Continuing in the Sermon on the Mount, we’re ready for verses 17-20. Here, Jesus assures the multitude that He has not come to “destroy” the Law, but to fulfill it.
17. Don’t think for even a second that I’ve come to change what God has already spoken through the prophets. I’m not here to change anything. In fact, I’m going to make sure everything happens just the way it’s been promised.
18. And you can be sure of this one thing, the earth and all the stars you can see in the sky at night are fragile and insignificant when compared to even the smallest detail of God’s promises. And His Word will accomplish its intended purpose, which is, to make the Kingdom of God a reality.
19. It is important that you understand this. There are many that teach what the rules are, you see them everywhere; but those who live by the principles of God’s Word and encourage others to do the same are rare, and they are the ones who will be honored in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20. And I’m telling you right now; you’re going to have to do a better job of following God’s Word than the Pharisees are doing. They’re always careful to follow the rules they’ve made, but they ignore the important principles behind them. You can’t find the Kingdom of Heaven that way.
Then, in the verses that follow He begins to explain the difference between what religion teaches and what God says on a variety of subjects. From this point through the end of chapter 5, Jesus makes this comparison by saying, “You have heard that it was said”, then ending with, “But I say to you”. The first thing He talks about is anger.
21. I’ll show you what I mean. They’ve been saying for a long time now that you can’t commit murder. And if you do, you’ll stand trial and suffer the proper punishment for your crime.
22. What are they thinking? It’s O.K. because they’ve never committed murder? Is it O.K. to call your brother a worthless fool? Is it O.K. to hold on to your anger and refuse to make peace? Murder isn’t the only crime that deserves punishment. If you hurt others with your anger, you’re going to suffer the consequences.
23. Let me tell you how to deal with anger. When you come into the presence of God to commune with Him, and then remember that you’ve hurt someone with your anger,
24. Stop right there! Go to that person and ask for their forgiveness. After all, how can you ask God to cleanse you when you know you’re holding on to your own sin by refusing to be reconciled to your brother? God can’t honor that.
25. Humble yourself. Apologize. Don’t let your brother’s anger towards you grow because you refuse to admit you were wrong. You should know by now that when anger is not dealt with, it can get out of hand in a hurry and cause all kinds of problems.
26. I’m telling you the truth. You will suffer some very serious consequences, when you refuse to make things right.
Then He uses adultery to illustrate how sin is not necessarily an outward act, but starts as a wrong thought.
27. Then they’ve always said that you can’t have sex with another man’s wife.
28. But they never talk about whether it’s right or wrong to look at a woman and have lustful thoughts about her. They want to believe that they have protected their virtue because they didn’t actually commit the sinful act. In reality, they’re corrupted by their wrong thoughts.
29. So, when you find yourself thinking such impure thoughts, don’t avoid the personal pain involved in dealing with them in confession and repentance.
30. It’s far better to experience the discomfort of dealing with your sin, than it is to allow that sin to corrupt your life and keep you from doing what’s right.
Then Jesus goes on to the subject of divorce, just as much a problem in His day as it is now. Religion had made divorce a quick and easy way for men to get rid of a wife they had tired of or were dissatisfied with for some reason. Here, Jesus confronts the issue (for a more detailed passage on divorce, see Matthew 19:3-9).
31. And they’ve always said that when a man doesn’t want his wife anymore, he must divorce her legally by doing the proper paperwork. This gives her the opportunity to marry again.
32. But, the fact of the matter is this. Just because they’ve established a legal procedure for divorce doesn’t mean they’re doing what is right. Who are they kidding? Whoever divorces his wife (except on the grounds of her adultery); if she remarries, he makes her an adulteress. And when a man marries a woman who is divorced, he becomes an adulterer. Making something legal doesn’t automatically make it right.
The next section deals with deceptive speech.
33. They’ve also said you shouldn’t make promises that you don’t intend to keep.
34. In an attempt to prove their sincerity, people often try to make their promises sound more believable by adding something religious to them.
35. Things don’t become true just because they’re dressed up in religious-sounding talk.
36. In fact, the more religious it sounds, the more reason you have to be suspicious of it.
37. So, keep it simple. Just say yes, when you mean yes; and no, when you mean no. Only those who intend to deceive feel the need to make long, drawn-out, religious-sounding promises.