Chapter 5

Jesus teaches 5:17:29

Introduction

This is the first of the five main sections that report what Jesus taught in Matthews *gospel. Chapters 57 are where Jesus taught his *disciples. He explained how they should live. He probably gave his instructions on more than one occasion. Luke also writes about this, but it appears in different parts of his *gospel. In these chapters, Matthew has collected together the things that Jesus probably taught at different times. Jesus expected his *disciples to have the same character and qualities that he had. Matthew includes the things that Jesus taught about the *Law and about *worship. Jesus wanted his *disciples to know about these things. They should know what these things really mean. Jesus wanted people to know the truth about God. They need to trust God and to serve him. Then they will know that God looks after them. v1 Jesus saw the crowds. So he went up a mountain and sat down there. His *disciples gathered together there with him. v2 Then Jesus began to teach them. Verse 1 A teacher sat down when he was giving his *disciples official instruction. Verse 2 He began to teach. The *Greek phrase here means that the words will be serious and important. They also mean that Jesus taught them more than once. Although Jesus was speaking first of all to his *disciples, other people were there. And they heard his message at the same time. Matthew tells us in Matthew 7:28 that the people were astonished at his teaching.
What makes people really happy 5:3-12

The Latin word for really happy is beatus. So people often call these words the Beatitudes. Latin is the language that people spoke in Rome. People talk about God blessing us. Gods blessing makes us really happy. People usually think of life as happy when it is without difficulty. But happy here means joy that no difficult circumstances can take away. The beatitudes are not talking about future happiness. They describe the present joy that Jesus *disciples can know. Nobody can take your joy from you (John 16:22). v3 How happy are those people who are poor in their spirits. They know that they must depend only on God. They belong to the *kingdom of heaven. How happy are those people who are very sad. God will comfort them. How happy are those people who are humble. The earth will belong to them, because they will receive what God has promised. How happy are those people who want to do the right things. Their greatest desire is to do what is right. God will satisfy them. How happy are those people who pity other people. God will pity them too. How happy are those people whose thoughts are pure. They will see God.

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How happy are those people who work for peace. God will call them his children. v10 Some people suffer because they do what is right. How happy are those people. They belong in the *kingdom of heaven. v11 How happy you can be when people insult you because of me. People may hurt you. They may tell all kinds of evil lies about you because you follow me. v12 But you can be happy and you can be very glad. I tell you that your reward in heaven will be very great. In the same way, people hurt Gods servants who lived long ago. Verse 3 The poor in their spirits refers to people who know that they need God. They need him to forgive them. They need him to help them. They depend on God for all that they need. Then they can live in the right way. They will be able to live as citizens where God rules. Verse 4 People may be very sad because relatives or friends have died. People may be very sad because they are very sorry about their own *sins. They may be very sad about all the people who suffer in the world. All of them will find comfort because God loves them. He will forgive them. God will help them to change unfair situations. Verse 5 Some people are humble. They know that they need God to forgive them. They need God to teach them. Then they can obey him. They trust God rather than trust themselves. Jesus reminds people about Gods promise (Psalm 37:11). Verse 6 A man who is starving is desperate for food. A man might be dying because he has no water. He is desperate for a drink. A *disciple should be desperate to be good. He is like a starving man or a *thirsty man. His greatest desire is to obey God completely. He is eager to do what God wants. And he wants to see other people obey God too. Then he will find joy because God satisfies him. Verse 7 A person who pities other people will forgive other people. He or she will forgive even when the other people do not deserve it. We expect God to forgive us. So we must forgive other people. God really loves everyone in the world. He pitied people, so he sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16). Someone who pities people will also understand another persons problems. They will be kind like the foreigner who helped a *Jew in Jesus story (Luke 10:29-37). Verse 8 Pure means clean and sincere. People may think that a persons actions are good. But he may have acted so that other people would praise him. Or perhaps he wanted to be proud of himself. God told Samuel, The *Lord looks deep inside a person (1 Samuel 16:7). There are people whose thoughts are pure. And they will be able to see God because they understand more and more about God all the time. When they die, they will be able to see God very clearly. This is impossible for us to imagine now. Verse 9 God is the God of peace (Philippians 4:9). People who work for peace are like God. He wants people to be without trouble with him and with each other. People who are at peace with God will be without trouble inside themselves. Then they can work and struggle to establish right relationships between other people and between nations. Verse 10 The first Christians often suffered because sometimes people ordered them to *worship a false god. Sometimes it happened at their work or during social times and they refused to *worship false gods. Then the authorities punished them. Family life is important. But sometimes the family suffers too when a Christian is loyal to Christ. Verse 11 Jesus explained the last beatitude more. He spoke directly to the *disciples: How happy you can be..., he said. He warned them about how difficult it may be to remain loyal to him. After Jesus returned to heaven, people told many evil lies about the Christians.

a) People changed the meaning of the words about the body and blood of Christ (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). They accused Christians of terrible things. They said that Christians *sacrificed children and ate them. b) Christians greeted each other with the kiss of peace (Romans 16:16). So people said that Christians had lives that were not moral. People said many other bad things about Christians too. Verse 12 In the past, people hated Gods special servants. When Christians suffered, they were like those special servants long ago. The worlds people hated Christ (John 15:18-20). So *disciples are like their Master too. They can be glad because they will be with him for ever.
Salt and Light 5:13-16

v13 You are like salt among all the people who live on the earth. But suppose that salt loses its taste. It can never become real salt again. It is no longer good for anything. People will throw out salt without taste and walk over it. v14 You are like light in the world. Everyone can see a city that people have built on a hill. v15 And nobody lights a lamp and then puts it under a bowl. Instead, they put a lamp up in a high place. Then it can give light to everyone in the house. v16 In the same way, let your light shine so that people can see it. They should see the good things that you do. Then they will praise your Father who is in heaven. Verse 13 Salt gives flavour to food so that it tastes better. So, like salt, Christians should make the world a happier place. Salt is a good thing to add to food. Then the food does not go bad. Christians should make it easier for other people to be good. They should live as God wants them to live. If they live in a pure way, then they can be an example to other people. In J esus time, salt was not as pure as it is today. It could lose its pure flavour. Sometimes Christians may not show that they are happy. Or other people may make them behave badly. They may become less pure and honest. Then they are like salt that has lost its proper flavour. Such salt is no longer any use. Verses 14-16 Jesus said that he was the light of the world (John 8:12). So his *disciples must be light in the world too. It would be foolish to hide a lamp under a bowl. A lamp gives light to the people in a dark house. A light also shows the right way to go. So Christians should allow people to see their right actions. Christians should obey God because they believe him. People need to see that. Then the Christians light can show people the right way to live. They can warn other people who might make bad decisions. A city on a hill is easy to see. Jesus *disciples are like such a city. They cannot hide the way that they live. A Christians good actions should be so attractive that other people will prai se God.

Jesus attitude to the *Law 5:17-20

v17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the *Law. I have not come to destroy all that Gods servants wrote long ago. But I have come to show that it is completely true. v18 I am telling you the truth. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the *Law. Even the smallest detail will not disappear from the *Law. Everything will happen exactly as the *Law says. v19 A person should obey every command in the *Law. Some people think that some commands are less important. So they do not obey such less important commands. They might teach other people not to obey such commands either. But those people will be the least important where God rules. You should practise all these commands in the *Law and teach them. Then you will be important in the *kingdom of heaven. v20 So I am telling you that you must do better than the *Pharisees. And you must do better than the men who teach the *Law. If you are not better people, you will certainly not enter the *kingdom of heaven. Verses 17-18 Jesus said that he had come to teach the *Law more clearly. He showed that Gods messages from long ago were completely true. He would show by six examples in verses 21-48 what he meant. The smallest letter that Gods servants had written was the *Hebrew jodh (some translations call it a jot). It is like a very small mark. The smallest detail is a tiny line that a pen makes (some translations call it a tittle). It shows the difference between two letters . Jesus says that the *Law is very important. Even the very smallest detail is important and will not change. Verse 19 Everything that is in the *Law is important. It is easy to keep some parts of the *Law and to neglect other parts. Verse 20 The *Pharisees were proud of themselves because they obeyed the *Law. The men who taught the *Law had many extra rules. They used these rules to explain the *Law. The *Pharisees were willing to obey these extra rules as well. They appeared to be good. But Jesus knew that the *Pharisees were not sincere. Instead, they worried about small things. They blamed Jesus when he healed people on Gods holy day. They blamed people if they carried something on Gods holy day. Or even if they just wrote something on that day. Jesus obeyed the true meaning of the *Law. He showed what it really meant to respect God and other people. He showed how we can really live in Gods way.
The authority of Jesus 5:21-48

Each of the examples that Jesus gave in these verses begins with the same words. You have heard what God told people long ago Then Jesus reminds them of one of the commands, and continues: But this is what I tell you... When Jesus finished teaching the people, Matthew tells us: His words astonished the crowds because he taught like someone with authority. He did not speak like the men who taught the *Law (Matthew 7:28). Long ago, Gods special servants used to tell the people what God told them. This is what the *Lord says..., they said. In Jesus time, the men who taught the *Law would not give their own opinion. They would only refer to what other people had said in the past. Jesus did not argue about what the *Law meant. He spoke with his own authority and said what the true meaning was. It is not surprising that his words astonished people.