Matthew 7:1-6

¹ “Judge not, that you be not judged. ² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³ And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ⁶ “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Commentary

The Lord Jesus’ now moves into the realm of judging, an area of life that can be most problematic for some of us. Now Jesus’ teaching here is often misinterpreted to mean not to judge anyone or anything. But obviously that is not what He meant, for there are evil people and evil works that are done in the earth; and sadly sometimes even in the church that need to be strongly spoken out against, and so the Lord Jesus Christ is not saying don’t “judge” those things (consider vs.6. ; Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 11:1-4; 1 Tim. 5:19-20; 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:8; Jude 3-4; Rev. 2:20-23 etc.). Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ is warning us about here is the careless, reckless, and or heartless judgment of others that so easily pervades (and corrupts) people’s hearts, thoughts, mouths and lives (consider John 7:24; James 2:1-4, 5-13); especially when this involves “comparing” oneself to another, something that we should never do (consider Luke 18:9-14). For it those kinds of judgments that are so blind to one’s own faults and failings, that they leave little or room for the reconciling of others to God (consider Luke 15:1-31). And so when your “judgment” of another person is only based on our own biases, fears, or only (and often arrogantly) judges them by outward “appearances”, (or worse what others have told you about them), than such judgment is wrong. Same with the self-justifying judgment of others that is so often blind to one’s own sins and transgressions and yet condemns another for theirs (consider Rom 2:1-29).

Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ by commanding us not to judge wants us to end our justifying our judgment of others; for all judgment has been committed to the Son, not to us (John 5:22). And as the Lord Jesus Christ says here if you judge another you will be judged, and by what judgment you use, you will be judged, and the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And so before we go judging others, just as the Lord Jesus Christ says here we need to first look at ourselves and deal with those things that are wrong with us before we start pointing out all the faults and failings in others. Clearly then the Lord Jesus does not want us to focus on the minor faults and failings of others while being totally blind to the major faults of our own. And so Jesus uses a carpenter’s analogy to strongly make His point, saying: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”^{vs. 3} In other words Jesus is saying to us all why do you scrutinize the tinniest of faults of your brother/brethren while you ignore or overlook the major faults that are your own? All too easy to do, to point out others peoples faults and failings, while being willfully blinded to one’s own, and all too often practiced by us all. For that is just being a hypocrite (not a righteous person) as the Lord Jesus dramatically points out in verse five. Therefore we are to first deal with our own faults and failings before we go around scrutinizing anyone else. Now when we do we will soon come to the realization that we need the grace of God just as much as anyone else. Now again this does not mean that we don’t render spiritual and moral judgments as Christ’s disciples or as members in His church Body. But we always do so with great care and caution because we are finite, and thus we must base our “judgments” on facts, not feelings, not gossip and slander, but facts that take into account all of the circumstances, and all of the parties involved, and then we let the Scriptures guide us into how to approach each and every individual and matter, because no two are ever the same. As well we should never think ourselves capable of judging anyone’s motives about anything, because judging motives is one of the areas that Satan often sows discord amongst brethren, since it requires nothing other than he plant a negative thought in one’s mind about another and one believe it. And so be careful what you “believe” about another if your “belief” is only based upon your own thoughts, biases, or fears. Facts not fears (nor gossip and slander) is what we base our “judgment” of others on. Now in the N.T. there are also clear areas where we are not to judge another believer, especially in regards to matters of conscience (that is how they live their lives and practice their faith regarding all non-moral things). For we are not to be each other’s “judges”, judging each other’s person and faith in regards to all non-moral things (see Rom 14:10-12). For each and every believer has been given absolute liberty and freedom by God to do as they think best in regard to how they live their lives, use their gifts, talents, and resources, and ultimately exercise their glorious liberty that Christ purchased for us all on the Cross, so that we can all live rich and full lives (John 10:10). Therefore before anyone gets up on their “high horse” or “throne” and starts looking down upon all the sins and faults of others, they had better make sure they got their own house in order, because the Lord Jesus Christ does not look kindly on the unjust, unfair, and unmerciful judgment of others (James 2:13), just as He does look kindly on the self-righteousness and the self-justifying of oneself.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 6:25–34

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Commentary

Vs. 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Previously the Lord Jesus Christ gave us warnings about the deceiving and corrupting influence that mammon can have on our persons and lives, especially when ones trust is in it, or their heart is set on it. And so here Jesus goes a step further and warns us about the common and most held fear that people have in forsaking all and following Him; and that is how are we going to get our food and clothing, i.e. the necessities of “life”. And so to free us from our anxieties and fears so that we may freely follow Him in discipleship the Lord Jesus will give us some very simple but exceedingly profound analogies on just how God watches over and provides for not only His creation, but more importantly us as well, because as the Lord Jesus Christ says, life is more than just food and clothing, life is found fulfilled in all its significance and glory when one forsakes all and follows Him in whatever calling and purpose God has called one to fulfill and serve Him in.

Vs. 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

God’s loving oversight of all of creation is self evident, and so here the Lord Jesus points to some of God’s works in it to help ease our anxieties and fears. Obviously the birds of the air don’t sow seed for crops, and they certainly don’t reap a harvest from the same. Nor do they lay up for themselves what they have harvested in barns, and yet by the loving oversight of God they are always fed. Therefore the Lord Jesus asks us all to consider that if God so feeds them, will He not also feed us, since we are of much more value to Him then they.

Vs. 27-31 ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Now worrying is not only stifling to ones faith, keeping one back from fully following Christ, but it is self-destructive. And so the Lord Jesus in His gentle way now seeks to calm our fears with a little levity by asking us all, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Now a cubit is an ancient unit of measure, about 18 inches or so, and would be like saying to us, “which of you by worrying can add one foot to his stature?” Obviously we can’t change the height of our persons by worrying about how tall or short we are. And so to do so is rather pointless. Therefore the Lord Jesus takes that and asks us all; “why do you worry about clothing?” As if by worrying about clothing we can assure ourselves that we will have clothes, or provide ourselves with the same. Therefore Jesus to show us how God will provide for us now draws an analogy from the lilies of the field, for though they neither toil nor spin, they both grow and are arrayed with such glory and beauty so as to put even King Solomon to shame (vs. 28-29). Therefore the Lord Jesus also says that if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven (i.e. as fuel for ancient clay ovens), will He not much more clothe us, of course He will!

Vs. 31-34 ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In light of these very observable truths the Lord Jesus says to us all not to worry about food, drink, or even clothing, because that is what the Gentiles (i.e. unbelievers do); spend their lives worrying about this and that, and pursuing the same for themselves; and our heavenly Father knows that we need all these things (vs. 31-32). Therefore rather than living a life of fear about what tomorrow may or may not bring, Jesus says we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things shall be added to us. That then is the Gospel paradigm shift that demands we move our focus from just living for providing for our own daily needs, and to focus on seeking the Kingdom of heaven and God’s righteousness first, then says the Lord Jesus Christ all these things shall be added to us. Now obviously this doesn’t mean that as Jesus Christ’s disciples we don’t work, of course we do, but we don’t live for work, we live for the Lord Jesus Christ and doing and pursuing His Will for us, that is what we live for! And so this may mean forsaking ones job, or career, or earthly pursuits or desires in order to follow His Will for us. Therefore rather than letting your own anxieties and fears keep you from pursuing and doing God’s will for you, live each day, with a Kingdom of heaven focus, and deal with each day and its troubles as it comes to you, just as the Lord Jesus tells us too, saying: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. 

Matthew 6:19-24

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Commentary
Vs. 19-21 ¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lord Jesus now addresses our wealth and possessions, for all these come to us from God, and so it is to God to whom we are responsible to in how we use and dispense these things. Now it is not wrong to have personal possessions or “wealth”; or to enjoy ones personal possessions; since God gives us all things to richly enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17) and so that is not the issue. The issue is what effect they are having on us, i.e. is the acquisition and collection of our “treasures” consuming our hearts and driving our lives? Because the selfish pursuit of wealth (or justifying the same) is a grave evil not a Godly virtue (Consider 1 Tim 6:5-10; James 4:13-17; 5:1-6), and as the Lord Jesus Christ warns us all here those “treasures” are only temporary, they do not have any everlasting value or worth assigned to them, especially if they are only being used by and kept for us. And so whether they decay and deteriorate by natural occurrences, i.e. moth and rust, or they become obsolete, or they become objects which thieves target for themselves, and thus break in and steal, their “shelf-life” is very limited, and their true value is only to be measured by what they will reap for us in eternity (vs. 19-20). Therefore the Lord Jesus warns us all not to lay up “treasures” for ourselves on earth (waiting for some far off day or need that may never come). Rather the Lord Jesus says: “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The Lord Jesus warning then is do not let your heart be over taken by, or captivated with your wealth, your treasures, or your possessions because neither “security”, or “life”, or “significance” can be found in any temporal things. And as the Lord Jesus warns us all here: “where your treasure is there your heart will be also”, and so the deceitfulness of riches should never be lost on any of us (consider Matt. 13:22). Therefore rather than trying to lay up treasures on earth the Lord Jesus warns us all to invest our God given treasures in the Kingdom of heaven while we can, so that we can have all the everlasting riches and treasures in heaven that God wants us to have. And so rather than just selfishly hoarding up what one has, or greedily trying to acquire more of the same, think about how you can use what you already have to build God’s Kingdom and bless others down here while you can (consider Luke 16:1-13; 1 Tim 6:17-19), because as the Lord Jesus warns us all: “where your treasures is there your heart will be also.” Therefore do not let your heart be overtaken with this world’s riches and treasures, for that has been the eternal ruin of many a person (consider Matt. 13:22; Mark 8:36-9:1).

Vs. 22-23 ²² “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Here the Lord Jesus uses the analogy of a lamp that illuminates a room with that of a person having a good eye which likewise fills the body with light. The metaphor of light and darkness and its effects on us, should not be lost any of us (consider John 12:35-36). And so here the Lord Jesus contrasts the wonderful effects of having a Kingdom of heaven focus with the very negative effects of only having an earthly focus, of only trying to acquire this world’s wealth and treasures for oneself. The good eye person then is the person whose heart and life is focused on the Kingdom of heaven and pursuing its treasures and riches, and thus because their eye is good their whole person is full of light, for God not only fills them with light by His Son’s indwelling Holy Spirit’s Presence in them, but because their trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word; but He also guides and directs them into a fruitful and Godly life as they pursue His Will and follow Christ, which not only enriches their lives down here, but is part parcel of making them rich for all eternity. A person with a good eye then is not given over to greed or covetousness; they are not being driven by a selfish desire to acquire more and more. They understand that they are stewards of all that God entrusts to them down here, and so their desire is to please Him by being rich towards God and generous towards all with all that He gives them and blesses them with. Therefore their whole person is filled with light; God’s light because the darkness is being shut out of their heart and mind and life by having one’s eyes on God and His Son and putting His Kingdom first and foremost in one’s heart and life. In contrast to them is the person with the bad eye, who by their own covetousness or greed becomes filled with darkness within. For when ones eye is bad the darkness not only fills their whole person, but through that same corrupted “light” they begin to do and justify all manner of unrighteousness, for the darkness not only corrupts within, but it also blinds one’s eyes so that they lose all manner of Spiritual sight and discernment, which is a very perilous state for anyone to be in. And so unable to see God or His own people in a true and right light anymore, they turn against Him. Now in the Gospels the Pharisees and Sadducees were such men, religious to core on the outside, but on the inside they were only filled with all manner of greed and wickedness (Luke 11:39). And so not only were they utterly blinded to their own evil and darkness within themselves, but when they saw and heard the Lord Jesus Christ preach, teach, and heal; basically doing good everywhere He went and to everyone He met; they not only wrongly judged Him and everything that the Lord Jesus Christ said and did, but when they did perceive that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God, they would only go on to plot His destruction. Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ is warning us all about here as His followers is to beware of the darkness that will overtake you if you are giving yourselves to mammon and not to God. For the Lord Jesus is warning us all that there is a horrific spiritual darkness that comes within anyone when ones eye is bad, which will not only blind you to God and things of God, but ultimately it will corrupt your whole person within (in this consider Satan’s fall in Ezekiel 28:11-19, vs. 16, 18). Therefore do not let the light that is in you be darkness, rather let it be the true light of God through faith in and obedience towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vs. 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Lord Jesus Christ now makes it plain and clear that no-one can serve two masters; for you’ll either hate the one and love the other, or else you’ll be loyal to one and despise the other. Therefore no one can serve God and mammon (an Aramaic word for riches/wealth/money). For again as the Lord Jesus says only one can be your master, either God in heaven or mammon on earth, there than can be no divided loyalties, for its either all the Lord Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of heaven, or it is this world and the god of it that one will be serving. Therefore let us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ only love and serve God our Father and let the world and those who love it serve their mammon (consider 1 John 2:15-17; Rev. 18:1-8).

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 6:9-15

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. ¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Vs. 9 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

The beginning of our prayers than should not be all about us, about all our needs, concerns, and problems. Our prayers should begin with our acknowledging and confessing that God is our Father and He is in heaven and He does just as He pleases in heaven and on earth (Psalm 115:3; 135:6), for He alone is Sovereign (Psalm 89:11; 95:3-5; 97:1-2, 9; 103:19; 105:7; 113:4; 145:11-13; Isaiah 45:7). For He is exceedingly far above every principality, power, ruler and might, there is nothing than that eludes Him, or will ever overcome Him (Jer. 10:10). Quite simply He is before everything, and above everything, and He is aware of everything (Isaiah 44:6). Therefore we are to always put God our Father first and foremost in our prayers and focus, before everything and everyone else; before every need, every concern, every worry, and every fear, we first pray and confess that God is our Father who is in heaven. Next the Lord Jesus says that we are to reverence God’s Name, praying Hallowed be Your Name. Now this is very important because down here in this world, God’s Name is anything but Hallowed. Therefore as God’s children we are always reverence God’s Person and Name, as God Himself says: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.” ^{Lev. 10:3} Having then a holy reverence for God in prayer goes a long way in directing our thoughts and words in prayer towards Him.

Vs. 10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”

Having placed a Holy Reverence on God’s Name the Lord Jesus now emphasizes His Kingdom, God’s Kingdom, the one to which we belong, and to which all our loyalties go; whose commandments and purposes are to be fully embraced and manifested by us on earth (Isaiah 26:9). Putting the Kingdom of God first then is an important step in getting our lives and purposes aligned with His; because that is God’s desire to see all people not only reconciled to Himself through His Son; but also to see us who believe in Him live in harmony with Him by obeying His Son through His Word. Having then prayed that God’s Kingdom come (i.e. placed our emphasis and focus on God’s Kingdom coming as the priority) we are to also pray, “....Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” Now praying that God’s Will be done on earth as it is done in heaven may seem somewhat out strange given that we previously stated that God is Sovereign and He does just as He pleases in heaven and on earth. However God has from the very beginning by His Sovereign Will given the earth to mankind to rule and subdue (Gen. 1:28; Psalm 115:16). And so what we see today going on in this world is largely neither the hand of God, nor the rule of God; but only the hand and rule of man, whose primary influence and guiding impetus is not God, but Satan who arouses and works through the sinful desires and acts of man. Therefore though God can and will intercede in our affairs when He desires to do so, the earth and all of its sin, messes, corruption and never ending and unsolvable problems (unsolvable by us), are all born out of the sin and rebellion that started in garden of Eden when our ancestral parents rejected God’s Word spoken to them, and choose their own way, choosing to listen to Satan the deceiver, and then having been deceived by him, to listen to one another rather than God. And that is what continues on to this day, as God allows each and every one of us to choose our own way; whether to believe and obey Him, or to follow our own sinful desires, and this sinful and degenerating world, which has an end (a horrible end), and which only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us from, and transform us out of. Even in the church, God’s rule in each and every believer’s life is subject to our own will; of how much we will let His Kingdom come and His Son rule in and reign our own hearts, persons, and lives. Therefore when the Lord Jesus says that we are to pray: “Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” He is placing our focus right back on God’s Will being done on earth as it is in heaven, because God’s Will being done on earth as it is in heaven is few and far between mans will being done down here.

Vs. 11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Having then addressed our deepest and greatest need which is to have God’s reign and rule first and foremost in our lives, the Lord Jesus now moves into the realm of our daily needs, by saying that we are to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus then places the emphasis on what we need today, not on what we desire, or think we will need down the road. For one’s life and God given purposes can be lost in the pursuit of this worlds goods and treasures, and we need to remember that it is God our Father who is our Provider, daily providing for us all that we need to do His Will day by day.

Vs. 12 “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”

The Lord Jesus now focuses on our own need of forgiveness, but He tempers that with whether or not we forgive others by saying: “And forgive us our debts just as we forgive those who are indebted to us”. And so by praying as much we are reminded of our own sins, faults, and failings before God when we feel the need to seek justice from God on those who have sinned against us. Therefore when we pray as much we bring to remembrance not only our own ongoing need for God’s grace, but it also reminds us to become God’s people of grace, who also dispense God’s grace to those indebted to us.

Vs. 13 “And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

The Lord Jesus now addresses every believer’s greatest struggle; and that is our ongoing battle with sin and Satan. Now in asking God not to lead us into temptation, we are not saying that God tempts us or anyone else to sin. For God tempts no one, rather it is our own sinful nature that is given over to sin where temptation is born (Rom. 7:14; James 1:13). Therefore by praying as much we are asking God not to lead us into “temptation”, i.e. a testing of our persons and faith which we ourselves cannot come through without Him (1 Cor. 10:13). For it is the evil one who whether directly, or working behind the scenes, is the real tempter of our persons and lives, who is always trying to deceive us and mislead us away from God and doing His will, into doing his will (consider 2 Tim. 2:24-26). And that is the battle that we all face down here, will we submit ourselves to God by believing and obeying His Son, or will we try to go it alone? For us who believe that choice has already been made (the moment we repented and believed) and will continue to be made in favor of God’s Son, not flawlessly, but continually as we press on towards Christ’s Kingdom and Likeness down here until we are home forever with Him in heaven. And so praying that God not lead us into temptation is not just a request to be guarded from our own sinful nature and desires, but the evil one as well. Notice too how our deliverance hinges on how we view and revere God; for if we don’t revere God’s Person and rule in our own persons and lives, then it is very likely we will have Satan’s. Therefore the Lord Jesus reminds us that it is God’s Kingdom, God’s Power, God’s Glory we are to seek, revere, exalt and extol, because when man in his pride exalts himself in his heart he becomes a prime candidate for Satan (who did the same) to be deceived and ruled by him.

Vs. 14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

The Lord Jesus now links our being forgiven by God with our forgiving others, reiterating verse 12. Now the forgiveness spoken of here is not the remission of all our sins that we receive the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, for that is our salvation from sin and death, (i.e. our being brought to Spirit life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and thus our justification before God, John 3:16; 5:24; Acts 4:12). Thus the forgiveness spoken of here is that which God gives or withholds from us as we forgive others as Christ’s disciples, and specifically His children (see Matt 18:21-35). And so our forging others when they sin against us is very important if we want to likewise experience God’s forgiveness down here. For as the Lord Jesus Christ warns in Matthew chapter eighteen God’s chastisement will be upon us if we don’t forgive others.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 6:1–4

¹ “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Commentary
Vs. 1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

The Lord Jesus now addresses our doing charitable deeds and key in this is not the deed (i.e. how sacrificial it is), but the motivation behind the deed (consider 1 Cor. 13:3). Therefore Jesus warns us not to do our charitable deeds before men to be seen by them, for that is what people do all time, do their charitable deeds to be seen by others so as to receive accolades and praises from them. Therefore the Lord Jesus warns us not to do that, because God the Father will not reward such “good deeds”, if it is only being done to impress men and not bless others through Him.

Vs. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

The sounding of a trumpet before one as they do their charitable deeds may seem a bit of an exaggeration, but in reality by saying as much Jesus dramatically portrays the kind of hypocritical and self-glorying giving that seeks to bring praise and glory to oneself, all which God does not reward. And so we are not to follow what the hypocrites do, because that will only assure that one receives the reward of the hypocrites; and that is the empty accolades of men that only last for a moment. Therefore in pursuing such things for themselves nothing more will be given them by the Father.

Vs. 3-4 ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

And so in contrast to do that the Lord Jesus says when we do our charitable deeds we are not to let our left hand know what our right hand is doing, the idea being we are not to try to draw attention to ourselves while doing our charitable deeds. Therefore when we do our charitable deeds in secret (not hypocritically and on public display for all to observe us doing so) we by doing them in secret are only doing them before God, for His approval, and thus it will God Himself who will reward us openly.


Scripture Quotation
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

Commentary

Vs. 43-45 ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

 Jesus now revisits a commandment that is in the Law (Lev. 19:18) that had become distorted in its interpretation amongst the Jews. Now the reading of it there states: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” And so from that command to be forgiving and gracious towards each other (something that applies to us all) the Jews interpreted it to mean, “You shall love your neighbor” (i.e. “the one who is near to you”, i.e. another Jew or someone you care about, easy enough) and then they added “you shall hate your enemy” (also very easy to do, to hate those whom you dislike). Now God never commanded them there to “hate their enemy” and so by basically rewriting the command in such a fashion they left a lot of room for personally defining who ones neighbor is, (as Jesus showed them in His story of the good Samaritan), and who ones enemy is. Now because of the encompassing nature of the Kingdom of heaven, of the Lord Jesus Christ willingness to suffer and die on the Cross for us all, and thus His now inviting and gathering both “righteous” and sinful people from every nation, tribe, and language (Rev. 5:9) such an understanding of one’s neighbor could never stand in the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore instead of reaffirming the Jews misguided understanding of their Law, Jesus now says to us all: ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^{vs. 44-45}

Therefore if we are going to be true citizens of the Kingdom of heaven we are going to have to rise higher than simply not bearing grudges against those whom have hurt or wronged us, we are going to have to actively seek the well being our “enemies”, for that is clear when Jesus says to us all, “…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” All which maybe contrary to our selfish sinful human hearts and ways, but is in full accord with Jesus Christ’s and God’s loving heart and caring ways.

And so instead of “hate your enemies” as the Jews taught, (and as people naturally follow and live by), the Lord Jesus Christ says to us all: “love your enemies”, because in doing so we are being like and doing just what God the Father and Christ His Son does towards us all. For when we were still enemies of God Christ suffered and died on the cross for us all. Therefore instead of hating, which is the devils domain, not God’s, we are to love, “for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God” (1 John 4:7). Again the Lord Jesus Christ says, “Bless those who curse you”, not curse back when cursed, but bless, and thus diffuse and deescalate, rather than follow the rising tide of hatred, wrath, and violence which Satan always forwards and promotes amongst people in the earth. Now in commanding that we love and bless our enemies, Jesus is not saying first try to have some warm and mushy feelings towards your enemies as My disciples, rather the Lord Jesus Christ is saying go beyond your own ordinary emotions and feelings and get to the heart of God, and thus “…do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” For that is the beginning of the ways of God, to first actively seek out reconciliation (and thus the well being) of those who hate Him (and us), and thus we are to be like our Father in heaven who not only created us all, but has now regenerated us all who believe in His Son, so that we who believe in Him might bear His Son’s Likeness and Love in the earth to one and all. Therefore God has given us His Holy Spirit who not only is sanctifying and transforming us, but it is God’s Spirit who is also actively and abundantly equipping and enabling us to live out His decrees and commands when we ourselves are led by Him.
Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ also says that we are to do these things that He has commanded us to do so “…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Therefore only in doing good to one and to all do we reveal ourselves as the sons and daughters of God. For as the Lord Jesus says here God makes His sun rise on the evil and the good and He sends rain on the just and the unjust, and so we too should not try to distinguish between our “neighbors” and “enemies” when it comes to dispensing God’s grace and blessings in the earth, because God’s goodness goes out into all the world without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Vs. 46-48

⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Therefore simply loving those who love you is living no different than anyone else. Indeed the Lord Jesus says that even the tax collectors do the same. Now tax collectors were those individuals whom Rome employed, specifically here, those Jews who became Rome’s agents for collecting their taxes on their own people, and so tax collectors were often hated and ostracized from their own communities because they not only set the tax levied on families and individuals which they set according to how much they thought they could get for themselves, but by compelling people to pay their taxes to Rome, and thus Caesar, they were thought traitors. Now Jesus is not opposed to our paying taxes, indeed He commands that we all pay our taxes (Matt. 22:17-21; Rom 13). Nor is Jesus opposed to tax collectors (only the manner in which they collect them would bring His disapproval, see Luke 3:12-13; 19:1-10, vs. 9 etc.). And so that is not His point here either. His point in choosing to mention tax collectors here is because of the low esteem they were held in people’s eyes. And so if anyone thought that they were any better than the hated and despised tax collectors by simply loving those who loved them, or greeting those whom they considered their brethren, then they need to think again, because as Jesus says here, they were in reality doing nothing more than those same tax collectors (and sinners) whom they looked down on. Again this all stems from Jesus commanding that we love our enemies, that we do good to those who hate us, and that we pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us, because this is what God Himself does, for in while we were still enemies of God, God sent His only Son to suffer and die on the Cross for us all (John 3:16). Therefore when we come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we are not to become a little clique where we only greet our fellow brethren, or show love and concern only to those who love or do good to us, for that would not be living and loving as God in Christ does. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ calls and commands us all who believe in Him to rise much higher that the self serving standards of this world.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 5:38-42

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 

Commentary

Now God gave a commandment in the law that said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Now this command was given to both restrain the evil inclinations of men, as well as repay whatever harm they caused, or schemed to cause to happen; causing harm or death to another individual; thereby assuring that whatever evil they did would be fully repaid to them in like manner (see Exodus 21:22-25, vs. 24-25; Lev. 24:19-20; Deut. 19:15-21, vs. 21). Therefore it was a law of just retribution that also put a restraint on the extent that any evil action could be repaid and punished.
Therefore here the Lord Jesus in opening up this commandment does not annul it, but rather He now commands us who believe in Him to reach beyond it, to not let the minor offenses that evil people do to us and others (i.e. here a slap in the face, basically “an insult”) become the means by which we are dragged down into harboring hatred, seeking vengeance, or exemplifying our own wrath when insulted or mildly harmed (consider James 1:19-20). And so rather than hitting back when hit, or repaying an insult with another insult, Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek, and thus by doing so we deny ourselves any “rights” to retaliation. Now what Jesus is not commanding here is “pacifism”, that is that force (even lethal) force should never be used to restrain an aggressor, or to defend an individual or nation when such force is the only means to do so. And so what Jesus is commanding us all here is that we not resist an evil person; and so if they slap us in the face, or insult us by some other means, we are to turn the other cheek which may defuse the situation, but may also pave the way for their own reconciliation with God. Again Jesus says that if someone wants to sue you and take away your tunic (an inner garment) let him have your cloak also (an outer garment), the principal being non-resistance to the evil gestures of the unjust. For under the law no one should sue to take away another’s clothing, for that was simply considered unconscionable to demand ones clothing as surety or repayment for debts (Ex. 22:26-27). Therefore Jesus says rather than resisting such an individual let him have your cloak also, because by doing so one commits the affair to God who always judges justly (1 Peter 2:21-23). Seeking then to sue back in like manner when one is sued is not what the Lord would have any of us do, for that is just another form of seeking personal retribution and retaliation and takes no more discipline than what the world does when wronged, they push back by whatever means they can, and Jesus says we are not to do so. Following this Jesus then says: “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” (vs. 41) In ancient times a Roman military person (or some other official) could compel one of their subjected peoples to carry their armor a full mile, something which was a sore spot with the Jews, and all subjugated peoples, to be compelled to carry their vanquisher’s armor or baggage for them; a law that the Romans would also use to publically humiliate someone if they so desired; now as humiliating as that might be it was not a law that would compel one to do something that would be in violation of God’s commandments. Therefore instead of resisting, or doing such things slothfully, or with a grudging countenance, Jesus commands us when compelled to go one mile with someone, (that is to do something that is lawfully required of us, but may not be all that appealing to us, yet is not in contravention of God’s commands) go with them two. For in doing so we not only rise above the oppression and hate that often follows when one is subjugated to another, but we also open the door for conversation and maybe even reconciliation! I think the Apostle Paul and Silas exemplified this kind of grace of God when they were wrongly imprisoned for their faith, and yet by their enduring such wrongs in a right way, God was able to move in the heart of their Philippian jailer and save him and his whole household (see Acts 16:16-34). Therefore in concluding this section on dealing with evil or unjust or possibly hostile people Jesus now commands us all to: “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” And so instead of putting up fierce resistance, we are to offer docile compliance to the minor and insignificant requests of men.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 5:33-37

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Commentary
Under the Law swearing by God’s Name was a serious matter requiring the one who did so to keep their vows before the Lord (Lev. 19:12; Num. 30:2; Deut. 23:31; Psalm61:8; Ecc. 5:4-7 etc.). Now in order to avoid using God’s name in swearing oaths people would often substitute swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or even their own heads to try to validate their own promises, words, or claims without invoking the Name of the Lord, thereby creating levels of “truthfulness” or believability according to what one swore by. Now as we know swearing by God’s Name, or swearing on a Bible, or swearing by anything else does not validate anything that anyone is saying, or promising to do. In fact schemers and liars are often the most willing to do just that, swear by this or swear on that. Just consider the two “witness” who testified against Christ when He was before the Sanhedrin counsel as examples of such individuals. Therefore if one is honest one should not have to swear by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or even one’s own head to validate their own word. For as the Lord Jesus makes it clear to substitute swearing by heaven in place of the God’s Name, so as to avoid any punitive action if one did not keep their word, is only to swear by God’s throne. Or to swear by the earth is only to swear by God’s footstool, or to swear by Jerusalem (is to swear by the city of the great King, our King Jesus, Gods Son). Even to swear by one’s own head is no less important, for God created us all, and is the Head of us all, and is above us all, and we cannot even make one hair white or black. And so swearing by any of these is no less important than swearing by God’s Name and therefore is no less serious in the eyes of God, because as the Word of God warns, all liars will have their place in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:6-8). Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ to keep us from making all kinds of promises, or swearing of all kinds of oaths, and also creating our own levels of “truthfulness”, or levels of what is incumbent upon us, now says to us all, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” So simple and yet so profoundly wonderful in keeping us truthful and honest and easily accountable to all, while also undermining the evil one, that is the devil, the father of lies (John 8:44), who loves to play around with the truth, using men and women who do the same to undermine the same. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ says do not swear by this or by that, or on this or on that, rather let your yes mean yes and no mean no. For anything else added to validate your own words and promises is not from God, but from the evil one, who has great pleasure in making people hypocritical liars like himself.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Matthew 5:31-32

 ³¹ “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Commentary

The Lord Jesus now continues on with His teachings on sexual immorality by moving into the realm of marriage. Now marriage is honorable amongst all, and bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge (Heb. 13:4). Therefore in seeking to preserve the purity of marriage the Lord Jesus now lays down for us some clear instructions of just what constitutes grounds for a Godly marriage, and sadly, when necessary, a just divorce. Now the priests, scribes, and Pharisees in Jesus’ day were the religious authorities and administrators of God’s Law; they knew the Law, and just how to exploit it for their own advantage. And so to avoid breaking God’s commandment not to commit adultery, they would simply divorce their current wives (by giving them a certificate of divorce, see Deut. 24:1-4) if they desired another woman, and then take her as a wife instead, using the Law’s passage in Deut. 24:1-4 as grounds for doing so. Now this practice became widespread amongst them in ancient Israel (Malachi 2:13-16). Therefore even as far back as the Book of Malachi we read of God’s great displeasure at their doing so, because by their doing so they were not only misusing that passage in the Law; (which permitted them to divorce their wives only in case of finding some sort of uncleanness with ones wife; i.e. she was degenerate, or an idolater, or was doing something that would also make him defiled by her behavior, and so not simply because he wanted to marry another women); therefore by their doing so they were not only covering God’s altar with tears, the tears of their abandoned wives and children whom they were leaving for the “love”/lust of another woman! But God says that they were also covering their own garments with violence, violence because of the devastating effects on both their wives and their children, which left them scarred for the rest of their lives. Therefore Jesus now readdresses the “infamous” passage in the Law that permitted divorce (but only if “uncleanness” was found in the wife), which they were clearly misusing for their own advantage so that they could divorce their current wives and marry another woman. Therefore to correct this, the Lord Jesus’ now says: “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ makes it very clear to us all that the only just grounds for divorcing ones wife is that the wife has committed sexual immorality against him, (and thus no longer can the “uncleanness” mentioned in Deut. 24:1-4 be used to justify divorcing ones wife unless it is an “uncleanness” upon her because the wife has already committed sexual immorality against her husband, thus breaking the marriage covenant, and thus justifying its annulment if that was sought by him. Therefore by stating as much Jesus has ended forever anyone justifying divorcing their wives just so that they can take another woman and marry her so as not to be committing adultery, and break God’s commandment. Now in this Jesus also says that a divorced woman is not to be remarried by anyone, because if one does then one is only committing adultery themselves. The assumption then is that the divorced woman being mentioned here was the adulterous party in the previous marriages annulment, and thus no one should marry her for then they would only be marrying an adulterous! Again the same would also apply to a man if he is the guilty party.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.