Matthew 5: correcting Moses’ law

Matthew 5: correcting Moses’ law

[Note: I apply Genesis-1 perspective to Bible interpretation. I think Genesis 1:26-28, in the-metaphysical-Jesus-messages (MJM), given each 1) mysterious-God, offering appreciation to human being (verb) and 2) MJM’s “my peace”, suggests that:  Male unites-to female human-being (noun) and their spouse-hood pursues comprehensive-safety& security to the living species and to the earth (SECURITY). Every person can& may accept personal duty to SECURITY. Some persons neglect, partially or wholly, God-appreciation, MJM-my-peace& SECURITY.

I call Genesis-1’s message, “responsible-human-independence” or RHI. A few human-beings throughout history seemed to practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI; for example, Albert Einstein. From the past, RHI-individuals guide us and the others warn of error. I think the authentic-Jesus practiced, facilitated& encouraged RHI.

But I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth. “Ineluctable” means: not to be avoided, changed, escaped, neglected, or resisted: I can& must choose.

Persons appreciating contemporary human being (verb), during each generation, develop the MJM I advocate. In other words, I attribute to MJM the civic-appreciation that human being (verb) applied “before Abraham was born” and since then. “Civic” means reliable-in human connections& transactions more than compliant-to civil/legal rules. Given the question, “Was Jesus a man?”, my response, “I don’t know, yet value MJM”, seems sufficient& complete to my person.

Perhaps MJM always was the-good human being (verb). That potential was present at the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. There’s joy in accepting that I don’t know, seeking ineluctable-evidence, and reserving humility.

It seems the-laws-of-physics (PHYSICS) constrains the consequences of each person’s choices. I choose to accept mysterious-God’s appreciation and pursue Jesus’ “my-peace”, in-order-to commit-to and trust-in PHYSICS. For example, I work for food& shelter rather than accept what a bureaucrat might provide. I work to aid SECURITY rather than pray for an entity to usurp RHI.]

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [This is good start for a study of what “image of God” might mean.]

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. [The person who sincerely considers and shares with willing contemporaries mutual pursuit of MJM, can trust Jesus’ reliability.]

Salt and Light

¹³ “You [because of me] are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness [trust-in and commitment-to], how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [To the serenely-confident civic-student, MJM overcomes the mysteries accumulated in past pursuits of comprehension, and discovery should be mutually shared.]

The Fulfillment of the Law

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. [For example, in Matthew 19:3-8 Jesus corrected Moses’ law about divorce.]

Murder

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, [Exodus 20:13] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister [who pursues MJM; without cause?] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [contempt] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister [who pursues MJM] has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. [Jesus seems to express high regard for government.] 

Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [Exodus 20:14] ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. [I suggest “to” rather than “with”, relying on Matthew 19:5.] ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. [These penalties like offenses may reference The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian update on Sumerian codes.]

Divorce

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ [Deut. 24:1] ³² But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. [This seems inconsistent with Jesus’ instruction, “Go and sin no more.” It may be erroneous reasoning by Matthew. I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth.]

Oaths

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from evil. [Or from the evil one.]

Eye for Eye

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

[Code of Hammurabi; Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21] ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. [I think if you fail to appreciatively caution a civic-citizen, you are treating them as an evil person. See V 13-16, above.]

Love for Enemies

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, [Five times, this chapter uses “You have heard that it was said”. Perhaps the phrase introduces correction of Moses’ law.] ‘Love your neighbor [Lev. 19:18] and hate your enemy.’ [Hate enemy does not seem to be a Moses’s law.] ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies [What does MJM instruct on this? First, since everyone is of humankind, we are all fellow-citizens: there are no “enemies”, excepting someone who is about to kill/injure you if you don’t act. Second, I assert that “love” is practiced by constraining erroneous fellow-citizens and facilitating their reform. Allowing offenses to continue leads to ruin, probably yours.] and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven [Matthew’s witness to this quid pro quo does not impress me, and I caution civic-citizens who believe Matthew]. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? [I doubt quid pro quo propositions are of MJM; the Bible? Yes; MJM? No.] Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. [I strive for perfection and encourage others to accept that they can& may. Genesis 1:26-28 assesses humankind in God’s image and assigns to them responsibility for comprehensive-safety& security to life on earth. The assignment alone is a statement that they can& may succeed. Matthew 5:48 reaffirms Genesis-1. Accepting God, as God is, and pursuing Jesus’ “my peace”, whatever that is, I am working to perfect my behavior.]