Lk. 6:24 “But woe unto you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Lk. 6:25 “Woe unto you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe unto you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
Mt. 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and whoever murders will be in danger of judgment.”
Yeshua here is alluding to one of the Ten Commandments. It is from this verse, and others, that we have developed a doctrine of passivism. It does not say, “Thou shalt not commit kill,’ but, “thou shalt not commit premeditated murder.” It doesn’t have anything to do with justifiable homicide such as killing an enemy in battle, protecting your family, or self defense.
Sources: Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17; M:Baba Kamma 6:4; M:Eduyoth 5:6,7; M:Kerithoth 1:1; M:Makkoth 2:1-3; 1:7-10; M:Rosh haShanah 1:8; M:Sanhedrin 1:4-6; 5:1-4; 3:3-5; 6:1,4,5; 7:3; 9:1,3,5,6; 11:2,5; M:Shevuoth 4:1; M:sotah 9:9
Mt. 5:22 “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”
The Hebrew word racah used here means “empty-headed” or “incompetent.” One who uses this term against another has slandered the person, which is a serious offense in those days that was judged by the Sanhedrin.
Sources: Psalm 14:1; M:Sanhedrin 1:5
The Hebrew word for “fool” used here has a very serious connotation 9Psalm 14:1; 53:1-3). This is a very corrupt person who has turned completely away from God. It refers to a fool who is empty of knowledge. It was used in rabbinic literature as an expression of scorn and contempt, as if the life of the addressee was of little worth. To make this statement containing this kind of judgment assumes a place reserved only for God. Only God knows a man’s heart. We may be able to see actions and hear words, but we can’t look inside a man. The emphasis here is we cannot usurp the position and authority of God. When we do that, we stand in danger of facing the same judgment that we tried to pass on to that individual.
Sources: Psalm 14:1; 53:1-3
The term “without cause” does not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the church fathers.
Sources: Papyrus 67 (125-150 C.E.); Justin, 165 C.E.
Here, probably more than any other place in the Gospels, Yeshua is stressing proper relationships between believers. We are so used to judgment and hard words falling on believers that when the Lord turns the tables on us it is hard for us to grasp. It is so important to the Lord that we treat each other right that He puts in His Word this stern warning. Can our acts toward our fellow man take us out of a right relationship with God and put our souls in eternal danger, even though we have professed to be believers? According to the words of Yeshua this is possible. When will we ever learn that our relationship with God is on par with our relationship with our brothers and sisters? You cannot do your brother wrong and still expect God to bless you. It just doesn’t work that way.
Mt. 5:23 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you.”
Mt. 5:24 “Leave your gift before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Verses twenty-three and twenty-four concern getting forgiveness from others before offering to God. M:Yoma 8:9 says, The transgression a man commits against God on the Day of Atonement are atoned, but the one against his neigh“bor is only atoned when his neighbor is satisfied.” M:Baba Kamma 8:7 says that although he mad compensation the other party must be fully reconciled, and has sought his forgiveness. If you are not in fellowship with your brother, you are not in fellowship with your God, and He will not accept your offering. The emphasis of Yeshua’s teaching was not praise and worship of God, but the relationship of believers to their fellow men. He almost never says anything about “vertical relationship” (men’s relationship with God). His focus was mostly “horizontal relationship” (men’s relationship with his fellow men).
Sources: M:Baba Kamma 8:7; 9:12; M:Middoth 3:4; M:Pesachim 3:7; M:Yoma 8:9
Mt. 5:25 “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on your way with him lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you are thrown into prison.”
Eccl. 8:2 says, “Do not quarrel with a rich man, lest his resources outweigh yours.” I do not believe that the Lord is teaching here that we should never stand up for ourselves when we are right. What He is saying is that when you are wrong, admit it, pay the penalty and go on. Prolonged argument can only cost you more in the long rum, and hinder any further work of the Kingdom of God. Also, you need to use a little common sense. Sometimes arguing a situation against overwhelming odds can make you “dead right” while accomplishing nothing. Because of the way circumstances come about in this world, you are going to lose no matter how right you are. If it comes to a choice between your ego and going on to serve God, don’t make the wrong choice.
Sources: Eccl. 8:2; M:Baba Kamma 4:1; 8:6; M:Chullin 3:2; M:Kiddushin 4:5; M:Nazir 5:2; M:Shekalim 2:1, 4; 6:6; M:Sanhedrin 1:1; 3:1
Mt. 5:26 “Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.”
Sources: M:Baba Bathra 5:9; 10:2; M:Eduyoth 1:10; 4:7; M:Kelim 6:4; M:Kiddushin 1:1; M:Meilah 6:4; M:Ma’aser Sheni 2:7, 9; 4:9; M;Mikvaoth 9:5; M;Shevuoth 6:3
Mt. 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’”
The phrase “you have heard,” when compared with the Mishnah, shows that it is a rabbinic formula which means to receive a tradition and refers to Scripture, but not to the Oral Law (M:Sanhedrin 10:2). The phrase “It is said,” or “It is written,” is a typical rabbinic traditional reference for a quotation from Scripture.
Sources: Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18; M:Sanhedrin 7:2, 32, 9; 9:6; 10:2; M:Yevamoth 10:6, 7
Mt. 5:28 “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Here again, Yeshua uses Kal Vachomer to explain Scripture. If lusting after a woman is a sin, how much more is the actual act of adultery? But, “lusting” is not what we usually associate with the term. Simply looking at a woman does not constitute lust. This lust means an unbridled, ungoverned, uncontrolled desire of idolatrous tendencies. In other words, it has almost become an act of idol worship. Your desire to possess her is ungoverned and out of control. You must have her at any cost. The Lord is saying that while it is still under control, deal with it before it gets out of control and destroys you. An example of this would be that while walking down the street one night you see a beautiful television set in a store window. You stand and admire it for a long time, even imagining what it would be like to possess it and have it in your home. So far, you have done nothing wrong. These are natural impulses. But, you go too far when you pick up a brick, throw it through the window and steal the television. That is the story here. What we have to realize is that we are sexual beings. We fantacize all the time. There is nothing wrong with that. We get into trouble when we cross the line and go too far. Fortunately, few people go that far. But, we don’t want to put ourselves into some kind of spiritual bondage by refusing to accept the fact that we are human beings and have human thoughts. If a problem arises, deal with it in its infancy when it is easy to do so. Don’t let it make you cross the line and go too far.
Sources: Proverbs 6:25; M:Avoth 1:5; M:Niddah 5:4
Mt. 5:29 “And if your right eye causes you to sin pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Mt. 5:30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and cast it from you, for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
Verses twenty-nine and thirty, which seem impossible to understand when taken from their Jewish context, are a clear example of one of the most common Jewish teaching methods of Yeshua’s day, known as Kal Vachomer. This term means “light and heavy,” and is used by Yeshua repeatedly. The basis for this method of teaching illustrates that if one will nip the sin in the bud while it is still in the light stage, you will prevent it from destroying you. The same wording is often used in ancient Judaism where such phrases as “The hand that promotes self-abuse, let it be cut off.” This is simply referring to stopping the act in an early or light stage, not the actual cutting off of the hand.
Source: M:Niddah 2:1
The name Gehenna is mentioned as the Valley of the Sons of Hinnon, near Jerusalem, which idolaters used to sacrifice human lives. In this valley of slaughter, children were burned to the blood deity Moloch; hence the entire area took on a sinister aspect and became identified with woe and suffering. The name Gehenna passed into use as a designation for the place of punishment in the hereafter. The Greeks and Romans had their place of woe situated as far below Hades as Hades was below Heaven.
Source: Jeremiah 32:35
Mt. 5:31 “Furthermore, it has been said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a bill of divorcement.”
Yeshua’s remarks here represent an excellent example of halakhah. His comment on divorce belongs to a controversy that raged in the first century. The controversy arose out of an ambiguous phrase found in Deut. 24:1 – Ervat Davar. The “Brown-Driver-Briggs” and “Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon” both translate this phrase as “nakedness of a thing, i.e., prob. Indecency, improper behavior.”
Ancient Jewish scholars struggled with the precise meaning of “ervat davar,” as modern Christian scholars do today. The opinions of the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel on the matter appear in the Mishnah (Gittin 9:10). Shammai takes the more conservative position with marriage, but embraces a more flexible position with the text. He reads the text as if “ervat davar” is actually “devar ervah,” which suggests something unchaste about the woman. Hillel takes the more liberal position with marriage, but embraces a more rigid reading of the text. For him, “ervat davar” means just what it says, something unseemingly. Hillel’s interpretation of Deut. 24:1 treats ruining a meal as unseemly behavior and, therefore, recognizes poor cooking skills as possible grounds for divorce. In reality, he claims that incompatibility is sufficient cause for divorce, which is the approach taken in modern jurisprudence. Rabbi Akiva, who lived about a century after Hillel and Shammai, takes a position more liberal than Hillel’s. Underscoring the wording “When a man has taken a wife .... and it comes to pass that she find no favor in his eyes,” Rabbi Akiva accepts a husband finding a more attractive woman as grounds for divorce.
Yeshua’s words in Matt. 5:32 reflect the opinion of the School of Shammai. By saying, “except for the cause of unchastity,” Yeshua informs those listening to His teaching that He interprets “ervat davar” as some sort of unchaste act between a married woman and another man. In the heated discussion about Deut. 24:1 and divorce in the first century, Yeshua stands along side Shammai at the more conservative end of the spectrum.
Source: Deut. 24:1; M:Gittin 9:10
Mt. 5:32 “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except fornication causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”
Fornication in the Bible is sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons. This being the case, how can a married woman commit fornication? This is probably one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture and that has been used to bring about more spiritual bondage than any other, simply because we do not understand the subject of divorce. You can be forgiven for rape, robbery, and murder by the church, but divorce is viewed as the unpardonable sin. The first thing we have to remember is that Yeshua is talking here to Jews, and we have to look at His teaching from that context. When a Jewish man and woman became betrothed it was almost the same thing as being married. In the marriage contract, or kethubbah, the woman’s virginity is mentioned four times. The groom pays a large sum of money, called a dowry, for that virginity. The marriage is not completely consummated until the bride and groom engage in sexual intercourse. The blood-stained sheets, called the tokens of her virginity (Deut. 22:15, 17, 20), become a legal document which can be used in a court of law. Later on, if a man accuses his wife of not being a virgin when they were married, she produces that sheet as evidence, and he can never divorce her again for any reason. The only way that a married woman can commit fornication is by falsifying her marriage. In that case, she was never really married to begin with.
Sources: Deut. 22:15, 17, 20; Numbers 30:2
The marriage contract (kethubbah), containing the mutual obligations between husband and wife prerequisite to marriage, has been regarded as a safeguard against hasty divorce. The term “kethubbah” is used for the document in which the bridegroom pledges himself to assign a certain sum of money to the bride in the event of his death or of his divorcing her. The minimum settlement for a virgin is, according to Rabbinic Law, two hundred zuz, and for a widow remarrying a hundred zuz. Its origin goes back to the “marriage price for virgins” which, in Biblical times, the bridegroom paid to the father of the bride (Exodus 22:16).
Source: Exodus 22;16
There were many valid reasons for getting a divorce, both for the man, as well as the woman. Like today, there were many opinions on this during this time. The School of Hillel said a man could divorce his wife for just about any reason, even if her appearance no longer pleased him, or if she burned his meal. The School of Shammai said that divorce was lawful only in the case of adultery. The teaching of the School of Hillel became the accepted standard. Yeshua disagreed with both of them. He did say, “If a man divorces his wife (for a legitimate reason), let him give her a bill of divorcement (get).” In other words, there were other valid, lawful reasons (Tractate Gittin) for divorce, which He evidently agreed with, or He would have come against them, too.
Sources: M;Gittin 1:1, 3, 5, 6; 2:3-8; 3:1, 3, 5, 6; 4:1-3, 7, 8; 6:1-3; 7:2, 3; 8:1, 3, 5, 6; 9:10
But, if the marriage contract was falsified to begin with, and the man divorces her without giving her a bill of divorcement, he causes her and another man who might marry her to commit adultery. The emphasis here is on the husband not doing the divorce properly. The sin is his, not hers. Now comes the big question. How can this be applied to us today, since we are non-Jews and do not follow these customs? The answer is that we cannot apply this verse to our teaching on divorce. The only thing we as non-Jews can apply from this is there are many other reasons for divorce which are valid, but it has to be done properly. Divorce must be used as the absolute last resort, but it is up to our courts to decide what the valid reasons are.
Sources: M:Kethuboth 5:5; 7:1-10; M:Sanhedrin 3:3-5; M:Sotah 5:1; M;Yevamoth 6:6
Mt. 5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said of those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but perform your oaths to the Lord.”
Mt. 5:34 “But I say to you, do not swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God’s throne,”
Mt. 5:35 “Nor by earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.”
Mt. 5:36 “Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.”
Mt. 5:37 “But let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
If you make an oath or a vow and not perform it without a good cause, you are going to be held accountable. The teaching in Judaism is that your word is to be a righteous yes or no. If you make a promise to someone, keep it if at all possible. If a valid reason arises why you cannot keep your word, go to that person, explain the circumstances, and ask their forgiveness from it.
Josephus gives us an interesting point of view of the Essenes on swearing: “Whatever they (Essenes) say also is firmer than oath; but swearing is avoided by them, and they esteem it worse than perjury, for they say that he who cannot be believed without [swearing by] God is already condemned.
Source: Jos. Wars 2.8.6 135
Mt. 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’”
In the first part of this verse, Yeshua is quoting from what is known as the Law of Retaliation or Lex Talionis. He is actually quoting Exodus 21:24. The purpose of this law was not merely the enforcement of rigorous justice, but also the prevention of greater penalties than would be just. The Law of Retaliation (like for like) is not the same as private revenge. The equivalent penalty was inflicted by the judge, not by the injured person. The Lord’s remarks here, to say the least, are in keeping with the original intent of the Law. As with all His teachings, He is taking it to an even higher level. Forget revenge and focus on forgiveness. Such is the Kingdom of God.
Sources: Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deut. 19:21
Mt. 5:39 “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
Lk. 6:29a “To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.”
Could Yeshua have said this to His disciples? If so, it would appear that He was contradicting what would later be said in Scripture, such as Romans 12:9 and James 4:7. But, when we translated this verse back into Hebrew, we see that He was not creating a new saying, but quoting a well-known Old Testament proverb (Proverbs 24:19, 20; Psalm 37:1, 8). In modern English we would translate this maxim “Don’t compete with evildoers.” Yeshua was not teaching that we should lie down in the face of evil, or submit to it. Rather, He was teaching that we should forgo trying to “get back at,” or take revenge on a quarrelsome neighbor. Yeshua is expressing an important principle which applied to our relationships with friends and neighbors. He is talking about the fundamentals of brotherly relationships, and how to related to our neighbors. Once we learn how to correctly translate this verse, we can correctly understand the verses which follow. Each verse is an illustration of how we should react to a hostile neighbor. Our response to evil does not have to be resistance. It is morally wrong to tolerate evil. Our response to a “hothead” neighbor must be entirely different. His anger will be temporary if we respond in a Biblical manner (I Thess. 5:15; I Peter 3:9). “Do not avert your eye from the needy, or give a man occasion to curse you” (Eccl. 4:5). “He that shows mercy will lend to his neighbor, and he that strengthens him with his hand keeps the commandments” (Eccl. 29:1).
Sources: Eccl. 4:5; 29:1; Psalm 37:1, 8; Proverbs 24:19, 20; Romans 12:9; James 4:7; I Thess. 5:15; I Peter 3:9
Mt. 5:40 “And if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.”
Lk. 6:29b “And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.”
Mt. 5:41 “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
Mt. 5:42 “Give to him that asks you, and from him that wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.”
Lk. 6:30 “Give to everyone who asks you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.”
Gemiluth Hasadim (practices of kindness) is a virtue which includes every kind of help: visiting the sick, comforting those who mourn, escorting the dead to the grave. While tzedakah normally is some type of financial assistance, gemiluth hasadim can be of some type of service. Tzedakah is charity for the poor, while gemiluth hasadim can be given to the rich or the poor. The Mishnah counts it among the things for which the Torah has set no limit.
It appears that one is duty-bound to give his material possessions to anyone who asks for them. A mistranslation of the first half of this verse is the cause of the confusion. There are two words for “borrow” in Hebrew because there are actual subtle differences between the word “ask” in the sense of borrow, and the word “borrow” itself. A distinction is made between borrowing an object such as a book, which must itself be returned to the person from whom it was borrowed, and borrowing something such as money or flour which must be returned in kind. We are to be good stewards of what God has entrusted us with. One is not to foolishly dispose of possessions, not give without God’s leading in the giving. But, on the other hand, if we can help someone truly deserving our help by letting them borrow something they don’t have themselves, or even give them what we can spare, we are duty bound to do it.
Mt. 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”
Source: Lev. 19:18
Mt. 5:44a “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you.”
Lk. 6:27 “But I say to you who hear; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
This remark has unfortunately led generations of Christians to interpret Yeshua’s words to mean that it is a traditional teaching of Judaism to hate your enemies. In fact, no such statement can be found in either the Bible or rabbinic teaching. It was just recently found only in the teachings of the Dead Sea Sect. This does, however, prove that Yeshua was very much familiar with this sect. In the Talmud the well-known Rabbi Abahu said: “The day of rain is greater than the resurrection of the dead, because the resurrection of the dead benefits only the just. But, the rain benefits both the just and the unjust. He who provides rain takes care of His children, even when they don’t deserve it.”
Mt. 5:44b “And pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Lk. 6:28 “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
Mt. 5:45 “That you may be the sons of your Father in Heaven; for He makes the sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
Mt. 5:46a “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?”
Lk. 6:32a “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”
Mt. 5:46b “Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Lk. 6:32b “For even sinners love those who love them.”
The publicans were among the leading enemies of the Pharisees. The term does refer to those Jews who were hated by their fellow Jews for participating in the demeaning work of the Romans. The publicans were generally the wealthy men who paid for the privilege of collecting taxes in certain areas. Often they hired local Jews to do the dirty work of collecting the many Roman taxes which included the poll tax, the land tax, export taxes, and import taxes, as well as transportation of slaves, tolls on roads and bridges, and even a market tax in Jerusalem instituted by Herod the Great. The tax collectors often overcharged the people and pocketed the surplus. In rabbinic literature, they were referred to as robbers, and even in the Gospels they were looked upon as sinners.
Yeshua even used them to illustrate the lowest class of people. The Roman Cicero noted that the tax collectors were called the “flower of the knighthood.” and “the ornament of the state,” as well as “the strength of the republic.”Obviously they were a strong arm for the Romans and were looked upon negatively by the Jews.
Lk. 6:31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Mt. 5:47 “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you have more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”
Lk. 6:33 “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
Lk. 6:34 “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive back as much.”
Lk. 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”
Mt. 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”
Lk. 6:36 “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
One way of interpreting the Gospel text is to suggest that Yeshua here was not contradicting the Torah, but that His followers might wish to voluntarily go beyond its basic demands. Yeshua, then, goes on to suggest that loving one’s neighbor is not enough. He asks for higher standards.
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