Session 4
Matthew 5:13-20,43-48
Memory Verse: Matthew 5:20
God’s kingdom requires true righteousness. Quoting Jesus’s Model Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), we say, “Your kingdom come” (v. 10), but what does that mean? Living in a democracy, many westerners don’t resonate with kingdom concepts. But the easiest way to grasp this idea is to reflect on the next line of the prayer: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10). Living in God’s kingdom means seeking and doing the King’s will here on earth with the same level of instant and unreserved obedience that exists in heaven. We do so through faith in Christ.
Many times, people want to know God’s will, but they try to carry it out on their own terms. They impose human values and behavior on His Word. Instead of embracing Christ’s righteousness, people pursue what seems right or makes sense to them. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His followers to go beyond rituals and to live out true righteousness in Him. As you study this session, consider what it means for you to be salt and light in the world and how you can move the adults in your Bible study to submit to King Jesus by living out His plans for you each day.
A new phenomenon over the last fifteen years has been the advent of social media influencers. In fact, the term “influencer” was not added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary until 2019. These “influencers” on the internet produce interest in a variety of products and ideologies. This approach to marketing has a value of well over $20 billion dollars. Some of these influencers have become folk heroes to many internet users. (PSG, p. 40)
Who are some social media influencers you are aware of? Are you able to identify ways that you have been impacted by these influencers?
When large crowds turn up at religious events, we get excited. We post about it on social media, write about it in religious publications, and tell everyone we know. Jesus took a different approach.
As His ministry attracted people from all over Israel, He withdrew to a nearby mountain. There, He focused on equipping His followers so they could portray the way of life that should be normal for believers. What they heard was revolutionary. It upended many of their long-held beliefs about what God expected of His kingdom citizens.
In eight amazing statements that we call the Beatitudes, Jesus taught His disciples to apply an entirely different set of standards when it came to defining righteous living. Rather than repeating conventional wisdom, He shared God’s wisdom. Instead of relying on human ideas about the law, He explained God’s actual intentions for the law.
In God’s kingdom, blessed people are not necessarily the rich and powerful, but the poor in spirit. Those who mourn over sin find comfort in God’s grace and forgiveness. In the divine agenda, the humble inherit the earth and those who hunger for righteousness are filled. Jesus also taught the value of nurturing purity, making peace, and enduring persecution.
Jesus’s goal was to help people be salt and light in a needy culture. For so long, God’s people had depended on external rituals associated with the Mosaic law rather than embracing the spirit behind the law. Jesus illustrated what being kingdom citizens meant in the practical experiences of life. He didn’t come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it by embracing a higher law, the law of love.
Previously, the average Jew thought the gold standard of righteous living was represented by the scribes and Pharisees. These religious leaders taught that righteousness came from keeping the law of Moses. Trying to protect the law, they built “hedges” of additional regulations around it. By valuing their own rituals over true righteusness, though, they created a society where people failed to know and love God-and one another.
People need to understand that murder begins with anger. Adultery is rooted in lustful thoughts. All should be avoided in God’s kingdom. Marriage and honesty are virtues to be cherished, as is conflict resolution. It’s not enough to love one’s family and friends. Godly love also extends to our enemies.
Jesus sought to help His disciples not only understand true righteousness, but also to live it out through kingdom behavior. After He returned to heaven, it would be up to them to take the kingdom message to the world-person by person, life by life. They were God’s plan for accomplishing His will on earth as it is
in heaven.
Read through Matthew 5 in your Bible. Which of Jesus’s teachings about what it means to follow Him presents the greatest challenge for you? (PSG, p. 41)
EXPLORE THE TEXT
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Every culture has its virtues and vices. Left to its fallen nature, human society confuses the two and begins to view ungodly attitudes and actions as acceptable behavior. Like meat in an unrefrigerated room, culture begins to spoil and stink.
Jesus taught His followers to be the salt of the earth. In Jesus’s day, salt was valued not only because it gave flavor to food, but also because it preserved food. In this passage, the “earth” did not refer to the physical planet or to a worldly viewpoint. Instead, it reflects human habitation and relationships. To be the salt of the earth involves protecting society from putrefying. Christians should influence culture by reflecting
kingdom values.
Salt cannot accomplish its function if it loses its saltiness. Jesus noted that if salt should lose its taste, it could not be made salty again. Instead, it is useless and might as well be thrown out. Some scholars think the picture of salt being trampled referred to worthless salt being tossed out onto road beds. If believers lose their effectiveness because of sin or spiritual neglect, they will not fulfill their God-given purpose. The analogy is an illustration and doesn’t mean we can lose our salvation.
In another analogy, Jesus called His disciples the light of the world. Notice, He did not say “a light in the world” but “the light of the world.” We are not one of many sources of illumination in a darkened culture. By revealing Christ, who is the ultimate Light of the world, we help people experience light and life in Him (John 8:12).
Such light cannot be hidden any more than a city situated on a hill. If we have the light of Christ within us, people will see it. It’s undeniable. Similarly, lamps give light to a room. It would be foolish if someone lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Doing so defeats its purpose-and creates a fire hazard! Instead, the light is placed on a lampstand. Lamps in biblical days typically used olive oil held in a reservoir that fueled a wick. It was then placed on a stand to help the light reach around the room. Thus, it provided light for everyone in the house. (v. 16) Jesus often used ordinary items or aspects of everyday life to illustrate spiritual principles. In this case, believers should not hide their faith. Like lamps on stands, Jesus said believers should let your light shine before others. We don’t do so to get favorable attention, but to bear witness to the Source of the light. Christians are called to live in a way that allows people to observe our good works and give glory to our heavenly Father. After all, we are “his workmanship” created by God to perform good works (Eph. 2:10). Our good works don’t save us (2:8-9), but they do demonstrate the salvation we have experienced. Our works reveal God’s work in and through our lives as we strive to be His hands and feet for His glory. By being salt and light, kingdom people make a positive impact on others. Like our heavenly Father, we should not be content to let the world around us remain as is. We should long for it to be transformed for His glory.EXPLORE THE TEXT
----------17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”
Some of Jesus’s listeners believed that He opposed the Mosaic law. On the contrary, He asserted that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. By “Law” Jesus referred to the instructions God gave Moses in the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch or the Torah. “Prophets” meant the writings of the four major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) and twelve minor prophets (Hosea-Malachi). Together, these terms encompass the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Greek word translated “abolish” means to dissolve or destroy. Jesus intended neither to diminish the law or to eliminate it. Instead, His mission would fulfill all of God’s Word, completing it to the fullest extent. While the Jewish sacrificial system pointed to Christ’s death, His life taught the true meaning of both the law and the prophets.
With the word truly, Jesus strongly validated the authority of the Scriptures. He left no room for equivocation. One day, heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will endure. Just as God is eternal, so His Word is eternal.
Jesus added that even the smallest letter and stroke of a letter in Scripture were more permanent than all of creation. We might compare it to crossing a “t” or dotting an “i.” Jesus emphasized that all things-even the finest points of the Word-would be accomplished in Him.
As a result, Jesus warned against violating even the least of these commands or leading others to do the same. The term breaks meant more than simply going against a command. It included the idea of disregarding it completely. Jesus called out sins of both commission and omission-along with those who influence other people to sin.
In contrast, Jesus said the one who is truly great in the kingdom is the one who does and teaches God’s ways and, by implication, encourages others to follow suit. Jesus apparently included both kinds of people among kingdom citizens, but He distinguished between their place in the kingdom and their effectiveness
as teachers.
Jesus criticized the way scribes and Pharisees portrayed God’s Word. These leaders took pride in their own righteousness based on the law and traditions. They thought a right relationship with God could be earned and maintained by human effort. But Jesus urged His disciples to seek a righteousness that surpasses legalistic dependence on man-made rules. God is not interested in ritualistic righteousness. He requires faith in Jesus.
Jesus later noted a hypocrisy between what the religious leaders said and did. He encouraged His people to respect the leaders’ position, but He warned them about imitating the leaders’ practices because they ignored the deeper meaning of God’s laws (23:3-4).
The scribes and Pharisees paid lip service to God through traditions and rituals, but their hearts lacked love for Him or others. Such a low view of God and misplaced trust inevitably prevents individuals from entering the kingdom of heaven. True righteousness comes through faith in Jesus, which leads us to embrace the spirit, as well as the letter, of His Word.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Hearing radically new standards for spiritual behavior challenged Jesus’s disciples. In verses 21-48, Jesus gave specific examples to illustrate His point, including the connections between anger and murder, adultery and lust, and marriage and divorce. He also affirmed the importance of honesty and forgiveness.
Throughout these verses (including v. 43), Jesus reminded His followers of familiar sayings: You have heard that it was said. Yet, injunctions against murder and idolatry, as well as admonitions to love your neighbor, only told part of the story. In God’s kingdom, loving neighbors falls flat if one chooses to hate your enemy. This approach appeals to human nature, but it fails to reach the level of true righteousness.
To introduce the kingdom’s new paradigm, Jesus underscored His own divine authority, But I tell you. Instead of hate, Jesus instructed His disciples to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you. We might claim to love our enemies, but it’s harder to pray for people who intentionally harm us. Yet, Jesus’s teaching wasn’t rooted in some vague theological theory, but from a heart that would forgive those who crucified Him.
We love our enemies because we are children of our Father in heaven. Loving one’s enemies does not make us God’s children but demonstrates our relationship with Him. Because we belong to Him, we act differently.
As our Creator, the Father takes an active role in the lives of all humanity. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Through what is known as God’s “common grace,” He intentionally chooses to bless every person. So, to love like He loves, we must imitate His grace. We must show love and concern for all people-even those who oppose and oppress us.
Jesus acknowledged that it’s easier to love those who love us. This approach is no different than the actions of unsaved people around us. It offers no genuine reward in this life or the next.
As an example, Jesus pointed to tax collectors. These Jews were despised by their own people because they collected taxes for the Roman government, often overcharging the people and pocketing the difference. Yet, even they returned love for love. If the disciples only loved people who loved them, they were no better than those who set the lowest moral bar in that culture.
Similarly, if we greet (or welcome) only our brothers and sisters, how are we demonstrating the uniqueness of kingdom citizens? Developing loving and respectful relationships solely with people who are like us and agree with us reveals nothing out of the ordinary. We look like everyone else instead of embracing a life that sets us apart as God’s people and points others to Him.
This twist in teaching would have been startling for Jesus’s disciples. They lived in a context where loving friends and taking revenge on enemies was the conventional wisdom of the day. What Jesus was proposing turned everything they knew about righteous living on its head.
Throughout the Torah, God challenged His people to be holy because He is holy (Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7,26; 21:8). Likewise, Jesus told His disciples to be perfect . . . as your heavenly Father is perfect. Here, the idea of perfection relates to moral qualities and behavior, but it also suggests spiritual maturity. As God sets the standard of moral maturity, we allow the Holy Spirit to work out the process of sanctification in our lives. We’ll never achieve sinless perfection, but we must not settle for less than what God expects.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 48 of the Personal Study Guide.
Encourage adults to consider a principle or truth that resonates with them from this session’s verses. Encourage them to record that thought in the margins of their PSGs.
Use that statement as a prayer prompt during your times with God this week. Keep it in front of you and ask God to show you how He wants you to live it out each day.
Direct attention to the second set of questions on page 48 of the PSG. Facilitate a brief discussion on ways adults can serve as a positive influence to those around them this week. Encourage them to identify and pray for opportunities to touch the life of one specific person.
Close in prayer. Ask God to help adults be wise as they strive to become salt and light in the world every day and to learn how to love others in a way that brings glory to Him.
Text or email the group, reminding them to continue working on the memory verse for this session,
Matthew 5:20. Remind adults to continue praying for opportunities to be salt and light to those around them and to look for ways to be a positive influencer the life of the person they have been praying for this week.
It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. (See John 20:21;
1 Thessalonians 1:8.)
h3>BIBLE SKILL: h3>Use multiple Scripture passages to understand a major doctrine.
Read Matthew 5:20,44-45 and highlight the terms righteous and righteousness. Scribes and Pharisees thought righteousness was achieved rather than received. To understand righteousness, read how the following verses answer these questions: What is the source of righteousness? (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 2:21) How do people become righteous? (Rom. 3:22; 4:3-5) How can believers demonstrate righteousness? (Rom. 6:13-20)