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The text of Matthew, chapter 5 is not printed here. It would be helpful to have a copy handy for reference.
Matthew 5: 1-3
The first Beatitude speaks to spiritual pride. Being poor in spirit is not poor in the sense of lacking anything. To be poor in spirit is to be grateful to God, realizing that of ourselves we cannot claim righteousness. Being right with God is God's gift to us through what Jesus did on Calvary. "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord"! (2Cor. 10:17)
Matthew 5: 4
The "poor in spirit" of verse three, realizing their fallen condition and need of forgiveness, are "sorrowful" for their sin. This sorrow is a necessary step in reaching a "blessed" state. Once we realize our low estate and feel the sorrow necessary for repentance, we will indeed be happy that God loves us and forgives us through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5: 5
Meekness is a quality that God honors and rewards. Meekness is a willingness to accept being on the losing end of something rather than to start a fight over it. We won't get ahead spiritually by fighting for our rights all the time. Psalm 37:11; "But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Matthew 5:6
The Bible states that Abraham was counted as righteous because he believed God. (Genesis 15:6) It wasn't anything that he'd done. What we need to be considered righteous before God is to have faith in God.
Matthew 5:7
Psalm 18:25: "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful." God wants to awaken a desire in people to show mercy, just as God Himself shows mercy to us. The parable of the unmerciful debtor (Matthew 18: 23-35) tells the story of a debtor who was forgiven a large debt by his king. This debtor was owed some money by one of his servants but the debtor would not forgive the amount owed to him and had this poor fellow servant thrown into debtor's prison. When the king found out, he had that debtor thrown in jail too. The Lord's prayer includes this line: "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." (Matt. 6: 12)
Matthew 5: 8:
I think that being "pure in heart" is having a connection and love for God that expresses itself in an inner thought life that always seeks good for others and is without deceit. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." (Heb. 10: 24)
Matthew 5:9
Peace came after Jesus paid the ultimate price in order to reconcile God with humankind. In the New Testament, it is not in the gospels where we find the peace of God, but in the Letters of Paul. Jesus never offered His peace while He walked and taught on earth. The only ones to whom He wished peace were those that He had healed. Afterwards He would send them away with a word of like "go in peace". "For He Himself is our peace." (Ephesians 2: 14)
Matthew 5: 10-12
The world hates to see the righteous being happy and blessed. "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." (John 3: 20) Jesus said: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15: 19)
Matthew 5:13
In Jesus' time, salt was a valuable asset. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, hence the expression: "worth his salt". Salt was a preservative for food; they had no refrigerators or even iceboxes. To be a Christian means to preserve society. We are in the world and are meant to be among our neighbors sprinkling salt.
Matthew 5: 14-16
Light is not something that the Christian is expected to become. Jesus said "You are the light of the world" and since we are that light, we have some responsibilities that go along with being light.
If our light is hidden under a basket or shade, it isn't doing its job. Light reveals darkness. The world doesn't know that it is living in darkness unless it can see itself in contrast to the light. If you are a Christian, then your light, as you live your life, will shine on those dark areas that need illumination.
Matthew 5: 17-18
There must have been a rumor circulating throughout Galilee that Jesus posed a threat to the Law and the Prophets. Imagine living your whole life by a set of rules and principles and then being told that they are to be abolished! Jesus sets the record straight immediately by calming their fears and assuring the crowd that his aim is not to destroy all that has come before Him. Instead, He states that He has come to "fulfill" the Law and prophets.
Matthew 5: 19-20
Jesus said that those who break and teach others to break the Law will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. I contrast that statement with the following one in verse 20, that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees in order to enter heaven.
The righteousness of the Pharisees was based on strict observance of the Law. In order to enter heaven under that system requires that we are even better than that. The only righteousness we can obtain is the righteousness that God gives us through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5: 21-22
Is Jesus re-interpreting the commandments? Not really-He is revealing the meaning and intent behind them. We have to remember that this was long before printing had made the scriptures available to everyone. The scribes and Pharisees were the only people who actually had access to the written Law. It was they who did the preaching in the synagogues and told the faithful what the Law said and meant.
Matthew 5: 23-26
Giving an offering in the synagogue or church is an act of worship. It is an important part of our relationship with God. What if you suddenly remember that you have an unsettled dispute with someone? Notice that Jesus doesn't say "someone you have something against". He says "remember that your brother has something against you". Our interpersonal relationships cannot be allowed to fester while we smilingly give our offerings and perform our religious "duties".
Matthew 5: 27-30
The commandment says, "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14) As He did when talking about murder, Jesus emphasizes the attitude and intent rather than the actual deed. Many entertain the thought of adultery in their heart, but don't follow through out of fear of the consequences of being caught.
Jesus wants us to take charge of our unhealthy desires before they get to a point where they control us. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death." (James 1: 14-15)
Pluck out your eye and cut off your hand? What does He mean? He means deal with the cause of sin and don't entertain it.
Matthew 5: 31-32
Jesus is referring to Deuteronomy 24: 1. "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house..."
Most men took this verse as carte blanche to use almost any reason to find "no favor" and "uncleanness" in the wife he didn't want any more. God doesn't recognize divorce; that's why Jesus said that he “...causes her to commit adultery".
Matthew 5: 33-37 "And you shall not swear by my name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord." (Lev. 19: 12)
As with the other commandments, it was common to look for an "out". It was accepted practice, as it is today, to swear by anything except God, especially if you were lying. You could swear by heaven, Jerusalem or your own head without being in violation of the Law. If we have to swear an oath it means that we don't have the strength of character to be believable on our word alone.
Matthew 5: 38-42
Exodus 21: 23-25: "...then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." This Mosaic Law was not intended as a guide for running our personal relationships. The Law was meant to set limits on the civil government, on how far authorities could go in punishing someone for a crime committed. "Do not resist an evil person." "Turn the other cheek" is the pacifist, Christian way to deal with hurts and insults.
Law required Jews in Judea, when asked, to carry a Roman soldier's pack for one mile. They could not be forced to carry it further. But they could make a free choice to keep carrying the pack farther! To do what we have to do is no great thing of itself, but to choose to do more is the greatest way to witness for the love that is in your heart.
Matthew 5: 43-48
Mosaic Law contains such a command: "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." (Lev. 19:18) It was never intended to convey the meaning that we should therefore hate our enemies. Jesus reminds His listeners and the reader that everyone is our neighbor, even our enemies. To obey this law, we must love, bless, do good to, and pray for our neighbors - friends and enemies.
If we could live the way Jesus tells us to in Matthew 5, we would be perfect:
We would never hate or speak evil of another person.
We would never lust in heart or mind, and not covet.
We would never make a false oath, and always be truthful.
We would let God defend our rights, and not take it upon ourselves to defend those rights.
We would always love our neighbors, and even our enemies!
If we want to be righteous by the Law, then we have to keep the whole Law---be perfect! Is it possible to attain righteousness by following the Law? "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3: 20,23)
The solution: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
"Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith." (1 Timothy 1:5)
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