The Kingdom of Heaven: Faith and Lifestyle

2001-07-31

The following is a reflection on Matthew 5, which is a portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Though His Kingdom has not been physically established here on earth, we must remember that we are citizens and ambassadors of heaven (2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20) when we trust in Him. His reign, when He comes, will have no end.

Part 1: Matthew 5:1-26

Jesus’ teaching to the disciples begins with the Beatitudes. It is the essence of the Gospel in the sense of who can be a part of His kingdom. The audience to whom He speaks is all of humankind (the people present and the people that read the Bible today). There is no one wretched enough to exclude.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus says, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those spiritually empty and broken over their sin can now have hope in Jesus. The mournful will be comforted. The meek inherit the earth. All of those who are spiritually devastated will be filled; these, who are the least esteemed by the world’s standard, now see their hope in Jesus. Those who are not satisfied with life without God can now rejoice. People can have these blessings now that Jesus has come, even in the presence of their hardships.

Even though Christ fills the lowly in their brokenness, they receive persecution because of this testimony of Jesus. They are blessed for two reasons: this persecution authenticates the testimony of the living God, but also affirms the outward portrayal of their faith to the world.

The Similitudes logically follow from the Beatitudes in this respect. How can these “blessed” people (believers in Christ) be the salt of the earth if they stop living like citizens of the kingdom? The world sees hope, or is seasoned, by the testimony of those who are “blessed.” Likewise, they shine their “light,” or hope in Christ, on a lampstand that all people might see it. This proud displaying of Christ in their lives shows they are true citizens of the kingdom. They will be persecuted because of this, and are blessed because they are further authenticated as kingdom citizens.

Jesus, therefore, comes to them saying that He fulfills the law. People must go beyond the letter of the law to see its true meaning. In this way, they exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. It is true that one should not murder, but murder does not start as murder, it starts by anger, and then contempt. These things are also forbidden, and Jesus teaches the disciples and multitudes that they are to be reconciled with brethren with whom they have disputes. The problem must be confronted before they give the offering to God. One can hide behind a burnt offering in unbelief and never seek to resolve the true problem. True reverence for God will cause a person to right any wrongs they have with their fellow man. This spiritual reality of the law shows us how sinful we are, and how we need Jesus Christ to cover all of our deep dark sinfulness. This is how Jesus is the end of the law: He is the sacrifice that covers all of our guiltiness: past, present and future.

Part 2: Matthew 5:27-48

Jesus expands the prior thinking of adultery to mean looking at a woman in lust. The severity of this sin is explained in the use of His language. If the eye or the hand causes one to sin, one should mutilate oneself. Jesus may not mean this literally, simply because the source of the sin is not any extremity or organ, but the heart. Jesus is calling for change in those who want to live in His kingdom. Jesus is also showing people how sinful they are and how they need for a Savior.

The logical offspring of this sin is divorce, which He moves to next. In former times, a certificate of divorce was offered (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1ff). This was leniency for a “stiff-necked people.” Pharisees and other people of the time used this as an excuse and a license for sin. Jesus says there is one valid reason for divorce, and that is fornication. If one commits fornication prior to or during the betrothal, then the marriage covenant could be considered broken. This is still giving people much leniency considering that God kept taking Israel (and by extension, us) back after they sinned. His continual acceptance of sinners into His kingdom shows us his longsuffering. This is demonstrated through the model of the marriage of Hosea of Gomer.

An oath used to manipulate people’s will is also forbidden. A yes should be yes, and a no should be no. People should be able to honestly communicate without such blatant criticism.

With this in mind, Jesus is moving closer to the heart of healthy relationships. The retaliation law restricted one from punishing another more than they should be; the punishment should fit the crime. It was the authority of civil government to enforce this. But in the lives of people, one should not cause conflict, but surrender personal will and the right to retaliate. This is the key to forgiveness. This is related to His account on murder and broken relationships, and what Jesus ultimately does as He takes the blame of humankind’s sin to the cross.

This point bridges how a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom should have a universal love for all of humankind, including enemies. Jesus had nobody but enemies, yet He loved us all, and died for us. With all of these relationship-oriented laws, He summarized by saying that people should be perfect, like the Father is perfect. This is a proclamation of our need for a Savior and a mandate for change.

Most importantly, this section of Scripture shows us who we really are before God. We are not perfect, and what Jesus says here reminds us how much we need Him. The Law of the Lord is perfect... who can live up to it? Thank God for Jesus Christ, who took the punishment and the condemnation away from us once and for all.