Matthew 5, discover intention to perfectly pursue necessary goodness

Matthew 5, discovering intention to perfectly pursue necessary goodness

Updated on 6/9/2025: self-righteousness invites judgement. Also, 6/13/25 re Wolterstorff.

Guide: CJB emphasis in bold (CJB online), text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; footnotes to CJB in superscript sky blue; Nomads* discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or extensive comment.  

*Participative Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. My continually improved statement about Genesis 1:26-28 is at the end of this post.

Chief concerns and possible insights:

1.      Herein seems evidence that Genesis 1’s creation by God transitions to an alternative story of the Lord God at Genesis 2:4. The competition continues throughout the Old Testament and becomes redemption for life versus death in the New Testament. Pivotal evidence is shared in the attached jpg screen shots from http://hebrewoldtestament.com/ .

2.      With 2000 years’ added discovery and 10000 years with grammar, we may and can reject any bad advice the ancient writer offers, such as neither appreciating no-harm non-believers nor annihilating evils such as Jihadists.

a.      Perhaps the kingdom of The God is here and now – in each generation

3.      Yeshua’s process for reconciliation of civic/civil dispute is enhanced in V23-26.

4.      Yeshua’s affirmation of Genesis 1:26-28 is evident, especially in V48.

5.      The eye for eye references derive from 5500 year old Sumerian law codes.

6.      Writer-biases are exposed in both CJB and NIV.

7.      Judeo-Christianity reports controversies from The God to competitive Lord Gods.

Working considerations:

1.    V3 “poor in spirit” means humble to The God.

2.    V5 “meek” means quiet, or mild. CJB has “land” rather than NIV’s “earth”.

8.      V6 What is “righteousness”? I prefer “necessary goodness”.

a.      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdcIkbAMWKA Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff argues that interpreters should be advocating justice or “to righteousness” in humility to The God.

b.     The Messianic Jews responsible for CJB also missed Wolterstorff’s debate.

9.      V9 NIV objects to CJB’s “sons of God”.

10. V11 breaks from encouragement to judgement against dissidents.

11. V17 But beware dissidents against the law

a.      V20 elites are hypocrites.

b.     V20 pursue righteousness or necessary goodness or justice.

c.      Consider some improvements on the law (mitzvot, V19)

                                                 i.      V22 contempt condemns the angry person.

                                               ii.      V23 self-righteousness invites judgement.

                                            iii.      V24 pursue reconciliation, as in Matthew 18:15-17

1.     Matthew 18:18 affirms Genesis 1:26-28.

                                             iv.      V28 adultery is out of the question is Matthew 19:5-6

1.     Note: the Council of Jerusalem concluded gentile believers avoid idolatry, blood-borne pathogens, and fornication

2.     Moses’ law had 613 commandments (mitzvot)

                                               v.      V37 practicing necessary goodness is sufficient

                                             vi.      V39 Jihadist teach us we must annihilate evil people.

                                          vii.      V40 history informs us that “eye for eye” increases disability and dependency and is therefore not practicable – economical.

                                        viii.      V45 Appreciate that The God sustains erroneous citizens, granting them the opportunity to reform -- collaborate with The God.

1.     It’s a matter of appreciating that reasonable errors are accommodated

2.     Habitual error begs ruin.

12. V18 modern Jews informed conditions for their Messiah have not yet happened.

13. V48 Instructed by Yeshua to be perfect, we may realize it is possible and pursue our unique perfection from the moment of personal intention.  Update on 3/28/2025; Yeshua may be commenting on Deuteronomy 18:13.

 

^5:1 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim disciples came to him, ² and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

³ “How blessed are the poor in spirit! [not proud or despairing not meek]
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

⁴ “How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted.

⁵ “How blessed are the meek!
    for they will inherit the Land earth! ^{Psalm 37:11, “But the meek will inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.”}

⁶ “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
    for they will be filled.
⁷ “How blessed are those who show mercy!
    for they will be shown mercy.

⁸ “How blessed are the pure in heart!
    for they will see God.

⁹ “How blessed are those who make peace!
    for they will be called sons of God children of God.

¹⁰ “How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! [This ends general goodness and clears the way to competitive believers.] for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [Relating to John 1:1, Ken expressed that Nomads were hearing from “the Word”.]

¹¹ “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! [A segue into divisive attitude – “vicious lies” seems overboard.] ¹² Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

¹³ “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on. [If you allow aggressive people to oppress you, you cannot share Yeshua’s influence.]

¹⁴ “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. [These salt and light metaphors continue the divisive attitude. Ken’s “but” is coming.]

¹⁷ “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. ¹⁸ Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud [work] or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. [Modern Jews hold that not everything required for a Messiah has happened.] ¹⁹ So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot commands and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! [What is righteousness and how does a person learn it? The catalogue that follows is insufficient.]

²¹ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’ ^{Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17} and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. ²² But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother or sister will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom! Hell ²³ So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace be reconciled with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵ If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! ²⁶ Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny. [These verses, 22-26, about settling dispute continues explanation of Yeshua’s process in Matthew 18:15-17); private notice and resolution; if not resolved, invite a second person to get involved; if not, take it public; if not, forget that brother. Nomads like the process and consider it difficult.]

²⁷ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ^{Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18  28} But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her [My opinion as that intention is the key here. Just as not appreciating a rose is erroneous, not appreciating a woman is wrong. President Jimmy Carter did not understand this, and I perceive his wife forgave his offense.] has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. ³⁰ And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. [Suggesting self-disabling is from the writer, not Yeshua’s civic influence.]

³¹ “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’ ^{Deuteronomy 24:1, “Suppose a man marries a woman and consummates the marriage but later finds her displeasing, because he has found her offensive in some respect. He writes her a divorce document, gives it to her and sends her away from his house.” The footnote reveals CJB infidelity to OT scripture.   32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication for sexual immortality, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery. [This is less motivating than Yeshua’s affirmation of Genesis 1:26-28 in Matthew 19:5-6.]

³³ “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai. the Lord’ ^{Leviticus 19:12, “Do not swear by my name falsely, which would be profaning the name of your God; I am Adonai.” Number 30:3 (2), “when a man makes a vow to Adonai or formally obligates himself by swearing an oath, he is not to break his word but is to do everything he said he would do.” Deuteronomy 23:22, “When you make a vow to Adonai your God, you are not to delay in fulfilling it, for Adonai your God will certainly demand it of you, and your failure to do so will be your sin. “ 34} But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; ³⁵ not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool; ^{Isaiah 66:1 “Heaven is my throne,” says Adonai, “and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house could you build for me? What sort of place could you devise for my rest? Didn’t I myself make all these things? This is how they all came to be,” says Adonai.}, and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King. ^{Psalm 48:3, beautiful in its elevation, the joy of all the earth, Mount Tziyon, in the far north, the city of the great king.  36} And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil. [Nomads: if you neglect the ought, the error is inevitable despite your claims.]

³⁸ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ ^{Exodus 21:24, ”eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” Leviticus 24:20, “break for break, eye for eye, tooth for tooth — whatever injury he has caused the other person is to be rendered to him in return. (Maftir)” Deuteronomy 19:21, “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” 39} But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong do not resist an evil person. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! ⁴¹ And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! ⁴² When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him. [The laws of physics deny this advice. Zoroastrianism featured 2 personal principles. First, goodness begets goodness. Second, choose goodness rather than evil. Today, there are less than 200,000 Zoroastrians -- in India, Iran, and in N. America. Jihad informs us that a civic people may and can reform dissidents and rebels and must annihilate evils.]

⁴³ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor ^{Leviticus 19:18, ” Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am Adonai.”} — and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. ⁴⁶ What reward [The writer is suggesting quid pro quo thinking. Yeshua simply influences necessary goodness.] do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! ⁴⁷ And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! [“Love” is overplayed. Appreciation is more effective.] ⁴⁸ Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. [As Ken suggests, I think Yeshua meant it. A person can pursue perfection, once they intend to.] [Update on 3/28/2025: Deuteronomy 18:13, “You must be wholehearted with Adonai your God.” (CJB) and “You must be blameless before the Lord your God.” (NIV)]

[Genesis 1:26-28 introduction

I read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy. The polytheistic Sumerians are religiously referenced by Semite scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28; in my paraphrase:  Female-and-male-human-being may and can choose to independently and collaboratively constrain political democracy on earth: on earth, civic humankind has the power and authority to pursue necessary goodness and constrain the bad. Civic citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice. 

Political philosopher Yeshua* affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, contributing ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8 (mutual spousal loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (pursue your personal perfection), 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), and in other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”.

The next Bible canon could and should include the law codes of Sumer and competing civilizations. Resulting insights would take the heat off Judeo-Christianity, a Christ vs Messiah** vs The God competition vs Yeshua’s civic influence.***

Notes:

*In 4 BC, Yosef and Myriam of Nazareth begot Yeshua. And 250 years beforehand, Greek translation of the Torah provided Ἰησοῦς and χριστός, both of which competed with “Yeshua”, the former during Yeshua’s life and the latter in afterdeath. Rome affirmed a triune God, The Trinity, in 325 CE. Christians don’t publicly profess The Trinity. By the 16^th century CE, Christianity used “Jesus Christ” and “Christ” to repress Yeshua’s civic influence, intentionally or not. 

The person, Yeshua, said, in my paraphrase: if people don’t speak my name they can neither consider my civic influence nor share my open-heartedness. Competitive monotheism hides Yeshua’s civic influence. Churches hide Yeshua. Churches claim the Holy Bible is the word of The God yet do everything they can to negate Genesis 1:26-28: humankind has the power, authority, and responsibility to rule to necessary goodness on earth.

Obviously, The God is a mystery. However, civic citizens may, can, and a few do discern Yeshua’s civic influence. Accepting Genesis 1:26-28 empowers and does not exclude the open-minded and open-hearted fellow citizen who has not discovered Yeshua and his civic influence. In other words, human-beings may and can mimic Yeshua without knowing his home town, his beginning, or his name.

**In addition to prophecy of an anointed king for Israel, Cyrus, 600 BC, is called a messiah; see Isaiah 45:1.

***Competitive monotheism survives on war rather than on necessary goodness.

Discussion

Personal and institutional monotheistic competition egregiously deludes Yeshua’s influence to necessary goodness. The collaborative view could accelerate mutual pursuit of human being (verb) and lessen habitual baby killings, like those happening in Israel, in Ukraine, and in the U.S. in the year 2025.

I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil. Quoting below,

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. See notes, below.

Acceptance of the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary goodness to actual reality.

The rest of the Bible, OT and NT discloses the chaos that ensues if most individuals choose wanton behavior -- neglect the laws of physics and progeny, e.g., biology and psychology. Physics prevails even when humankind’s research has not discovered its laws. Both rationalization and speculation fail the test of time.

The civic collective cannot rule if most fellow citizens practice/accommodate badness and allow evil. Civilizations can and do exist without civic integrity. Yet the pursuit of necessary goodness is essential to humankind’s survival.

Today there are more than 4,000 religions and 45,000 Christian sects on earth. Today is the time for individuals to accept the power, the authority, and the responsibility to practice civic integrity in personal living. “Ourselves” may either continue to leave reliable responsibility to “our Posterity”, referring to the preamble to the US Constitution, or practice necessary goodness.

Notes re modern perspective:

1.     Since monotheism is a human construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and remaining unknowns.

a.      Blue highlight is to emphasize Genesis 1:26-28 pronoun usages, “our” and “we”.

b.     Perhaps the “we” infers the psychologically androgynous pair -- a couple in monogamy more than in sexual intimacy.

c.      It seems human choice may and can conform to the discovered laws of physics.

d.     Yet human inspiration and motivation are driven by goodness.

e.      When goodness is uncertain, humility seems an option.

2.      Scholars understand that humankind in its present mutation is Homo sapiens (HS)

a.      Distinguished by brains with synapses and neurons continuously developing speed and capacity to handle exponential complexities

b.     Indeed HS is the dominant species on earth and its extensions

c.      Yet HS, so far, is challenged-to, perhaps will-not, order life on earth as much as possible

d.  Unfortunately, after 200,000 years, sexual-promiscuity rather than necessary goodness dominates society if not civilization.

3.      The rest of the Holy Bible expresses the validity of Genesis 1:26-28:  Humankind may and can choose to rule on earth.

a.      Genesis 1 predates the existence of Israel by at least 1500 years.

b.     About 2000 years have passed since Yeshua lived.

c.      Yet war in the Middle East, Yeshua’s part of the world, threatens humankind’s opportunity.

d.     It seems time to pay more attention to primitive thought – psychological and civic discovery -- during the period 8000 years ago to 4000 years ago.]