Matthew 5
5
The Sermon on the Mount
(Mt 5–7)
1#Mt 15:29; Mk 3:13Now seeing the crowds, He went up on a mountain. And when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
The Beatitudes
Lk 6:20–23
2#Mt 13:35; Ac 8:35And He began speaking and taught them, saying:
3#Isa 61:1; 66:2 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4#Isa 61:2–3; Rev 21:4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
5#Ps 37:11; Ro 4:13 Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
6#Jn 4:14; 6:48–58 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
7#2Sa 22:26; Pr 11:17 Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
8#Ps 24:4; Heb 12:14 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
9#Mt 5:45; Lk 6:35 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the sons of God.
10#Mt 5:3; Lk 6:22 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11#1Pe 4:14; Lk 6:22“Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12#Lk 6:23; Ac 5:41; 1Th 2:15Rejoice and be very glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in this manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
Mk 9:50; Lk 14:34–35
13#Lev 2:13; Lk 14:34–35“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how shall it be made salty? It is from then on good for nothing but to be thrown out and to be trampled underfoot by men.
14#Jn 8:12; Pr 4:18“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15#Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16Neither do men light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the house. 16#1Pe 2:12; Mt 9:8; Jn 15:8Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Teaching About the Law
17#Ro 3:31; Mt 7:12“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18#Lk 16:17For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one dot or one mark will pass from the law until all be fulfilled. 19#Mt 11:11Whoever, therefore, breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20#Php 3:9; Heb 12:14For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.
Teaching About Anger
21#Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17“You have heard that it was said by the ancients, ‘You shall not murder,’#Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17. and ‘Whoever murders shall be in danger of the judgment.’ 22#Mt 10:28; 26:59But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be in danger of the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
23#Mt 8:4; 23:19“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24#Mk 9:50; Ro 12:17–18leave your gift there before the altar and go on your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25#Pr 25:8; Lk 12:58–59“Reconcile with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26#Mt 18:34; Lk 12:59Truly I say to you, you will by no means come out of there until you have paid the last penny.#Gk. kodrantes.
Teaching About Adultery
27#Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18“You have heard that it was said by the ancients, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’#Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18. 28#Job 31:1; 2Sa 11:2But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29#Mt 18:8–9; Mk 9:43–48And if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away. For it is profitable that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30#Mt 5:29And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body be thrown into hell.
Teaching About Divorce
Mt 19:9; Mk 10:11–12; Lk 16:18
31#Jer 3:1; Mt 19:7“It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’#Dt 24:1, 3. 32#Lk 16:18; 1Co 7:10–11; Mt 5:28But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.
Teaching About Oaths
33#Lev 19:12; Dt 23:21“Again, you have heard that it was said by the ancients, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’#Lev 19:12; Nu 30:2; Dt 23:21. 34#Isa 66:1; Jas 5:12But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35#Ps 48:2nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37#Jas 5:12; Mt 13:19But let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these comes from the evil one.
Teaching About Revenge
Lk 6:29–30
38#Dt 19:21“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’#Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20; Dt 19:21. 39#1Co 6:7; Isa 50:6But I say to you, do not resist an evil person. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other as well. 40And if anyone sues you in a court of law and takes away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41#Mt 27:32And whoever compels you to go a mile,#Jnh 3:5. go with him two. 42#Ps 37:21; Pr 19:17Give to him who asks you, and from him who would borrow from you do not turn away.
Love for Enemies
Lk 6:27–28, 32–36
43#Lev 19:18; Dt 23:6“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor#Lev 19:18. and hate your enemy.’ 44#Lk 23:34; Ac 7:60But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45#Mt 5:9; Lk 6:35that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47#Mt 5:20And if you greet your brothers only, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48#Lev 19:2; Col 1:28Therefore be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 5
5
You’re Blessed
1-2When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
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.
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.
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.
6“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Completing God’s Law
17-18“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
19-20“Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
Murder
21-22“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
23-24“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
25-26“Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine.
Adultery and Divorce
27-28“You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those ogling looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.
29-30“Let’s not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.
31-32“Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’ Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
Empty Promises
33-37“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Love Your Enemies
38-42“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43-47“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.