Righteousness and the Scriptures 5:17-48In His discussion of righteousness (character and conduct that conforms to the will of God), Jesus went back to the revelation of God’s will, namely, God’s Word, the Old Testament. read more
Jesus’ summary of His disciples’ duty 5:48This verse summarizes all of Jesus’ teaching about the Old Testament’s demands (Matthew 5:21-47). It puts in epigrammatic form the essential nature of the "greater righteousness" of Matthew 5:20 that Jesus illustrated above. "Therefore" identifies a conclusion."Perfect" (Gr. teleios) often occurs in a relative sense in the New Testament, and translators sometimes render it "mature" (e.g., 1 Corinthians 14:20; Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 5:14; Hebrews 6:1).... read more
The Sermon on the MountJohn 5:1 to John 7:29. The Sermon on the Mount: see Luke 6:20. This sermon is so similar to the sermon reported by St. Luke (Luke 6:20), that it is best to regard them as identically the same. It is true that it has been plausibly suggested that our Lord during His preaching tours often repeated nearly the same sermon to different audiences, and that St. Matthew has given us the sermon as delivered at one place and St. Luke as delivered at another, but the resemblances... read more
(48) Be ye therefore perfect.—Literally, Ye therefore shall be perfect—the ideal future that implies an imperative.Your Father which is in heaven.—The better reading gives, your heavenly Father. The idea of perfection implied in the word here is that of the attainment of the end or ideal completeness of our being. In us that attainment implies growth, and the word is used (e.g., in 1 Corinthians 2:6; Hebrews 5:14) of men of full age as contrasted with infants. In God the perfection is not... read more
The Beatitudes Illustrated By Events in the Passion Matthew 5:0 1. Christ condemned. Pilate washes his hands and declares Christ innocent. 'Blessed are the pure in heart.' 2. Christ takes up the cross. 'Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake.' 3. Christ falls under the weight of the cross. 'Blessed are they that mourn.' 4. Christ meekly allows another to share His cross. 'Blessed are the meek.' 5. Christ comforts the women. 'Blessed are the merciful.' 6. Christ stripped... read more
Chapter 7The Gospel of the Kingdom("Sermon on the Mount") - Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29IT may seem almost heresy to object to the time-honoured title "Sermon on the Mount"; yet, so small has the word "sermon" become, on account of its application to those productions of which there is material for a dozen in single sentences of this great discourse, that there is danger of belittling it by the use of a title which suggests even the remotest relationship to these ephemeral... read more
5. The Proclamation of the King concerning His Kingdom. Chapters 5-7 1. The Characteristics of the heirs of the Kingdom.(Matthew 5:1-16 .) 2. The Confirmation of the Law and its Expansion.( Matthew 5:17-48 .) CHAPTER 5 In the closing of the last chapter we saw our Lord Jesus Christ surrounded by a great multitude of people, which followed Him and who were attracted by the King’s presence, before whom the various diseases had to flee. If we turn to the eighth chapter we find the... read more
From every direction He attracted followers, Galilee mentioned first, but also Decapolis beyond the sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and Judea, and east of Jordan. No doubt their motives for following Him were various, some good, others selfish, but they heard the word of God, which challenges men's motives as veil as their actions, as is plainly seen in Chapter 5. Because of the crowds He took a position on a mountain from which to speak. His disciples came to Him, so that they were in close... read more
THE CODE OF THE KINGDOM The King has announced His kingdom at hand, and now declares the laws or code of that Kingdom. These which we began to speak of in the last lesson, have a two-fold application, ultimately to the Kingdom when it shall be set up, and approximately and in an accommodated sense to the Christian at present. Except at the first of these is kept in mind, confusion and uncertainty must attend the interpretation. We have two figurative descriptions of disciples, “Salt” and... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 5:48
48. Be ye therefore—rather, "Ye shall therefore be," or "Ye are therefore to be," as My disciples and in My kingdom. perfect—or complete. Manifestly, our Lord here speaks, not of degrees of excellence, but of the kind of excellence which was to distinguish His disciples and characterize His kingdom. When therefore He adds, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect—He refers to that full-orbed glorious completeness which is in the great Divine Model, "their Father which is in heaven." read more