Happy Friday!
For the month of May, we’re looking at Matthew 5 and considering six ways to think like Jesus. This first week we’re looking at the first topic Jesus discusses: murder. I recommend starting in Matthew 5:1 and reading through to the end of the chapter. If you have time, read the whole of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which is chapters 5-7.
These teachings of Jesus are tough! As we read, we must remember that as believers in Christ, we are promised the Helper, the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict us of sin in our lives and to help us choose what honors God over other worldly or fleshly desires we may have. Jesus’ call here in chapter 5 blew away everything the religious leaders and Jews understood about God and the law. He elevated the previous understand of the law and next month, we’ll talk about the two laws that complete all of the laws! But for now, back to Matthew 5 and how we can think like Jesus.
Murder:
In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus teaches on murder and explains that it is not enough to avoid killing, that we must also avoid anger and hatred. The translation here for anger refers to seething, brooding bitterness against someone. It is a dangerous anger that threatens to leap out of control, lead to violence, and increase emotional pain, mental stress, and spiritual damage. We can be angry and not sin (Eph. 4:26) just as Jesus was angry when he fashioned a whip (John 2:13-16) and ran those moneychangers out of the temple! The motivation behind our anger is important, and we must question ourselves to find the root. Often for me, my anger is rooted in my own sense of entitlement.
Jesus is calling us, just as He was calling the crowd then, to a different kind of righteousness. The Pharisees and Jews of the day understood what the law required from an outward standpoint, but Jesus was peeling back the outward layers to reveal what was most important—love and obedience. We don’t need a higher standard of righteousness, as in legal compliance, but a heartfelt obedience out of love and worship to our Savior.
What stands out to you most from Jesus’ teachings?
**summarized from Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan
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