Matthew 5:17-32 Lesson 8

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

In this lesson:

The Sermon on the Mount continues.
Every word in this passage (and in the next four lessons) is Jesus speaking.
Matthew 5:17-20 teaches God's principles while verses 5:21-32 relate them to our life's circumstances.

Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration to make a point and was a common form of expression in biblical days. In Matthew 5:29, Jesus doesn't mean that we should literally pluck out our right eye to overcome lust.  His point is that lust is as grievous a sin to God as actual adultery.  Jesus wants us to see that God's standards are higher than we could ever achieve and that our only hope is in Him.

Study Tip:

Keep a running list of verses that teach you how to be a Christian.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 5:17-32
Jesus teaches the Kingdom laws

17Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Margin notes:

"The law." (5:17) - Refers to the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament. There were three aspects to the Mosaic law, ceremonial (how to worship while waiting for the Messiah to arrive), moral (how to live), and civil. Since the Messiah has come, the ceremonial aspect is no longer necessary.

"I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (5:17) - By fulfilling the Law, Jesus means that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament (Romans 10:4). His life and death on the cross opened up a new era. Before the crucifixion, there was the Mosaic Law. Now, mankind can have a relationship with Jesus.

"Verily." (5:18) - Means "truly."

"One jot or one tittle." (5:18) - A jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The tittle is a small, almost inconsequential extension to a Hebrew letter.

"In no wise." (5:18) - "By no means."

"Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees." (5:20) - "Unless your faith is greater than the faith of the scribes and Pharisees."

"Ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (5:20) - "You will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

"Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time." *(5:21) - "You've heard that people in the past said."

"Thou shalt not kill." (5:21) - Jesus is quoting one of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17.

"Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca." (5:22) - "Whoever calls his brother, fool." Raca is an Aramaic word that comes from the Hebrew "rak" meaning "to be empty." Here, it is an insult referring to an empty-headed or foolish person. Notice that Matthew doesn't explain the meaning of raca. Proof that he wrote for a Jewish (not gentile) audience

"Thy brother hath ought against thee." (5:23) - "Your brother has something against you."

"Agree with thine adversary quickly." (5:25) - Jesus repeats this message to settle differences quickly in Luke 12:58.

"Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." (5:26) - "You won't get out (of debtors prison) until you pay every last penny."

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." (5:27) - Jesus is quoting from Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18.

"Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery." (5:28) - This is from the Old Testament (Proverbs 6:25). Jesus will reinforce this message in 2 Peter 2:14.

"It is profitable for thee." (5:29) - "It is better for you."

"Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement." (5:31) - "Whoever divorces his wife should give her a written notice" (Deuteronomy 24:1).

"Saving for the cause of fornication." (5:32) - "Except in the case of fornication" (Jesus will reinforce this teaching in Matthew 19:9.

New Living Translation

Matthew 5:17-32
Teaching about the Law

17 "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 "But I warn you-unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Teaching about Anger

21 "You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.'

22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

23 "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,

24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

25 "When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

26 And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.

Teaching about Adultery

27 "You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.'

28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 So if your eye-even your good eye-causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30 And if your hand-even your stronger hand-causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Teaching about Divorce

31 "You have heard the law that says, 'A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.'

32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

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 Question:

1. How can we be more righteous (faithful) than the scribes and Pharisees? (5:20)

2. What's so bad about name calling? (5:22)

Please let me know your comments and suggestions on the lessons.

Answers: (Do you agree?)

1. We can be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees by checking the spiritual condition of our hearts. The Pharisees falsely boasted that they followed every detail of the Mosaic Law. They appeared outwardly to obey God but didn't allow Him
to change their hearts, they were poor in spirit.  We must live by God's word and not just appear to be religious. When we acknowledge that we need God, He will change our lives and make us righteous.

2. Jesus is making a remarkable statement in verses 5:21-22. Keeping the old Mosaic Law is impossible, break one part of it,
and you've broken all of it (James 2:10). Name calling violates the commandment to love. How can we claim to love God if we hate others?

Sin originates in the heart. For example, adultery begins with lust.  To God, committing adultery in your heart is as bad as the act. Except for Jesus, no one has been able to obey the Mosaic Law. Since it is impossible to keep the Law, we need God to forgive us. He does that through our faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5). Christ is our savior, faith in Jesus is what saves us.

Advice from Jesus:

Obey and teach God's word (5:19). Make peace with your enemies (5:25).

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.
© 2023 evolke

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

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible ​

Please let me know your comments and suggestions on the lessons. ​

The King James Bible

Please let me know your comments and suggestions on the lessons.