Interfriends
Bible Studies
(click on a study, copy and paste it---and it's yours)Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (2) Jesus’ Salty community
A. Review Matthew 5:1-16: What types of people are “salty” people?
B. Matthew 5:17-20: The standard for being Jesus’ salty community
17“Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do that. Instead, I have come to give full meaning to what is written. 18What I’m about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law. Not even the smallest stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is completed.
19“Do not break even one of the least important commandments. And do not teach others to break them. If you do, you will be called the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. Instead, practice and teach these commands. Then you will be called important in the kingdom of heaven.
20“Here is what I tell you. You must be more godly than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. If you are not, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
- What is the purpose of the Law? (see Psalm 1, p 576 NIrV)
- Prophets were people sent by God to speak on his behalf. What did they say? (see for example Isaiah 1:10-20, p 726 NIrV)
- Who are the Pharisees? What did Jesus mean by saying that his disciples must be more godly then they?
- What is Jesus’ point here?
C. Matthew 5:21-26: Salting relationships between one another
21“You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. They were told, ‘Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged for it.’ 22But here is what I tell you. Do not be angry with your brother. Anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ must stand trial in the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire in hell.
- Jesus affirms the commandment that we must not kill one another.
- What does he add to that commandment?
- What word does Jesus use 3 times to refer to the other person? (verses 22 & 23)
- Why would he want us to think of others with that word?
- “Raca” could be translated “idiot.” How does insulting or calling our brothers names lead to treating them badly? (What names do we call our enemies during war?)
- What does anger in our hearts do to our relationships with our brothers/sisters?
23“Suppose you are offering your gift at the altar. And you remember that your brother has something against you. 24Leave your gift in front of the altar. First go and make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift.
- It is easy to remember a bad thing someone has done to us. Is it easy to remember a bad thing we have done to someone else?
- Instead of killing our brother, what should we do?
- How do we take anger out of our brother’s/sister’s heart?
25“Suppose someone has a claim against you and is taking you to court. Settle the matter quickly. Do it while you are still with him on your way. If you don’t, he may hand you over to the judge. The judge may hand you over to the officer. And you may be thrown into prison. 26What I’m about to tell you is true. You will not get out until you have paid the very last penny!
- What effect would verses 21-25 have on our lives and on the lives of others?
- How would they “salt” our communities?
D. Matthew 5:27-32: Salting relationships between husbands and wives
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But here is what I tell you. Do not even look at a woman in the wrong way. Anyone who does has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- Jesus affirms the commandment against adultery. What does he add to that commandment?
- What does lust (“looking at a woman/man in the wrong way”) do to us and to the person we are lusting after?
- Do today’s movies, TV programs, and the Internet help us do this? (Does our western culture say we shouldn’t commit adultery?)
- Why does Jesus say that when we lust for someone, we have already committed adultery with them in our hearts?
- What is Jesus trying to protect with these words?
- How do we keep lust out of our hearts? (see next verses)
29“If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. Your eye is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Your hand is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to go into hell.
- Is Jesus serious about poking our eyes out? How can we tell?
- What might he mean? Can you give any examples?
- How would this protect our marriages?
31“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a letter of divorce.’ 32But here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who gets married to the divorced woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.
Jesus begins by stating the accepted standard of his day: “Whoever divorces his wife….” Religious scholars debated what appropriate grounds for divorce were. But Jesus doesn’t want us to think about divorce at all. He wants us to treasure and to strengthen our marriages. “Don’t think about divorce except if
one of you is unfaithful. Even then, the marriage can be saved!”
- What do you think Jesus would say about pre-nuptial agreements?
- Can we “salt” divorce?
- If not, how can we “salt” our marriages? (see Matthew 19:4-6: “Haven’t you heard, Jesus replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, lent no one separate.”)
E. Matthew 5:33-37: Salting the way we speak
33“Again, you have heard what was said to your people long ago. They were told, ‘Do not break the promises you make to the Lord. Keep the oaths you have made to him.’ 34But here is what I tell you. Do not make any promises like that at all. Do not make them in the name of heaven. That is God’s throne. 35Do not make them in the name of the earth. That is the stool for God’s feet. Do not make them in the name of Jerusalem. That is the city of the Great King. 36And do not take an oath in the name of your head. You can’t make even one hair white or black.
37“Just let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes.’ Let your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more than this comes from the evil one.
- In Jesus’ day, everyone agreed that it was wrong to break promises made to the Lord. But promises made in the name of heaven, or of the earth wasn’t quite as wrong.
- Why would we make promises ”in the name of heaven?”
- Is Jesus against making promises? Why/why not?
- How would Jesus’ instructions here “salt” our relationships?
F. Matthew 5:38-48: Salting relationship with our enemies
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be
knocked out for a tooth.’ 39But here is what I tell you. Do not fight against an evil person. “Suppose someone hits you on your right cheek. Turn your other cheek to him also. 40Suppose someone takes you to court to get your shirt. Let him have your coat also. 41Suppose someone forces you to go one mile. Go two miles with him.
42“Give to the one who asks you for something. Don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.
43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. Hate your enemy.’ 44But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. 45Then you will be sons of your Father who is in heaven. “He causes his sun to shine on evil people and good people. He sends rain on those who do right and those who don’t.
46“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Even the tax collectors do that. 47If you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? Even people who are ungodly do that. 48 So be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
- What does “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth” mean?
- What does Jesus say in contrast to that?
- Negatively (vs. 39): Do not ________________________.
- Instead: —vs. 39-41 1. 2. 3.
- Is this an easy thing to do?
- What do we usually want to do to our enemies?
- What does Jesus want us to do to our enemies?
- Is this possible?
- How would this ‘salt” our lives and the lives of others?