The Conclusion of Matthew 5's readings provides the listener with an inside view of the attitudes of the heart. In Matthew 5, Jesus took six important Old Testament laws and interpreted them for His people in the light of the new life He came to give. He made a fundamental change without altering God's standards: He dealt with the attitudes and intents of the heart and not simply with external action. The Pharisees said that righteousness consisted of performing certain actions, but Jesus said it centered on the attitudes of the heart. Likewise, the Pharisees had a list of external actions that they deemed sinful, but Jesus explained that sin came from the attitudes of the heart. Anger is murder in the heart; lust is adultery in the heart.
We need to take an inward look at the attitudes of our hearts.
There is holy anger against sin Romans 1:18, but Jesus talked about a wave of unholy anger against people. Jesus affirmed God's law of purity, and then explained that the intent of this law was to reveal the sanctity of sex and the sinfulness of the human heart. The Lord dealt with divorce in greater detail in Matthew 19:1-12. The Pharisees used all kinds of tricks to sidestep the truth, and vows were among them. Getting revenge, Jesus replaced a law with an attitude: Be willing to suffer loss yourself rather than cause another to suffer. And in the love for enemies, Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly. Since Christian love is an act of the will and not simply an emotion, Jesus has the right to command us to love our enemies. Learn to forgive as Christ forgave us. How many times? As many times as He has forgiven you of your sins. We need to be kind and compassionate toward each other, and love even when the world does not love us back. We serve a forgiving God, a God of all mercy and full of goodness.
I say this, God never promised us days without rain, nor days that the sun would forever shine. But He did promise us that if we love Him, Serve Him and no other gods He would never leave us nor forsake us.
Elder Hayes
Wiersbe
