Motley Crew Time!

August 26, 2009

Matthew 5:21-26

1. What is the fifth commandment?

2. What's the difference in “don't murder” and “don't kill”?

3. Is hell is real place? Check out Matthew 5:29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33

4. What does Jesus look at when we come to worship?

5. Did Jesus really mean to leave your gift and go be reconciled with your brother?

Matthew 5:27:30

6. Is Jesus teaching self-mutilation?

7. Are women off the hook?

8. What is the 6th Commandment?

9. How does God feel about homosexuality?

Matthew 5:31-32

10. Why the exception?

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Answers

Motley Crew Time!

August 26, 2009

Matthew 5:21-26

1. What is the 5th Commandment?

“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17.

 

2. What's the difference in “don't murder” and “don't kill”?

Murder = the premeditated and malicious taking of an innocent human life. Kill = accidental or unintentional ending of life.

[The Hebrew language had different words for “murder” and “kill.” The word used here is “murder.”]

 

3. Is hell is real place? Check out Matthew 5:29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33.

Jesus says so.

Matthew 5:29-30: If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. And if your right 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 go into hell.

Matthew 10:28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 18:9: And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Matthew 23:15: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 23:33:"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

[We get “Hell” from the Greek word “Gehenna,” derived from the Hebrew, ge-hinnōm, the valley of <the sons of> Hinnom. It was a valley south and southeast of Jerusalem where the bodies of criminals, animals and other garbage was burned. In ancient pagan rites, children were sacrificed by fire to the god Molech in that valley. According to commentators, Hell is the destination of Satan and his followers, and of humans who reject God. In very early times, it became associated with eternal damnation.]

 

4. What does Jesus look at when we come to worship?

Our hearts.

John 4:24: God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

 

5. Did Jesus really mean to leave your gift and go be reconciled with your brother?

Yes.

[First reconciliation, then worship. Jesus is here setting the stage for His clarification and correction of the Jewish Law, as interpreted by the Scribes (Greek: ГРАММАТЕIС, “grammateus,” which means “experts in the law” as opposed to mere copyists). He is attempting to strip away the interpretations that were created over the centuries that cloud the Law as given by God in the Old Testament (“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself...” Lev. 19:18), and bring His followers into a clearer understanding that the sin of breaking His law of love precedes any action that would break the Jewish Law.]

[Note the intensity of Jesus in expressing His feelings about anger and name calling. Here, anger results in Judgment! Calling someone “raka” – an Aramaic word that means “fool” or “empty headed” – results in being brought before the Sanhedrin, the highest tribunal, rather than the regional council of seven. Finally, calling someone “moros” – a Greek word that implies that the person is without moral scruples – results in being sent to “fiery hell” (Gehenna).

[Many might think of these as rather trivial offenses. Jesus does not! These violations of His law of love are of the most serious nature possible, resulting in Judgment, the Sanhedrin, or Hell.]

 

Matthew 5:27:30

6. Is Jesus teaching self-mutilation?

No. He is getting at the false idea that the body is the cause of sin – even a blind man can lust – and to teach us to take seriously those issues of the heart and mind that lead us to sin.

[The notion that the body is the cause of sin, and that lopping off the offending part, was a common belief at that time.]

 

7. Are women off the hook?

No.

 

8. What is the 6th Commandment?

“You shall not commit adultery.”  Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18.

 

9. How does God feel about homosexuality?

The Bible records God's thoughts to homosexuality. See

Romans 1:24-28: Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
     Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
     Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

On the power of God’s word Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:12-21: So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
     I did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
     And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor. 6:9-10: Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

[One commentator emphasized that Paul is condemning the homosexual action, not the homosexual person. D. H. Field, “Homosexuality,” in J. D. Douglas, Ed., The New Bible Dictionary. Second Edition (Leicester, England: Inter-varsity Press, 1962), p. 488.

[This question arose due to the actions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its most recent general meeting. They voted to permit opening the ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America “to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships” The vote was 559 to 451; one news report indicated that this was “the culmination of years—even decades—of serious and oftentimes heated debate.” Individuals and individual church congregations are not bound by this ruling, and are not required to accept gay and lesbian pastors as their clergy. See generally: http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles Sep09/Art_Sep09_02.html

[Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, the president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, prepared a statement expressing regret for this action. In that statement, he wrote “The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has repeatedly affirmed as its own position the historical understanding of the Christian church that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior as "intrinsically sinful." It is therefore contrary to the will of the Creator and constitutes sin against the commandments of God (Lev. 18:22, 24,20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-20; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and Rom. 1:26, 27).”

[Dr. Kieschnick also wrote “We respect the desire to follow conscience in moral decision making, but conscience may not overrule the Word of God.” His full statement can be seen at http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=15620

[Concerning the differences between the ELCA and LC-MS, see: http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/wa_elca-lcms.pdf

[The position of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod concerning homosexuality in general: http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCMS/wa_homosexuality.pdf .]

 

Matthew 5:31-32

10. Why the exception?

Because in adultery, the “one body” covenant that is marriage has already been broken.

[We didn't get to the full discussion of these verses due to time constraints. It is addressed in the next week's Motley Crew get together. See the notes for September 2, 2009.]