Mat 5:21 "You have heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.'
Mat 5:22 But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother 'You good-for-nothing!' you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.
Mat 5:23 So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.
Mat 5:25 "If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute while there is time, before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be turned over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail.
Mat 5:26 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.
Mat 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
Mat 5:28 But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.
Mat 5:29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.
Mat 5:30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell.
Mat 5:31 "It was also said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'
Mat 5:32 But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.
Mat 5:33 "You have also heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.'
Mat 5:34 But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne;
Mat 5:35 nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 Just say 'Yes' or 'No'---anything else you say comes from the Evil One.
Mat 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
Mat 5:39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.
Mat 5:40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well.
Mat 5:41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.
Mat 5:42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.
Mat 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your friends, hate your enemies.'
Mat 5:44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.
Mat 5:46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!
Mat 5:47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!
Mat 5:48 You must be perfect---just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
"We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done and by what we have left undone."
The 'Good News' of the Gospel is generally seen as freeing us from the legalism of the Old Testament to respond in love to Christ's message of salvation. If you can indeed
Luk 10:27 " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' "
then you may fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
The passage above which quotes yesterday's Gospel and following verses demonstrates just how difficult a task that may be. In this passage Christ makes clear that in freeing us from the letter of the law he holds us to an even higher standard. We are held responsible not only for our sins of commission but for our sins of omission, the good we might have accomplished but failed to do because it was deemed inconvenient or unpopular. We are also held responsible not only for our outward acts and statements but also for our inward thoughts and desires. You are, for example, held culpable for your grudges as much as is the person who may have wronged you.
I found it interesting that in yesterday's Adult Bible Study there were persons who found the concept of being held responsible for their thoughts difficult to grasp. There are many senses in which keeping the Ten Commandments may be an easy task compared with this standard.
Mat 5:22 But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother 'You good-for-nothing!' you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.
Mat 5:23 So if you are about to offer your gift to God at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.
Mat 5:25 "If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, settle the dispute while there is time, before you get to court. Once you are there, you will be turned over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail.
Mat 5:26 There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine.
Mat 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'
Mat 5:28 But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.
Mat 5:29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.
Mat 5:30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell.
Mat 5:31 "It was also said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.'
Mat 5:32 But now I tell you: if a man divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, then he is guilty of making her commit adultery if she marries again; and the man who marries her commits adultery also.
Mat 5:33 "You have also heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.'
Mat 5:34 But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne;
Mat 5:35 nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Mat 5:36 Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Mat 5:37 Just say 'Yes' or 'No'---anything else you say comes from the Evil One.
Mat 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
Mat 5:39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too.
Mat 5:40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well.
Mat 5:41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.
Mat 5:42 When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.
Mat 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your friends, hate your enemies.'
Mat 5:44 But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may become the children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.
Mat 5:46 Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that!
Mat 5:47 And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that!
Mat 5:48 You must be perfect---just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
"We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done and by what we have left undone."
The 'Good News' of the Gospel is generally seen as freeing us from the legalism of the Old Testament to respond in love to Christ's message of salvation. If you can indeed
Luk 10:27 " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' "
then you may fulfill the Law and the Prophets.
The passage above which quotes yesterday's Gospel and following verses demonstrates just how difficult a task that may be. In this passage Christ makes clear that in freeing us from the letter of the law he holds us to an even higher standard. We are held responsible not only for our sins of commission but for our sins of omission, the good we might have accomplished but failed to do because it was deemed inconvenient or unpopular. We are also held responsible not only for our outward acts and statements but also for our inward thoughts and desires. You are, for example, held culpable for your grudges as much as is the person who may have wronged you.
I found it interesting that in yesterday's Adult Bible Study there were persons who found the concept of being held responsible for their thoughts difficult to grasp. There are many senses in which keeping the Ten Commandments may be an easy task compared with this standard.
