Matthew 5:21-26
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there. Layo AdeyemiSat, Sep 21, 8:25 PM (23 hours ago) to me Title: The Heart of God Remains the Same. Tagline: At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “upping the ante” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. Matthew 5:21-26 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there. Layo AdeyemiSat, Sep 21, 8:25 PM (23 hours ago) to me Title: The Heart of God Remains the Same. Tagline: At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “upping the ante” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. Matthew 5:21-26 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. So far in the sermon on the mount, Jesus has subverted the expectations of his listeners. Anyone who may have been part of this audience of disciples in Matthew 5, probably had preconceived notions of what God is looking for them to do, or how God is looking for them to live. - Often times so do we. “Poor in spirit?” - The kingdom of heaven is yours! “A little on the meek side?” - There’s actually a sizable inheritance in store just for you! Today we will see, Jesus has also begun to challenge his listeners understanding of the Law of Moses - but also makes the claim that he’s not “changing a single letter of it.” For his first century Rome audience and even us sitting here today in a post Postmodern world, Jesus’s assertions can be quite frankly jarring. At first glance Jesus likening of Hate to Murder might seem over the top, I’ve even been taught Jesus is “taking the law to the next level” - but I think if we take a look at the heart of God, we see he’s not calling us to anything new that God hasn’t called us to in the past. If you are new to the Bible, or even if you have heard this story a million times, lets take moment to review the Bible’s account of the world’s first murder: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. A couple things I’d like to point out: 1. Isn’t there a striking similarity between the scenario Jesus gave to the crowds about offering a gift at the altar and remembering that your brother or sister has something against you, and the story of Cain and Abel offering gifts to God? I think so- close enough anyway for me to write a devo on it! There’s especially a similarity as Jesus tells us that whenever we are at the altar looking at God, God is looking at our hearts. 2. There are lots of debates about why God rejected Cain’s offering; but whether God rejected it because it wasn’t as good as Abel’s, or He rejected it because it simply wasn’t the best of what Cain could have offered - we can see in Cain’s story that much like the short story Jesus provided - there was something wrong with the posture of Cain’s heart - and God most definitely saw it, and comes to him at this critical moment, “Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” It’s almost as if He’s saying, “If you let go of your deep-seated resentment won’t it be better for you?” 3. God warns Cain of the dangers of the condition of his heart. “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.” That day sin had Cain and his anger and hatred lead to destruction of another life, and severe consequences of his own. I believe Jesus in Matthew 5 is helping us who may have missed the Heart of God in that story, see what his desires for us really are. God desires for us to learn how to be reconciled to each other, and not live a life of holding onto anger. I love the way Marty Solomon of Impact Ministries puts it: “Contrary to most popular thought, Jesus is not “upping the antee” for God’s expectation, Jesus is claiming this has always been God’s expectation, that prohibition [or law] against murder is actually about anger and hatred in your heart.” And Jesus doesn’t just say this and leave us to our own devices on how to quit being angry, he gives us proactive things we can be doing to stamp out the hate and anger in our lives. Listen to the end of his teaching: 1. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus makes us aware that anger is the root of Murder, and recieves the same consequence. Not murdering someone is fine, [pat on the back]… but we can often not murder them, and still in our hearts harbor a deep-seated resentment of “I wish they werent even alive.” That’s the dark - and not the life God has called us to. 2. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them” If you remember you are angry with someone, stop what you are doing and go be reconciled to them before you continue with what you are doing. 3. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary” Settle your legal matters, before they become legal matters. Why wait for something to snowball? Meet conflict before it has a chance to grow. Be ready to forgive, and humble enough to own your part and ask for forgiveness. 4. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way” Lastly he lets us know it is never too soon to try to be reconciled with others - Take every opportunity to do so. Do it on the way to court if you have to! It’s a great way to pass the time on the trip there.
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