prophets had received, we have to pay what the prophets had paid and
suffer what the prophets had suffered (Matt. 23:34, 37).
3) When Christians are persecuted or slandered by
others, we should not sigh or remain silent, we should “rejoice and be
exceedingly glad”.
4) If there is little persecution, there will be
little rejoicing. If there is great persecution, there will be great rejoicing.
Those who do not have this experience will never comprehend this kind of
rejoicing.
Matt. 5:13 “‘You
are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be
seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled
underfoot by men.”
YLT: “`Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may
lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth,
except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.”
The
Background: the salt used in the
land of Judaea and the
In ancient traditions, if a Jew had
betrayed his faith and then repented, before he was accepted and allowed to
return to the synagogue, he must lay down at the gate of the synagogue and ask
those who enter into the synagogue to trample over him with their feet. Some
Christian groups also follow this tradition. The one who had been driven out by
the regulations of the assembly, before he is accepted and allowed to return,
is forced to lie down at the gate of the church, saying, “Trample on me for I
am the salt having lost its flavor.”
Literal Meaning: “you are the salt of
the earth” the functions of salt are to flavor and to sterilize. We have dual
functions on earth:
1) To make peace;
2) To prevent and eliminate sins and
corruptions.
“If the salt loses its flavor, how shall
it be seasoned?” “The salt loses
its flavor” symbolizes that Christians have lost their function and act the
same as the world. They are not separated from the world.
“It is then good for nothing but to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Christians who have lost their functions are
useless before God and are dishonored, teased and trampled by the world. When
the Lord comes back, they will be cast out into the outer darkness: there shall
be the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30).
Enlightenment in the Word:
Salt is used as flavor and antisepsis. Christians,
having the nature of salt, are able to make men refreshing and prevent them
from sins. Normal Christians could reduce improper things that would happen all
around them.
2) Salt is to flavor but it has to be dissolved so
as to perform its function. In the same way, we have to dissolve ourselves,
sacrifice ourselves and losses ourselves and then become others’ blessings.
3) The aim of Christians of living in the world is
not to gain from others, but to dedicate to others.
4) Salt is able to sterilize. Christians should be
separated from the world and do not follow the bad example of the world. Only
by this way Christians could perform their function as to prevent morality from
being ruined.
5) To sons and daughters of God, having the life of
God is not enough. They have to let the life become our dispositions. You are
“the salt” is not enough. Only when you are “salty”, you are useful.
6) Christians are those in whom is Christ. The
flavor of him is not of nature but comes from Christ just like the flavor of
pickles comes from sauce. Wherever a Christian is, he should manifest the life
of Christ, sending out the flavor of Christ’s righteousness, love, light and
holiness.
7) Pure salt could not lose its flavor. Therefore
if Christians walk by the nature of the divine life in them, they will
naturally perform the functions of “salt”.
8) If salt is mixed with dust, the salty flavor
will not be shown. If believers love the world, get along with the world and
are infected with sins, they surely lose their flavor and could not perform
their functions to the world.
9) Believers “are” the salt of earth rather than
“become” the salt of earth. Our functions in the world are manifested naturally
instead of done reluctantly.
Matt. 5:14 “‘You
are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
YLT: “`Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a
mount is not able to be hid;”
Literal Meaning: “You are the light
of the world.” “Salt” emphasizes on our nature and “light” emphasizes on our
behavior.
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden.” The status of Christians is obvious before the world just like the
city that set on a hill and therefore it cannot be hidden.
Spiritual Meaning: “city” is made up of
many structures. Therefore it symbolizes the witness of the assembly as a
whole, showing that only when the assembly is built together, it will greatly function
as light.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Salt is our reality------the slaying effect of
the cross. Light is our witness------the manifestation of Christ.
2) Light is able to shine and guide. Christians
should function as light to shine upon men in darkness and bear witness to
God’s glory
3) We should walk as children of light to expose,
shine and eliminate all the works of darkness (Eph. 5:8, 13).
4) Christians “are” salt and light rather than
“become” salt and light. “Are” denotes the result of manifestation and it is
very easy. “Become” probably includes artificial yet difficult work.
5) If we live truly in the heavenly scene and under
the heavenly authority, we will naturally appear as light in the world (Pill.
2:15).
6) Things light with burning at first. If there is
no burning of fire, there will be no shining of light. If we want to function
as light, we have to sacrifice and deny ourselves at any price.
7) Among believers, we should not seek to show. In
the world, we should manifest the feature of Christ and let the unbelievers see
Christ from us.
8) “Light” is voiceless but it is visible to
others. Does what men hear of you accord with what men see from you?
9) If a Christian is built and edified by the Lord,
the light in him cannot be hidden. There is no power could restrain the
manifestation of Christ’s life.
Matt. 5:15 “Nor do they light a lamp
and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who
are in the house.”
YLT: “nor do they light a lamp, and put it under the
measure, but on the lamp-stand, and it shineth to all those in the house;”
Literal Meaning: “Nor do they light a
lamp and put it under a basket.” In v.14, it is said that light “cannot be
hidden”. Here it is said that light should not be hidden.
“On a lampstant”: to put it on an
obvious place to shine all around.
Spiritual Meaning: “put it under a
basket” “Basket” is a measure made by wood and used to measure grain. Therefore
it symbolizes cares of life. The lamp is put under a basket shows that believers
are worried about cares of life so that the light is covered.
“On a lampstand” “Lampstand” is the
proper utensil to put lamp, symbolizing the life that bears witness to Christ.
“A city that is set on the hill” in former verse indicates that Christians
stand on the heavenly and excellent status. “Lamp that is put on a lampstand”
indicates that Christians stand on normal and decent status.
“It gives light to all who are in the
house.” The “city” in former verse is visible to men outside the city. The
“lamp” in this verse is visible to men in the house. This indicates that the
light of Christians not only shines upon the outside of men but also the inside
of men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians are salt and light. However, we the
salt may lose our flavor and the light may be put under a basket or quenched by
cares of life.
2) Our attitude towards life-----whether we live
for the Lord or for ourselves-----crucially determines whether the light is
manifested or hidden.
3) If we want to shine for the Lord and lighten men
around us, we have to overcome cares of life (Matt. 6:24-34).
4) Lamp shines because oil is lighted up. “Oil”
denotes the inner-dwelling Holy Spirit. If we want to shine, we have to be
filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
5) Anything that may hide the Lord to shine from us
is the “basket”. Anything besides the Lord, even the best thing, may turn to be
the “basket” to hide light.
6) The light of Christians not only changes men’s
outside ways, but also affects their inner hearts.
7) “It gives light to all who are in the house.” We
should give light that we get from the Lord to all the children of God and make
all men be lightened.
8) The true manifestation of Christ’s life in you
is in your own house. The first witness of a Christian is to let “all who are
in your house” see your change.
9) If we want to know whether someone is of Spirit,
we shouldn’t see how he behaves in the meetings, we should see how he behaves
in his own house.
10) When we shine for the Lord, we should not be
ambitious to give light to the whole world, we should seek to “give light to
all who are in our house”. We should not seek to manifest everywhere, but seek
to shine in the areas which the God of measure has apportioned to us (see 2Cor.
10:13).
Matt. 5:16 “Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.”
YLT: “so let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good works, and may glorify your Father who in the heavens.”
Literal Meaning: “Father in heaven”
shows that God is the fountainhead of our heavenly life. If we live according
to the heavenly life, there will be the light of life (John. 1:4, 8:12) shone
before men. Moreover, men will see the manifestation of Christ in us and so
that glorify God (1Pet. 2:12).
“Glorify your Father in heaven”: give
praise that God deserves to Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Here, the Lord treats “your light” and “your
good works” as the same thing. This indicates that:
a) Only when light shines could others see your good works. If light
does not shine,
others will not see your good works.
b) The shine of light is the manifestation of God’s disposition from us
and it is not us.
c) If you put your good works before men without the shine of light, men
will glorify you rather than God.
d) Your good works have to manifest the light of life. In other words,
you were not this kind of people before and after you believed in the Lord, the
new life in you shines and lets others see the light of your good works and
glorify God.
2) The reason why the world does not know God and
is not willing to believe in the Lord Jesus is probably that Christians lack
witness of good works.
3) The motivation of Christians’ good works is not
to show off ourselves, chase fame or seek men’s praise (Matt. 6:2). The aim of
our good works is to manifest God’s glory.
Matt. 5:17 “‘Do
not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to
destroy but to fulfill.”
YLT: “`Do not suppose that I came to throw down the law
or the prophets -- I did not come to throw down, but to fulfill;”
Meaning of Words: “destroy”:
demolish, ruin; “fulfill”: realize, verify, be complete, make replete.
Literal Meaning: “I came to” shows
that He came into this world with purpose.
“To destroy the Law or the prophets”: to
overthrow the Old Testament which is made up of the Law and the Prophets.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the
Law or the Prophets.” The words of the Law and the Prophets are divided into
two parts:
1) morality and moral principles;
2) letters and regulations.
The Lord Jesus became flesh in this
world. On one hand He did not disobey the morality and moral principles. On the
other, He was the reality of what letters and regulations stand for. Therefore
He came not to destroy the Law or the Prophets.
“I did not come to destroy but to
fulfill.” The two aspects of the meaning of “to fulfill”:
1) to accomplish and to verify:
the demands of the Law in the Old Testament were fully realized in Him. The
prophecies of the prophets in the Old Testament were perfectly fulfilled in
Him.
2) to be complete and make
replete: the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament are only letters and
shadows. If the Lord Jesus had not come, they were incomplete. Therefore He
came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets and make them complete.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord came to fulfill the Law and the
Prophets. It shows that the full Christ is the sum and reality of whole Old
Testament (Col. 2:17).
2) Though believers are not under law but under
grace (Rom. 6:14), we should not use liberty for an occasion to the flesh (Gal.
5:13) and we should also keep the commandments on morality and moral
principles.
3) The law has a shadow of the coming good things
(Heb.10:1) but the body is of Christ (Col. 2:17). Therefore the Lord came into
the world to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
4) Today God has given the perfect law, that of
liberty, into our minds and God has also written it upon our hearts (Heb.8:10).
It is that Christ lives in us with the anointing to teach us as to all things
(1John. 2:27). Walking according to Him is to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
Matt. 5:18 “For assuredly, I say to
you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
YLT:
“for, verily I say to you, till that the heaven and the
earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle may not pass away from the law,
till that all may come to pass.”
Meaning of Words: “fulfill”: become
(different from the “fulfill” in v.17)
Literal Meaning: “till heaven and
earth pass away” means the time that the first heaven and the first earth are
passed away (Rev. 21:1). That is in the eternity.
“One jot”: the smallest letter (iota) in
Greek;
“One tittle” is to describe filament
added to letters or the outstanding part (tittle).
“All is fulfilled.” The “fulfill” has
different meanings in v.17 and v.18: in v.17 it means to complement and make
the law perfect. In this verse it means to accomplish the law and make all the
demands of the law be realized.
The Lord did not mean that the law could
not pass away but it will pass away till it has been accomplished and
completed. The Lord came to the land and had realized and completed the law
(Col. 2:14), therefore the letters and regulations of the law has passed away
in Christ. If we return to keep the regulations of Sabbath and circumcision, it
shows that the redemption of Christ is not complete. If so, Christ will profit
us nothing, we are deprived of all profit from the Christ as separated and we
have fallen from grace (Gal. 5:2-4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The law has its authority and it will not pass
away till all of its demands have been accomplished.
2) In this verse the Lord meant that the law is not
complete before He came to the world and He came to make it perfect. It is
obvious that Christ is the end of the law (
3) Since Christ has fulfilled the law, we do not
need to keep the regulations of the law. We keep the spirit of the law as long
as we live in Christ.
Matt. 5:19 “Whoever therefore breaks
one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called
least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “`Whoever therefore may loose one of these commands
-- the least -- and may teach men so, least he shall be called in the reign of
the heavens, but whoever may do and may teach , he shall be called great in the
reign of the heavens.”
Meaning of Words: “breaks”: dissolve,
loose, cancel.
Literal Meaning: “breaks one of these
commandments” “these commandments” are not the commandments in the Old
Testament but the ones having been fulfilled, improved and perfected by the
Lord. These commandments are equivalent to words after “For I say to you” in
verses below------ every word said by the Lord to us. Believers should not
aimlessly treat the words that the Lord had said in this chapter.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Being called least or great in the kingdom of
heaven depends on how we keep the word of the Lord. In other words, if we want
to be called great in the kingdom of heaven, we have to attach importance to
every word said by the Lord and not only “do” the words by ourselves but also
“teach” others to do them.
2) The servants of the Lord should not only “teach”
others in words, but also do the words themselves, just like Paul had said that
“Take heed to yourself and to the teaching” (1Tim. 4:16).
3) Those who only pay attention to reasons and
teachings and neglect morals and behaviors are not worthy to be respected by
believers.
4) The requirements of the law in the Old Testament
are relative and that of the kingdom of heaven are absolute.
5) The more you obey the authority of the kingdom
of heaven and keep the requirements of the kingdom of heaven, the more you have
been constituted into the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the more requirements
you do, the greater you are called in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:20 “For I say to you, that
unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “`For I say to you, that if your righteousness may
not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the
reign of the heavens.”
Literal Meaning: “your
righteousness”: the righteous behaviors of believers in the New Testament.
“The scribes and Pharisees” “the
scribes” were the Bible teachers among the Jews at that time. They were
specialists in law and most of them are Pharisees (please see the notes in
Matt. 3:7). Their righteousness, gained by doing the regulations of the law, is
the righteousness in the law (Pill. 3:6).
This verse means that even if we have
strictly done every rule of the Old Testament, what we receive is only the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees and we still could not entre into
the kingdom of heaven.
The righteousness of Christians
(Rev.19:8) is gained by doing the law (these commandments) which has been
fulfilled and improved by the Lord according to the life of God. Therefore it
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The principle of the kingdom of heaven is not
unrighteousness but the higher righteousness which “exceeds the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees”.
2) The reason why the righteousness of Christians
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is that God’s life in us
enables us to do it instead of our own ability.
3) The scribes and Pharisees outwardly do the
regulations of the law, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matt.
23:28). They have a form of piety but deny the power of it (2Tim. 3:5).
4) The righteousness achieved by Christians is not
outwardly doing the letters and words of the law, but inwardly fulfilling the
law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Christianity pays more attention to inner character
that to outer forms.
5) We are saved as long as we believe in the Lord
Jesus. But righteousness of higher lever is required to enter into the kingdom
of heaven. We are saved by Christ who becomes our righteousness. We enter into
the kingdom of heaven by the righteousness manifested upon us by Christ.
Matt. 5:21 “‘You
have heard that it was said to those of old, ’You
shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'”
YLT: “`Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou
shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;”
Literal Meaning: “that it was said to
those of old”: the words God had spoken formerly to the fathers in the prophets
(Heb. 1:1).
“You shall not murder” It is the sixth
commandment in the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament (Ex. 20:13, Deut.
5:17).
“Whoever murders will be in danger of
the judgment” The murderer shall certainly be put to death (Ex. 21:12, Lev.
24:17, Deut. 17: 8-13).
Enlightenment in the Word: Christians should not murder others or commit
suicide because committing suicide is also a kind of murder.
Matt. 5:22 “But I say to you that
whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!' shall be in danger of
the council. But whoever says, "You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, that every one who is angry
at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever
may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and
whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.”
The
Background: “hell fire” “hell”
comes from the Hebrew word Gehenna. It was the name of a ravine outside of the
city of
Literal
Meaning: “But I say to you.”
Here the Lord made the law of the kingdom of heaven as the king of the kingdom
of heaven.
“Whoever is angry with his brother”
Being angry with someone is more than being angry because the angry one may not
sin (Eph. 4:26). However, the one who is angry with someone may have the
intention to harm others.
“Shall be in danger of judgment” The
reason why one murders is that there is anger in him. We should not only commit
the behavior of murder but also fundamentally eliminate the possibility to
commit murder.
“Raca” is used to abuse in Aramaic
(reka). It means useless and ignorant.
“In danger of the council” “Council” is
the supreme administration office (Sanherdrin). Here it can also be the
Rabbinic Council in Synagogue.
“You fool”: the word used to abuse in
Hebrew. It means stupid and betrayal. Its scornful tone is stronger than
“raca”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What is traditional (“you have heard that”) is
outward and of letters. Only what is revealed directly by the Son of God (“but
I say to you”) touches the spiritual reality.
2) The Lord does not like that the men of Him loses
his temper or gets angry without a cause, especially gets angry with brothers.
Being angry with brothers is not a good thing.
3) Believers should not despise or look down upon
brothers.
4) What God says in His Son is the latest
revelation and the most updated light.
5) Never speak randomly or abuse or rebuke others
without a cause. All that is not of love in the eyes of the Lord is another
form of murder.
6) The Lord pays attention to the motivation of our
words. Anything that comes from our natural life, flesh and Old Adam will be
judged.
Matt. 5:23 “Therefore if you bring
your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something
against you,”
YLT: “`If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the
altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,”
Literal Meaning: “alter”: the place
of sacrifice. The Jews are usually forgiven by God and are acceptable to God
through offering sacrifice to God.
“Bring your gift”: the
voluntary-offerings offered to God to thank Him.
“There remember that your brother has
something against you.” “Remember”: it is the movement of Spirit. If a brother
has something against another brother, it shows that there is trouble and
unpleasantness among brothers.
Spiritual Meaning: “bringing your gift to the alter” symbolizes that we
enter into the holies to communicate with God by the precious blood of the Lord
Jesus (Heb. 10:19).
Matt. 5:24 “leave your gift there
before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and
then come and offer your gift.”
YLT: “leave there thy gift before the altar, and go --
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.”
Literal Meaning: note that here it
does not point out the rightness or wrongness. Therefore, even if a brother
misunderstands us and has something against us without a cause, we should try
our utmost to solve the problem.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Usually, it is shown that the one who would have
something against others is young in Spirit. The elder one in Spirit, though he
is right, will take the initiative to be reconciled to his brother.
2) Firstly we should have no estrangement with men,
and then we could have pleasant fellowship with God.
3) Firstly we should have smooth fellowship with
brothers (“first be reconciled to your brother”) and then we could have smooth
fellowship with God (“and then come and offer your gift”). Our connection with
the head and with the body are both indispensable.
4) The sins among brothers are sins in the
assembly. We have to remove every sin in the assembly and then God may bless us
a hundredfold or tenfold.
Matt. 5:25 “Agree with your adversary
quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to
the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.”
YLT: “`Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou
art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge,
and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be
cast,”
Literal Meaning: “your adversary”:
the brother who has something against you in v.23.
Spiritual Meaning: “on the way with
him” refers to the time we live in the world to run on the race into the
heaven.
“Your adversary delivers you to the
judge” “the judge”: the Lord Himself. Here it means that he prayed to the Lord
and asked Him to judge and avenge (Rev. 6:10).
“The judge hand you over to the officer,
and you be thrown into prison.” “Officer”: angels. “Prison”: the place where
believers are punished in future------the outer darkness (Matt. 25:30).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The door of salvation is not open forever and
the door of reconciliation is not either. We have to remove every rancor while
we are alive.
2) “While you are on the way with him.” It shows
that if anyone of the two parties passes away, it will be too late for them to
be reconciled. Therefore, we should be reconciled to others as soon as
possible. We should never procrastinate.
3) Confession and reconciliation among brothers
have nothing to do with salvation but has something to do with the reward in
future.
Matt. 5:26 “Assuredly, I say to you,
you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”
YLT: “verily I say to thee, thou
mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.”
Literal Meaning: “penny”: the copper
coin with the smallest denomination.
This verse shows what the citizens of
the kingdom of heaven owe to others will be paid off. Ever if it is a small
thing that we owe to others, it must be paid off clearly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All that we owe to others must be paid off sooner
or later. If we do not pay off them on the way, we have to pay off them in the
prison. Therefore the earlier we pay off what we owe to others, the better it will
be to us.
2) No matter how much we owe to others, we do
owe to others. And all that we owe to others must be paid off.
Matt. 5:27 “‘You
have heard that it was said to those of old, ’You
shall not commit adultery.'”
YLT: “`Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou
shalt not commit adultery;”
Literal Meaning: “You shall not
commit adultery” It is the seventh commandment of the Ten Commandments (Ex.
20:14, Deut. 5:18). “Adultery”: sex between a married person and sb. who is not
their husband or wife.
Matt. 5:28 “But I say to you that
whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with
her in his heart.”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, that every one who is
looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his
heart.”
Literal Meaning: “looks at”: to look
specially, to look with particular purpose;
“To lust for her”: lust (“desire” in
original) rose from one’s heart;
Here the Lord did not judge the normal
feelings about sex. Because normal feelings about sex and marriage are not
guilty but holy (Heb. 13:4), and come from God’s creation. What the Lord judges
is to purposely look at a woman with sight of lust.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The lustful feelings are the motivation and
reason to commit adultery. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven should not commit
adultery and should root out the lustful feelings and intentions.
2) When we see others with the opposite sex and
Satan puts abnormal sexual feelings into our hearts, we should learn to refuse
them immediately. We should not look at others again to satisfy that sexual
feelings.
3) Nobody is able to completely prevent disturbance
of lust. However, when the lustful feelings knock our heart, we should not
permit them to enter in, accept them or let them stay.
4) Watching pornographic novels, photos, movies and
TVs are all behaviors of committing adultery.
Matt. 5:29 “If your right eye causes
you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for
you that one of your members perish, than for your wnhole
body to be cast into hell.”
YLT: “`But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble,
pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members
may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.”
Literal Meaning: “If your right eye
causes you to sin” Many sins of men come from the lust of the eyes (1John.
2:16).
“Pluck it out” The Lord meant that we
should do our utmost to deal with the factors that may cause us to commit sins.
The Lord did not ask us to pluck the eye out physically because even if we
pluck the eye out, we may still commit sins. Never keep the words of the Lord
in v.29 and v.20 literally.
Spiritual Meaning: “pluck it out”: put
to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom. 8:13). In other words, put
to death your members which upon the earth (Col. 3:5).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We have to deal with and remove the factors
that may commit adultery well, otherwise we will be punished by the Lord in
future.
2) If one clearly knows how dirty and terrible
adultery is, he would rather become disabled than be tainted with dirtiness.
Matt. 5:30 “And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable
for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast
into hell.”
YLT: “`And, if thy right hand doth cause thee to
stumble, cut it off, and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy
members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.”
Literal Meaning: “hands” are the main
tools used by men to commit sins. The Lord did not ask us to cut the right hand
off physically (a man had cut ten fingers off to abstain from gambling. But
when the addition to gambling works he still gambled as usual.) The Lord meant
to make us have the determination to deal with sins and deal with the
motivation and causes of sins at any price.
Spiritual Meaning: “cut if off”: do not
yield your members instruments of unrighteousness to sin (Rom. 6:13).
Matt. 5:31 “‘Furthermore
it has been said, ’Whoever divorces his wife,
let him give her a certificate of divorce.'”
YLT: “`And it was said, That whoever may put away his
wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce;”
Literal Meaning: the law in the Old
Testament allowed men to divorce (Deut. 24:1).
“Divorce his wife”: the husband’s side
proposed the demand for divorce to the wife’s side.
“A certificate of divorce”: it is
written by the husband’s side to the wife’s side to ensure the social status of
the wife’s side and prevent her from harassment of the husband’s side.
Matt. 5:32 “But I say to you that
whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to
commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, that whoever may put away
his wife, save for the matter of whoredom, doth make her to commit adultery;
and whoever may marry her who hath been put away doth commit adultery.”
Literal Meaning: “for any reason
except sexual immorality” It implies that unchastity is the only reason to
allow men to divorce because the unchaste behavior of one side has destroyed
the reality of one flesh of husband and wife.
“Causes her to commit adultery” Since it
is allowed to divorce for the reason of unchastity, the one that is divorced is
ascribed to be unchaste.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If someone gets married with someone who
commits adultery, he commits adultery himself.
2) Marriage is the most important thing to
Christians in their life. Therefore, before marriage they should open their
eyes to observe each other carefully lest they may regret. After marriage they
should try their best to close their eyes not to find fault with each other.
Matt. 5:33 “‘Again
you have heard that it was said to those of old, ’You
shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'”
YLT: “`Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients:
Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths;”
Meaning of Words: “swear falsely”:
forswear, commit perjury. “Oaths”: to declare with oath, a limit, a fence.
Literal Meaning: the law in the Old
Testament allows men to vow a vow or swear an oath to God and he should perform
his vow or oath (Num. 30:2, Deut. 23:21).
Matt. 5:34 “But I say to you, do not
swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, not to swear at all;
neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God,”
Literal Meaning: “neither by heaven”
“By”: by relying on someone or the support of someone or restoring to a man or
one thing, one proves that the words said by the swearer are right.
Men swear because their own words are
not trustful and they attempt to use their responsible attitude towards heaven,
the earth and God to show their honesty. Actually, heaven is God’s throne, the
earth is His footstool and
Matt. 5:35 “nor by the earth, for it
is His footstool; nor by
YLT: “nor by the earth, because it is His footstool, nor
by
Literal Meaning: “the great King”:
God.
Matt. 5:36 “Nor shall you swear by
your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.”
YLT: “nor by thy head mayest thou swear, because thou
art not able one hair to make white or black;”
Literal Meaning: “you cannot make one
hair white or black”. It shows that our heads are under the control of God.
They are not under our control.
Matt. 5:37 “But let your "Yes' be
"Yes,' and your "No,' "No.' For whatever is more than these is
from the evil one.”
YLT: “but let your word be, Yes, Yes, No, No, and that
which is more than these is of the evil.”
Literal Meaning: the aim of words is
to show the fact. The words would be simple when they are similar to the fact.
The words of believers should be concise, frank and sincere. If our words are
more than the fact or less than the fact, it shows that we are lying more or
less. Satan is the father of liars (John. 8:44). Therefore whatever is more
than these is from the evil one.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Yes” and “No” cannot be accommodated, otherwise
we are unable to be witnesses of the Lord on earth.
2) Christians should speak honestly and faithfully
usually. Let our “Yes” be “Yes” and do not add something else. Neither do we
need to ask heaven, the earth and God to bear witness to our words. We should
not say that I do not lie for I’m a Christian (it includes the meaning of oath
to say that I’m a Christian so as to gain others’ trust).
3) Usually we should walk honestly without any
ambiguities. In this way, even if others do not trust in our words, we do not
need to swear an oath to defend ourselves. They have the freedom to trust in us
or not.
4) To avoid ambiguous words, we have to speak in
Christ because Christ did not become Yes and No, but in Him it has become Yes
(2Cor. 1:18-20).
Matt. 5:38 “‘You
have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a
tooth for a tooth.’”
YLT: “`Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth
for tooth;”
Literal Meaning: the law in the Old
Testament allows men to ask for justice (Ex. 21:24, Deut. 19:21). In other
words, with the aim of stopping impinging on others at liberty, one could
revenge with similar degree if he has been evilly treated.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. It means that the
justice revenge is not judged. Knocking down your tooth at first is guilty but
if you in return knock his tooth down, you are not guilty.
2) The world seeks for justice and Christians
seek for what exceeds justice.
Matt. 5:39 “But I tell you not to
resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the
other to him also.”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, not to resist the evil, but
whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;”
Literal Meaning: “not to resist an
evil person” “an evil person”: the one who treats us evilly. When we are evilly
treated by others, we should not react by our natural life.
“Whoever slaps you on your right cheek.”
It refers to the wrongfully evil treatment.
“Turn the other to him also.” Only when
the one being slapped has no hatred at all, he can turn the other cheek to
others. It is impossible to do it by our endurance or self-cultivation. It is
the life of God that could do it.
Spiritual Meaning: “slap the cheek”
symbolizes humiliation. We should be unconventional so that glory, dishonor,
evil report and good report (2Cor. 6:8) would never affect us.
Controversial Clarification: note that in these words (v.38-v.41) the Lord did
not teach us the nonresistance. Neither did He teach us that there’s no need to
guard against evil works of the evil. The Lord taught us to know God’s life in
us. He also taught us that when something crops up, we should react by God’s
life instead of our natural life. At the same time, these words were said to
Christians, therefore we should never tell these to unbelievers, lest we may
receive unnecessary humiliation. It is unprofitable both to us and others (see
Matt. 7:6).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The world argues that which one fought earlier.
The behavior of the other who fought later is justice self-defense. However,
Christians do not fight at first and are even not willing to hit back.
2) When one slaps us in our right cheek, it is the
Lord that uses men’s hands to increase our tolerance and make us grow up.
Therefore, the best reaction is to turn the other to him in order to fulfill
what the Lord does by men’s hands.
3) “Right cheek”: the Lord deals with us. “Left
cheek”: we, standing on the side of the Lord, deal with us. The spiritual
increase lies in agreeing to be dealt with gladly through cross by the
Lord.
4) If we know that the “hand” of man is the “tool”
used by the Lord, we will not fell angry or discomfort when being “slapped”. On
the contrary, we will be glad.
Matt. 5:40 “If anyone wants to sue you
and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.”
YLT: “and whoever is willing to take thee to law, and
thy coat to take -- suffer to him also the cloak.”
Literal Meaning: “if anyone wants to
sue you and take away your tunic” “Tunic”: it is the belonging next to the skin
of a man and the most reasonable enjoyment to a man. Therefore it refers to
others’ wrongful exploitation.
“Let him have your cloak also.” “Cloak”
is more precious than the tunic. Therefore it indicates that we do not dispute
with others and feel calm with the loss of a greater belonging.
Spiritual Meaning: “take away the
cloths” symbolizes losing the right of privacy. We have become a spectacle to
the world, both too angels and men for the sake of the Lord (1Cor. 4:9). We
willingly lose the right of privacy about our life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is absolutely wrongful to take away our tunic
by others. It is absolutely wrongful to give our cloak to others. Christians do
not walk according to natural principles.
2) Christians do not argue with correctness or
wrongness. A Christian who argues lives in his brain (soul) instead of in life
(spirit).
Matt. 5:41 “And whoever compels you to
go one mile, go with him two.”
YLT: “`And whoever shall impress thee one mile, go with
him two,”
The
Background: at that time Roman
government had the right to ask its people to provide service or impose
property for public use. For example the Roman soldiers compelled a man of
Literal Meaning: “and whoever compels
you to go one mile” Being compelled to go one mile is losing the right to act
on one’s own and under the authority of others.
“Go with him two”: one is most willing to be under
the power of others.
Spiritual Meaning: “compelling to go” symbolizes
the submission of will. We should be meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29) and
do not adhere to something for ourselves.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In this world there is no authority except from
God (
2) Unless the authority of men is obviously against
God, we should not obey (Acts. 5:29). Generally, even if it is an unreasonable
compulsion, we should accept it gladly.
3) The stronger is so strong that he could restrict
himself to disregarding his own rights.
Matt. 5:42 “Give to him who asks you,
and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
YLT: “to him who is asking of thee be giving, and him
who is willing to borrow from thee thou mayest not turn away.”
Literal Meaning: treasure will most
probably occupy one’s heart (Matt. 6:21). It dose not mean the benefaction
without discernment. It means that our heart should stand aloof from being
occupied by treasure.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Your treasure is not of you. God has
entrusted you to manage your treasure.
2) When someone comes to ask you, you should
regard him as a messenger from God to test your intention.
Matt. 5:43 “‘You
have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.'”
YLT: “`Ye heard that it was said: Thou shalt love thy
neighbor, and shalt hate thine enemy;”
Literal Meaning: “You shall love your
neighbor” is quoted from Lev. 19:18. “Hate your enemy” was said by the rabbi at
that time. “Neighbor” generally refers to those who we contact. “Enemy”: those
who are against us. Loving neighbor and hating enemy are natural and normal.
Matt. 5:44 “But I say to you, love
your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,”
YLT: “but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless
those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you
falsely, and persecuting you,”
Meaning of Words: “Love”: sacred love
(agapao in original)
Literal Meaning: “love your enemies”
The feelings of believers should exceed the natural love and hatred. On one
hand, we should abhor evil and cleave to good (Rom. 12:9) and not be
fellow-partakers with the evil (Eph. 5:7). On the other, we should love souls
of sinners with mercy.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s love (phileo in original) is
conditional and dominated by circumstances. Men only love the lovable. God’s
love (agapao in original) is unconditional and therefore God loves the
unlovable.
2) When persecuted, the best countermeasure to
Christians is to pray. Praying will ask God to work and change the
circumstances so that we could lead a quiet and tranquil life (1Tim. 2:1-2).
Matt. 5:45 “that you may be sons of
your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
YLT: “that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens,
because His sun He doth cause to rise on evil and good, and He doth send rain
on righteous and unrighteous.”
Literal Meaning: “sons of your Father
in heaven” It shows that because the life and position of God is in us we
should treat men without any difference just like what He does in nature.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God loves those who hate Him, bless those who
curse Him and shows mercy to the hypocritical and the dishonest. On account of
God’s love in us, could God allow us to recompense the evil with evil (Rom.
12:17)?
2) God’s children should imitate what God of grace
does. God gives men what they do not deserve and we should also give men what
they do not deserve more than what they deserve. These are what a Christian
should do.
3) The power of light is in the sun instead of in
men. The power to love is in God instead of in us. God’s love will not be
affected by men or circumstances.
Matt. 5:46 “For if you love those who
love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
YLT: “`For, if ye may love those loving you, what reward
have ye? do not also the tax-gatherers the same?”
Literal Meaning: “tax collectors”:
the Jews hired by the Roman government to impose levies upon their Jewish
fellow people. They are regarded as flunkies of Roman government and despised
by Jewish people as sinners (Matt. 11:19). This verse indicates that even the
sinners love those who love them.
Matt. 5:47 “And if you greet your
brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors
do so?”
YLT: “and if ye may salute your brethren only, what do ye
abundant? do not also the tax-gatherers so?”
Meaning of Words: “more than”: even
more, exceed.
Literal Meaning: “tax collectors”:
the unbelievers.
The difference between the believers and
the unbelievers is that there is the life and disposition of God in believers.
And we could treat others not according to the hate and love of our natural
life. If we live in the life of God, we could love the enemies whom we are
unable to love by our natural life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is sinners’ reaction to love those who love
them. It is the tax collectors’ reaction to greet those who are close to them.
To Christians, it is very easy and low for them to do so and there is no
separation between them and unbelievers.
2) The “more than” in this verse matches with
“exceed” in v.20. There is the love more than the love of unbelievers, there
will be the righteousness exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees.
Matt. 5:48 “Therefore you shall be
perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
YLT: “ye shall therefore be perfect, as your Father who
in the heavens is perfect.”
Literal Meaning: the “perfect” here
has two meanings:
1) being complete. It means to
love the evil and the good.
2) the perfect love (1John. 4:18).
In other aspects we are unable to be as
perfect as God the Father. However in love we should seek to be perfect just as
God the Father.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” It
denotes that only by the heavenly life of God the Father could we achieve
complete perfectness.
2) The Lord concluded the states that the citizens
of the kingdom of heaven should have with “just as your Father in heaven is
perfect”. The law of the kingdom of heaven is to completely manifest the fullness
of God that is the full testimony of the Son of God.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Characters of
Citizens of the
II. To mourn (v.4)
III. Being meek (v.5)
IV. To hunger and thirst for righteousness
(v.6)
V. Being merciful (v.7)
VI. Being pure in heart (v.8)
VII. To make peace (v.9)
VIII. Being persecuted for righteousness’
sake (v.10)
IX. Being reviled and persecuted for the
Lord’s sake (v.11-12)
Missions of Citizens
of the
II. The light of the world (v.14-16)
------the expression of external behaviors
Righteousness of
Citizens of the
I. Teaching others and obeying the
commandments of the Lord (v.19)
II. Their righteousness exceeding the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20)
Interpersonal
Relationship of Citizens of the
II. Should not lust for others and should be
reconciled with spouse (v.27-32)
III. Should not swear and should speak the
truth (v.33-37)
IV. Should not resist an evil person and
should give to him who asks you (v.38-42)
V. Should not hate others and should love
the enemy (v.43-48)
Comparison of
Commandments in the New Testament and the Old Testament
I. The Old Testament: you shall not murder
------the New Testament: do not be angry with your brother, do not abuse and do
not owe to them (v.21-26).
II. The Old Testament: you shall not commit
adultery ------the New Testament: do not lust for others and divorce (v.27-32).
III. The Old Testament: you shall not swear
falsely ------the New Testament: do not swear or say more than the fact (v.
33-37).
IV. The Old Testament: an eye for an eye
------the New Testament: do not resist or decline others (v.38-42).
V. The Old Testament: love your neighbor and
hate your enemy ------the New Testament: love your enemy and pray for those who
persecute you (v.43-47)
Responses Christians
Should Have
I. Whoever slaps your right cheek, turn the
other to him also (v.39) ------it overcomes the feeling of humiliation.
II. If anyone wants to take away your tunic,
let him have your cloak also (v.40) ------it overcomes the right of privacy.
III. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go
with him two (v.41) ------it overcomes the strong will.
IV. Give to him who asks you, and from which who wants
to borrow from you do not turn away (v.42) ------it overcomes the occupation of
treasure.
V. Love and pray for those who resist and
persecute you (v.43) ------it overcomes the feelings of love and hate.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren