Matthew 6:12-13

Matthew 6:12-13

And forgive us of the moral debt incurred because of our sinfulness as we also forgave the ones who incurred moral debt with us because of their sinfulness.  And do not bring us into a temptation but rescue us from the Evil One.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In these verses Jesus talks about forgiveness.  But it is interesting to note that Jesus is not speaking economically about debt but rather He is speaking ethically.  Jesus speaks using the Greek word opheilema (ὀφείλημα), which literally means the moral debt incurred by transgression, and opheiletes (ὀφειλέτης), which literally means the one who incurs moral debt because of their transgression.  Jesus is very much speaking the language of economics, however.  When we sin, there is a moral debt incurred against us.  We cannot repay that moral debt, so we ask God to forgive it because we have no other means of negating the debt!  What is especially interesting, however, is the verb tense in the end of verse 12.  Jesus doesn’t say, “as we forgive the ones,” He clearly says, “as we forgave the ones.”  The verb aphiemi (ἀφίημι), which means to remove the guilt associated with wrongdoing, is in the past (aorist) tense.  Our forgiveness of others is in the past.  It is an assumed event that already takes place prior to our own forgiveness by God.  In other words, the order should not be that I forgive others because God forgives me.  The order should be that because I model forgiveness in my life I then can come to God and ask for my own forgiveness.  Now, the truth is that I can forgive because I am forgiven.  But the focus from Jesus in this particular teaching is that we should be modeling forgiveness before being so bold as to come and ask God for our own forgiveness.  Of course God initiates by forgiving us first.  It speaks to our motivation – our internal spirit.  To go to God and ask for forgiveness before being forgiving is presumptuous and self-centered.  But to God to God and ask for forgiveness after demonstrating the capacity to be forgiving first is mature.  That’s what Jesus is getting at in this opening verse about forgiveness.

How mature are you in this light?  Do you forgive first and then go to God and ask for your own forgiveness?

Second Thought:

The second topic in these verses for today has to do with God not bringing us into temptation.  On one level, there is a question that undoubtedly always gets asked: “Can God lead us into temptation if He is righteous?”  And yes, on the surface level that answer is a resounding “No.”  God does not lead us into places so that we can sin.  However, if we allow ourselves to go much more deeply into the subject, God does allow us to be tested and to allow our faith to undergo trial.  For example, think about God’s position on the trial of Job.  Or think of Peter the night Jesus was arrested in the garden.  Or think of Abraham as God asked for the sacrifice of his son.  In each of those times, God allowed a faithful person to undergo trial.  Furthermore, God does send us out into the world!  In order to reach people and help bring them into a relationship with Christ, we need to first and foremost go to where they are!  We need to leave the safety and security of our “right world” – as if it could ever be totally right – and go into the regular world.  So we pray that as we go through life in both ministry and trial that God would not lead us into a temptation for sin to abound in our life.

Where is your temptation?  Where does God lead you in ministry that you must be careful to be the one doing the impacting instead of the one being influenced?

Third Thought:

Finally, we have the petition on protection.  This is one of my favorite “Did You Know” facts of the Bible.  Those with any kind of religious background that involves repeating the Lord’s Prayer are very familiar with the words, “Deliver us from evil.”  However, in the original Greek the word for evil, poneros (πονηρός), has a definite article (ὁ).  Thus, Jesus is actually teaching us to pray for deliverance from “the evil.”  Furthermore, in the Greek it is impossible to determine if this word is a neuter word or a masculine word.  That is essentially the difference between “the evil thing” or “the evil one.”  Given the definite article, it is my belief that what Jesus is actually saying here is a prayer for deliverance from “the evil one.”  In other words, Jesus is teaching us to pray that God te Father would protect us from the grip of Satan, our adversary.  That makes a ton of sense to me.

How does God protect you from the evil one?  Where in your life do you need this protection the most? 

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:14-15

Matthew 6:9-11

Matthew 6:9-11

Therefore, pray in this way: Our Father – the one in heaven.  Let your name be regarded as holy.  Let your kingdom come.  Let your will become, as in heaven also upon earth.  Give to us today our daily bread.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Those who know me should likely be able to write this blog post for themselves.  Today we start the Lord’s Prayer.  There are six important concepts in the Lord’s Prayer and I have divided them up so that today we deal with the first three.  When Jesus tells us how to pray, He begins by telling us to address God and focus upon Him.  Our prayers should begin with our mind going to God.  Our prayers should begin with a humble address to God.  Our prayers should remind us that He is in charge.  Our prayers should remind us that His character is what is important.  In other words, our prayers should begin in Up.  Our prayers should begin in a recognition that life is not about me but about Him, His ways, and His desires.  He is the holy one, not me.  He is God, not me.  He is worthy of our worship, not me.

When you pray, are your prayers genuinely about God?  Why do we as human beings have a tendency to pray to God but still pray about ourselves?

Second Thought:

The second point flows naturally out of the first point.  If God’s character is what is important, then His aspirations are also more important than mine.  If God is the holy one, then His ways and His agenda are way more holy than mine.  We should be about asking for His kingdom to come rather than trying to advance our own selfishness or self-centeredness.  We should be about finding ways to participate in what He is doing rather than finding ways to convince Him to participate in what we are doing.  If God is worthy of our worship, the His kingdom is worthy of our life.

Are you about God’s kingdom?  Are you looking to partner with God or are you looking to find ways to make Him partner with you?

Third Thought:

The third point comes naturally after we have focused ourselves on God and allowed our agenda to wash away.  Once we are focused upon Him and His ways, we are ready to receive His provision.  Once we have focused ourselves upon Him, we are ready to understand what we need versus what we want.  Focusing on Him first gives us perspective now.  If God is worthy of our worship and if God’s ways are worthy of our life, then we should be able to trust Him to give us what we truly need to live out His ways in humble imitation of His character.  It’s really that simple.

Are you content with God’s provision?  When are you least able to live in the means that God provides for you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:12-13

Matthew 6:7-8

Matthew 6:7-8

And while praying, you should not speak incoherently as the Gentiles do, for they think that in their use of many words they will be listened to and receive a response.  Therefore, you should not be like them.  For your Father knows that which you have a need before you ask Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s get one thing straight.  Jesus is not bashing long prayers here.  Jesus is bashing wordy prayers here.  The advice that Jesus is giving to us is that when we pray we should get to the point.  We can have a long prayer if we have many point of prayer.  But we do not need to belabor the prayer.  God knows what we want.  We should be able to pray concisely and then move along while trusting God!  We do not need to impress God with our ability to use fancy words and complicated sentences.  Jesus teaches us to pray concisely from the heart, not impressively from the brain.

Do you pray more from the heart or from the brain?  Why do you do what you do?

Second Thought:

This begs the question, why do some people who pray feel the need to use impressive words and complicated expressions?  The answer to this question really lies in the theological work that we did yesterday.  God already knows our needs, so we don’t need to explain them to Him.  Therefore, human beings who pray complicated prayers with impressive words are usually trying to impress the people around them.  People who pray these kinds of prayers are looking for the praise of others and the rush of feeling one’s social rank surge upward.  Jesus teaches us to not do this so that we don’t even put ourselves in a position to feel this temptation.  This is why this particular teaching is not against long prayers, just wordy ones.  There is no temptation that comes through having a long list of prayers.  In fact, usually this just draws complaints from those who are listening.  But when our prayers flourish with eloquence we open ourselves up wide to the temptation of receive praise from others.  We pray to communicate with God, not draw praise from the people around us.

Why do human beings like the praise of others?  What does it say about humanity that we can even turn communication with God into a time for human self-interest?

Third Thought:

Isn’t it cool to think that God knows our need before we can even ask?  Which means that in most cases God has been able to perceive our need before we even ask.  This means that God has already been working to solve our need before we can even ask about it!  That’s how loving and compassionate God is.  He knows our needs so well that He can put the solution into motion before we are even able to recognize the need that we have.

How do you feel right now about God’s ability to care for you?  Why might this passage truly speak to why we call God our Father?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:9-11

Matthew 6:5-6

Matthew 6:5-6

And whenever you all should pray, you will not be as the pretenders because they love to pray having stood in the synagogue or in the corners of the street so that they should be clearly revealed to mankind.  Amen, I say to you all: they have received their full reward.  But whenever you should pray, go into a room of yours with no windows and after shutting your door pray to your Father who is of that which is not publically known.  And your Father who sees into that which is not publically known will reward you.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Again we hit another passage that I think the Christian world in general simply doesn’t understand.  In my life I have been in a position of praying publically whether I have sought it out or not.  I am flabbergasted at how many people come up to me after a prayer and say, “That was beautiful.”  Now, I don’t mean to belittle them.  I am sure that they are simply responding and really just saying “thank you” but also while trying to say it a bit more creatively.  But the truth is that I do not seek earthly reward or earthly praise when I pray publically.  None of us should!  Yes, when we are learning how to pray it is good for a mentor to be able to give critique or suggestion.  But in truth if we are just offering up a prayer we as a community should be able to let the Father reward the person!  Truth be told, the heavenly reward should mean more to us than the earthly praise!  A simple acknowledgement such as “thank you” or “nicely done” should suffice.  We as human beings should not feel the need to flatter one another over prayers.  When we do that we turn the prayer from a time of genuine communication to our Father into a time for seeking an earthly increase to our reputation.  That is not what prayer is supposed to be about.  In fact, Jesus goes so far as to call those who long for the earthly praise “pretenders.”  The Greek word is “hupokrites” (ὑποκριτής), which is the word from which we derive our English word hypocrite.  The Greek word literally was a word from theater.  The word means “actor.”  In other words, it is one who is putting on a persona that is not truly who they are.  People who do spiritual things for worldly praise are actors – putting on a spiritual persona that is not truly who they are underneath.

Do you find it difficult to give a simple word of thanks and let God handle the reward?  Why do we as human beings like to flatter one another?  When we flatter one another, what is the subliminal communal teaching that we are actually making with respect to earthly reward versus heavenly reward?

Second Thought:

I love the tense of the simple verb of being in verse 5 of this passage.  Jesus tells those who are listening to Him that they “will not be” like the pretenders who pray looking for the praise of others.  Jesus does not say, “you should not be like.”  Jesus clearly uses the future and says “you will not be.”  In other words, the future is a foregone conclusion in this respect.  If we follow Christ, we will not be a spiritual actor.  If we follow Christ, we will die to ourselves and Christ will live in us.  We will not be a spiritual pretender; we will be a spiritual truth.  That’s comforting.  If we simply obey and allow Christ to increase while I decrease, you and I will be spiritual truth on display.

Did you ever think the tense of a verb of being could speak such spiritual truth?  When you look at your life, do you see a person who “will be” spiritual truth or a person who “should be” spiritual truth?  Do you see a person who “will not be” like the pretenders or do you see a person who “should not be” like the pretenders?

Third Thought:

Again we hear Jesus using the phrase “en to krupto.” (ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ)  I never realized this, but the word krypton (or for those of you more familiar with Superman, even kryptonite) is derived from this Greek word.  The periodic element Krypton is a noble gas that is often used for making florescent lamps.  It was called Krypton because the only way known to detect it at the time of Sir William Ramsey, its discoverer, is by turning air into a liquid and then partially distilling that liquid.  Because it was hard to discover, it was “hidden” or “not publically known.”  It is this same sense of the word that Jesus uses krupto in this passage.  He calls the Father the Father of that which is not publically known.  He is not calling God hidden in that we cannot see or find God.  Rather, what Jesus is trying to get at here is that it takes effort and a desire to look for the Father in order to find Him.  Like the element Krypton, God is all around us.  But unless we want to look for Him and unless we want to find Him, we can completely go through life missing Him entirely.  He is not publically known because the general public either does not have the desire or does not take the time to look for Him (or both).  We must not think, though, that Jesus is saying that the Father is hidden and unable to be found.  The Father is able to be found by those who have the time and the desire to look for Him.

Do you know the Father of the things that are not publically known?  How does understanding the meaning of the word krupto actually help you understand the tenuous relationship between God and humanity?  Are you surprised to hear Jesus call God a God of the things that are not publically known?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:7-8

Matthew 6:1-4

Matthew 6:1-4

Be on your guard to not do your righteousness before mankind in order to be seen by them.  And indeed surely not, for you do not have a reward from your Father who is in heaven.  Therefore, whenever you should do an act of charity, you should not sound a trumpet in front of you as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and the streets in order that they should be glorified by mankind.  Amen I say to you all: they receive their reward.  But while you do an act of charity, do not let your left know what your right does in order that your act of charity should not be publically known.  And your Father, who sees into that which is not publically known, will reward you.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I’ve always been amazed at how many Christian churches have plaques, donation stickers in the front of books, or even “memorial books” that keep all the records of who has given what in honor of memory of whom.  I personally have always thought it is ridiculous.  And I’ve also always thought it was proof that Christians are absolutely unfamiliar with these verses.  Jesus advocates against all of those things.  When I donate to a church and get a little “This hymnal was made possible by the generous donation of Mr John Hancock” sticker that has my name on it – then I’ve received my reward!  Why on earth would I want to receive that reward at all!  I honestly believe that most of the charitable giving done in religious institutions and religious charities is done in absolute ignorance of these verses.  We make a big deal out of people’s donations because we want them to feel appreciated so that they’ll give more.  We don’t realize that what we should want people to be doing is giving with an eye on the eternal.  We should be training people to be obedient to God for an eternal reward.

Do you ever give for earthly recognition?  Have you ever refused recognition when it was offered?

Second Thought:

I would like to make one thing clear in this passage, though.  Jesus is not saying that we cannot let anyone know about our giving.  That’s just foolish, too.  It is okay to let those who may be spiritual mentors know about our gifts.  In fact, they might even be a help in the discerning process!  It is okay to even let the recipient know so long as they understand that we don’t want any recognition.  Jesus isn’t making a prohibition here against letting anyone know.  What Jesus does say here is that we should be careful about it being known to the general public.  The Greek phrase here is “en to krupto” (ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ) and it literally means “in the hidden.”  But it is an idiom that means outside of public knowledge.  But it does not exclude a small subset of people from being privy to details.  Jesus’s point is that He doesn’t want us to do it for the show.  It’s okay that some people know.  After all, if nobody knew what we did for Christ and in His name, how on earth would people ever be able to learn from our example and imitate genuinely godly behavior?  Jesus’ prohibition is against doing it for the praise and raise in social standing that usually comes when the general public is made aware of our gift.

Have you ever heard this passage used to indicate that we should always give anonymously?  Do you read this passage any differently knowing that Jesus’ prohibition is against public recognition and that it doesn’t prohibit anyone from knowing who has a legitimate reason to know?

Third Thought:

Again, I’d like to return to this idea of reward.  I began to stress this in my first point, but I wanted to make sure it truly gets brought out here.  If I have to compare between being rewarded in this lifetime by human beings or to be rewarded in the next lifetime by God – the choice is clear.  There is nothing in this world that can be better than God’s reward.  So why do we as godly people think that our reward can in any way compare to God’s reward?  Shouldn’t we want them to have God’s reward?  Now, I’m not saying that we cannot do nice things for people – even people who have done nice things for us.  But let’s not do it for show or even for “payback.”  Because when we do that we deprive them of a more godly reward.  In doing that we also deprive ourselves of a godly reward.  If we desire to do something nice for another person, rather than doing it for show or to return a favor we should do it as a display of God’s love.  Then we will receive a reward from our Father who is in heaven.

Do you tend to be a person who “returns a good gesture in like kind?”  How can we learn to say thank you – and even display God’s love to people – without having it actually be a repayment of generosity provided?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:5-6

Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it was being said, “You will love your neighbor and you will hate your enemy.”  But I say to you all: love your enemies and pray on behalf of the ones who persecute you all in order that you all should become sons of your Father in heaven because He causes His sun to rise upon the evildoer and the doer of good and He brings rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you all should love the ones who love you, what reward do you all have?  Do not the tax collectors do the same thing?  And if you all should welcome only your brothers, what do you do that is remarkable?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same thing?  Therefore, you all will be mature in behavior as your Father is also mature in behavior.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Pray for your enemies.  Pray for them!  So often we overlook prayer.  But I think there are two reasons that Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies.  First, Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies because they need it and prayer is a powerful thing.  But perhaps more importantly, it is difficult to consider someone an enemy when you have prayed for them for any considerable length of time.  When we pray for people, we tend to learn to care about them.  Jesus is trying to get us to see that care and compassion is far more important than bitterness and enmity.

Are you able to pray for your enemies?  Do you care about them?  Are you compassionate towards the ones that the world would give you permission to hate?

Second Thought:

I love the question that Jesus asks towards the end of this passage.  “What do you do that is remarkable?”  This is a powerful question because it speaks to testimony.  It speaks to how our actions speak to others.  It speaks to how the message of Christ is transmitted.  If I do nothing remarkable, who will see God in me?  If I am not different than the rest of the world, how will I have any message to give to the world?  No.  It is up to me to be intentionally different than the world so that the world has something about which they can remark!  The world can certainly see the difference and reject it.  That is between the world and God.  But they need to be able to see something remarkable first!

What in your life is remarkable?  How are you different than the world around you?  How can people see those differences?  How would those differences draw them to you – and more importantly – to God?

Third Thought:

So why do we love?  Why do we rise to a higher bar of loving our enemies?  Yes, it is to demonstrate God’s love.  But there is a higher reason.  We love in the tough times because that is what will make us like God.  That is what will give us the character of God.  That is what will allow God’s character to dwell within us and replace our sinful humanity.  Think about it.  What is the greatest single defining moment of our relationship with God?  There is no greater moment than Christ on the cross.  Without that incredible act of love for the enemies of God nothing we do would be good enough to bring us into relationship with God.  When we love our enemies we are like Christ who likewise loved His enemies.  He loved enough to die for them.  We love our enemies because that is what it is like to have the character of God within us.

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 6:1-4

Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:38-42

You heard that it was being said, “An eye in the place of an eye and a tooth in the place of a tooth.”  But I say to you all: do not resist the one who does evil.  But rather, whoever strikes you on your cheek turn the other also to him.  And to the one who desires to judge you and to take your tunic, produce your cloak to him also.  And whoever will compel you to go one mile, go with him two.  And give to the one who demands with urgency.  And do not refuse to help the one who desires to borrow from you.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Now Jesus lifts up the lex talionis – “An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.”  This is the oldest law known to mankind and can be found in legal documents dating back to 2200 BC in Babylon.  It has made its way into the Old Testament, occurring in Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, and Deuteronomy 19:21.  It should be noted that from the modern perspective these laws are seen as cruel and giving permission for violence to those who seek retribution.  In reality, these laws were written as the beginning of grace.  Rather than giving permission to the vengeance-seeker it limited the extent of the vengeance.  Human beings like to escalate retribution until it goes too far and soon people are dying over what started as a small squabble.  Lex talionis is intended to limit the amount of vengeance that could be sought after by the offended.  It is in this context that we hear Jesus’ words.  We often read these words as Jesus trying to contradict lex talionis.  But that is not the case.  As with the points of teaching before this one, Jesus is trying to elevate the standard.  In other words, Jesus is trying to make the standard harder to attain.  He’s trying to lift the bar, not destroy it.

Do you often read these verses – especially verse 38 – as if Jesus is trying to contradict lex talionis?  Why is it important to see that Jesus is not trying to contradict or abolish that teaching?

Second Thought:

How does Jesus go about elevating the standard of lex talionis?  Jesus knows that human beings like to escalate.  Jesus also knows that if people repay like for like that the feud between people will still not get better.  So what Jesus proposes is teaching that if someone wrongs you, seek less revenge.  Do less to them.  In fact, Jesus even tells the people to not seek any revenge at all!  If someone strikes you, rather than striking them back as your legal right allowed perhaps we should offer the other cheek for them to strike as well.  In other words, although we have a certain right to legal recourse, perhaps the Christian thing to do is to receive the abuse and not return in like kind.  In this teaching I find the example of Christ.  Christ was beaten and crucified.  He easily could have looked to God and said, “They struck the first blow, I’m not dying for them after all.”  But no.  Jesus is arrested, beaten, and humiliated.  And then He turns the other cheek and says, “Don’t just reject me, but let me die for you so that you can have a chance at relationship with the Father.”  That’s what Jesus is talking about here.  Rather than seek the legal vengeance to which we have the right to seek, we should accept the abuse and seek a way to draw people into God’s love.

Is this easy advice for you to hear?  Why do human beings naturally desire to seek revenge?  How do you fight this within you?

Third Thought:

Jesus takes the scope of this and broadens it even further.  Jesus then begins to talk about demonstrations of love outside of persecution.  When people ask us to do something for them we should go above the request.  When people ask us to give them out of what God has given to us as a blessing, we should go above the request.  Jesus is telling us that we should not just see persecution as an opportunity to catch people by surprise with God’s love.  We should see relationship and the give-and-take of community as an opportunity to go above and beyond the call.

Are you willing to go the extra mile when people make requests of you?  Are you willing to give people not just that for which they ask but more?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:33-37

Matthew 5:33-37

Again, you heard that it was being said to the ones who lived a long time ago, “Do not fail to keep an oath you’ve sworn.  And you will cause your oath to happen for the Lord.”  And I say to you all, do not affirm the truth of something by calling upon the character of another at all!  You should not affirm the truth of something by calling upon the character of another: neither in heaven (that is, the throne of God) nor in the earth (that is, the footstool for His feet) nor into Jerusalem (that is, the city of the great king) nor in your own head because you are not powerful enough to make one hair brilliant white or black.  Let your word of yes be yes and let no be no.  Anything outside of the scope of this is out of evil. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s look at what the Bible often terms as “oaths.”  The Greek verb here is omnuo (ὀμνύω).  This verb means as I have translated it: to affirm truth by calling upon the character of another.  In other words, a person who says something like, “May God strike me dead if I don’t fulfill such-and-such.”  Jesus is talking about people who want to make their argument stronger by placing the weight of God on their side.  Jesus is talking about people who seek to make their case by inviting punishment upon themselves if they are wrong.  These are the people that Jesus is condemning here.

Do you ever do this?  Do you ever seek to strengthen your own case by asking God to punish you if you are wrong?  Why do you – or people around you - do this?

Second Thought:

Therefore, Jesus isn’t talking about oaths as in promises or testimonials here.  Jesus is telling the people around Him that what is wrong is asserting the claim that the absence of punishment is the same as divine approval!  Jesus doesn’t have a problem with me promising to do something.  Jesus has a problem with me telling God to hold me accountable if I don’t do something!  And there we finally see the heart of the matter.  Can I know the mind of God?  Who am I to tell God that it’s up to Him to hold me accountable if I don’t keep my word?  Who am I to lay that burden upon God’s feet?  That’s precisely what it means when a person says something like “so help me God.”  What that person is claiming is that if I don’t go through with my promise that it is up to God to punish me.  But here’s the truth.  I already deserve punishment!  I deserve God’s punishment – and I will get God’s judgment – whether I keep my word or not!  By appealing to the character of God to make my claim stronger what I am actually doing is trying to put myself above God and tell God what to do!  Who am I to think I can do that?

Have you ever thought of the words “so help me God” as a challenge to His omnipotence before?  How are people who make claims like this really asserting their own arrogance?

Third Thought:

This is why Jesus gives us sage advice in the end.  He says, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”  Jesus doesn’t have any issue with me making promises.  He doesn’t have any issue with me agreeing to do something.  What He doesn’t want is for me to involve the character of God in my promises.  He doesn’t want me to put God in a position where if I break my promise then God’s character is in question.  My promise is my promise.  I should let my ability to keep or break my promises rest on my own head, not God’s.

Does your yes mean yes?  Can people believe your promise when you give it?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:31-32

Matthew 5:31-32

And it was being said, “Whoever should divorce his wife, let him give written evidence of the divorce to her.”  But I say to you all that everyone who divorces his wife – except for the reason of sexual immorality – makes her commit adultery.  And whoever should marry her having been divorced, he commits adultery.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s talk about sex.  Often when the Jewish leaders want to talk about sex or marriage, they try to take Jesus back to the Law.  But when Jesus talks about marriage, Jesus usually references the first few chapters of Genesis.  See Matthew 19:1-12 as a great example of this.  But the truth is that God created man and woman because it was not good for man to be alone.  He needed someone else to complete him.  After all, God is not alone, He is a Triune God.  If we are created in His image, it should be natural for us to think that we should be with another, too.  In this relationship, sex can be a very good and creative thing – bringing two people together in the unity of one act in a way that is unique to them.  That is the context in which Jesus frames good sex and marriage.  Therefore, sex outside of the marriage union is by definition a destructive force to the relationship and simply not something that God intended to be experienced by humans who are not married.  That is the context that Jesus brings to this teaching on divorce.

Do you believe this understanding of sex?  Do you think the world believes this teaching on sex?  What do you think are the cultural consequences of taking a position on sex other than this?

Second Thought:

 Now let’s talk about culture.  It has been said that there was no time in human history where marriage was in greater jeopardy of extinction than the time of Jesus Christ.  The Roman Empire had a horrible view of marriage.  Sure, they married.  But their idea of marriage often accepted ideas of extra-marital affairs, gay sex, and group sex as normal parts of marriage.  A Roman man may have a wife at home, a younger boyfriend at the bathhouse, and a group of people who routinely came over to participate in group sexuality.  They married, but sexuality was exercised well outside the bonds of marriage!  Then we have the Jews.  The Jews as a whole were typically repulsed by the idea of sex outside of marriage – although prostitution certainly was present in Jewish culture.  But the main problem in Jewish culture was that the man had all the power.  It was said among the rabbis that “a woman could be divorced without her will, but a man could only be divorced with his will.”  Men held all the power in the marriage.  Marriage was no union of equals; it was just another social contract where the man held all the power.  In Judaism in the time of Christ, marriage was not a joyful union but an arrangement intended to benefit the man.  In Jesus’ day, marriage was under attack from all sides.  Marriage was under attack from the extremely power-hungry ultra-legalistic perspective as well as the cultural perspective that believes we should be allowed to do anything that brings us pleasure.  It is into this cultural context that Jesus talks about divorce.

How do you perceive marriage?  Is marriage a union of equals in your mind and in your experience?  How does the modern culture around you view marriage?

Third Thought:

Having said all of this, what is Jesus saying here about marriage, divorce, and human sexuality?  First of all, if we combine this teaching with the teaching we find on divorce in Matthew 19:1-12 we see something interesting.  Divorce is not against the law, for Moses allowed divorce.  But divorce is wrong in principle.  God never intended for divorce to happen.  In fact, in Malachi 2:16 God specifically says, “I hate divorce.”  {The ESV translates it a bit differently; but the NIV, NRSV, and NASB all concur.}  Moses was allowed to write a condition for divorce not because God desired it but because God realized that human hearts were hard an unwilling to love as we should love.  So what we can understand about God’s position on this topic can actually be reduced to a pretty simple teaching.  First, a human being can get divorced and not break the Law.  It is not God’s will, but God permits it because he understands that not all human beings can live up to their promises.  Second, yesterday we learned that sex outside of marriage is wrong.  It is either fornication or adultery.  Today we learn from Jesus that people who have been married and have sex with someone other than the original person to whom they were married commit adultery.  {Of course, we must also understand that this doesn’t apply to widows.  The death of a spouse is entirely different than the divorce of one’s spouse.  Jesus also tells us that sexual infidelity is another reason where a person can be divorced and not be an adulterer.}

Is this a tough stance on marriage and human sexuality?  Why do you think people are so willing to overlook this teaching of Jesus?  Where do you fall on the spectrum of needing to advocate for the law in the regard and loving people with the grace and mercy of God?  Why is this a difficult place to navigate Law and grace?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:33-37

Matthew 5:27-30

Matthew 5:27-30

You heard that it was being said, “Do not commit adultery.”  But I say to you all that everyone who looks at a woman in order to lust after her was already committing adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye becomes bait in a trap, remove it from its place and cast it away from you.  For it is far more advantageous for you in order that one of the members of your body be lost and your whole body not be thrown into Hell.  And if your right hand becomes bait in a trap, cut it off and cast it away from you.  For it is far more advantageous for you in order that one of the members of your body be lost and your whole body to not go away into Hell.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more we hear Jesus speak about making the Law more difficult.  It is one thing to never have an adulterous affair.  But it is another thing entirely to never have a lustful thought.  So let’s talk about lust.  Most of us think of list and associate it with sex.  But that’s not true.  Lust is the desire to possess something that isn’t yours.  Therefore, when I lust sexually, I literally desire to do things with someone about whom I do not possess the right to have.  The issue here is two-fold.  It is absolutely an issue of human sexuality and preserving sex as an act of procreation best done within the support that marriage brings.  But it is also an argument against possession.  When I lust, I forget about the rights of other people.  I forget about the rights of the person after whom I’m lusting.  When I lust, I forget about the rights of the spouse (or future spouse).  This second part also absolutely applies to contexts outside of sexuality.  Shoplifting is nothing more than lusting after material possession.  Gluttony is nothing more than lusting after food.  Human beings can lust after anything; anything can become the apple of our eye.  We can lust after anything that we do not have the right to possess (or the right to possess an unhealthy quantity).

How big of a problem is sexuality in the world around you?  Do you think most of the world views sexuality as a potentially huge source of problem?  What is the basis for your thinking?

By the way, the Greek word here – and used elsewhere for adultery – is a judgment on the married person.  Adultery is sex between one or two people who are married to someone else.  Two people who are not married to anyone who have sex outside of marriage are guilty of fornication, not adultery.

Second Thought:

In talking about the eye, Jesus uses a really neat Greek word.  The word is skandalidzo (σκανδαλίζω).  If you pronounce that word, you hear the word scandal.  That Greek word literally is the word for the stick of bait used in a trap for animals.  If you think about it, isn’t that what a scandal is?  Isn’t a scandal when you fall into a trap and your sinfulness is discovered?  So what is Jesus saying here?  He is saying that our very thoughts and means for using our body can be bait into the trap of sin.  My eyes are a great thing.  But if I use my eyes to view things that lead me away from God, then my eyes become bait in the very trap of sin!  For the record, all of this applies to Jesus’ reference to the hand, too.  Jesus is telling us that our sinfulness is deeply rooted into the very things we think necessary for life.  Most of us couldn’t live without our eyes or our hands.  So what is Jesus’ point?  The fight against sin is going to be fought all the way to our core.  If we are going to fight against sin and root it out, we need to realize that we are going to be struggling against our very nature.  It is going to be a deeply rooted battle within us.  Our eyes and our hands are important to our life and they are also the main instruments of sin.

When do your eyes and hands cause you to sin the most?  How do you fight this fight?  Do you find that simply telling yourselves not to think such thoughts or do such deeds actually works? 

Third Thought:

With respect to both eye and hand, Jesus makes an interesting claim at the end of the analogy.  It is better for you to lose a single member of your body than for all of it to be thrown into Hell.  Jesus is talking about perspective.  We all have a choice.  We can absolutely trade small insignificant moments of fleeting pleasure and forfeit our eternal life with God.  Or we can forfeit those small moments of insignificant pleasure and receive eternal life with God.  From the logical perspective the choice is really simple!  But I will be the first to acknowledge that this choice is easier said than done.  In the moment, the small insignificant fleeting pleasure doesn’t seem so insignificant and fleeting.  But it truly is.  Life is best lived in perspective.  We will fight sin best not by telling ourselves to not do them but rather by broadening our perspective.  If we keep life in true perspective of the eternal, our choices will inevitably get better.

Is your perspective eternal?  What can you give up and put away because your perspective should be on the eternal?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:31-32

Matthew 5:23-26

Matthew 5:23-26

Therefore, if you should bring your gift upon the presence of the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, let your gift remain there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother.  And then at that time after coming bring your gift.  Be in agreement with your accusers quickly, even whenever you are with him on the road, lest the accuser should hand you over to the judge, and the judge to one who serves him, and you will be thrown into prison.  Amen I say to you, you should surely never come out from there until you should pay back the very last penny.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In the beginning analogy, Jesus talks about a person who is bringing his gift.  This is no doubt some sacrifice to God as an atonement for his sin.  However, we must remember that under the Jewish understanding it was necessary for atonement to be preceded by confession and repentance before atonement could be transferred into forgiveness.  This is Jesus’ point.  If all I ever do is come before God and say to Him, “God, I’m sorry for all the wrong the I’ve done, here is the sacrifice that you require,” then what have I actually done other than begrudgingly cost myself time and resources?  However, if I go to the person whom I’ve offended and make it right, then my sacrifice before God will be meaningful.  After all, God is a God of relationship.  He is far more concerned with my repentance and attempt to make things right with my neighbors than my ability to meet the financial burden of sacrifice.  Atonement with repentance is always more significant than an act of atonement where no repentance has occurred.

Is it easy to turn to God after a sin and say that you are sorry?  Why is it much more difficult to go to those whom you may have offended and offer up a repentant word prior to going before God?  Which one is more likely to restore relationship as God would have it?

Second Thought:

With respect to the second piece of advice that Jesus gives, I believe it is two-fold.  I believe part of what Jesus is saying here is that when we can work out a solution after an offense has occurred it will always be more favorable than if the letter of the law has to be applied.  In most circumstances, when an offense occurs it can repaired much more quickly and easily when the repair is determined by those who are involved.  When the official bureaucratic and legal process gets involved things get formal and complicated.  If we have relationship with the people whom we offend, we should be able to make it right without needing the help of a third party who knows neither of us.  If we are living in relationship with friends and neighbors, we should be able to make most things right between us.

Do you try and make things right with the people around you when you make a mistake?  Do the people in your life treat you the same?  Why is it easier to make things right between friends without having to get official people involved?

Third Thought:

However, I think Jesus is giving us perspective, too.  I think Jesus is telling us to fix things right away rather than let them pile up.  If we fix things as they go wrong, we will manage our problems without things spiraling out of control.  However, if we let things go until we have done so much wrong that a person feels no recourse except to get official involved – then things will have snowballed beyond our control.  Jesus is teaching us to manage our faults as they come.  They are far easier to manage this way.

Do you do a good job making things right as they happen or do you tend to let things snowball and only deal with them when the problem is big?  Which is easier in the long-term?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:27-30

Matthew 5:21-22

Matthew 5:21-22

You heard that it was being said to the ones who lived a long time ago, “You will not commit murder.  And whoever should commit murder; this one will be found guilty by a court of judgment.”  But I say to you that everyone who has been angry against his brother will be found guilty by a court of judgment.  And whoever should say to his brother, “You are ignorant!” will be found guilty by the Sanhedrin.  And whoever should You are unwise!” will be found guilty into the hell of fire.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I think that it is interesting to note that there are two words used in the Bible for anger.  There is thumos (θυμός).  Thumos is described as being like what happens when a flame hits dried straw.  It erupts quickly but then dies down.  The other word is orge (ὀργή).  This kind of anger is the anger that abides within.  Unlike thumos, which is gone as quickly as it came, orge anger lives in a person and slowly consumes them.  It is this kind of anger that we find Jesus speaking towards in this passage.  Jesus is specifically speaking to people who not only cannot find a way to let their anger go but who also find ways to invite it to live within them.  Jesus is condemning those who let their anger brood and those who refuse to let their anger be pacified.

Do you ever find yourself the victim of orge anger?  What are the areas of your life where you struggle with letting anger go?

Second Thought:

We should not miss Jesus’ point.  Jesus is comparing our internal drive to hold onto anger to murder.  When we stay angry at someone, we are breaking the relationship.  When we stay angry at someone, we are unable to demonstrate grace and forgiveness to them.  When we stay angry at someone, we are essentially shutting them off from our lives.  When we stay in our anger, we are spiritually and emotionally killing any hope of relationship.  We may not be killing them physically, but we are indeed killing them emotionally and spiritually with respect to relationship.  What is the end result?  When we stay in our anger, we are the antithesis of God.  God seeks relationship – even with those who reject Him and treat Him with contempt.  When we stay in our anger, we have more in common with those who abuse God than God Himself.

Do you understand how harboring anger is not a godly quality?  Who in your life are you guilty of severing any hope of relationship?  Why is this fundamentally a bad thing?

Third Thought:

However, as we go through this passage we find that there are two more things that Jesus lifts up as worse than anger.  The first one is contempt.  This is what Jesus means when He mentions the person who says, “You are ignorant.”  The Greek work there is raka (ῥακά) and it means “a person who is utterly lacking in understanding.”  This is the sin of thinking a person is better than another.  This is the sin of the person who refuses to see other people as beings made in the image of God.  Whenever we put another person down because we intend to elevate ourselves in our own mind, we are guilty of this.  Jesus outright condemns this and gives us the idea that this is worse than simply being angry at them.

When do you hold others in contempt?  What is the danger of seeing other people as less than yourself?  Who in your life do you see this way?

Fourth Thought:

The second thing that Jesus lifts up worse than anger is actually the worst of them all.  Jesus uses the example of a person who calls another “unwise.”  The Greek word there is moros (μωρός).  This is the etymological root of our word moron.  It means as I have translated here: unwise and foolish.  However, in the Greek this word carries a dimension that our English word doesn’t necessarily carry.  To call a person moros in the Greek was to bring their morality into question.  To call a person moros was more than saying they were uneducated; a moros was a person who didn’t even have the character of being able to understand.  This would be a person who literally didn’t have it within them to do the right thing or understand the world around them.  Here we see the sin of anger mixed with the sin of contempt and added with the sin of judgment.  Here we see Jesus speaking against those who make judgments against the character of another person.  That is the realm of God, not mankind.  That is why these people will be judged by the fire of Hell.

Do you ever judge another person’s character?  Why is that wrong?  What is the difference between making judgments upon their actions versus making judgments about their character?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:23-26

Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 5:17-20

You should not think it true that I came to make the Law or the Prophets invalid.  I did not come to make them invalid but rather to give true meaning to them.  For truly I say to you all: until the heavens and the earth should pass away, one iota or even the smallest stroke of letter should surely not pass away from the Law until all becomes true.  Therefore whoever should transgress against one of the least of these commandments and whoever should teach mankind in this manner, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  But whoever should both do and teach, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses the greatness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you all should surely not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I am struck by the meaning of the Greek verb “plero” (πληρόω).  Here is a verb in a very memorable passage.  We are accustomed to hearing this verb translated as “to fulfill,” as in, “to fulfill the Law.”  This is certainly not wrong.  The verb actually means, “to give true or complete meaning to something.”  In other words: to do or understand something in its greatest form.  Because of this, I have chosen to translate it above as “to give true meaning to them.”  For me, whenever I have heard Jesus say, “I came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill them” I have thought that Jesus was referring to the fact that He came because the Law demands a sacrifice for sin and He was to be the ultimate sacrifice – to fulfill the Law.  But after digging into this verb I think Jesus is saying more than that.  I think Jesus is saying that what He actually came to do is to give us the example of a person who genuinely lives out the Law.  He came to bring greater meaning to the Law.  He came to take the Law out of the realm of a “list of regulations you cannot do” and elevate it to a “list of behaviors I desire to do because it genuinely leads to a closer walk with the Creator.”  Many of us perceive God’s Word in terms of the negative.  It is as if we secretly believe that God wants us to have absolutely no fun at all.  Jesus is fighting this concept.  Jesus wants to show us the beautiful and fulfillment that comes by obedience to God.  Jesus has not come to toss away some horrible heavy burden upon our lives.  He has come to show us that the burden is neither horrible nor heavy when it is done after we change our attitude and genuinely follow Him.

How do you perceive God’s Word?  Is it a restriction placed upon your life?  Is it something that brings freedom and order to chaos?  Why is understanding how you relate to God’s Word significant?

Second Thought:

I love the nuance that Jesus gives to us as He talks about transgression.  You’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Whoever breaks even the smallest part of the Law will go to Hell.”  No!  He says, “Whoever breaks the smallest part of the Law will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.”  There is a huge amount of grace there – even though it sounds mostly like a slam.  Jesus knows we cannot be perfect.  His point is not that our sin will keep us from heaven!  Jesus knows that we will sin and yet He still came to show us how to be in relationship with God.  Obviously, heaven will be filled with people who sinned in their life – and I’ll be among them!  So if Jesus is not teaching us that sin keeps us from heaven, what is He teaching us?  Jesus is teaching us that sin pulls us away from God.  Sin keeps us from being as close to God as possible.  When we sin, we are voluntarily forfeiting some proximity to God.  Because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, our sins will not prevent us from entering into eternal life.  But our sins keep us distant from God here and now.  Our sin pushes us away from God, cause us to become lesser and lesser until we become least.  But our sin will always be conquered by Christ’s atoning sacrifice, which is why we can be least and yet still be found in the kingdom of heaven.

Is their joy in knowing that you sin will always be conquered by Christ?  How does it make you feel to understand that your sin is a voluntarily forfeit of proximity to God?

Third Thought:

So what does a godly life look like in these verses?  It is the one who does the Law and teaches others to do the same.  In other words, someone who practices what they preach.  It is the one who not only believes but who believes and obeys.  Furthermore, it is the one who believes and obeys and who invites other people into their midst to learn from them.  It is the one who is not afraid to have other people imitate them – even as flawed as any of us might actually be.  This is the person who will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Where are you on this spectrum?  Are you caught up in your sinfulness?  Are you trying to rise above it?  Are you actively allowing others into your life to see and experience your obedience so that they can learn to imitate obedience to God for themselves?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:21-22