494. Walking in the Word, Jesus Teaches the Heart of the Matter

As Jesus continues teaching the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-32, He gives us instructions on handling anger and dealing with relationship issues, calling us to look beyond the surface of the law to the heart of the law.

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Julie Jenkins. Thank you for joining us today as we walk through the Gospels together.

Whenever and wherever you are listening, if you turned on the news today, I’m sure you heard something that made you shake your head in disgust. And it wouldn’t surprise me if you are, on some level, currently battling anger or frustration personally – because we all do at times. Due to the complexity of the issues we face, it can seem nearly impossible to look through all the muck and see how God is calling us to react. But God doesn’t want us to look only at the surface of His direction for us, He wants us to walk with Him and understand His heart.

So whatever your frame of mind, I’m glad you’ve taken few minutes to pause and listen to this podcast – where we spend a few minutes together focusing on God’s Word and seeking to understand it fully.

No matter what mountain we are climbing or beautiful hillside we are meandering through, Jesus is our best walking partner. As we walk with Him, we can trust that God, through His Word and Holy Spirit, will guide and lead us to what really matters.

Before we open the Word together, let’s grab our climbing partner by the hand and ask Him to walk with us.

Dear most holy God, We come to you right now seeking your presence. Be with each listener where she is, and teach her today what you want her to know. God we know that nothing surprises you and with you all things are possible. We ask you to guide us as we open Your Word today and that we would hear the words of Jesus. Open our hearts and allow us to understand what it is you want us to know as we spend time with you. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

Today we will be studying Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 through 32 out of the New Living Translation. A couple of weeks ago, we began our walk through the Sermon on the Mount. And last week, the final verse we looked at was Matthew 5:20, which says,

But I warn you unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This may have left the disciples and other listeners wondering, how can I possibly be more righteous than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who have dedicated their lives to knowing and following the law of Moses and the teaching of the scriptures?

But as Jesus teaches, it becomes clear that while the Pharisees may be all about the letter of the law, Jesus is all about the heart of the law.

Jesus begins by specifically referencing several of the teachings of the Pharisees, and as he does, he teaches a deeper truth to each, a truth that God intended us to know and learn from the beginning. Matthew 5:21 says,

You have heard that our ancestors were told you must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment. If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

Matthew 5:21 begins You have heard that our ancestors are told… most translations say something like you have heard it said. Now in other places in the Bible, Jesus is recorded as saying it is written when he is quoting scripture. So the fact that he is now saying you have heard it said indicates that Jesus is addressing the laws as man taught them. And we know by now that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law often distorted those laws by adding their own man-made laws and rules that the people were to follow. Well, remember Jesus says earlier in this chapter that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law, and that not a single stroke of the pen will disappear from the law until all is accomplished.

So Jesus is not trying to change the meaning of the law as it is written, on the contrary, he is explaining to the disciples and to us the full meaning of the original law. That is, what God intended us to know, the heart of the law.

Jesus wants us to understand the why. What was the purpose of the law in the first place? The law says in Exodus 20:13, you must not murder.

Murder is an external act. And that external act in Jesus day was punishable by death in a human court of law.

But God, our perfect judge does not judge us merely on external acts as humans. Instead, He judges us on the attitude of our hearts, in this case, anger. Why do you suppose that Jesus teaches that anger is as grievous as a sin as murder?

Besides the fact that God is holy, and any sin causes unrighteousness, I would propose this teaching stems from the fact that sinful anger, ruins the relationships that God has gifted us.

Anger hurts our human relationships, and it hurts our relationship with God. And God is all about relationship. In our anger, we are tempted to lash out at others, what do you think is the effect of calling someone an idiot or cursing them as Jesus references? Not good, right? It was even worse in Jesus day when a person's name was everything, a hallmark to who that person was. So to call someone, Rayana, which was the original word use, that means empty headed or translated here as idiot would have been an insult even greater than it is today. Anger such as that could in effect, murder, a God-ordained relationship.

And Jesus goes on to teach that relationship is more important than any sacrifice, we could offer God saying in verse 23. So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the temple, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar, go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Jesus then continues with some more practical advice, when you're on your way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.

Anger puts you in a prison cell. It holds you captive from being who God truly made you to be. And it keeps you from doing what God has called you to do. Jesus says settle your differences quickly. Don't allow the chains of anger to keep you from the relationships that God intended for you.

Next, Jesus teaches on the seventh commandment Exodus 20:14. You must not commit adultery.

Going back to Matthew 5, verse 27 says, You have heard the commandment that says you must not commit adultery. But I say anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Jesus is again teaching the wisdom behind the law. I think about my when my kids were young, they didn't understand the why behind our family rules. It just didn't make sense to them that I had to know their friend's parents before they could spend the night with them. Their undeveloped and naive minds simply couldn't make the connection that a fun play date could turn out bad under the wrong circumstances. They didn't know the why.

The Pharisees taught the letter of the law and were harsh with their punishments but they didn't understand the why. Jesus taught the wisdom of the law, the why behind the law, and it all hinged on his care and concern for us, for you.

Just like when he was talking about murder and anger, Jesus is teaching here that the root of sin the sin of adultery, lies in the attitude of our hearts.

Honoring and loving your spouse means in part making him or her the object of your sexual desire. When your mind begins to stray, the poison of sin begins to grow in your heart, and it quickly infects your relationship. But not only does committing adultery infect the relationship, but lust for another does as well. And God is all about relationships.

Jesus goes on to tell how serious he is about this teaching.

So if your eye even your good eye causes you to lust, gouge it out, throw it away, it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand even your stronger hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body then for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

While these things are true, that it's better to go to heaven with part of a body these statements are not to be taken literally, but they are a case of Jesus speaking in hyperbole, intentional exaggeration to make a point very common in this time and a Jewish culture.

What Jesus is saying is when you are tempted, run away, Look away, then stay away from those things that can pollute your mind. And don't delay. Don't leave sin unchecked in your heart, but clear it out right away. If you are a gardener, you know how quickly weeds can take root and take over the good soil, crowding out the flowers and leaving them with no room to grow and no nutrients to sustain them.

Being a Christian is not easy. The devil is always prowling, trying to infiltrate your heart. It isn't just about what you do, but about what you let in to your heart. What you let in can help your relationships or it can destroy them.

As Jesus continues, he touches on divorce beginning in verse 31.

You have heard the law that says a man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce. But I say that a man who divorces his wife unless she has been unfaithful causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

Again we see the You have heard it said statement only this time this teaching does not come from God but from society.

We will expand on this more in the coming weeks but right now I will just share with you that the Jews have a big problem with divorce. Deuteronomy gives instructions regarding the treatment of a wife whom a husband finds displeasing

Deuteronomy 21 says suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her he writes a document of divorce hands it to her and sends her away from his house.

Like I said, we won't go into a full discussion on this right now. But the offshoot of this scripture was that the most well known Jewish rabbi teachers, Shamai and Hillel, both disagreed over what was deemed displeasing enough to warrant a notice of divorce. And as a result, divorce was allowed for basically anything. I guess that's where we get irreconcilable differences.

So what does Jesus teach here? He teaches that divorce causes relationship problems. You might think, well, that's a no brainer, but it's deeper than the obvious.

Divorce causes relationship problems going forward in each individual's life, and often in the lives of those around them. And God is all about relationships. Our God is all about relationships. I believe that God wants us to walk away from this teaching, realizing that he is all about relationships.

There are trials in this world, some of us are facing devastating life changes as the effects of sin continue to ravage this world. And it's quite likely that things will get worse before they get better. But God is all about relationships.

And when you honor your relationship with him, and walk close to him through any storm, he will be your strength, your protection, your wisdom and your joy. Yes, you can have joy even in trials. God gives us the law. But it's not about the letter of the law. It's about the why. God is the why. Every word of the Bible, every nugget of wisdom, we can glean from studying God's word is intended to point us to a perfect relationship with God, and to godly relationships with others.

God will get us through the storms of life, he will walk us through the loss of loved ones devastation caused by natural disaster and heartache of all kinds. But we have to have a relationship with Him. And he asked that we keep our hearts connected to his and that we honor that relationship. That's what the law points to. That is the heart of the matter.

Let's pray

Dear most holy God, He loves us, and you are there for us. God, I thank you for reminding us today that you care about the relationships that we are building with each other, and most importantly, the relationship that we have with you. I thank you for reminding us that when things get difficult, and there are mountains in front of us to climb that you, Jesus, are our best climbing partner. That when we don't know where to turn God Your Word will always guide and lead us. And when we are in turmoil, you Holy Spirit, will comfort and sustain us and give us peace. God thank you for reminding us that you see our hearts and that you will always care for our hearts. We give them to you today. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.