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Scripture Reading: Matt. 5:17-48
In this chapter we come to the third section of the Lord’s teaching concerning the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, which concerns the law of the kingdom people. Because this section is at the center of the Lord’s teaching, the Lord spoke at length concerning the law of the kingdom people.
First, we need to consider the meaning and significance of the law. Upon hearing the word law, many saints immediately say, “The law is a demand, a bondage, that requires us to do what we cannot do and to behave in ways that we cannot behave. Those who are under the law are cursed; however, we are no longer under the law but under grace. We have nothing to do with the law.” Although this word has a basis in the Scriptures, there is a positive aspect as well as a negative aspect to the significance of the law.
Apparently, the law speaks only of demands. However, the law speaks of demands because the law represents authority. If there were no authority, there would be no demands. Demands come from authority. Therefore, demands are based on authority.
Every country has its laws. Furthermore, every citizen in a country must keep the regulations of the law and meet the demands of the law, because every country has authority. The setting of the law is authority. A country has authority over its citizens. Therefore, a country can demand its citizens to keep its laws. In a family parents can make demands on their children, because parents have authority. A person who is unrelated to you is not qualified to demand anything of you, because he has no authority over you. However, our parents can ask us to do things, they can forbid us from doing things, and they can even punish us, because our parents have authority over us. Similarly, God has given us the law, and He can make demands on us because He has authority over us. The law is the embodiment of God’s authority. God’s authority rests with the law. If God’s law and its demands were set aside, God’s authority would become empty and vague. It is impossible for someone who has not accepted God’s law or who has not met the demands of God’s law to be under God’s authority.
Many saints have only a negative understanding of the law. As soon as they hear the word law, they think that it refers to an unattainable demand and that the law is in some way annulled. Such a concept is inaccurate. Is it improper for God to require us to not worship idols or to not serve other gods? Is it wrong for Him to require us to honor our parents? Is God wrong in forbidding us to kill, commit adultery, or steal? These requirements are proper and right. Hence, Romans 7:12 says, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy and righteous and good.”
However, although the law can demand that man do good, the law does not supply man with life or with the ability to do good (Gal. 3:12). Romans 8:3 speaks of “that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh.” Out of the works of the law no flesh can be justified before God (3:20). Hebrews 7:19 even says that the law perfected nothing. Although man cannot keep the law by his own effort, he does not know his condition nor does he trust in God’s grace. Instead, man seeks to establish his own righteousness (Rom. 10:3). Herein lies man’s failure.
Even though man failed, God did not annul His law. Because man cannot meet God’s demand, God met His own demand through the Lord’s death and resurrection and through His becoming man’s life. This is the New Testament. The New Testament does not annul God’s demand; rather, it adds God’s supply. God did not annul the demand of the law, because His authority rests in the law. Throughout the generations God has desired to restore His authority, which is sustained by the law. Therefore, when the Old Testament age ended and the New Testament age began, that is, in the first book of the New Testament, the Lord spoke about the demand of the law when He preached the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens.
When the Lord preached the gospel, people heard the truth concerning the forgiveness of sins and concerning life. They also heard many gracious words from His mouth. With their own eyes they saw Him heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform many deeds of grace. They might have thought that the Lord Jesus was only being gracious to man, demanding nothing from man. However, when the Lord Jesus went up to the mountain with His disciples, He gave a lengthy teaching that began with demands, such as being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart, and being salt and light (Matt. 5:1-8, 13-16). The disciples might have been perplexed because the Lord’s tone on the mountain was different from His tone prior to going up the mountain. Before they went up the mountain, everything was grace and supply, but on the mountain there were only demands.
The Lord’s teaching on the mountain is not different from the gospel of grace. There is no contradiction. Rather, the gospel of grace fulfills His teaching on the mountain. The Lord came to supply man and to give man grace so that man could be brought under the authority of the kingdom of the heavens and live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens. The Lord became flesh and dwelt among men in order to establish this authority. Therefore, in the Gospel of Matthew the Lord spoke concerning the nature of the people of the kingdom of the heavens (vv. 1-12), concerning their influence on the world (vv. 13-16), and concerning the demands of the law that the authority of the kingdom of the heavens has on us (vv. 17-48). When we accept these demands and meet these demands by life, we are under God’s authority and are living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The third section of the Lord’s teaching concerning the reality of the kingdom of the heavens begins in verse 17, which says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law.” This means that we should not think that the Lord came to abolish the law. Such a thought is inaccurate. The Lord said, “I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (v. 17b). The Lord seemed to be saying that the Old Testament law made demands but that these demands were not perfect or complete. The Lord came to fulfill these demands in order to perfect and complete the law. The Old Testament law can be likened to a piece of light blue cloth. The Lord did not come to abolish the cloth but to deepen its color, that is, to make it deep blue.
In coming to the earth to give grace, the Lord did not annul authority, nor did He annul the demands of the law. Instead, He completed the demands of the law. A complete demand brings in a complete authority to the earth so that God can rule among men. The demand of the Old Testament was relative, but the demand of the kingdom of the heavens is absolute. The Lord did not come to lead people into keeping the Old Testament law. In fact, He said that the demands of the Old Testament law were not complete. Hence, He came to bring the kingdom of the heavens to man. Only the demand and authority of the kingdom of the heavens are complete and perfect.
In Matthew 5:19 the Lord said, “Whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever practices and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.” This verse indicates that how we practice the laws and the commandments determines our greatness in the kingdom of the heavens. If we practice the law and are under its authority, we have more of the element of the kingdom of the heavens in us and are greater in the kingdom of the heavens. If we do not practice the law and are not under its authority, we have less of the element of the kingdom of the heavens in us and are less in the kingdom of the heavens.
In verse 20 the Lord said, “I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” Righteousness requires man to fulfill the demands of the law. God’s demands are lawful, fair, and reasonable. If we meet these demands, we have righteousness before God. The scribes and Pharisees tried to meet the demands of the Old Testament law, but their righteousness would not have been complete even if they had been able to keep the law. The Lord came to fulfill the demands of the Old Testament law; hence, our righteousness should surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. Their righteousness was a matter of fulfilling the incomplete demands of the Old Testament law, but our righteousness is a matter of fulfilling the complete demands of the kingdom of the heavens. The scribes and Pharisees sought for righteousness by fulfilling the law of letters through their own efforts. Our surpassing righteousness, however, comes from fulfilling the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens by God’s life. We must have such a full and surpassing righteousness in order to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today and in order to reign together with the Lord in the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
How do we know if we are living in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and are under the ruling of the authority of the kingdom of the heavens? Having this surpassing righteousness depends on meeting the Lord’s fuller demands. The living of the people of the kingdom of the heavens is a matter of being ruled inwardly by the kingdom of the heavens. The Lord’s word in this section describes the living of a person who is inwardly ruled by the kingdom of the heavens. The inward ruling is the basis for our outward living, and our outward living is a proof of the inward ruling. Our outward living manifests the inward condition of our living under the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens.
In Matthew 5:21 through 48 the Lord spoke in detail concerning the various demands of the kingdom of the heavens. This proves that the Lord came to complete the Old Testament demands. From these verses we have a picture of the living of the people of the kingdom of the heavens.
Matthew 5:21 through 26 concerns anger. In verses 21 and 22 the Lord said, “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to the judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment.” Concerning anger, the Old Testament law requires only that we not murder, but the kingdom of the heavens requires that we not be angry. The requirement of the kingdom of the heavens is fuller and more complete than the demand of the Old Testament law.
In the second half of verse 22 the Lord said, “Whoever says to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the judgment of the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, Moreh, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire.” The word raca means “stupid, good-for-nothing.” This is an expression of contempt. To say “Raca” to one’s brother is to belittle and despise him. Saying merely “Raca” to one’s brother makes one liable to the judgment of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin refers to the Jewish council. Because the Lord’s audience was Jewish, this word refers to matters that would be understood from their Jewish background. The word moreh means “fool.” This is a Hebrew expression of condemnation. Therefore, to say “Moreh” to one’s brother is more serious than belittling or despising him. The Lord’s word here shows that those who live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens cannot get angry, nor can they belittle or despise their brothers. Getting angry and belittling and despising others are related to our temper and our flesh. In other words, the Lord demands that we have no temper and no flesh. We must put our self to death, and we must deal with our temper and our flesh. Then we can meet the demand of the kingdom of the heavens, and our righteousness will surpass that of the Old Testament.
In verses 23 and 24 the Lord said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and first go and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” This example is based on the Jewish background. Some people think that because the Lord’s word in this section refers to items from the Jewish background, this teaching was given only to the Jews. This view is inaccurate. The Lord’s teaching concerning the reality of the kingdom of the heavens is for all His disciples. The disciples who followed the Lord when He was on the earth were still in Judaism; therefore, the Lord sometimes gave examples from their Jewish background, and He also followed some Jewish regulations. For example, after the Lord cleansed the leper in chapter 8, He said to him, “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded” (v. 4). In 5:23 the offering of a gift at the altar is in this principle. As Christians, we do not have an outward, visible altar, nor do we need to offer up physical gifts. Spiritually speaking, however, we should offer up gifts at the altar.
The offering of a gift refers to fellowship with God. An offering was related to sin, but a gift was related to fellowship with God. Here the Lord was saying that if we remember that a brother has something against us while we are fellowshipping with God, we should deal with the matter first and then continue our fellowship with God. A person in the kingdom of the heavens must not have any barriers between him and others.
Verse 23 speaks of a brother having something against us. It does not say who offended whom. Therefore, we should not think that we need to be reconciled with our brother only if we are in the wrong. Even if we are not in the wrong, we must go and be reconciled to our brother if he has something against us. This is not a matter of offending but of having something against someone and of reconciliation. This is a severe demand that requires us to have no anger, no flesh, and no self. Someone under the Old Testament law might never murder and thus be according to the law’s demand of not murdering, but he may be full of anger and the flesh. A person in the kingdom of the heavens should not murder, but even more he should not have anger, the flesh, or the self. The law of the kingdom of the heavens requires that we put our anger, our flesh, and our self to death. The Old Testament law requires man only to not murder, but the New Testament kingdom of the heavens requires us to die, to put to death our anger, our flesh, and our self, which is equal to dying.
In verses 25 and 26 the Lord went on to say, “Be well disposed quickly toward your opponent at law, while you are with him on the way, lest the opponent deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, You shall by no means come out from there until you pay the last quadrans.” The phrase your opponent at law indicates that we may be in the wrong. According to verse 23, a brother can have something against us even though we are not in the wrong. In verse 25 we are in the wrong and have an opponent at law. Whether or not we are in the wrong, we must seek to be well disposed toward all. This demand of the law of the kingdom of the heavens requires that we be unreasonable toward ourselves. If we argue that the brother is wrong but that we are not, this reasoning proves that we still have anger, the flesh, and the self.
The Lord’s word shows that those who have problems with other believers cannot have normal fellowship with God. The fellowship between us and the brothers is a prerequisite of our fellowship with God. God does not ask whether we are right or wrong; He asks about our fellowship with the brothers. If we have a problem with a brother, God will say, “Do not come to offer a gift to Me, for it is not acceptable to Me. You must first go and be reconciled to your brother, and then you can come to Me.” Therefore, the Lord is touching a very serious matter here.
The phrase while you are with him on the way signifies that we are still living in this life. We are not yet before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10); we are still on this heavenly journey together. Therefore, we must grasp the opportunity to be well disposed toward our brother. If we lose the opportunity, the Lord will judge us in the future, and we will be chastised and suffer loss. The word quadrans in until you pay the last quadrans is not focused on material riches but on the smallest shortcoming that we have toward others. If we do not deal with our shortcomings today, one day the Lord will chastise us until we have dealt with every shortcoming.
The demand of the New Testament kingdom of the heavens concerning anger is much higher than that of the Old Testament law. The Old Testament law requires us only to not murder, but the kingdom of the heavens requires us to not reason and respond in anger. The focus in the kingdom of the heavens is not on whether our outward conduct or actions are right but on whether our heart and spirit have peace and are proper. Under the demand of the kingdom of the heavens, it is not a matter of actions but of our heart and spirit. If we are under the authority of the kingdom and allow the cross to deal with our temper and flesh, our heart will be at peace, and our spirit will be proper. Then, instead of disputing, we will seek to be well disposed toward others. This is the highest expression of those who are ruled by the kingdom of the heavens.
Matthew 5:27 through 32 concerns lust. In verses 27 and 28 the Lord said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The Old Testament law demands that man not act on lustful thoughts outwardly, but the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens demands that man not have lustful thoughts inwardly. A person under the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens must not only abstain from lustful conduct but also from lustful thoughts. Therefore, this demand is also more complete and perfect than the demand of the Old Testament law.
The Lord warned that if the sin of lust is not properly dealt with, a person is in danger of being cast into Gehenna. If our eye sins, we should deal with our eye, and if our hand sins, we should deal with our hand. We must not tolerate our sinning members. Verses 29 and 30 say, “If your right eye stumbles you, pluck it out and cast it from you...If your right hand stumbles you, cut it off and cast it from you.” This does not mean that we should literally pluck out our eye or cut off our hand. On the night that the Lord was betrayed, Peter sinned by cutting off the right ear of the slave of the high priest with a sword, but the Lord did not cut off Peter’s hand (John 18:10-11). To pluck out an eye or cut off a hand is equivalent to putting to death our members according to Colossians 3:5, which says, “Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth.” This means to put to death the sinning function of the eye and of the hand. Any member of the body that has a sinning function or sinning activity should be put to death. This is also spoken of in Romans 8:13: “By the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body.” If we continue to sin in our thoughts and deeds instead of putting to death the sinning function of the members of our body by the Spirit, we will suffer dispensational punishment through fire, being salted with fire (Mark 9:49), so that the corruption within us may be eliminated.
In Matthew 5:31 and 32 the Lord spoke concerning divorce. The Old Testament law says that divorce is permitted with a certificate of divorce, but the kingdom of the heavens forbids divorce. Divorce indicates that the matter of lust has not been dealt with. People have anger and lust but do not deal with them. Therefore, the Lord spoke of dealing with anger and lust as requirements of the kingdom of the heavens. If we are able to accept the heavenly rule concerning anger and lust, most of our sins and wrongdoings will be dealt with. There are not many sins that a person would commit if he does not have the elements of anger and lust. Man’s sins are the issue of his temper, temperament, flesh, and disposition. These elements involve anger and lust. To deal with anger and lust is to deal with one’s temper, temperament, flesh, and disposition. The demand of the kingdom of the heavens is that we deal thoroughly with our temper, temperament, flesh, and disposition.
Verses 33 through 37 are related to our words. The Old Testament law requires man to keep his oaths (v. 33). The kingdom of the heavens, however, requires that we not even swear. A person swears when others do not believe his word. He swears so that others will believe him. The Old Testament law allowed man to swear an oath so that he would not be dishonest or irresponsible with his words. People swore an oath to show that they were responsible. Therefore, the Old Testament law required that people not break their oaths (Num. 30:2).
The kingdom of the heavens requires that we not even swear: “Let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no” (Matt. 5:37). It is up to others to believe; we do not have to swear in order to persuade them to believe. If we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, we must be simple and honest; there is no need for pretense. If we have learned the lesson of the kingdom of the heavens, we will not need to convince others to believe us with an oath. This type of speaking differs from giving a message in a meeting. When giving a message, a brother tries his best to explain things clearly in order for others to understand. Generally speaking, we do not need to speak much, nor do we need to convince people to believe us.
In verses 34 through 36 the Lord said, “I tell you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of His feet; nor unto Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.” This word shows our smallness in the universe. Neither heaven, the earth, nor Jerusalem is ours. Even the growth of our hair is not under our control. Nothing is in our hand or under our control. Therefore, we are not qualified to swear by anything.
In verse 37 the Lord said, “But let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for anything more than these is of the evil one.” Therefore, we must be careful, because Satan can be behind our words. Those who are experienced in spiritual warfare know that in order to engage in spiritual warfare, they must speak carefully and not leave any loopholes for Satan’s attack. Satan is able to work in the churches and attack the churches because many people are not careful with their words and speak too much. When we speak too much, we provoke Satan’s attack.
Concerning our words, the kingdom of the heavens requires us to be simple and honest; we should neither say too much, nor should we swear in order to persuade others to believe us. Rather, we should realize that we have no standing. This demand requires that we deal with our temper and our self, because those who have a temper and the self speak many words. The kingdom of the heavens demands that we deal with our temper and the self in relation to our words.
Verses 38 through 41 concern vengeance. The Old Testament law permitted vengeance: “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (v. 38; Exo. 21:24). However, the kingdom of the heavens forbids vengeance. Not only should we not avenge ourselves; we should be prepared to endure others’ unjust treatment of us. According to the demand of the kingdom of the heavens, when we are slapped on our right cheek, we should turn our other cheek. Furthermore, if someone wishes to take our tunic, we should yield to him our cloak also, and we should go two miles with whoever compels us to go one mile (Matt. 5:39-41).
These demands are also related to the flesh. If someone can be slapped on his right cheek and would turn his other cheek, his flesh has been dealt with. Someone who tolerates his right cheek being slapped may still be in the flesh, but only those who can turn the other cheek have dealt with the flesh. Vengeance is an issue of the flesh. People contend over money, or they contend to be vindicated. The kingdom of the heavens demands that we deal with the flesh; thus, it does not permit vengeance. Moreover, the kingdom of the heavens demands that we endure more and give more.
According to the Old Testament law, if someone asks to borrow money from us, we do not need to consent. Furthermore, if we lend someone money, we can demand that he repay it immediately (cf. Lev. 25:37). However, the demand of the kingdom of the heavens is that we must not turn away someone who wants to borrow from us. Furthermore, when we lend him money, we should expect nothing in return (Matt. 5:42; Luke 6:35). This demand requires us to be free from the usurpation of material possessions. The kingdom of the heavens demands that we deal with the flesh and the usurpation of material possessions. If we would be such people, the Lord will have sufficient ground in us.
Matthew 5:43 through 48 speaks of loving others. The Old Testament law says, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” (v. 43). But the kingdom of the heavens demands that we love our enemies (v. 44). This is also related to the flesh. If we love those who love us but hate those who do not love us, we are still living in the flesh. As Christians, we know that hatred is a matter of the flesh, but our love can have even more of the element of the flesh.
The kingdom of the heavens demands that we have the same love toward everyone. This is to demand that we put to death our flesh. The Lord said, “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what better thing are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (vv. 46-47). If we love only those whom we like, we are no different from people in the world. Such love is natural; it is the love of the Gentiles. Such love proves that a person still lives in the natural man.
The Lord wants us to love our enemies so that we can be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (v. 48). Our Father has the same love for both the good and the evil; there is no distinction (v. 45). Therefore, we must love others in the same way. The words heavenly Father imply life and authority. If we let the heavens rule, live in God, and let His life live in us, we will be the same as our heavenly Father; we will be delivered from our natural love, and we will deal with our temper and flesh in the matter of loving others.
The above points are the demands of the kingdom of the heavens. They are also the living of a person who is under the ruling of the kingdom of the heavens. The demand of the kingdom of the heavens is that we deal with our temper, the flesh, the self, and the usurpation of material possessions. On the one hand, we are living under the ruling of the heavens. On the other hand, we are living by the Father’s life and giving Him all the ground in us. This is the demand of the kingdom of the heavens. This demand is higher, fuller, and more perfect than the demand of the Old Testament law. Our Savior wants to save us to such a glorious and complete living.
