MattheW 5:20 | 1539
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“ You are the light of the world . A town built on a hill can not be hid den . 15 Nei ther do peo ple light a lamp and put it un der a bowl . In stead they put it on its stand , and it gives light to ev ery one in the house . 16 In the same way , let your light shine be fore oth ers , that they may see your good deeds and glo ri fy your Fa ther in heav en .
The Fulfillment of the Law
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“ Do not think that I have come to abol ish the Law or the Proph ets ; I have not come to abol ish them but to ful fill them . 18 For tru ly I tell you , un til heav en and earth dis ap pear , not the small est let ter , not the least stroke of a pen , will by any means dis ap pear from the Law un til ev ery thing is ac com plished .
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There fore any one who sets aside one of the least of these com mands and teach es oth ers ac cord ing ly will be called least in the king dom of heav en , but who ev er prac tic es and teach es these com mands will be called great in the king dom of heav en . 20 For I tell you that un less your righ teous ness sur pass es that of the Phar i sees and the teach ers of the law , you will cer tain ly not en ter the king dom of heav en . concerned about the spiritual state of a person , not just their outward , religious purity ( compare Mt 15:11 ). they will see God Likely an allusion to the temple entrance liturgy of Ps 24:3 – 4 . The idea being that they will witness God ’ s entrance . 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers Jewish literature of the time valued those who worked for peace . children of God Those whose lives reflect the ethics of Jesus will be clearly identified as children of God ( see Ro 8:14 and note ).
5:10 – 12 These three verses address persecution and likely reflect the situation of those who first read Matthew ’ s Gospel ( which may explain why the theme receives such extensive treatment ). Later in the narrative , Jesus encounters each form of persecution recorded here and suffers the same fate as many OT prophets ( see Mt 23:29 – 37 ).
5:11 because of me Jesus is speaking to his disciples about a radical way of life that reflects the ideals of the kingdom of heaven . He seems to imply that persecution is a result of practicing his teaching and believing in him .
5:13 – 16 In what follows , Jesus shifts from pronouncements of blessing to instructions about the law . He compares his followers to salt and light , elements commonly used as metaphors in antiquity . His point is that disciples who fail to live a lifestyle that reflects the values of the kingdom of heaven are akin to something tasteless or devoid of light — undesirable and of no value .
5:13 salt of the earth Salt was valued for its many uses , such as flavoring ( Job 6:6 ), preserving , healing ( Eze 16:4 ) and destroying ( Jdg 9:45 ). It also served a liturgical function ( Lev 2:13 ; Eze 43:24 ) and was used in covenant making ( Nu 18:19 ; 2Ch 13:5 ). 5:14 light of the world Recalls Israel ’ s role as a light to the nations ( Isa 42:6 ; 49:6 ). 5:16 Father Jesus commonly refers to God by this designation , which indicates their relationship of father and son . The concept of Yahweh as a father was common throughout Israel ’ s history ( e . g ., 2Sa 7:14 ; 1Ch 22:9 – 10 ; Ps 2:7 ). 5:17 to fulfill The Greek word used here , plēroō , refers in this instance to carrying something out . Matthew is saying that Jesus performed or upheld that which was required by the law and met the expectations of the predictions about him in the writings of the prophets . In him , the Law and the Prophets reached their fullest expression ( e . g ., Mt 1:22 ; 2:15,17,23 ). See the table “ Jesus ’ Fulfillment of OT Prophecy ” on p . 1573 . 5:18 will by any means disappear All of the law was important to Jesus ( compare 5:17 ). 5:20 surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law These groups were associated with a high degree of righ teous ness . This should not be considered an endorsement of the scribes ( teachers of the law , see note on Mt 2:4 ) and Pharisees ( see note on Jn 7:32 ). Instead , Jesus points out that not even their righ teousness is enough to enter the kingdom of heaven .
Some disciples desert Jesus .
Jesus teaches his disciples about what defiles .
Jesus heals a deaf man in the Decapolis .
Jesus feeds 4,000 with seven loaves and a few fish .
Jesus warns his disciples against false teachings .
Jesus heals a blind man in Bethsaida .
Jesus goes to Tyre and Sidon , and heals a Gentile woman ’ s
The Pharisees daughter . criticize Jesus about ceremonial washing .
Jesus heals many on a mountain in Galilee .
Jesus goes to Magadan .
Peter declares Jesus the Messiah .