Chapter 5 verse 1 Read the Bible verse
Jesus taught on the side of a mountain. Jesus liked to preach from the side of a mountain or from a boat on a lake or sea. The reason was that the hillside made the sound of the voice carry farther and the people could hear his voice better. On the water the people could hear him better, too, because water carries sound. In those days they did not have loudspeakers or microphones.
Chapter 5 verses 2-12 Read the Bible verses
Jesus’ teaching was different than what the Jewish church leaders said to them. Sometimes Jesus’ teaching was so different that they had a hard time accepting it. The church leaders had so many rules and laws about things. Jesus talked about your thoughts and attitudes. Jesus talked about why you did things.
Jesus wanted the inner man (thoughts and heart) to be pure (clean and right). Jesus knew if the heart was thinking right then the person would do right things.
Chapter 5 verses 13-16 Read the Bible verses.
Salt gives flavor (taste) or helps bring out the flavor in the food. If you taste the salt in the food, you probably used too much salt. If you don’t use any salt you would think the food tastes flat. Salt is not meant to be tasted itself, but it is to make the flavor that is already in the food to be better.
We as Christians need to be like salt in serving God. We are not here to be noticed for ourselves. We are here to make the service to God be better. God is to be noticed. We are here to make it “taste” better. If too much of ourselves is noticed in the service of God, it is like food that is too salty. It is the food we want to taste, not the salt. It is God we want to see not the server.
Salt is also used to preserve food. It keeps the food from going bad and spoiling. Before the time of refrigerators, people took fresh meat and rubbed salt in it, and let the meat set in salt or salt water. The salt went into the meat. this kept the meat from spoiling. The meat was very salty to eat, but it was not spoiled.
As Christians we are like salt in that we help keep the world from spoiling so fast. The world is full of sin. Christian people keep things from being so wicked. The more Christians you have in a town the safer the town will be. Christians help balance the bad in the world.
Salt also cleans. Long ago if people did not have soap to clean things with they used salt. You can rub salt on some stains and it will take it out. You can brush your teeth with salt and baking soda. Salt can kill some germs.
Christians are like candles in a dark place. If you light a candle you don’t hide it under something. The reason you have it is to shine the light around in the darkness.
Some of us Christians are afraid to let our light shine. Sometimes we think that we have so many weaknesses that we are not a good light. Sometimes we think that other people do not want to see our light.
Trust God with your light. Yes, we all have weaknesses. We wish we could walk before the Lord better. But let your light shine anyway. Talk of Jesus. Let people know that you are trying to follow Jesus and you are still learning to do it better.
Don’t worry about the sin around you. God will take care of that. Maybe the people will not like hearing you talk about Jesus. Be wise in what you say, but say something. Let God take care of them.
Jesus said that they will see your good works and they will glorify God in heaven.
Chapter 5 verses 17-20 Read the Bible verses.
Because of some of the things Jesus said were so different from the Jewish church leaders “teachings”, some of the people said Jesus was preaching a new religion.
Jesus said that he was not preaching a new religion but that in every way he would fulfill (do) what the Old Testament law said and what the Old Testament prophecies said. He came to show the true meaning of the law.
Jesus warned the people that they needed to obey God better than the church leaders or they would not go to heaven. Jesus said that unless the people were more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees they would not go to heaven. Wow! Jesus was saying that those church leaders were not going to heaven!
Those Jewish church leaders (most of them) were full of pride and a “Look at me!” attitude. They had forgotten about pleasing God and having a heart like God.
Chapter 5 verses 21-30 Read the Bible verses
Jesus is trying to show people that murder begins with a thought. Thoughts of anger grow into murderous thoughts. You can think in your mind that you want to kill someone. Jesus said that is a sin.
Jesus was saying that thoughts are very important. Watch your thought. Control your thoughts. If you don’t allow the thought then you won’t be doing the wrong action.
Hating someone is wrong. Wishing bad things to happen to people is wrong.
Jesus said if you come to offer a gift to God or make a sacrifice but you have hard feelings in your heart toward someone—stop—don’t make the offering—go to the person you have hard feelings and make things right with them.. Then come and give the offering or sacrifice. God is more interested that we have a right heart than for us to give him gifts.
We know that adultery (having sex with someone to whom you are not married) is wrong. But Jesus warned us not to look with sexual desire on a person who is not your husband or wife. Thoughts of sexual desire grow.
From thought of desire and imagination people start having “affairs” (love making with a person who is not their married mate).
Jesus talked about taking out an eye or cutting off a hand.
Jesus did not mean to really cut off a hand. He was showing a deeper meaning. He was showing how one small part of us or one small thought can make the whole body sin and do a bad thing. The little part of the body or the little thought needs to be removed before the whole body does the wrong thing.
Chapter 5 verses 31-32 Read the Bible verses
God’s plan was one man for one woman for life. Anything less was not his first plan.
Jesus said unfaithfulness (making love to someone who is not your husband or wife) is the only reason for divorce. And the divorce had been allowed because of the hardness of their hearts.
Chapter 5 verses 33-37 Read the Bible verses
God takes making vows seriously. Jesus said it would be better not to make a vow (promise)—than to make a vow— then not do it.
A vow is a promise that is very strong. You really, really promise to do it and if you don’t do it then something bad should happen to you because you broke your promise.
Jesus said it is better to just say a simple yes or no. Say “Yes, I will do it.” or “No, I will not do it.” and that is enough.
Chapter 5 verses 38-42 Read the Bible verses
This teaching to love people who hurt us was a hard thing for them to understand. We still have trouble doing that.
The reason we have so much trouble with it is because of our sinful nature.
When someone does wrong to us, we squint our eyes, and press our lips together and think, “What do you mean treating me that way?”.
We want to pay them back! That’s what they did in the Old Testament. If someone knocked out your eye, then you could knock out his eye. This idea of being kind to someone who hurt you was new idea.
Jesus said, “If they slap you on one side of your face, turn your face and let hem slap you on the other side, too.”
Jesus wants us not to put up a “wall” to keep people out. He wants us to keep our hearts open. Let them hit us again if necessary. Be open. Be kind.
It is so hard for us to be quiet on the inside of us when people do us wrong. Jesus was teaching that when we follow Him, we need to learn to love and forgive. We need to learn to let God take care of bad things that happen to us.
When people do things to hurt us and we keep hurt feelings inside of us. The hurt and anger makes us bitter and hard. Those kind of feelings inside of us hurt us worse than what the person did to us. Our feelings to love get tied up inside. We begin to fear being open to others to love or be loved. Our feelings become locked up like a prison.
Year after year our feelings are locked up—afraid to be shown. We are in prison inside. That is worse than the hurt of what that person did.
Jesus knew this would happen. That is why he said, “If someone hurts you—don’t hold onto the hurt.”
Jesus talked about carrying the pack for the soldier. In Jesus’ day the Romans ruled the Jewish people. A Roman soldier could command (force) a Jewish person to carry his things for him for one mile.
Jesus said that when you do that for one mile, offer to carry it another mile! The Jews couldn’t imagine doing this! They thought it was bad that they could be forced to do it for one mile. Can you imagine how surprised the Roman soldier would be if at the end of a mile you offered to carry his things for another mile!
The soldier would ask, “Why are you willing to do that?” Then you could say, “Jesus told me to..” The soldier would ask, “ Who is Jesus?” Then you could tell him about Jesus.
It is the same today, “Going the extra mile”, means doing the extra thing or work without being asked. Many times doing the extra for someone will give you an opportunity to tell them about Jesus. Showing them the love of Jesus.
Chapter 5 verses 43-48 Read the Bible verses
Jesus said that we are to love our enemy. Our enemy is someone who is against us or is out to do us hurt.
Love your enemy. This is really hard.
If someone has decided to be against you and tries to hurt you in some way. Pray for them. It will change your feelings about them.
The Holy Spirit will show you how to act when you are around them. The Holy Spirit will show you what to say to them.
The Holy Spirit can change their heart. The Holy Spirit will change your heart, too, as you pray for them.
If your enemy sees you treat him with kindness and fairness, it will make him wonder why you are doing that. He will see that you are different from other people. Remember Jesus said you were to be a “light in a dark place”.