TiL- Matthew 5:21-30

Matthew 5 as a Transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant

Welcome to the truth and love podcast. Thank you for being with us tonight. We're gonna jump back in To Matthew chapter 5. Hope you'll stick with us. Welcome to the laborers podcast, which is a part.

Wrong one wrong one start over.

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See it has been a while since Dan and I have been on here.

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Please pray for Dan. Dan has been out of commission for a little while. He had he was sick and he had surgery. He's out of surgery. He's recovering and From understanding our conversation with him. He's doing well and that now he is possibly Looking for his grandfather to passing.

So.

Please keep Dan in your prayers and in his absence. I'm so thankful that Tyler had an opening to film fill in tonight. How you doing Tyler doing? Well happy to be here. Good good. Good. So you are doing your You said last episode.

Explain that. What's coming up for you?

So on the bread of the word podcast what I do is I march through books of the Bible verse by verse. I've been in the Song of Solomon since March and this Sunday this Sunday's episode will actually be the last in the Song of Solomon as that series comes to a close and Then starting next week.

We will be working through the book of Job very excited for the next series. It's much longer undertaking than the Song of Solomon. It's been What three months Job is easily a two-year commitment Given how slow I am.

So I'm excited to labor through that slowly carefully prayerfully.

Well, I remember one of my favorite pastors or preachers that I enjoyed listening to pastor Jeff Noblitt Muscle Shoals, Alabama. When I was listening to his series on Ephesians, he told its congregations We don't want to get through Ephesians we want Ephesians to get through us and That I like that you you made me think of that when you talk about Taking your time and it may be taking it may take you a while to get there Joe, but that's okay we want Joe to get through us and So I appreciate that about you.

And if you if you've not checked Tyler out go to bread of the word on Facebook and rumble and Yeah, listen to Tyler's Episodes on Song of Solomon and Joe coming up. So let's jump into tonight. We want to shoot for around 30 minutes if we can if we can make it 30 minutes we may go over a little bit, but we want to.

You were talking about your last episode and going through books of the Bible verse by verse I Started a long time ago Working through Matthew and I stopped in right in the middle of chapter 5. So since Dan is not with with me tonight He and I are in Hebrews.

I wanted to jump back over into Matthew start back somewhere where I left off and Tyler's joining me tonight to keep me in line. Make sure that I don't jump off the rails and go haywire on this one. So We're in Matthew chapter 5.

The Body, the Parts, and the Whole

But first I mentioned this to Tyler. I Wanted to try to make some connections. I was reading through the text I was hearing some familiar language and I wanted and I was making connections in my mind and I wanted to share that with with you guys and and Tyler get your thoughts on the connections that I'm seeing in in Matthew another chapter of Matthew and This book 1st Corinthians, so I'm gonna read it first Just so that we can hear the language Pick up on it as we're going through the passage in Matthew, and then we'll look at Matthew chapter 18.

But verses 21. 1st Corinthians 12 21 through 27. It says and the eye cannot say to the hand. I have no need of you.

Or.

Again the head to the feet. I have no need of you. On the contrary It is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are Necessary and those members of the body which are which we were deemed less honorable on these we bestow more abundant honor and our less presentable members Become much more presentable Whereas our more presentable members have no need of it.

But God has so composed the body giving more abundant honor to that member which.

Lack.

So that there may be no division in the body. I Think that's a key part there. Division in the body. But that members may have the same here for one another. And if one member suffers all the all the members suffer with it.

If one member is honored all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body and individually members of it. It's so interesting.

That he.

That the New Testament. We're so individualistic in America and sometimes we read over this this tension between The the church the group, you know how we when we look at the Old Covenant look at the Old Testament.

We talk about Israel Israel Israel. But then we also look at individual persons and and their part that how God used them. It's the same tension is happening in the New Testament where God is working and dealing with the church.

But also he works with individuals. He saves individuals. So keep in mind the language that's used here. Members of the body were Christ's body and we're also individuals.

All right, then it's a theology of parts and of holes. Yes, and that has that has some bearing in the Old Testament. I had seen some of that when I was looking at Matthew 5 today. It actually made me think of something.

I read in Ecclesiastes. It says dead flies putrefy the perfumers ointment and cause it to give off a foul odor. So it is a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor that a little bit of of dead flies spoils the whole thing.

That's that we have to look at the parts and the holes that this is this very Old Testament really and So it seems awfully convenient. More than convenient seems very providential. Let's be clear. Absolutely for Christ to be expounding the law as He is in Matthew 5 with regards to the theology of the whole as well as the theology of the parts.

And that what that's one aspect that I wanted to keep in mind as we as we dove into this the aspect of the the whole and the parts theology, but then also This idea of transition. That's one thing that I'm think we missed Tyler when we are interpreting the New Testament.

There's no doubt. Apart from interpretation apart from her hermeneutics and studying the New Testament. If I was to just come up to you we were having a normal conversation and I said Tyler Do you think that there was a transition between the Old Covenant New Covenant and you would probably answer in the affirmative, right?

Right. Okay. So Why don't we apply that when we're you know as part of the context when we're reading the New Testament. That Jesus is Leading us in that direction leading us into that that idea of transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant from Israel to The the kingdom of heaven or kingdom God or what we call the church.

I.

Think that would be Wise of us to keep that in mind as we look at the New Testament. This idea that Jesus is leading us in that direction of the transition. In Matthew, he speaks of Judgment to come. I mean he speaks judgment on these leaders and so we we know what's coming and then following the judgment, of course, and well the judgment is part of it the judgment is part of that transition and Jesus knew it, you know, of course knows about it all along.

I Think that it's important to look at so let's keep that in mind this idea of the transition and the idea of the parts and the whole theology as We look at this so Tyler if we're in Matthew chapter Just to highlight before we get to our passages in starting at verse 21 I Was I was starting at verse 13.

I Was looking what Jesus was saying there and he says you you are the salt of the earth. But the salt becomes tasteless. How can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything. So he is he is speaking to his audience here and He is telling them that There is there is a job or was a job.

That.

Had to do with this this earth the people of the earth. And it was an important job of saving the earth. You are the light of the world. A city set on hill cannot be hidden. Verse 16. Let your light shine before me and in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

So.

Here's who you are. You are salt. You are light. This is your this is your job. This is what you're supposed to be doing. And then he says do not think that I came to abolish the law of the prophets. I Did not come to abolish but to fulfill or complete.

And then he's setting up his his teaching here. That we're getting ready to get into.

Unless I think when we compound these together I think what we're in part what we're seeing is a picture of Israel's rejection of the truth. Going back to like Romans 11 talking about the the olive branch and Israel has been cut off because they rejected Christ and the Gentiles Have been brought in That you are the salt of the earth that has lost its flavor and is good for nothing but to be trampled on.

But he also says you are the light of the world. A City that sits on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket But on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.

So let so let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. And so we've got that picture of a of The salt has lost its saltiness, but also that there is light that there is a hope.

This isn't final this isn't Just how things are this isn't fate. But there is redemption there is reconciliation. That God may be glorified in us Because I did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but I came to fulfill it Until heaven and earth passed away.

Not one jot or tittle shall pass away from this thing. I started in Genesis.

Yeah, and we are I'm trying to keep them to the back of my mind the the opening. What I wanted us to keep in mind all along as we look at this the the transition. How is Jesus taking us to the transition with this with this teaching and and the parts in the whole?

I think Jesus is is setting them up. This is. This is how you understood the law this is how it was supposed to be understood and. And then we're going to we're going to hear this similar language that we heard in 1st Corinthians.

We're gonna hear it again in Matthew 18. But then I think he's he's taking us to that. After the transition, I'm not I'm not sure yet that this is. This is after the transition teaching I'm not sure where you fit in on that.

And.

I'm not I'm not completely convinced on either side just yet. This is kind of where I'm leading that this is this is not necessarily After the transition new new covenant New Testament teaching. He's just he's setting them up.

Like he says in verse 20 for I say to you that unless your righteousness Surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So if that's not a setup, I don't know what is I mean he's trying to he's trying to shake them and get them to realize something here Tyler.

And What does he want them to realize? That's the question. So here Do you want to you're gonna say something?

No.

Alright, well, let's let's jump into our passage and again, I want to keep those things in mind. I want to I want to think about that language. Also that we heard in in 1st Corinthians. And then we'll hear it again in Matthew 18 and we're gonna take a little different approach.

On this teaching of Jesus other than just breaking it apart, you know. Looking at the words and the Greek definitions and how we should understand this in our lives. Making application I'm wanting to let scripture.

Teach us.

What it's trying to say to the original audience and what's going on here in the context and keeping that transition in mind. So Verse 21 you have heard that the ancients were told You shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder Shall be liable.

The court may scroll down. There we go. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall not shall be guilty before the court and whoever says to his brother You good for nothing Shall be guilty before the Supreme Court and whoever says you fool you shall be guilty.

Enough to go to the fiery hill. So here Jesus is You know in a way fulfilling Completing the law. Here's how you heard it. Here's how you understood it. But this is this is my Filling in the gaps Filling it up.

How would you understand it the way it was meant to be understood from the beginning? Does that make sense? You see it that way I do.

Okay, that is that it goes back to a lot of what you and Dan probably saw in Hebrews with the sacrifices. That the sacrifices didn't take away sin, but they pointed to what Christ would do. Mm-hmm. And so Christ didn't Rip he didn't replace and just repeal that system, but he was the the light and that was the shadow.

So likewise here, I think there's it's like an onion that we're just peeling back layers. That's right. And so you've got you shall not murder now. Let's think this through a little further. Let's go a little deeper With with murder.

How does this play out? If you hate your brother you are subject to the court and The Greek that comes up in that phrase subject to the court mine says danger of judgment. Actually, we can trace that back to the Greek copies of the Old Testament that the Jews of this period would have known in reference to blood guilt.

And so Christ is directly bringing this back to that that law standpoint with Sacrifices and the need for atonement. That if you hate your brother you are in need of atonement, so it's not just murder.

But it's the thing that leads to murder that goes on in here I think it also I think it says elsewhere in Matthew that from the heart comes all all kinds of evil and It's because of what's in here That leaves me in need of atonement.

It makes me think about the his interaction with the rich and ruler. Well, I've I've done all these I've done all those for my youth. I Go back to the verse that we just read and unless you surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees You will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

What does surpass look like? Here's what it looks like. You know, you're not just keeping the letter of the law. It's like you were talking about it starts in here and you can be you're gonna be guilty and accountable of that for that, too.

And I think you made a key point there and and it go is taking us in the direction that I also wanted to take us when you were talking about here and Matthew in Hebrews and The sacrifice and the law not being enough and it all pointing to Jesus.

I Saw that and and I really hope that I'm I'm accurate on this and you see it and you affirm it and everybody else sees It as well, but I think that's what's going on here. He's he's setting them up. He's showing them the standard.

What surpass looks like? But then it points to himself. So let's go on to the next verse. Therefore.

If you are.

This is this is where it is Tyler. This is where I saw it. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar to me. Just pause right there for a second to me that word altered that's speaking to me about who his audience is.

The time frame of the transition. We're still the temple is still there. They're still making sacrifices. He's speaking to his his audience his Jewish audience there in.

The middle is operating as a rabbi of sorts. That's right. That's right.

And he is speaking to them about they're making sacrifices at the altar. This is this is not necessarily a a Christian Post transition kingdom type teaching yet. This is this is direct. Let's directly specific.

Excuse me specifically directed to this audience. If you are presenting your offering at The altar and what and there remember that your brother has something against you. When I saw that word remember Tyler.

Oh My goodness, I was making that association with With another portion of Scripture and and it hit me like a lead brick. Where else do we hear the Jesus used the word remember? That's right. That's exactly right.

In communion this do and remembrance of me. That's right. So this is.

Pointing to.

Jesus if you're at the altar That and you you have something against your brother. You've got this murder in your heart and you you need and you remember that you need to go to him. You need to fix this.

You you've got all this work that you've got to do before you can even. This sacrifice that you're making is not going to make up for that. You you've got to go to your brother first. Reconcile and make that right and then come back and make your sacrifice.

But then In the in the upper room Before he goes to the cross he says Eat eat my body and drink my blood and he says do this in remembrance of me. For what reason you don't have to accomplish all this work.

I've done it for you. I can lift all this weight off of your shoulders. Tyler do you. Do you think that I'm going in the right direction here? Do you think I'm making the right connections?

That the Lord's Supper and the communion we experienced at the Lord's table is a fulfillment of the finished work that was Eluded was alluded to in the Sermon on the Mount. That's really the the guts of the Sermon on the Mount is that you can't do it.

Nope. You are not righteous enough for God Except your righteousness exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees who think themselves the standard but are still breaking the law where it counts Are not righteous enough for God so much so that Christ calls them sons of hell.

And so Christ has set that bar so immeasurably high that none but himself Can clear it. Yep, and that would be a very scary thought. Mm-hmm, if not for the fact that Christ has accomplished everything.

The verse that made me a Christian was Isaiah 6 5 woe is me For I am ruined For I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts but with the standard of righteousness that Christ lays out in the Sermon on the Mount he goes on and Accomplishes that righteousness Provides it for us and says this new and remembers of me.

That's that's I think that's just coming full circle.

I do too. I do too. And I think if If I am correct here and we're looking at his teaching to directly to the specific audience. And he's speaking to them about what they're familiar with. They're making sacrifices and all this work that they have to do and if you remember something at the altar, that's.

That's to this Jewish people who are still under the Old Covenant, but when we come to Christ What we need to remember Christ has finished it. It has been reconciled. He was our sacrifice at the altar.

It's been reconciled. Now the the other part of the New Testament the New Covenant teaching is work out your own salvation may make that I'm gonna forget the terminology here, but the redemption accomplished.

It's been accomplished it's been finished. It's done. But now we've got to apply it. So I see. Here's the here's the transition teaching. Pointing us to Christ and his accomplished work. Does that make sense?

Yes. Great. Great. Great. All right. So what I want to do now for the sake of time is I wanted to get to Matthew 18 just so we can look at the the similar language and See how this teaching transitions over to what I think is the new the New Covenant the kingdom teaching as The post as opposed to this direct directly to this specific audience.

So we're starting in verse 24. We're gonna read through 30 real quick. Leave your offering leave your offering therefore Before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering.

Make friends quickly with your opponent at law opponent at law while you are with him on the way so that your opponent may Not hand you over to the judge and the judge the officer and you'd be thrown into prison.

That's gonna come up again. Truly I say to you you will not come out of there until you have paid the last cent that's gonna come up again. Then he says you have heard it was said you shall not commit adultery.

But I say to I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust For her has already committed adultery with her in her heart in your heart. If your right eye makes you to stumble tear it out and throw it from you.

Where it's better for you to lose one of your? One of the parts of your body there's that language that we read in 1st Corinthians and Tyler you can you can think about this and and let me know as I talk about a little bit more.

Let me know if I'm staying within the rails or if I'm falling off here. But this is the language in 1st Corinthians To lose one of your bought parts of your body. Then for your whole body to be thrown into hell and that also goes back to our Teaching on the whole and teaching on the parts.

If your right hand makes you stumble cut it off and throw it from you. Where it's better for you to lose one of your parts of your body and for your whole body to go into hell. All right, and that's gonna come up again.

Now, let's go to Matthew 18 and hear all this familiar language keeping in mind our.

Our.

Passage in 1st Corinthians so Matthew 18 starting in verse. Mmm, let's start in verse 1 and go through it quickly because I just. I I was so excited when I saw this connection. I just wanted to share with you guys and Hear your thoughts on it Tyler.

So at the time the disciples came to Jesus said who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? So he he's talking to his disciples answering their question. Truly I say to you unless you are converted become like children.

You will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever causes and here I think we're getting into it Tyler. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble.

It would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea. So what are we doing? We're plucking out and we're casting away right verse 7 woe to the world.

Because it is some it is because of its stumbling blocks. I apologize. For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come but woe to that man. We're talking about individuals. To that man through whom the stumbling blocks come for if you're.

Listen to the transition here. We're talking about a man who was a part of and men are come part of communities. And what's that? What's the community that we're part of in in the kingdom in the New Testament?

Church, that's right. First Corinthians 12 the body. So he transitions to a man who was a member of the body to identifying parts of the body. Or if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble cut it off and throw it away from you.

It is better for you to enter the life Crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the internal eternal fire. So.

What I've always that's interesting because Mark chapter 9 puts those two right next to each other. Okay? Whoever causes one of the little ones who believe in me to stumble. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

If your hand causes You to sin cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed rather than having two hands to go to hell. Mm-hmm. That's mark 942 and 43.

So.

That because I'll ask you a question. Um, I mean what I was gonna say, sorry, um. So what I've always been taught when we're looking at this passage is that you can take it two ways. You can take it literally If if your hand or your eye your foot causes you to stumble literally cut it off.

Because it's better for you to enter life or eternal life lame or crippled Than to not enter eternal life. Or the most popular teaching is This is figurative language. He's speaking of the seriousness of The sin in your life.

So.

This is how serious sin is. Take it that serious.

But he's using it figuratively and that would be consistent with the way the Old Testament prophets spoke With Christ as our prophet that would I think be within? What we would expect you read Amos and Amos is full of all this colorful language and Extreme pictures like that.

And so I guess the the extremism is very prophetic, right?

So.

Think about mark think about Matthew here Matthew 18 and think about what we just talked about. We looked in first Corinthians 12 the picture of the body, which is the church and there's individual parts at the beginning.

We've talked about the theology of the whole and the theology of the parts. Mmm, what if Jesus is pointing to because we're in Matthew 18, right? This is church discipline. That's what we're going to.

What if he's speaking to the whole and not the part here. If you catch my drift, so instead of taking it literally For the individual or figurative for the individual. What if he's speaking to the whole?

And so he says it in verse 9 if your eye causes you to stumble plug it out and.

Then.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you that there are angels in heaven. Continually see the face my father. So you you're talking about little ones. You're talking about a man who's causing a little one to stumble and riding sandwiched in the middle of that.

He's talking about individual body parts. Paul does that in first. Corinthians 12 Compares us to body parts and us together as one body. Then you have the the parable of the 99 plus 1 and then you have church discipline.

If your brother sins verse 15 go and show him his fault in private. If he listens to you you have won your brother. You don't have to cast it out. If he does not listen to you take one or two more with you that the mouth of two or three witnesses.

Three witnesses in every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church Let him be to you as a Gentile or tax collector. In other words, what is he telling us to do?

Cut them off and cast them out. Am I just losing my mind here Tyler or is there a connection here. I think you're tracking right here.

You know everything I've read on on the use of the word little ones of that phrase. Would agree that that can either mean literal children or we could be talking about believers. We could be talking about what Paul calls the weak ones in Romans 14.

And so in that case with stumbling blocks in the church.

And.

Casting aside what is sinful and strengthening what remains? That's the thing we see throughout the New Testament. You know, we see that in the the opening dialogue in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation even.

Very similar language there now. I don't think you're out of how to pace at all. I think this is. Don't they think this is a pattern we see through much of the New Testament.

So you're you're not ready to consider me a heretic yet, right?

Honestly, I think I guessed it would agree with you on that usage. Okay.

No, go ahead.

Just from the way he dealt with the biblical text a lot of the times. I think he would probably Be in agreement with you on that use of Matthew 18. I.

Want to show you one more parallel between Matthew 5 and. And I hope everybody that listens and watches will remember what we read in Matthew chapter 5 because I try. I tried to point it out Highlighted as we read it, but let's skip down to verse 21 and Matthew 18.

Then Peter came and said to him Lord. How often shall my brothers sin against me and I forgive him up to seven times. Jesus said to him I do not say to you up to seven times but up to 70 times 7. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

Remember remember go to your brother in Matthew chapter 5 when he had with the judge and officers. Mm-hmm when he had begun to settle them. One one who owed him 10 ,000 talents was brought to him but since he did not have the means to repay his Lord commanded him to be sold along with his wife and children and all.

That he had and repayment to be made so the slave fell to the ground prostrated himself before him saying have patience with me and I will repay you everything and The Lord and the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a Hundred so he hears if you have something against your brother go to him, so he went to him didn't he and Seized him and began to choke him saying pay back what you owe.

So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him saying have patience with me. But he was unwilling and went and threw him into prison until he should pay back what was owed. So that you're right.

There's the judge. There's the prison. The court so when he so when his fellow slaves saw what had happened. They were deeply grieved and came and reported to their Lord all that had happened. Then summoning him his Lord said to him you wicked slave.

I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have mercy on your fellow slaves in the same way that I have mercy on you and His Lord moved with anger handed him over to the torturers.

Until he should repay all Was owed him. You remember the word the wording in Matthew chapter 5 every cent. Every cent will be repaid then he says my Heavenly Father will also do the same to you. If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.

So here's the I see this parallel Paralleling Matthew chapter 5 except in Matthew chapter 5. He's speaking to that specific audience. Directly in their context, but now we're transitioning over to New Testament teaching.

If you have something against your brother Forgive him why. Because you're remembering Christ. Remembering all there was the gospel right there. You wicked slave. I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

There's the gospel remember Christ. If you have something against your brother Remember the gospel and all that I've done to forgive you you should also forgive your brother. Does that make sense?

Yes. And then additionally, I think that also speaks to what God does with us stubborn stiff-necked people. I was. I had been reading Augustine's sermons on Matthew chapter 5 yesterday and He actually likened the human tongue specifically speaking to the hatred for your brother.

In the mouth he likened the tongue to a horse. Which we've seen James, of course, but he basically said if man can tame the horse Who do you think God is that he cannot tame you? If the tongue can be tamed we must flee to God for refuge and he will tame our tongues.

The only way this this works. This this whole idea of being reconciled to her brother.

Of.

There being reconciliation is. We have to be tamed by God. Is we have to be brought under his Brought into submission to him. That he has to break us in like a horse sometimes. Because this is not a natural progression of things this is not our natural recourse is oh I'm gonna be reconciled to my brother today.

No, I my first time I ever preached. I was 16 years old and it was on Joseph. I remember because I said if I was Joseph, I would want to pay it forward. Why don't you clean my royal toilets for the next 40 years.

I use them daily.

In.

My heart and heart of hearts. I would want to pay it forward. Because out of the heart comes all kinds of evil. All kinds of unrighteousness comes out of my heart and that's what produces discord in the body because of this one piece.