Matthew Chapter 5

From The Open Bible Project

5:1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

5:2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

• (1) Christ teaches that the greatest joy and happiness is not in the conveniences and pleasures of this life, but is laid up in heaven for those who willingly rest in the good will and pleasure of God, and endeavour to profit all men, although they are cruelly vexed and troubled by those of the world, because they will not adapt themselves to their ways.

5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.[20]

• (a) Under the name of poverty are meant all the miseries, that are joined with poverty.
• (b) Whose minds and spirits are brought under control, and tamed, and obey God.

5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.[21]

5:5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the [22>]earth.[<22]

5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

• (c) Fitly is this word "pure" joined with the heart, for as a bright and shining resemblance or image may be seen plainly in a clear and pure looking glass, even so does the face (as it were) of the everlasting God, shine forth, and clearly appear in a pure heart.

5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

5:10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:11 "Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

5:13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

• (2) The ministers of the word especially (unless they will be the most cowardly of all) must lead others both by word and deed to this greatest joy and happiness.
• (d) Your doctrine must be very sound and good, for if it is not so, it will be not regarded and cast away as a thing unsavoury and vain.
• (e) What will you have to salt with? And so are fools in the Latin tongue called "saltless", as you would say, men that have no salt or savour and taste in them.

5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.

• (f) You shine and give light by being made partakers of the true light.

5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

5:17 "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.

• (3) Christ did not come to bring any new way of righteousness and salvation into the world, but indeed to fulfil that which was shadowed by the figures of the Law, by delivering men through grace from the curse of the Law: and moreover to teach the true use of obedience which the Law appointed, and to engrave in our hearts the power for obedience.
• (g) That the prophecies may be accomplished.

5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one [23>]smallest letter[<23] or one [24>]tiny pen stroke[<24] shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

5:19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

• (4) He begins with the true expounding of the Law, and sets it against the old (but yet false) teachings of the scribes: He is in no way abolishing the least commandment of his Father.
• (h) He shall have no place in the Church.

5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;'[25] and 'Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the judgment.'

• (5) The true meaning of the first commandment.

5:22 But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother [26>]without a cause[<26] shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever shall say to his brother, '[27>]Raca[<27]!' shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of the fire of [28>]Gehenna.[<28]

• (i) He speaks of the judgment of God, and of the difference of sins, and therefore applies his words to the form of civil judgments which were then used.
• (k) Of that judgment which was ruled by three men, who had the hearing and deciding of money matters, and such other small causes.
• (l) By that judgment which stood of 23 judges, who had the hearing and deciding of weighty affairs, as the matter of a whole tribe or of a high priest, or of a false prophet.

(m) Whereas we read here "hell", it is in the text itself "Gehenna", which is one Hebrew word made out of two, and is as if to say "as the Valley of Hinnom", which the Hebrews called Topheth: it was a place where the Israelites cruelly sacrificed their children to false gods, whereupon it was taken for a place appointed to torment the reprobates in (Jeremiah 7:31).

• (n) The Jews used four kinds of punishments, before their government was taken away by Herod: hanging, beheading, stoning, and burning. It is burning that Christ meant, because burning was the greatest punishment; therefore by making mention of a judgment, a council, and a fire, he shows that some sins are worse than others are, but yet they are all such that we must give account for them, and will be punished for them.

5:23 "If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

• (6) The covetous Pharisees taught that God was appeased by the sacrifices appointed in the law, which they themselves devoured. But Christ on the contrary side denies that God accepts any man’s offering, unless he makes satisfaction to his brother whom he has offended: and says moreover, that these stubborn and stiff-necked despisers of their brethren will never escape the wrath and curse of God before they have made full satisfaction to their brethren.
• (o) He applies all this speech to the state of his time, when there was then an altar standing in Jerusalem, and therefore they are very foolish that gather from this that we must build altars and use sacrifices: but they are bigger fools who consider this to be purgatory, which is spoken of as peace making and atonement one with another.

5:24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

5:25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

• (p) Remove all cause for enmity.

5:26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last [29>]penny.[<29]

• (q) You will be dealt with in this manner, to the utmost extremity.

5:27 "You have heard that it was said, [30] 'You shall not commit adultery;'[31]

• (7) He is taken for an adulterer before God, whoever he is, that covets a woman: and therefore we must keep our eyes chaste, and all the members we have, yea and we must avoid all opportunities that might move us to evil, no matter what it costs us.

5:28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

5:29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into [32>]Gehenna.[<32]

• (r) He names the right eye and the right hand, because the parts of the right side of our bodies are the chiefest, and the most ready to commit any wickedness.
• (s) Literally, do cause you to offend: for sins are stumbling blocks as it were, that is to say, rocks which we are cast upon.

5:30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into [33>]Gehenna.[<33]

5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'[34]

5:32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'

• (8) The meaning of the third commandment against the perverse opinion and judgment of the scribes, who excused by oaths or indirect forms of swearing.

5:34 but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

5:35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

5:36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.

5:37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

• (t) Whatever you affirm, affirm it alone, and whatever you deny, deny it alone without any more words.
• (u) From an evil conscience, or from the devil.

5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'[35]

• (9) He shows that contrary to the doctrine of the scribes, that the sum of the second table must be so understood, that we may in no wise render evil for evil, but rather suffer double injury, and do well to them that are our deadly enemies.

5:39 But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor,[36] and hate your enemy.[37]'

5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

• (10) A double reason: the one is taken of the relatives, The children must be like their father: the other is taken of comparisons, The children of God must be better than the children of this world.

5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?

5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the [38>]tax collectors[<38] do the same?

• (x) They that were the toll masters, and had the oversight of tributes and customs: this was a type of man that the Jews hated to death, both because they served the Romans in those offices (whose heavy bondage they could not overthrow) and also because these toll masters were for the most part given to covetousness.

5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.