Matthew 5:21-22 - Anger
Jesus begins to deconstruct the oral law of the Rabbi's. Jesus was addressing the seed of murder, which was the thoughts. He was addressing the evil intent of the heart that was leading to the sin of killing someone. Paul taught this in Eph 4:31-32, Col 3:8-9. John also in 1Jn 3:10, Eph 4:26-27. The question is what do you do with the anger.
Matthew 5:23-24 - Anger - Reconciliation
Anger presents a barrier between God and man. The man to man relationship must be right before the God to man relationship can be made right. In recovery programs like Celebrate Recovery we make a moral inventory, and make amends. The priority here is that we bring about reconciliation with man, so that our relation with God is pure.
Matthew 5:25-26 - Anger - Peace
The standard of Jesus's righteousness means going the extra step to mend differences and bring about reconciliation. This is the requirement of the heart, the intent of the eternal law. To bring about a change of heart before sin erupts. We are commanded to live in peace, not just avoid killing each other Psa 34:11-14, 1Th 5:13, Heb 12:14, Rom 14:19. We will recall the Beatitude of the peacemakers. Mat_5:9 .We should not compromise on on godly issues Rom 12:18.
Glasscock states: "To accommodate heresy, blasphemy, immorality, or other behavior attitudes and characteristics that are contrary to God's revelation in the name of peace is to totally ignore this teaching in its context. Christ demonstrates how to be a peacemaker."
Matthew 5:27-28 - Lust - A Heart Matter
Adultery was prohibited among the nations as well as Israel. Adultery was illegal only for women.
Pre-Law of Moses - There were no prohibitions against sexual relations between the man of the family and other women, and no penalty except in the cases of rape or abuse of power. Gen 16:1-4, Gen 30:1-4, Gen 38:14-18. Nevertheless, adultery was not a wise thing Pro 6:32-34.
Law of Moses - When the Law of Moses came along, God gave the Israelites the following law that contained penalties for sleeping with another man's wife. That penalty was death Deu 22:22, Lev 20:10, Deu 22:24, the penalty for violating a virgin was less severe Deu 22:28-29.
Dr. Ed Glasscock explains:
The idea is that, buy committing adultery a woman has brought another man's seed into the family or clan and thus corrupts the lineage of the husband. A man, however, cannot corrupt his own line by producing offspring from another woman. At least part of the guilt of adultery in the ancient world, then, was a matter of not maintaining the unquestioned purity of the family line.
Jesus, in the waning days of the Law of Moses, when addressing the issue of adultery, clearly stated that a man could be guilty of committing adultery against his own wife Mar 10:11.
The Law of Christ - Jesus turned the ancient ways upside down. The issue of adultery had more to do with the character of a man and than with marital status. Paul in instructing Timothy told him to be of a "one woman type of man" character 1Ti 3:2. Jesus speaks of adultery in terms of our thought life, as evil, and a matter of an evil heart Mat 15:19, Mar 7:21-23.
Matthew 5:29-30 - Lust - The Seriousness
After explaining the roles of the eye and the heart in lust, Jesus uses hyperbole to illustrate the seriousness of what He is saying. Offending God's standards is to be considered more serious than the actual act of tearing one's eye out, or hand off Mat 15:19. James describes this principle in Jas 1:14-15. Job understood this process Job 31:1. Jesus repeats this thought in Mat 18:7-9.
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