Additional Sermon Notes for 24 September 2006

Date: 24 September 2006
Text: Matthew 5:31-37
Title: I Would Be True
Speaker: Pastor Lai
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I. True to others (vv 31~32)

(1) Verse 31 is quoting from Deuteronomy 24:1, but Jesus is emphasizing the need to do things in the right perspective. Rabbi Shammai and Rabbi Hillel during Jesus’ time argued over the interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1~4, especially about verse 1 which says ‘finds something indecent about her’. Rabbi Shammai being a person who treats everything seriously, propose that pertaining to indecent things, it should be a serious offence in marriage. On the contrary, Rabbi Hillel holds a macro view; if a wife cannot cook, or even when the husband does not like her look anymore or fell in love with another beautiful woman is considered indecent on the part of the wife.

(2) That is why men are attracted to divorce their wives to their advantage. Even the serious follower of the law like the Pharisees are tempted to do likewise and pose Jesus with the question in Matthew 19:3. They wanted to test whether Jesus is the serious type or holds the macro view. Instead of answering their queries, Jesus brings them back to Genesis, to where God began His creation. Jesus respects the establishment of marriage, and his only exception is Matthew 5:32 and 19:9.

(3) To be true towards others should not depend on who the person is or what that person has done to agitate us. It should be totally dependent on whether we take God’s word seriously to treat everyone around us with the best possible righteous manner. I totally agreed with Stanley that it is the ‘I’ syndrome that matters.

II. True to speech (vv 33~37)

(1) Verse 33 is not just quoting from one item in the law of Moses, but a summary of several old testament law; it’s purpose is for the people to honour the oaths that is being made (Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21). Pharisees took this difficult commands and twist the attention of the people towards the process of the oath instead of towards the contents of the oath.

(2) Jesus was speaking not against oaths themselves but against the abuses of oaths and the corresponding abuse of the truth that went with them. For it is evident that there are plenty of instances in the old and new testaments that oath is mentioned by Moses (Deuteronomy 10:20), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12:16~17) and even taken by Paul the apostle (Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 10).

(3) Even God Himself takes oath to assure men of the truth of his statements (Genesis 9:9~11; Luke 1:68, 73; Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27~31; Isaiah 49:15~18). Why does God had to behave like men to take oaths? Hebrews 6:17~19 tells us why.

III. True to God (Matthew 23:16~22)

(1) The people during Jesus’ time try to show that they are true and sincere by swearing as and when they like and that eventually became meaningless even if they are swearing by their life! Taking oath in this manner is neither necessary nor proper. It is just superficial and redundant.

(2) There are also people who were afraid to swear by the name of the Lord because they were not telling the full truth. And so they began to swear by things, and because mere things were not thought to be significant as the name of the Lord. Therefore this second class of oaths was not considered to be binding.

(3) In other words, life cannot be divided into neat little compartments some of which are exempt from God’s presence and some of which are not. God is everywhere. He is in every compartment of life. Hence, the truth is as important in one situation and at one time as another.