Matthew shared how Jesus said if the disciple's “righteousness” did not “exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” they would, “in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus continued with the example, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: ... whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, you fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has ought against you: Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles you are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Verily I say unto you, You shall by no means come out from there, till you have paid the uttermost farthing. You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery. But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. And if your right hand offend you, cut it off, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. It has been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery”, and in chapter five and verse thirty-three of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples, “you shall not forswear yourself” where we read:
Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time,
You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your oaths:
The verse reads, “Again, you have heard that it has been said by them of old time, ...” Matthew began with the word, “Again” which means “further, moreover and anew”, “you have heard” which means “the disciples' were endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf and attended to and considered” “that it has been said” which means “there was declaration, utterance and proclamation” “by them” or “through the people” “of old time” which refers to “that were from a good while ago, the beginning, original, primal and ancient days”. Jesus again referred to something that was “declared” in the law by ancient people.
The verse continues, “... You shall not forswear yourself, but shall perform unto the Lord your oaths:” Matthew added the words, “you shall not forswear yourself” which means “you are not to commit perjury”, “but” or “moreover and” “shall perform” which means “should deliver, render and give” “unto the Lord” which refers to “toward the One whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah” “your oaths” or “the disciples' pledge or promise”. Jesus told His disciples they were not to “purger themselves” but to “give” “the Lord” their “promises and pledges”.
When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how disciples of Jesus were instructed not to “purger themselves” nor lie, and they were to “give to God” all their “promises, pledges and commitments”. God wants a pure people to follow Him, and He is willing to “save” people from their “sin” of lying or promising what they cannot keep or do. This is why Jesus came into the world. He died on the cross and was raised from the dead for the “sins” of the whole world, and those who have “lied” will yield their lives to Him and repent of their “lying” ways.
Next time Jesus said, “swear not at all”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment