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The Kingdom of the Heart

IN Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus deals with the kingdom of the heart. He comes, not to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them (v. 17-18). Even the “least” of the commandments are important to God (v. 19). I believe this is because they reveal the heart. The righteousness required by the kingdom of heaven is one that must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees (v. 20). It is more than external acts; it requires the whole heart set on God.

In the balance of chapter 5, Jesus digs deeper and shows that mere outward obedience to the Law is not enough. Each section is introduced with this formula: “You have heard that it was said … But I say to you …” He applies it first to the Sixth Commandment.

Murder in the Heart

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)

The Pharisees kept the Sixth Commandment by refraining from physically murdering others. But the purpose of God goes much deeper, as Jesus shows: If one is angry with his brother without cause, he is leaving himself open to divine judgment; even more so when, in his anger, he calls his brother unfair names (words are very important in the economy of God, for He created the world by His words). It is good that the angry man does not actually kill his brother, but the root of the unjust anger in his heart must be dealt with. But Jesus presses the matter even further:

Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:23-26)

Jesus is still dealing with the divine implications of the Sixth Commandment. His point is that harmonious relationships among brothers is more important even than acts of worship. It is better to go first and be reconciled with each other, and then bring our gifts to God. The adversarial relationship in a court case provides another example: It is better to settle disputes quickly, instead of “killing” each other in court.

Murder begins in the heart, and we have many ways we unjustly “kill” each other. These must all be resolved if we are going to experience the kingdom of Heaven on Earth, for at the deepest level, it is a kingdom of the heart.

Faithfulness in the Heart

You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)

Now Jesus is dealing with the Seventh Commandment. In the divine purpose, it is about more than simply refraining from the physical act of adultery; it is about faithfulness in the heart. The heart is not only the center of the emotions, but also of the intellect and the will. That is why Jesus speaks of intent: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her.” The problem is not that stray thoughts slip through, but that they are entertained. As someone has said, you cannot stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair. When a man or woman looks with intent and gives way to lust, they have broken the commandment of God, committing adultery in their heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)

The Greek word for “offend” is skandalizo and refers to that which would ensnare you or become a stumbling block that causes you to fall into sin. Jesus is not counseling that one should literally gouge out his eye or cut off his hand. The eye and the hand do not act independently of the heart; to remove them would not solve anything. The point is that one must be diligent to deal with the problem at the root, however painful it may be. We must deal with the heart and its affections, and that is often the more difficult thing to do, which goes to show how much we need God.

Furthermore it has been said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32)

There was a school of Rabbinic thought which allowed a man to divorce his wife for virtually any reason at all. In Jesus’ eyes, that was no better than committing adultery, for there is no love or commitment in that, no faithfulness of the heart. But that is always what God is looking for — the faithful disposition of the heart. The kingdom of Heaven on Earth requires it.

Honesty in the Heart

Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.” But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No.” For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)

This section has do with the Third Commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7); and the Ninth, “You shall not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16).

It was commonly understood that vows made to God and oaths made in the name of the Lord could not be broken. But another understanding had also developed that one could swear by lesser things, such as by heaven, or earth, or Jerusalem, or the Temple, or the altar, and such oaths were not as binding. We see examples of this toward the end of Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees for this very practice.

Woe to you, blind guides, who say, “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.” Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

And, “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.” Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. (Matthew 23:16-22)

In both places, Jesus makes the point that if you swear by whatever belongs to God, you are swearing by God Himself, so the oaths are just as binding, and whoever breaks them will be just as guilty. One cannot swear even by one’s own head without swearing by God, for we cannot naturally make one hair of our head turn black or white — that is in God’s hands.

Jesus does away completely with the system of false swearing and making oaths on supposedly lesser things. It was never really anything more than a tactic to leave room for a lie when the truth became too inconvenient. So here again was the attempt to keep the commandments outwardly, but not with the whole heart.

Jesus’ solution is simple: Let your yes be yes and your no be no. In other words, give an honest answer. Say what you mean and mean what you say. That will not only fulfill the commandment, but also God’s purpose in the commandment. It is the only honest way; anything more than that comes from the evil one, who is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). The kingdom of Heaven on Earth requires honesty in the heart.

A Heart Free of Vengeance

You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. (Matthew 5:38-42)

The Law of Moses allowed, in cases of injury or loss, for a penalty to be applied in proportion to the injury or loss (see Exodus 21:23-25). For example, a man who lost an eye because of the unjust action of another had a right to receive amends or compensation for the loss of that eye, but not in excess of that eye. Or, a man who similarly lost a tooth had a right to be compensated for the loss of that tooth, but not as if he had lost a mouthful of teeth. This principle, known as lex talionis (the “law of retaliation”), is the basis for the modern tort system, in which a person may sue to be compensated for wrongful loss or damage.

That is the outward working of the law, but here Jesus is going beyond what is required to again address the inward attitude of the heart. His comments must be understood in this context. For example, when He tells us not to resist an evil person, He is not saying that we should never defend ourselves or our families against harm, and He is certainly not suggesting that a community or state should ever accept evil (indeed, Paul tells us that God establishes governing authorities for the purpose of standing against evil; Romans 13:3). Nor is He teaching that we should not oppose sin, moral evil or the devil. Rather, the “evil person” is the one who has wrongfully injured us — we are not to take it upon ourselves to exact vengeance.

“Turn to him the other [cheek] also,” does not mean that we should not seek to get ourselves out of abusive situations, or that we must endlessly put up with insult. Rather, we should not be easily provoked, but patient in endurance, slow to anger. In context, it means that we should not be quick to take the offender to court.

“If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.” Don’t be quick to sue someone else. But what if someone wants to sue you? Seek a better solution. Ligation often brings out anger and bitterness in people. It is better to settle with your opponent, even at a loss, rather than lose your joy, peace of mind, and the perspective of love.

Notice the subtle shift here. The Law allows for retaliation; Jesus teaches that we should be more ready to give beyond what is required than to extract all that is allowed. “Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” As Matthew Henry commented about this passage, “The law of retaliation must be made consistent with the law of love.” Paul catches the spirit of this well:

Do not repay evil for evil. (Romans 12:17)

Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath [i.e., let God take care of it]; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

More will be accomplished by love than by litigation, and by a generous spirit than by a heart full of vengeance. The kingdom of Heaven on Earth requires a generous heart that is free of vengeance.

A Heart That Freely Loves

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

In the previous  section Jesus talked about the payback of justice; in this section He talks about the payback of love. But just as in the previous section He called for a heart that goes beyond trading penalty for injury, in this section He calls for a heart that goes beyond love as a tit for tat proposition.

The commandment to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) says nothing about hating your enemy; that was incorrectly inferred from the text by rabbinical tradition. Jesus blasts that out of the water by teaching us to love even our enemies, to bless even those who curse us, to do good even to those who hate us, and pray even for those who spitefully use us. This is the way of our Father in heaven, and therefore the way of the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Fallen human nature always desires to reciprocate; to hate those who hate us, curse those who curse us, persecute those who persecute us. It is relatively easy to love those who love us, bless those who bless us and do good to those who do good to us. But Jesus teaches us to put away the scorecard — our job is not to go around evening things up. He calls us instead to do something radically different, out of balance, and even unfair — to love those who are our enemies.

This is the way of our Father in heaven, who graciously allows the blessings of sunshine and rain to fall on both the just and the unjust. For God is love, and it is the nature of love to give and to serve. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It is the way of perfection, of coming in maturity and completeness, fulfilling the purpose of the Father in bringing us into His family. The way of the kingdom of Heaven on Earth is a heart that freely loves.

© 2008 by Jeff Doles.
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