Week 5 Questions

We will be tackling some bigger chunks of the sermon on the mount over the next few weeks.  I recommend reading throught the selected verses as many times as you can throughout  the week.

1. What general principles is Jesus emphasizing in these passages?

2.  Is there something specific in these verses that speaks to you personally?

The subject matter in these verses can be very personal and even uncomfortable.  The purpose of this discussion is not to judge, but rather encourage, love, and learn from each other.  I would encourage you to be real and share as you feel comfortable.

Week 5 - Matt 5:21-32

Murder

    ²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’^[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
   ²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
   ²⁵ “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. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Adultery

    ²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and 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. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

    ³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’^{[f] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Week 4 Detour 2 Cor 8:9

With Easter coming next weekend I want to take a detour this week.  I want to look at 2 Cor 8:9.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

I know the context of this passage relates to giving but I want to focus on the sacrifice Christ made for us.  What does it mean to you?  Meditate on this verse this week and share your thoughts with the group during the week.

Week 3 wrap-up

The verses for this week are very challenging.  How do we interact with family, acquaintances, or friends who are unbelievers?   Do we hide our relationship with Christ?  Do our actions match up with what we believe?  And finally, are you Kingdom material?

Let’s talk about salt.  Aggie makes some good points about preserving, flavoring, and seasoning.  These all apply to our interactions with unbelievers.  The characteristics we talked about in the beatitudes are to be practiced in our daily lives.  Meekness, merciful, thirsting for righteousness, poor in spirit, pure in heart.   We live in a world rotten with sin and we, as disciples of Christ, are called to help preserve and purify a decaying world.

We are called to be in the world and influencing others through relationships with friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family.    Too many Christians sit on the sidelines waiting for the next guy to do it, or even afraid of injecting anything spiritual into their relationships.  As a result the saltiness is lost and their influence for Christ trampled by the masses looking for the next thing to satisfy them.  Notice that verses 13 and 14 are directed at “you” not the next guy. 

I will be the first to admit that I fail at this regularly.  It is easy to let the urgings of the Spirit pass by because I am too busy or lack the self confidence to speak up.  There is also pressure to blend in with the group, to be one of the guys.  This can be a good thing unless it leads to compromise in my actions and eventually lose my “saltiness”.  In I Cor 9:19-23 Paul basically says he became all things to all people so that he might opportunity to influence some with the gospel.  Paul was blending with the world, seasoning it, like salt being rubbed into the meat, so he might be able to save a few.

Two other things about salt…it is a common substance and it makes you thirsty.  God uses common things powerfully to glorify His name.  Don’t think you are not worthy of being used.  You need to get in the game.  Is your life pointing your friends and co-workers to Christ?  Your life in Christ should make others thirsty.  Thirsty for the peace, love, mercy, and grace that only comes through relationship with Him.  John 7:37-38 “If a man is thirsty let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me…streams of living water flow from within him”.

You are the light of the world.  Obviously, our light only exists because of Christ. We are a reflection of Christ to the extent we want to be.   Don’t shield it or try to hide it.  Your light will illuminate the darkness that exists wherever you have influence.  Many will not like it.  Others will see Jesus in your character as you spend time with Him and will want know Him too.  Don’t be satisfied with the knowledge you have gained.  Continue to “hunger and thirst” for righteousness and your light will not grow dim.

Verses 17-20 spell out the bottom line.   What does it mean that Christ came to fulfill the law?  Some might say he fulfilled it by keeping it perfectly.  The “bottom line” is he came to die and therefore cancel any claim the law has on us, who believe in Him.  So what does that mean for us?  As is apparent in the beatitudes we could never keep the whole law and therefore have no righteousness of our own that would guarantee eternity in heaven. 

Are you kingdom material?  Does your goodness qualify you for heaven?  Human goodness certainly can accomplish a lot.  It may lead to success at work, recognition in the community and at home.  We all would rather be neighbors with a person who gives back to the community, cares for the poor, has integrity, honesty, and loves his family.  They don’t lie, cheat, or gossip.  Is that good enough?  In verse 20 Christ says that unless you are more righteous than the Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom.  The people of that time considered the Pharisees the supreme keepers of the law.  He is saying that human goodness is not enough.  We need the righteousness that comes as a free gift from God.  Read Phil 3:4-9 where Paul, a former Pharisee, calls all his human assets rubbish, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but righteousness that comes from God, by faith.

We are the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world". Wow, am I really a good example of Christ to others? God has given me gifts, but do I use them for HIS glory? I don't know about you guys, but I catch myself looking for the right time to witness to others. I don't just come out and get right to it, I have to make sure the time is right so that I don't offend. Also, it is easy to be a Christian on Sunday morning, but what about at work, during a football game, or on a night out with friends? I have some work to do!

The best way for me to learn is through others, so thank you Jeremy, and all for your thoughts. Salt and Light - A few years ago a pastor friend of mine told me, " if you want to know the Bible better then think Hebrew." In other words put yourself in the time, place, and culture of the Hebrew people. I have tried to do this as best as I can. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes things explode with greater meaning or several layers of meaning. What I've learned is Jesus is very intentional about everything he says and does. Often there is an immediate meaning in what ever interaction is going on and a second meaning often symbolic referring to his greater plan in the kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to be salt and light. His followers, His nation, His representatives of his love and goodness for all to see. This call still stands, but this call was also offered repeatedly to the nation of Israel through out the old testament only to be rejected. What Israel and Jerusalem (the city on the hill) could not do Jesus did. He became the picture of God to all nations. We know God by knowing his son. The Fulfillment of the Law - Jesus ultimately completes the law in a grand act of love by dieing for our sins. As Christians we know this, but I think very few of us understand the law. I don't claim to have the answers, just a few thoughts. The law was given to show the people what salt and light looked like, what God looked like. The law was not meant to be a set of rules to simple be obeyed (to do so only breeds contempt. Think elder son in the parabel of the prodical son). They were to show love and respect to a people and a world that only knew of chaos and survival. It was a time of every family and every person for themselves. God comes in and lifts them up always promoting love, relationship, and community. Instead of an eye for a life He elevates the people to an eye for an eye. God's plans are revealed over time and each time patiently lifting us up. Jesus will again do this with the message of turning the other check revealing even more the true character of God. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law because he was the fulfillment of love.

Questions to think about this week…

Why are we called salt of the earth?

What does it mean to lose saltiness and not be made salty again?

How can a "lamp on a stand" be the light of the world?

What does Christ mean when he says he came to fulfill the Law?

Week 3 Matt 5:13-20

Salt and Light

    ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

   ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

    ¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Thank you Jeremy for setting this up. I am interested in learning with all of you and it is very good to reconnect with some of you.

We did a series on the Beatitudes last year in church, so it will be good to spend some more time reflecting on these versus.

I am a week behind (now 2 weeks behind, it appears) and feel compelled to make a few short comments on last week’s dialog.

I enjoyed keaner’s post. Right down to business and squarely what I take away from these versus. I don’t reflect on this enough.

I really appreciate the contextual perspective Scott gave us. As I age, I enjoy the history lessons around many of these versus – much of which was too complex in our first round of learning (grade school).

Thanks for the different translation Aggie! I’ll read versus like these in as many translations I can.

Jeremy’s wrap-up comments 5:6 are particularly compelling. Hunger & thirst. Admittedly my thirst for truth and knowledge wanes. I wish I felt this primal hunger and thirst for truth and knowledge daily. I have obsessive/compulsive traits (ask my wife). Fortunately I’ve been able to apply these traits mostly for the good: obsessing about studying and my grades got me through engineering school, obsessing about fitness program has attributed some success as a runner and triathlete. I don’t feel these same obsession, often enough, about learning God’s word. Something to reflect on and work on.

Week 2 Wrap-up

Sorry for the delayed posting.  I usually try to get this posted by Monday morning.  Our internet went down during the storm last night and we are still waiting for it to be fixed.  Thanks for the posts.  It is always great to read your thoughts.

The verses we looked at the first week focused on our relation to Christ as sinners.  Spiritual poverty, mourning for our sins, meekness in humility, and a promise from God to “fill us” as we seek Him.  This past week the focus was on our conduct, personally and towards others.  These verses describe qualities we are to exhibit in all areas of our lives.

Some questions to think about as you are reading…

1.        Does my faith affect my conduct?

2.       How do I exhibit purity, mercy and peace on a consistent basis?

3.       What does persecution look like for us today?

4.       How often do I make decisions to avoid pain or persecution?

The three qualities…

Mercy is in love helping those who are unable to help themselves.  The ultimate example is Christ’s death as the payment for our sins.  Because of our sin we could not help ourselves.  This is different than grace.  It is grace in action.

We are not capable of purity on our own.  Jer 17:9 says the heart is deceitful and beyond  cure.  How can we be pure in heart when we are impure?  In Psalms David asks God to create in him a pure heart.   God is faithful to do that from the moment of salvation.  This an ongoing process and occurs as we yield  to Him and allow Him to change us as we walk through life.

A peacemaker makes peace at home, school, work, and in relationships.  It is placing the needs of others before our own needs.  We can never be at peace if we are constantly putting ourselves first.  This makes a lot sense to me when I think about relationships, especially with my wife.  If I am always putting myself first then there are turf battles and relatively little peace.  This does not say you cannot disagree but forces you to examine your motives.

Back to the questions.  My conduct is not changed by my faith if I continue to see myself as more important than others.  Only when I yield to Christ and the nudging of the Holy Spirit will I be changed and others will see Christ through me.  He will also be faithful to reveal more of Himself to me.  My conduct is only changed when I allow Him to live through me.    Then, as a result of a changed heart, I can extend mercy, peace, and love consistently to others.  

Rom 12:1-2  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-which is your spiritual worship.   Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

In this country we don’t generally encounter severe persecution.  Our culture is fairly tolerant of Christianity.  The bigger problem might be that we have become too tolerant of our culture and our lives do not look much different than those who don’t know God. 

If your life is reflecting the light of Christ you will experience persecution in some form.  It may be subversive and likely not life threatening but it may affect your livelihood.  You may be loyal and hardworking  but your refusal to manipulate a situation in your favor may cost you a promotion or a new contract.  You may feel pressure to choose work over family and lose favor with your employer or clients.  Your friends or co-workers may think you are judgmental for not participating in some social activities your don’t agree with.  These situations seem small when compared to threats on your life but you might have to deal with the “small” persecutions on a daily basis for years at a time.  This is not pleasant or easy .  

Notice that verse 10 is not talking about persecution because you may be annoying, judgmental, or unfriendly.  Happy are those that are persecuted because of righteousness.  Rejoice in the fact the your conduct is evidence that your are united with Christ and He is at work in you.  Our prayer should be that our conduct is a reflection of Christ and it will attract those who are being drawn toward Him or repel those who are looking for life within themselves.

The Beattitudes: God's perfect character set.

Jesus is laying out seven distinct features of character or attitudes. The complete and perfect character is depicted. Although seven distinct attitudes are described they are all varied forms spirituality, what is in the heart. As flawed people this perfect character set is unattainable, however I believe it is the foundation that we must build our faith around within our own heart. Always striving to walk in Jesus' path and follow his guidance. For when we apply these attitudes in our heart we can better accept Jesus into our heart and live for him. Ultimately God wants us to have a humble, remorseful, obedient, yearning, forgiving, and truthful heart. Each of these characteristics receives a heavenly reward.

Week 2 - Matt 5:7-12

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
   for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
   for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
   for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Week 1 Wrap-up

Thanks for everyone’s input this week.  I think the different perspectives are useful for all of us to consider.  Feel free to continue to comment on the verses from this week. 

A few more points to consider for the week…

What does “blessed” mean?  It is happiness.  Not happiness that we associate with worldly circumstances like money, fame, love, adventure, or power, but happiness that is independent of our circumstances.  It is a deep, spiritual joy that comes as a gift from God.  It is not something we can obtain ourselves. It is not something that can be extinguished by the sadness or sorrow that we encounter throughout our lives.  This happiness only comes from God.  Christ goes on to tell us what the life of happiness consists of in the first 12 verses of Matthew 5.

5:3  Happiness is recognizing our own spiritual poverty before God.  This is a person who sees the sin and corruption in his own heart and recognizes there is nothing he can do through his own efforts that would be pleasing to God.  It is not about trying harder to be a good person, or comparing ourselves to someone else we consider more sinful.  It is about giving up, emptying ourselves, bowing before God, and allowing Him to fill us with His perfect righteousness.    This is about salvation through faith in Jesus which results in the ultimate inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:4  The mourning in this verse is over our own sin and also, I believe, the sinfulness of this world.  What does it mean to mourn for sin?  Should we wallow in guilt over our sinfulness?  When Isaiah (6:5) saw the Lord he said, “Woe is me! I am ruined!  I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King…”   It is similar with us as we grow in our relationship with Christ we become more conscious of our own sin and unworthiness.  Thankfully we don’t have to live in defeat.  He promises to comfort us and has done so by paying our penalty for sin on the cross. 

Mourning over the sinfulness of this world is also a call to action.  Compassion for the plight of our fellow man who needs to experience the love of Christ.   I do physicals on foster children on a regular basis.  I don’t always know the details of their situation but it is obvious they are desperate for the love of a father or mother.  Sometimes all I can do is care for them by treating their immediate needs.  Ultimately they need to know the love of Christ and I need to be ready to share it when there is opportunity.  Where are you being called to action?

5:5  What does it mean to be meek?   Is their strength  in meekness?  Some may think it means we should lie down and let others run all over us.  Meekness is not weakness.  It is a spiritual attitude of trusting and serving God.  It is not something contrived by our own efforts but rather Christ working in us and through us.  It is gentleness in our behavior.  It is not rude or self seeking.  It is bowing before God and allowing Him to lift us up.  It is boldness knowing that Christ has sent us to do his work.  Psalm 37 says the meek delight themselves in the Lord, commit their ways to the Lord, trust in the Lord and rest in the Lord.   I agree with Aggie’s thoughts  that the meek are promised everything that can’t be bought, i.e. reigning with Him forever.  What does meekness look like lived out in our daily lives?

5:6   Hunger and thirst are such primal instincts for survival.  Seeking to understand more of His truth should be a “primal instinct” for a follower of Christ.  To be hungry or thirsty is to be desperate.  Are  you desperate to be filled with Christ?  We should not be seeking happiness or blessedness.  Christ is saying happiness will come to those who are seeking holiness.  In John 6 Christ says he is the bread of life.  Those who come to Him will never go hungry and those who believe in Him will never be thirsty.  He will fill us with more and more of Him.  What are you feeding on? 

A different approach to understanding his teachings

One way I found to try and answer the question, who are the poor in spirit/those who mourn/the meek is reading other biblical translations. I'm a simple person and don't read Hebrew so I need smarter men than I to help me. My bible is NKJV however, my sister turned me on to the 'The Message' translation, although I don't always fully understand/agree with it, I find the different approach helpful in understanding what God is trying to teach me.

3 You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
...This says to me that God is interested in those who are no longer obsessed with themselves but fully open to God's will.

4 You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
...I also struggle with this one however I feel it says to me that when I've lost what I think is important God will comfort me with what is really important, his love.

5 You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
...This one says to me that when I am happy with how God has made me I will realize that he made me exactly the way he wanted and will receive his grace.

The Announcement

Over the years I have heard a few different takes (all good) on the first 12 verses of the SOTM, but the one that has always captured my imagination is the idea that this is an announcement, an announcement of a new kingdom, a new covenant, and a reason for hope. This is Jesus kicking things off with the core of his message. I like the fact that this announcement is not given with trumpets and fanfare, but with Jesus sitting down and talking in a relational way with the people he is drawn to and the crowd that is drawn to him (very much like the cool morning walks between Adam and God in the Genesis story).

Being controlled by the Roman Empire and several other empires before that the people where hungry for rescue, they were hungry for the Messiah. They were looking for a new king, a human king very much like King David who was favored by God and who would defeat the Romans, unite the 12 tribes of Israel, bring peace and prosperity, and allow God to restore His earthly presence once again inside the temple (little did they know God had a much bigger plan in mind). Since Jesus had the Messiah buzz going thanks to John the Baptist these people thought he might be the one.

The message the people receive is not at all what they expect, but nonetheless exciting to hear when you are meek, full of longing, and crying out for a better way. The people most likely don’t understand what Jesus is trying to tell them, but because Jesus speaks with such care and authority they know they want to be apart of this new kingdom.

The American dream is often to be like Rome, in control, have all the answers, and be the envy of the world. Personally having failed at this dream I am excited at the announcement of another way, a better way, a way in which all (and I mean all) I have to do is trust in the God of the universe (who I got to believe has a better plan than I do).