TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 24:13-35
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. - Ephesians 1:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
The skepticism of Jesus’ followers regarding His resurrection is one of the most startling parts of the Easter story. His disciples expressed their doubts more than once during the first hours and days after Jesus was raised. This was consistent with their reaction to Jesus’ teaching about His death and resurrection at various points in His ministry. Most of the time they didn’t understand what He was saying or were afraid to ask Him, or both. Peter did address the issue on one memorable occasion when he rebuked Jesus for talking about His death: “This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22).

The Bible doesn’t excuse the apostles’ slowness to understand Jesus’ teaching and to believe in His resurrection. But our own humanness makes us hesitant to say that we would have done any better if we had been in their sandals. Many of us can probably identify with the two people who were walking back to the little village of Emmaus the evening of Jesus’ resurrection. One was Cleopas, and the other could have been his wife or a friend. As far as they were concerned, the reports that said Jesus was alive were just too good to be true. Their hopes in Jesus had not been fulfilled, and now it was all over.

God prevented these two from recognizing Jesus right away when He appeared beside them. He had an important lesson about faith, the Scriptures, and Himself to teach them. The lesson Jesus gave them in the Old Testament must have been unforgettable (v. 27). Imagine Jesus opening His Word and teaching you! It made their hearts burn with understanding and excitement.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus reminds us that spiritual sight is a gift from God.

Today’s verse teaches the same truth. It is part of a prayer in which the apostle Paul asked God to give believers “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Eph. 1:17) to know Him better.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 3:1-15
I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. - John 3:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
People interested in their family histories gathered at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and in 13 regional offices last spring to pore over 2,667 rolls of microfilm holding data from the 1930 U.S. census. Privacy protection on this census expired in 2002, and the records were opened to the public. The records contain detailed information on individuals counted in 1930, far beyond what one archivist called the “dry” statistics that are published after a census. Searchers not only located family members from that period, but also learned many fascinating details about the way they lived and worked. Historians say the 1930 census information provides a detailed look at life in America at the beginning of the Great Depression.

We can imagine the gold mine of information these searchers uncovered as they took the time to dig deep and learn for themselves. That’s what Nicodemus did the night he came to talk with Jesus. He had heard about this man whose teaching was so radically different from the tradition of the Pharisees in which he was trained. But Nicodemus decided that he had to find out for himself what Jesus was all about. The “gold mine” Nicodemus discovered for his effort was a personal lesson in the new birth from the Lord Himself.

The passage doesn’t indicate whether Nicodemus realized the treasure He was given, at least on that night. He did express amazement at the concept of being born again, but he was thinking of human birth. Jesus expressed His own amazement that a spiritual leader in Israel could be so lacking in true spiritual understanding. But Jesus clearly loved Nicodemus and patiently explained the truth about Himself.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Have you been born again by the grace of God? Then you have something to sing about today! The great hymnwriter Fanny Crosby wrote a wonderful hymn that begins with these words: “Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!” If you have a hymnal, turn to this uplifting song entitled “Praise Him! Praise Him!” and finish your devotional time by singing this–or another song of praise–to the Lord as your testimony.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 3:22-30
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. - Hebrews 3:7
TODAY IN THE WORD
As the French emperor Napoleon and his army advanced on Russia, the Russians abandoned the city of Smolensk and set fire to it. Observing the city on fire, Napoleon asked one of his officers what he thought of it. “Horrible, sire,” the man answered. But Napoleon disagreed, expressing great delight at the fire and telling the officer, “As one of the Roman emperors remarked, 'The corpse of an enemy always smells sweet.’ ”

Napoleon’s cold-hearted attitude toward those he considered his enemies is matched by the callous reaction of many of Israel’s leaders toward Jesus and the works of miraculous power He was doing. These leaders were not content just to refuse to believe in Jesus. They accused Him of using Satan’s power to do His miracles, and in so doing not only revealed their contempt for Jesus but came very close to committing an “eternal sin” (v. 29).

Jesus responded by using their own words to show how absurd their charge really was. Satan would not work against himself, Jesus said, because that would only result in the end of his power. Aside from the issue of the true source of Jesus’ power, the accusations of these Jewish teachers didn’t even stand up to basic logic.

Then Jesus added to His argument by saying that far from being powerless, Satan was the “strong man” who had to be overpowered before anyone could enter his house and take his possessions (v. 27). Jesus had already proved that He was the only person strong enough to bind Satan and take his possessions–the people who were held in sin’s power.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Today’s study is a healthy reminder that all sin is an offense against God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 4:14-30
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good. - Acts 10:38
TODAY IN THE WORD
In the “tell all” atmosphere of our culture today, some gossips try to feed the public’s hunger for inside information on celebrities by finding people who knew these famous folks before their fame. Former neighbors, teachers, baby-sitters, and others from a celebrity’s hometown are asked for juicy, revealing stories about the celebrity’s past.

Jesus had achieved fame by the time He returned to Galilee after successfully defeating the Devil in the desert (vv. 1-13). People had already heard about Him, and the synagogues where He taught were probably packed. But the real gauge of popular opinion came when Jesus entered His hometown of Nazareth and went to the synagogue. That wasn’t surprising, since the Bible says that it was His custom (v. 16). It also wasn’t surprising that Jesus was invited to read the Scriptures and address the congregation as a visiting teacher. The people in Nazareth wanted to see if what they had heard about this “local boy made good” was true.

Jesus chose His text deliberately, a passage from Isaiah 61:1–2 that described the ministry of Israel’s Messiah. He also stopped deliberately, ending His reading in the middle of verse 2, which speaks of the day of the Lord’s vengeance. This is a wonderful witness from Jesus Himself about the difference between His first and second comings. He came the first time to heal, deliver, and announce the day of God’s favor. The second time He will come in wrath to judge the world.

By the time Jesus finished, the synagogue attenders were staring at Him in amazement. And when Jesus announced that He was the fulfillment of this messianic prophecy, they took offense at “the carpenter’s son” claiming greatness (v. 22). Jesus reminded His hearers of two instances when God bypassed Israel and instead blessed Gentiles who trusted in Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It’s true. The hometown crowd can be the toughest to influence for Christ because these people know us better than anybody.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 10:38-42
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. - Matthew 22:37
TODAY IN THE WORD
An anonymous person wrote a hymn about the day that Mary and Martha hosted Jesus for dinner. The hymn, appropriately titled “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus,” calls Christians to find peace, blessing, and joy at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words. The hymn’s last stanza includes this prayer: “Bless me, O my Savior, bless me, as I sit low at Thy feet! O look down in love upon me, let me see Thy face so sweet!”

This brief story is a wonderful study of different personality types, as well as Jesus’ love for people no matter what kind of personality they have. Martha and Mary were two of Jesus’ favorite people. The Bible says, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5), and His ties to this family were deepened when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43). Their home in Bethany was always open to the Lord and His disciples.

On this occasion Martha’s type-A personality was in high gear as she tried to get a meal ready for her special guests. We might respond, “Well, somebody had to make the meal!” But that misses the point that Jesus made. There did not have to be a meal–not if it meant allowing oneself to be distracted and frustrated while the Lord of heaven was in the next room sharing words of spiritual life and nourishment.

Jesus’ tender rebuke to Martha was designed to help her see that the “one thing” of devotion to Him was better than the many things of daily life. Chances are that if Martha had joined Mary at Jesus’ feet, there would have been opportunity later for a simple meal together in a much less stressful environment. In fact, some Bible teachers interpret Jesus’ “one thing” as a reference to Martha’s meal: “Martha, one dish would have been enough.” In other words, do a quick casserole so you can get to the more important part of listening to Jesus.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This account reminds us that we must choose whether we will worry or worship.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 12:1-8
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
Jesus had a compassionate, holy, and redemptive relationship with the women He fellowshiped with, served with, and ministered to during His life on earth. We saw an example of this yesterday as He visited in the home of His dear friends Martha and Mary. One of the best witnesses to the Savior’s divine nature is the perfect dignity and grace He showed as a man in the presence of women, no matter what the setting and what their needs might be.

Jesus also took the concerns of women seriously and treated them as people of equal value with men–an idea virtually unheard of in His day. He validated the ministry of the women who served alongside Him and His disciples. Jesus always had a word of grace and hope for the women He came in contact with. These women also found in Jesus the love of God that satisfies the soul. It’s worth noting that the Gospels do not record one instance of a woman who met Jesus but rejected Him and His message.

John’s account of the anointing by Mary of Bethany illustrates many of these features of Jesus’ relationship with women. Her devotion to Christ was so absolute that she was willing to give up her greatest treasure for Him. This event happened on the Saturday evening before Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem the next day in preparation for His crucifixion. Mary didn’t know the schedule; she just knew that her heart was prompting her to worship Jesus in a very costly and personal way by using perfume and wiping His feet with her hair (v. 3).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Wouldn’t it be exciting to have Jesus say that your devotion to Him was so great it would be told around the world?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Mark 7:24-30
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. - John 14:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
A poor mother in Ethiopia once decided that the only hope for her little boy, who became blind, was to be raised by someone who could give him the care he needed. Hearing that Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie would be passing near her village, the mother made a desperate plan. She rushed the presidential car, risking death, and pushed her baby through the window into the emperor’s arms. To her great relief, the emperor accepted the boy and raised him. The boy grew up to be a brilliant lawyer and won a scholarship to Columbia University in New York.

The woman who came to Jesus in the Gentile region of Tyre, about forty miles northwest of Capernaum in what is now Lebanon, was another desperate mother with a plan. The word got out that Jesus was in her area, and she was determined to see Him. Jesus had gone north not to minister publicly, but probably to spend private time with His disciples which had been interrupted by the crowds that mobbed Jesus (see Mark 6:32-34). The “children” He referred to who needed to eat may have been the disciples who needed time for uninterrupted teaching from the Lord. That’s why Jesus didn’t want anyone to know He was there.

But this woman was a mother with a suffering child, which meant she would not give up easily. Jesus’ statement to her about the “dogs” eating from the children’s table (v. 27) was not meant to be derogatory, and she wasn’t insulted. He was talking about house pets that wait under the table for scraps from the family. Her answer made sense: if crumbs fall from the table while the children are eating, the house pets can eat them without taking food from the children or interrupting their meal.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
More than once Jesus stressed the importance of persistence, and even a sense of desperate hope, in prayer (see Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-8).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 4:1-30, 39-42
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. - John 4:24
TODAY IN THE WORD
The people of Tombouctou, Mali, are called the Tuareg, a nickname given to these once-fierce warriors of the Sahara Desert by their Arab neighbors. The word Tuareg literally means “abandoned by God,” a title these nomads were given because of their lack of religious practices and faith. Even though they are nominally Muslim, their lifestyle of roaming the desert keeps them from practicing most Islamic traditions.

“Abandoned by God” is a harsh name to give a people, but it sounds like something the Jews of Jesus’ day would have called the Samaritans. This region, between Galilee and Judea, was populated by descendants of Jews and foreigners the Assyrians brought into the area when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and took its people into captivity seven hundred years earlier.

The Samaritans were considered a mongrel race by the Jews, who shunned them and even crossed to the eastern side of the Jordan River to avoid going through Samaria when they traveled between Galilee and Judea. The Samaritans responded by setting up their own temple on Mount Gerizim.

But Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (v. 4) because there was a sinful, needy woman He wanted to reach. Jesus got her attention by asking for a drink of water, which surprised her because Jews did not speak to Samaritans, much less a Jewish man to a Samaritan woman. Jesus then intrigued her by offering her “living water” that would satisfy her thirst forever (v. 16). The woman could think only of physical water, but Jesus was offering her the gift of salvation.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The Tuareg people of Mali are among the unreached people that dedicated missionaries are trying to reach for Christ. In John 4:35 Jesus said, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Luke 7:36-50
Your faith has saved you; go in peace. - Luke 7:50
TODAY IN THE WORD
The story is told of a young sixteenth-century artist who worked long and hard on a statue. When the work was finished, the famous artist Michelangelo was invited to view it. As he studied the statue, Michelangelo said, “It lacks only one thing . . . and that is life. If it had life, it would be as perfect as God could make it.”

The Pharisees of ancient Israel were much like the statue created by that young artist. They looked wonderful on the outside. They wore long, flowing robes that signaled their important position, and the common people treated them with great respect. But Jesus once told them that they were “full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean” (Matt. 23:27). In today’s reading, we see that our response to Jesus reveals our inward spiritual life. What a contrast between Simon the Pharisee and the woman who came to Simon’s dinner party to see Jesus.

Apparently Simon did not esteem Jesus very highly, since he didn’t even offer the Lord the common courtesies of the day such as a foot washing and a kiss of greeting (vv. 44-45). Maybe Simon thought there really wasn’t anything Jesus could do for him. He even doubted that Jesus was really a prophet (v. 39). There was no love in Simon’s heart because he failed to see his great need for forgiveness.

But the woman who came up behind Jesus and began crying on His feet had an entirely different attitude. Jesus is probably the only person who could have kept perfect poise in that awkward situation, since the woman’s sinful reputation was well known. But while Simon had nothing but contempt for her, Jesus knew her heart and dealt with her in love.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
This month we have been talking about Jesus’ love for people. But today let’s think about our love for Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Revelation 22:12-17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” - Revelation 22:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
Do you ever think about heaven? If so, you’re in pretty good company because the apostle Paul said, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). It’s hard not to think about heaven when the one who loves you the most is already there and looking forward to you being with Him. Some people might believe that thinking too much about heaven will eventually make us useless on earth. But we beg to differ. C. S. Lewis said, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.” The prospect of going to heaven and seeing Jesus is a great motivation to live for Him now–and to seek to tell others about His salvation.

Jesus loved people while He was on earth, and He still loves them in heaven. The gracious invitation in the book of Revelation comes from the heart of a God who is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus promised to come back for those who love Him, as He told His disciples the night before His crucifixion: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). With all that Jesus has done to love and to save us, He is not about to leave us behind.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Back on April 1 we encouraged you to write down one way you wanted to become more like Jesus Christ this month, and pray toward that goal each day.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:1-3
Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay. - Psalm 40:17
TODAY IN THE WORD
In Poor Richard’s Almanac Benjamin Franklin observed, “Poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue.” Jesus, though, said that poverty can be a path to blessing–if it is the right kind of poverty. Material poverty in itself is not a blessing. The author of Proverbs asked God to give him “neither poverty nor riches” (Prov. 30:. Nor are the poor inherently more (or less) virtuous than the rich.

This month we will look at the Sermon on the Mount, an extended sermon by Jesus recorded in Matthew 5–7. As we’ll see, Jesus turns many of the preconceived notions of how to relate to others and to God on their head. These words, surely challenging to Jesus’ hearers, are no less challenging and encouraging to us today. We will be studying these “Jesus Rules” to see how our lives can line up more closely with what He requires.

Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with a series of declarations beginning with the phrase “Blessed are . . .” These have been called the Beatitudes, a description taken from the Latin word for blessed. In this opening Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounces a blessing upon the “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). He uses the metaphor of poverty to help us understand the spiritual precondition for God’s blessing. But what did He mean when He spoke of poverty of spirit?

Throughout the Bible the term spirit refers to a person’s inmost being (Prov. 20:27; cf. 1 Cor. 2:11). Poverty of spirit has to do with our sense of self. It is the awareness that, where God is concerned, we suffer from a deficit of righteousness.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When Jesus enters the believer’s life He brings with Him an entirely new system of accounting. This is something the apostle Paul acknowledged when he compared his old way of life with new life in Christ and observed, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil. 3:7).

As you reflect on the work of Christ and all that it has brought to you, how many things can you identify that God has added to your “account” through the work of Christ?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:4-6
The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. - Psalm 37:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
A few years ago a controversial book challenged church leaders to think like marketers instead of pastors when carrying out their ministry. The author, with a background in marketing, believed the church should use the same tools secular companies use to identify the needs and interests of their customers.

The character traits in the Sermon on the Mount, however, might cause us to question such an approach. At first glance, they do not seem very marketable. It is unlikely that mourning, meekness, and hunger are high on anyone’s list of “felt needs!” On the other hand, while Jesus was no Madison Avenue marketer, He clearly motivated those who heard His message. He promised that each of these characteristics would bring a corresponding blessing in the kingdom of God.

The connection between present character and future blessing in the Sermon on the Mount underscores a basic difference between Christ’s value system and ours. We tend to be interested in immediate gratification. Jesus emphasizes that true happiness is found in ultimate gratification. We would be content with whatever pleases us in the here and now. Christ has provided something that will satisfy us for all eternity. The lifestyle described in the Sermon on the Mount is lived in the present, but its ultimate rewards are reserved for the future.

Some have seen the traits in the Sermon on the Mount as a kind of heavenly “to do” list that must be fulfilled by those who wish to go to heaven. But the attributes described in these verses cannot be developed by purely human effort. Nor do we ordinarily see mourning, meekness, or hunger and thirst as desirable things. These characteristics are supernatural and are viewed as desirable only by those who recognize that they are the marks of someone whose old life has been exchanged for new life in Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The opening beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount point to areas of need. Make a list of the areas in your life that need to be “filled” with the life of Christ. Use the language of the passage to express your desire in these areas.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:7-9
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. - John 1:18
TODAY IN THE WORD
Author Gunther Grass once declared, “I don’t know about God. . . . The only things I know are what I see, hear, feel and smell.” He’s not alone in this sentiment. One of the greatest challenges facing the believer today is the daunting task of introducing an invisible God to a world that wants to believe only in what it can “see, hear, feel and smell.”

In such an age we’re tempted to be envious of the first disciples. They had the advantage of seeing God in the flesh, as they observed Jesus’ life and listened to His teaching.

The apostle John described their experience in this way: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:1-2).

Yet it was to these same disciples that Christ first made the promises of the three Beatitudes in Matthew 5:7–9. Together these Beatitudes assure those who have been transformed by the grace of Christ that they will “see” God. This is not a literal vision so much as an experience rooted in the forgiveness that comes through faith in Christ. This experience will be ultimately fulfilled in our receiving our full inheritance as children of God. It’s marked by the work of the Holy Spirit who “fits” us for a relationship with God by changing us into the image of Christ.

Jesus promised these blessings to His disciples, but it is clear that they are not the only ones who benefit from them. Even those of us who have not yet seen Jesus in His bodily form can have this inheritance. Anyone who comes to know God through faith in Christ can show others what God is like by a transformed life.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
There is a sense in which those who follow Christ live in future and the present at the same time.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:10-16
When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it. - 1 Corinthians 4:12
TODAY IN THE WORD
The magazine Christianity Today once quoted an Amish church leader who noted, “Prosperity has often been fatal to Christianity, but persecution never.” Jesus also urged His disciples to consider persecution a blessing. It is important to note, however, that He had a particular kind of suffering in mind. It was persecution “because of righteousness.” Another kind of suffering may look like persecution, but it springs from a different source. This kind of suffering comes as a result of doing wrong (1 Peter 2:19–20).

If others call us obnoxious or unpleasant, we should not automatically assume that we are suffering for the sake of righteousness. It may be that we actually are obnoxious or unpleasant. The kind of suffering that Jesus characterized as “blessed” in the Sermon on the Mount does not come to us because of our personalities. This persecution comes as a result of our association with Jesus Christ.

This raises an important question for us: if persecution results in blessing, should we actively seek it? Jesus does not command us to seek persecution, but He does tell us to rejoice when it comes. If our lives genuinely reflect the righteousness of Christ and we are fulfilling our role as salt and light in the world, we will encounter opposition. Jesus warned that faithfully following Him may strain our most cherished personal relationships (Matt. 10:34-36). Likewise, the apostle Paul noted that those who live a godly life through Christ will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12).

In these verses Jesus describes rejoicing as more of a choice than an emotion. When Jesus commands us to rejoice in persecution He does not mean that we should enjoy it. No normal person would. We rejoice in persecution not because of how it feels, but because of what it says about us. Its presence indicates that our lives reflect Christ in a way that prompts others to treat us the way they would have treated Him.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Are you being poorly treated or slandered by others because of your commitment to Jesus Christ?

Write down some of the things people have said about you and prayerfully examine them. Are you suffering because others have seen evidence of Christ in your life, or rather is their criticism of you deserved?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Matthew 5:17-20
I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law. - Psalm 119:163
TODAY IN THE WORD
It is not unusual for some teachers to grade on a curve when they give an especially difficult exam. This practice adjusts the grading scale to the performance of the students rather than grading the students’ performance based upon an established scale. Of course, the fear of every student who is graded this way is that someone in the class will “break” the curve by answering most of the questions correctly!

Some who misunderstand the Bible’s theology of grace believe that God uses a similar approach when it comes to judging human behavior. They are convinced that the only requirement in order to be declared righteous in God’s sight is to “do one’s best.” While they admit that they are not perfect, they take comfort in the knowledge that they are not as bad as others.

Jesus reveals the error of such thinking in this passage by pointing out that He had come to “fulfill” the Law and the Prophets rather than abolish them (v. 17). The terms Law and Prophets refer to the entire Old Testament. Jesus did not lower God’s standard; He upheld it and warned that those who set it aside would be “called least in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 19).

Ironically, the religious leaders of Christ’s day wrongly believed that they were living by God’s standard. They took pride in their own righteousness and viewed with contempt all those who fell short of that standard. In reality, they had modified God’s law to fit their performance and had added their own traditions to it. One of Jesus’ goals in this section of the Sermon on the Mount was to correct the standard to reflect God’s scale.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Use a concordance to learn how the term law is used in the New Testament. What do you discover about the nature of God’s law? Why do the Scriptures speak of the “curse” of the law? Why are Christians no longer under the curse? Why should God expect those who are no longer “under the law” to reflect the righteousness that is revealed in the law? You may find as a result of your study that you have modified God’s standard in your own way. If so, ask God for forgiveness, and rejoice in the freedom of His grading scale.