Matthew 5-7
Matthew 5-7
As the initial chapters of his Gospel indicate, Matthew labored to present the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Mt 5-7 records what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount. In some ways it could be likened to a newly elected leader’s first major political address. On that occasion, the new leader sets out a program and agenda for their country. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus turned the audience’s attention to Israel’s ‘constitution’ (i.e., the Sinaitic covenant), explaining how—in view of His arrival and the inauguration of the Kingdom—His subjects should view this founding document, and how they should behave. While Jesus’ words here may seem like a random compilation of moral sayings, if viewed in light of the way rhetoricians contemporary to Jesus’ day arranged their persuasive discourse, one notices that the Sermon on the Mount is cohesively arranged around a central thesis: Jesus’ subjects should practice perfect righteousness—the fulfillment of the Law—to enjoy the Father’s blessing in His kingdom:
- In the opening phase of ancient persuasive discourse, the speaker/writer set out their character, and defined the central issues they sought to prove. Here, the central issue of Jesus’ teaching is how one can enjoy blessing in His Kingdom (5.3-12). The thrust of the beatitudes gets right to the heart of the matter; Jesus was after perfect, inner righteousness. This would not be a popular message; Jesus revealed Himself to be One who is rejected, would cause His subjects to be rejected, and who stands in line with the rejected prophets of Israel
- Rhetoricians contemporary to Jesus would next set out the facts of the case, and the conditions of their argument. In Mt 5.13-16 Jesus ascribed a certain indicative status to His disciples (i.e., “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world; vv. 13-14) even before He explained how they must practice true righteousness (i.e., “let your light shine before men that they may see your good works…” vv. 16). Thus the ethical injunctions throughout the Sermon were the means by which the disciples would show that they belonged to another kingdom
- The ‘Confirmation’ of Jesus’ sermon accorded other ancient speeches in that after setting out the issues and facts of the case, He then stated the central idea/thesis of His argument (5.17-20). Jesus argued that His subjects must practice perfect righteousness to enjoy the Father’s blessing in His kingdom. He had not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill—to show His disciples the true intent of the Old Testament witness, and hold them to the high standards of a relationship with the Father
- After setting out their thesis, the persuaders of Jesus’ day often arranged the bulk of their discourse so as to prove their case—or at least establish why their thesis should be considered (5.21-7.23). Likewise, one would need to address the arguments of his opponent(s). In 5.21-48, Jesus provided six reasons why blessing in His Kingdom was reserved for those who practiced perfect righteousness—each stated in light of the standards of righteousness in the Law. At times Jesus’ antithetical statements were a direct refutation of those who used Old Testament texts to excuse their selfish behavior. Thus, Jesus here ‘fulfilled’ the Law by stating that: unresolved anger is on par with the act of murder (5.21-26); lusting after a woman is no different than committing adultery with her (5.27-30); immoral divorce inevitably leads to adultery (5.31-32); oaths had become nothing more than a mask for deceptive behavior or attempts to manipulate God—and should thus be avoided altogether (5.33-37); subordination of rights is preferable to acts of vengeance (5.38-42); and love for enemies is compatible with sonship to the Father, who “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good” (5.45). Jesus went on to condemn those who employed acts of piety—like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (6.1-18)—to earn the praise of men rather than the reward of the Father, “who sees in secret” (6.4, 6, 18). The standard of perfect righteousness also demanded that the disciples beware of greed (6.19-24), and worry (6.25-34), trusting instead that the Father in heaven provide for their necessities as they “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (6.33). Since the Kingdom was concomitant with high standards, and the Judaism of Jesus’ day was polluted by a judgmental spirit of pride (cf. Gal 1.13-14), Jesus warned that finding faults in others did not make one any more righteous (7.1-6). Jesus admonition to “Keep asking…Keep searching…Keep knocking” should be understood in light of the sermon as a whole; one should continue and continue after the perfect righteousness—that they might enjoy the Father’s blessing in His kingdom (7.7-12). The message of perfect righteousness accords with “the narrow gate” (7.13); accordingly then, many would contradict Jesus’ thesis concerning the perfect righteousness of the Kingdom—but their unfruitful lives would show that in reality they knew little of it (7.15-20). Indeed, only those who had a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ would be enabled to practice the perfect, inner righteousness of the kingdom of God (7.21-23). Mere living according to the external standards of the day—even if supported by the Old Testament—would not suffice
- In the final phase of a persuasive discourse ancient writers or speakers would attempt to ‘round out’ their argument, often employing vivid illustrations of the matter(s) under consideration. This Jesus did, contrasting the end of things both for those who submitted to the perfect righteousness of the Kingdom, and those who refused to practice what Jesus had preached. The former “built his house on the rock” (7.24), and endured all manner of difficulty; the latter on the sand, and when “The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house,” Jesus said, “it collapsed. And its collapse was great!” (7.27)
The final sentence of ch 7, “When Jesus had finished this sermon, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes” (vv. 28-29), helps to place Jesus’ sermon in the storyline of Scripture. Matthew’s commentary on the crowd’s reaction shows the supremacy of Jesus as a teacher; there had never been one like Him. Yet, as the antitheses of ch 5 indicate, the scribes had much to teach and to say—but they employed the Mosaic Law according to their time and for their own ends. Jesus on the other hand signaled a new day; when He came north into Galilee He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (4.17), and the Sermon on the Mount details the demands that would accord these latter times. The Sermon on the Mount is not just a list of wise rules for the good life, it is a message of eschatology and ethics. Since Jesus had come in the flesh, the kingdom of God had indeed come near—and all who wish to enter must display their relationship with God by maintaining the standards of perfect righteousness.
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com