Application of Matthew 5: 21 - 48 to My Personal Life

Introduction

This essay will illustrate how I will apply the teachings of Jesus from the paragraphs to my personal life. These verses 21 - 48 teach about major topics such as murder, adultery, oaths, retaliation, love for enemies and divorce. From these teachings, I understand that righteousness does not come from obeying the law, but it comes within as Jesus taught in the Beatitudes. In the book of Matthew 5: 21 - 48, the structure of Jesus' sayings have the same pattern, "You have heard that it was said (by God) to those of the old, but I say unto you" (Matthew 5: 21 - 22 New International Version). His style and structure repeat itself in six paragraphs giving emphasis on how I should live my life, which have similar parallels with the teachings of Luke's sermon on the plain. The phrase "but I say unto you" seems to be in opposition to the teachings of the Torah and that is why they are referred to as the "Antitheses" (Simmons, 2015). The function of Antitheses is to show the kind of behavior and attitude that is required by Jesus to his disciples and the demands of ethical standards (Simmons, 2015).

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The first paragraph talks about murder, and it is found in the book of Matthew 5: 21-26, and it states,

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or a sister will be subject to judgment (Matthew 5: 21 - 22).

I will use the teachings of this paragraph to handle matters when I am offended by my neighbors, brothers, and sisters, and I will take action to reconcile rather than paying evil with evil as stated in Romans 12: 17 - 18 (Baasland, 2015). In this paragraph, Jesus uses anger to suggest a kind of malice that is nursed inwardly, anger that makes us destroyers instead of builders. This paragraph teaches me how to live with peace with myself for forgiving those who make me angry. Murder is wrong, so is rage and hatred, and I will avoid getting angry or breeding hate and arrogance by loving my neighbors. This paragraph illustrates how anger makes us prisoners and robs us of our freedom because even the least act of hating someone will make me a murderer in my heart (Baasland, 2015). The teachings of this paragraph go further to give me directions on how to go about anger and reconcile with my brothers and sisters. I should learn to settle matters quickly with my adversaries and avoid unnecessary fights and quarrels.

The second paragraph teaches us about adultery, and it is in verses 27 - 30. It provides that "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5: 27 - 28). In this paragraph, it is clear that Jesus raises the bar too high when it comes to righteousness because He does not only talk about my external actions or the outside rules but the actions of my heart (Baasland, 2015). According to the teachings, it is one thing to obey the rules in place, but a different thing altogether to do it with the right state of mind, attitude, and motivation. The scripture reassures me that God is only interested in my heart. This paragraph illustrates this point by using hyperbole in the sense that if my eye or hand causes me to sin, then I should get rid of them.

The teachings of verses 27 - 30 teaches me that I should purify my heart, and replace lust and thirst with righteousness. Instead of filling my heart with things that cause me to sin, I must feed myself spiritually to hunger for God, because it is not easy to will away sinful thoughts, but it is much easier to replace them with a hunger for God (Baasland, 2015). I should allow my heart to be filled and purified with the teachings and hunger for God because lust begins in the heart. This paragraph teaches me how I should occupy my heart with righteousness in order to avoid lustful thinking and adultery.

The third paragraph teaches about divorce and is found in Matthew 5: 31 - 32, and it provides that,

It was also said, 'whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5: 31 - 32).

In the Old Testament, divorce was common practice and God through Moses instituted three regulations of divorce that stated that divorce was only allowed to protect the sanctity of marriage from indecency, protect the woman from a cruel husband and finally to document the status of a woman as legitimately divorced so that she was not thought to be a harlot (Baasland, 2015). These provisions gave room for divorce and women were divorced for very small reasons such as preparing bad dinner. Jesus in his teachings approves of God's intention of the institution of marriage that is depicted in Genesis 2: 24 of one man one woman; and the Mosaic regulation.

I will use the teachings of this paragraph to control and manage my marriage because Jesus teaches that divorce causes adultery because an illicit divorce will turn the woman into an adulteress when she remarries. This paragraph also educates me the grounds of divorce to protect me if I am the non-offending partner and prevent the institution of my marriage from being a sham. This paragraph teaches me how to remain faithful and respect the marriage union to avoid divorce cases. However, it also allows for an exception to divorce (Robertson, 2018). I also appreciate that in as much as the law permits divorce, God does not really encourage it because I may use divorce to carry out my lasts. I should learn to love my partner and avoid excuses to run out of the marriage to follow the lusts of my heart.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the teachings of Jesus as envisioned in the paragraphs provide for ways of living righteously. The teachings provide that in as much as I should obey the laws in place, I should have the right state of mind, motivation, and attitude because God is only interested with my heart. I should find ways to purify my heart and fill it with the teachings of God to avoid sinful temptations such as adultery and murder. The teachings about divorce encourage me to respect God's union and the institution of marriage and only divorce when I feel offended by marriage to avoid scam.

References

Baasland, E. (2015). Parables and Rhetoric in the Sermon on the Mount: New Approaches to a Classical Text (Vol. 351). Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck. https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/uploads/tx_sgpublisher/produkte/leseproben/9783161541025.pdf

Robertson, A. T. (2018). A Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ. BoD-Books on Demand. Frankfurt am Main: Harper & brothers publishers.https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=W-daDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Simmons, N. (2015). The warning of the six antitheses: A speech act analysis of Matthew 5: 21-48. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. North Carolina: Proquest. https://search.proquest.com/openview/ac199081e5873670109308717b8afec9/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y