Matthew 5:40-42 ~ 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Jesus is getting ready to deliver the famous "Sermon on the Mount." The entire sermon is in the book of Matthew Chapters 5-7, and I love to read this portion of Scripture often. When Jesus gave this message, it was at the beginning of His ministry, and it is the longest of Jesus' sermons recorded in the New Testament. He knew the end of His story - and for three and a half years, He preached an any man's Gospel. He gave His all and, in this message, He shared how we could be the same loving, giving people, that He would have us to be. People need us and the Gospel. Grace Giving! No greater gift in the world was greater than His gift of His own life. We are truly blessed.... I'll do my best to share my heart and what God's gift means to me. EVERYTHING!
Keep in mind that Jesus wasn't a pastor of a church, so this "sermon" was different than the kind of religious messages we hear today. Jesus attracted a large group of followers even early in His ministry -- sometimes numbering several thousand people. He also had a smaller group of dedicated disciples who remained with Him all the time and were committed to learning and applying His teaching.
The Sermon
So, one day while He was traveling near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus decided to speak to His disciples about what it means to follow Him. In Matthew 5:1-2 the Bible tells us, "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,". With His core disciples gathered around Him, the rest of the crowd found places along the side of the hill and at the level place near the bottom in order to hear what Jesus taught His closest followers.
The Message
The Sermon is by far Jesus' longest explanation of what it looks like to live as His follower and to serve as a member of God's Kingdom. In many ways, Jesus' teachings during the Sermon on the Mount represent the major ideals of our Christian lives. For example, Jesus taught on subjects such as prayer, justice, care for the needy, handling the religious law, divorce, fasting, judging other people, salvation, and much more. The Sermon also contains the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) and the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
Jesus' words are practical, loving, concise; He was truly the Master Orator. Jesus made it clear that His followers (Disciples and Christians) should live in a noticeably different way than other people because His followers should hold to a much higher standard of conduct -- the standard of love and selflessness that Jesus Himself would accomplish when He died on the cross for our sins. Many of Jesus' teachings are commands for His followers to do better than what society allows or expects. Promiscuity, immoral living, lawlessness, flagrant avoidance of any good in their lives; that is out of control everywhere all around the world today. People have no regard for others, respect is an unheard-of word, and evil abounds! But Jesus gave us a standard of Good over evil. We can and must overcome the sin in our lives, by the power of God, and the shed blood on the cross. We can do it with His power through and by the Holy Spirit which indwells us.
Christian, the fact is, that the Word of God gives us clear instructions on how to live and follow after Christ. Jesus said, Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28).
What part of that do we not understand! Divorce, immorality seems to be the normal of our family homes today. But Jesus' message was not spoken lightly! Jesus was clear and patient in His teachings, and as the crowd gathered to hear, He didn't stutter, pause, or backup. The message of God was at hand, and people's souls were in jeopardy. Our Preachers today would do well if they would follow Jesus' pattern of preaching and teaching, instead of their "favorite preacher". He is the One and Only Son of God, and I am so thankful for my Bible that I might read and follow after my Guide and my King every day. Thank you, Lord!
Below are a few of my "special" verses in The Sermon on the Mount out of the Book of Matthew Chapter 5 . . .
5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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