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    Matthew 5: 33-48  Lesson 9

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    The Sermon on the Mount continues. 
     
    Honesty (5:33-37), forgiveness (5:38-42), and love (5:43-48).     ​

    Study Tip:
     
    As you read, ponder how you can apply each passage into your life.  Applying God's truth to better ourselves is a difficult part of Bible work and sometimes requires several days of thought and prayer per application.  But the results are well worth the effort. ​

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 5:33-48
    Jesus teaches
    ​
    33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

    34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
     
    35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
     
    36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 
     
    37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
     
    38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
     
    39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
     
    40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 
     
    41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
     
    42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
     
    43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 
     
    44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
     
    45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
     
    46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
     
    47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
     
    48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.                            ​​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Thou shalt not forswear thyself." (5:33) - Means,  "falsely swear" an oath or vow to God.
     
    "Swear not at all." (5:34) - In fact, don't swear an oath to God at all.  Similar advice can also be found in Leviticus 19:12 and James 5:12. 
     
    "Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay." (5:37) - "Let your word be simply yes or no."  Stand by your word without having to swear an oath.
     
    "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." (5:38) - Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21).  An eye for an eye became part of Jewish civil law.
     
    "Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." (5:41) - "Whoever forces you to go a mile, go with him two."  In Jesus' day, Roman soldiers could legally compel civilians to carry their equipment for a mile, but no further.  This gave the soldier a short break without disrupting the civilians entire day.
     
    "Give to him that asketh thee." (5:42) - From Deuteronomy 15:8.  Jesus reinforces this message in Luke 6:30.
     
    "Thou shalt love thy neighbour." (5:43) - Part of the Mosaic Law found in Leviticus 19:18. 
     
    "Love your enemies." (5:44) - From Proverbs 25:21.  Jesus repeats this teaching in Luke 6:27 and shows us by example in 1 Peter 2:23.
     
    "Do not even the publicans the same?" (5:46) - "Don't the tax collectors do the same thing?  Tax collectors worked for the Roman occupiers and were despised (Matthew 18:17; 21:31).
     
    "If ye salute your brethren only." (5:47) - "If you only greet your friends."

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 5:33-48
    Teaching about Vows
     
    33 "You have also heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.'

    34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, 'By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne.

    35 And do not say, 'By the earth!' because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.

    36 Do not even say, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black.

    37 Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one.
     
    Teaching about Revenge
     
    38 "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'

    ​39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

    40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

    41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

    42 Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow.
     
    Teaching about Love for Enemies 
     
    43 "You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy.

    44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

    45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

    46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.

    47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

    48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.          

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Questions:

    1. Should we resist evil?  (5:39)
     
    2. Who can be perfect? (5:48)                                                                        

    Tip: Create a new folder in your inbox to store the readings.  That way you can go back to them again and again.    ​

    Answers: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. Yes, Christians should resist evil.  Verse 5:39 is merely telling us not to seek revenge.  It isn't talking about combating immoral or criminal behavior.  In future lessons, the Bible will encourage Christians to work for justice and to resist evil in the world (James 4:7; Ephesians 6:13).
     
    2. No one can be perfect, but Christians should strive to be as perfect as possible.  To do that we must remove ourselves from temptation and accept God's gift of salvation (Deuteronomy 18:13). 
    Application thought for the day:
     
    Do you have enemies?  
    Reach out to them with a sign of friendship (5:44). 
    Perhaps an unexpected phone call or email. ​
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    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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