Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28,
31-32, 33-37, 38-39, 43-44 (NLT)
“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.
“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. “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. “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one. “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Reflection
This passage is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this passage, Jesus asks His hearers to think about the Hebrew Scriptures. He says “you have heard that our ancestors were told…” He then quotes one of the decrees that came from “the law,” that God says that we need to obey that maybe even came from the book of Leviticus. But then Jesus takes it a step further with the phrase, “But I say…” and then He takes the expectation up a notch.
In other words, Jesus is saying that we need to consider the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law. The law was written to create an environment where we “love God and love neighbor.”
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 (1 being not at all, 10 being all the time) on how you follow the law as Jesus phrases it.
