Matthew 5-6; Proverbs 2
*Click here to read these passages:
Today in Matthew we get to start reading the teachings of Jesus
known as His Sermon on the Mount.
There is so much wisdom and truth in every word He said. One theme that I hear from Jesus is
that it is what is on the inside that counts. God doesn’t want us to look all shiny and cleaned up on the
outside but truly be a mess on the inside. First of all, you can’t fake out God. And He really doesn’t like pride and
boasting. He says to do good
things for others in secret so that you are not seeking reward from man but
from God. He uses the word
hypocrite a few times … “do not be like the hypocrites … who love to be seen by
men.” He says that the ones who
are meek, merciful, pure of heart, and those who are persecuted are the ones who
are blessed. This was probably
quite opposite of their way of thinking then.
Jesus uses the Old Testament Law that the people knew and had been
taught and lets them know He’s not there to get rid of it but to fulfill
it. He explains God’s intent behind
the law, that His concern was not just about the behavior but it was about the
heart’s attitude. The Pharisees
and teachers of the law were extremely strict on the following of the law, but
Jesus explains that they were missing the point.
I remember when I was a kid having somewhat of a light bulb moment
when my mom shared this part scripture with me: “You have heard that it was
said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be
subject to judgment.’ But I tell
you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to
judgment.” Confession: I have a
temper; I always have. When my mom
shared this with me it was after I had gotten so angry with someone that I said
I hated them. It was then that I
began to understand the whole sin thing and the need for a Savior thing. Instead I had kind of been viewing
Christianity as more of a check-list sort of thing. Read my Bible, go to church, do good deeds … check, check,
check … don’t do this, don’t do that … check, check.
Jesus said they needed a righteousness that surpassed that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were only concerned about behavior
(check-lists). We need an inner
righteousness, which is why Jesus died for us, so that God could truly transform
our hearts. I was always a “good” girl, not having done anything
all that bad, but I realized that I’m not perfect. I’m a sinner and sometimes what is in my heart is ugly. Jesus died as the sacrifice for all of
my sins and to clean up my heart … from the inside out.
No comments:
Post a Comment