Literature Matthew 5:43-48 makes up a small literary piece of an intricate sermon recorded in chapters 5-7 of the gospel of Matthew. In its immediate context, 5:43-48 concludes a series of antitheses taking place from Matthew 5:21-48; more specifically, 5:43-46 falls as the sixth and final antithesis of the sermon (Blomberg 1992:93). Each of these antitheses follow the same general pattern. Christ begins with “You have heard it said. . .” and then continues with an Old Testament command likely well known in Jewish teaching. Then Christ, by saying, “But I say to you. . .” adds to the command, or rather clarifies what the heart orientation behind the command should look like. Blomberg makes the important clarification that “Christ makes clear …show more content…
Talbert notes, “Matthew’s Gospel is clearly set in the context of ancient Judaism. It is usually recognized as the most Jewish of all four canonical Gospels” (2006:3). In fact, a major theme of the gospel had to do with the fulfillment of the Old Testament law. Beginning in chapter 1, the gospel displays, through Christ’s genealogy, how his coming fulfilled the covenants made to Abraham and David in the Old Testament (Allen 1969:63). Furthermore, this theme continues throughout the gospel through fulfillment formulas (Blomberg 1990:30) and occurs in Matthew 5:43-48 as Christ brings about a fuller meaning/fulfillment to the command to “love your neighbor” (Leviticus …show more content…
Some scholars apply it as justification for pacifism, as mentioned earlier, while still others apply the passage as a simple moral standard Christians should attempt to live up to. Additionally, “Many, in an attempt to relieve their congregations of the burden of Jesus, have turned these words into an impossible ideal, a purely figurative metaphor, or, conversely, have driven us into despair over our failure to embody such teaching” (Willimon 2003:61-63). However, in light of the context of Matthew, and the ministry of Christ depicted in each of the Gospels, the firm argument emerges that in this passage, Christ calls his followers, of the first-century and of now, to live bold and non-conformative lives that display the Kingdom of God here on
This work is also said to be anonymous, and believed to have been produced in Syria within a large Jewish and Jewish-Christian community. It is apparent from a number of shared accounts, and overlapping stories of Jesus that the author of Matthew’s Gospel used Mark as a source. Although many of the stories are expanded upon, and carry different connotations, the same basic stories are found in all of the synoptic gospels, and because Mark was the first written, scholars assume it was a source used by both Matthew and Luke. It should also be noted that many of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew were not found in Mark. This led scholars to search for a second source, which resulted in the Q document. Although not available as a feasible document, Q designates a compilation of Jesus’ parables and sayings from about 50 to 70 CE, which are present in Matthew (Harris p.156). Throughout the gospel, Matthew uses formula quotations, meaning he quotes from the Old Testament. This strong relationship with the Hebrew Bible helps scholars determine that Matthew wanted to emphasize his Jewish position. This is important because his interpretations of Jesus throughout the gospel are not agreed upon by all Jews, in fact only a small fraction. Although it is obvious to the readers than John and Matthew carry very different stories of Jesus’ life, it is interesting to
“But you must admit, Pastor, that not every decree in the Bible makes sense in this day and age.” “Only because you [Moretti] are taking the verses out of historical context-“ “Mr. Lincoln,” Angela Moretti says flatly. “You did first.” (Sing You Home p.388)
S: Well, as followers of Jesus we should fulfill the Jewish law; we should even take it as far and fulfill it better than the Pharisees and scribes. In my opinion, the Gospel of Matthew does not tell to abandon the Jewish law; it in fact, says the opposite. Jesus fulfills this Law and prophecy!
“Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31).” And “Live by the sword, die by the sword (Gospel of Matthew 26:52)”
The book of Matthew chapter 5 through 7 was known as, “The Sermon on the Mount”. Which were words spoken by Jesus Christ. The purpose of this Sermon was to show representation of the normative foundation of Christian Morality. For instance, this passage was more so fixated on whole hearted benevolence towards others around you and genuine devotion to God.
Regarding fulfillment, the New Testament writers have identified Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They believed that the prophecies from the Hebrew Bible have been performed by Jesus and that He was sent by God. First of all, God told Abram in Genesis 12:3 that the world would be blessed through him. A Messianic prophecy was that the Messiah would be a descendent of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and also from King David. The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:2-6 reveals that He descended from Abraham, Judah, and King David. Thus, the author of Matthew is asserting that according to Jesus’ forefathers, He qualifies as being the Messiah.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
In the book, “Jesus and the Disinherited,” the author, Howard Thurman in chapter five expounds on “Love.” Moreover, Thurman, a black man in the early 1900, with the ultimate goal to offer a humanizing combination as the basis for an emancipatory way of being, moving toward an unchained life to all women and men everywhere who hunger, thirst for righteousness, especially those “who stand with their backs against the wall.” By the same token, Thurman experienced “Fear,” “Deception,” and “Hate” that causes internal, spiritual damage to those who choose compliance, isolation, and violent resistance over the way of Jesus (www.smootpage.blogspot.com). Notably, Howard Thurman’s message helped shaped the civil rights movement that
In the Bible’s New Testaments the book of Matthew is of Gospels genre. In the Old Testament God appointed the people who we know as prophets. They were the ones to describe Jesus life and work. What they wrote, those things did happen during Jesus life on earth. The book of Matthew explains to everyone who doesn’t believe it that Jesus is Christ. It means that Christ is God’s King. People were told by the prophets that they will be saved by the Christ from punishment for their evil deeds. This is the book about Jesus life. It teaches what Matthew wrote in this book about what Jesus taught. It even included the speech by Jesus called “The Sermon on the Mount” in chapters 5-7. It even went on to say that many ill people were cured by Jesus, blind people were able to see again, deaf people were able to hear again and Jesus even freed people who were possessed by evil spirits. There were some people who happen to hate Jesus. Jesus was killed by those who hated him on a cross. According to the prophets they had already written that Jesus would die (Isaiah 53; Matthew 12:40). Jesus was the one to suffer all the punishment from other people’s evil deeds after his death (Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:28).
In Matthew 24:43–25:13, it gives us a story of Jesus. We see Jesus painted as a thief in the night and as a bridegroom, both being mirrored images of Jesus as the returning King. The central message in both stories is to watch and be ready, because the day and hour of His coming are unknown. In Matthew 24:43-51, it gives a parable of two slaves, one whom is a wise and faithful servant, found caring for the master’s household (God’s people). The other is an evil servant whom beats the other slaves, lives among the world, and commits worldly acts. In Matthew 25:1-13, we find a parallel story, about ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and did not take extra oil, and five were prudent and carried extra oil for the trip. In both stories, we find the faithful understood that watching meant being properly prepared, servicing the kingdom, and knowing that Jesus will return at an unknown time. The unfaithful were not ready for the kingdom, they showed their true character, and thought they had more time. The Scriptures drops the message that one day the Lord will return as King to judge all. There will be a reward for the true servants and there will be punishment for the false servants.
Matthew directed this passage toward the Matthean reader for it supplies instruction and a sense of warning to those who wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. “Matthew uses tension and surprise, in both form and content, to address this situation, while affirming that Jesus Christ, “God is with us,” is the defining figure around which the community’s self-understanding, imagination, and social relations are to be formed” (Saunders 871). By presenting the text in the form of a parable, the message of God’s will is omitted in a historical and cultural context that enables society to comprehend the meaning behind the words chosen by Matthew.
Jesus however, has much different beliefs. He believes there is a certain way to live in order to achieve the greater things in the after life. For doing the right thing for god is the way we all need to live. At times in the story “Sermon on the mount,” it can sound very radical. Saying things such as "Whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery," and "If you say, 'You fool, ' you will be liable to the hell of
Another common theme is that the gospel should be spoken to believers and non-believers alike. Luke’s gospel was written to heighten the faith of believers and to give answers to non-believers. There were Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ, and it was spoken that the faith of God is available to both. Matthew’s audience is primarily the Jew who is familiar with the Old Testament. At many points in Jesus’s ministry, he healed people who were outcasts, as well as the poor and the sick. He provided everyone an invitation to join Him since The Kingdom of God does not belong to one particular ethnic group, nation or
The reason that the Gospel of Matthew is in the first place among the four Gospels is due to the early church tradition that Matthew was the earliest one who recorded Lord’s word and Jesus stories. In the fifth century, Augustine of Hippo claimed that "the canonical order of the four Gospels was the chronological order." In the late-eighteenth century, J. J. Griesbach stated that The Gospel of Mark was a short version of the combination of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. In the nineteenth century, German scholars concluded that the Gospel of Matthew was preceded by the Gospel of Mark and Matthew used the Gospel of Mark as his primary source. No matter which theory that most New Testament scholars accept, Matthew did not simply copy sources from other Gospels, but also included his own ideas and quoted verses from the Old Testament. So the question of readers should rise is "How strong relationship did the Gospel of Matthew have with the Old Testament?" or "How accurately did Matthew use the Old Testament?
Senior, Donald. 1998. "The Gospel of Matthew and the Passion of Jesus : Theological and Pastoral Perspectives." Word & World 18, no. 4: 372-379. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 13, 2014).