Upping the Intensity
Matthew 5:21–48 — Adapted from a Sermon Preached in September 2024
There is a question we are remarkably good at asking without ever actually saying it out loud:
How can I get out of what God says? We probably wouldn't phrase it that way. That sounds a little too rebellious. A little too honest. Instead, we ask where the line is. How far is too far? Does the Bible really mean that? Wasn't that written for a different time? What if my circumstances are different? What if my intentions are good? Surely God understands. In other words: How close can I get to the line without technically crossing it?
This isn't a Christian problem. This isn’t a Jewish problem. It isn't an Old Testament problem. It's a human problem. We have an incredible ability to take what God has said and search for the loophole. And then Jesus comes along and closes them. You Have Heard It Said… Toward the end of Matthew 5, Jesus repeats a pattern several times: “You have heard that it was said…” Then: “But I tell you…”
At first glance, you might think Jesus is replacing the old, difficult rules with something easier. That's how Christianity sometimes gets presented anyway. The Old Testament was all laws and rules, then Jesus showed up with grace and love and made everything a little more relaxed. Except when you actually read what Jesus says, He does almost the exact opposite.
You have heard, Do not murder. Jesus says don't even harbor hatred. You have heard, Do not commit adultery. Jesus says don't even entertain lust. Jesus doesn't lower the bar.
He raises it.
Jesus came to make God accessible to everyone, Jew, Gentile, pagan, sinner, but don't confuse accessibility with lowered expectations. Following Jesus doesn't cost less than we imagined.
It costs our entire lives.
Jesus ups His intensity, not His leniency.
And in Matthew 5, He shows us what that looks like in some incredibly practical places. Like telling the truth. Your Yes Should Be Enough The law was clear about oaths. If you made an oath before God, you had better keep it. So people found a workaround. Instead of swearing by God, they would swear by something else. Heaven. Earth. Jerusalem. Their own head. Basically: Technically, I didn't swear to God, so technically, I didn't break the law. We still do versions of this. Kids might be the most honest about it.
“I swear on my mom.”
“I swear on my life.”
“I swear on the Bible.”
“I swear on my Pokémon cards.”
Apparently, the more valuable the thing you swear on, the more likely you're telling the truth. Jesus says enough. Don't construct some elaborate system for determining when your words have to be trustworthy. Just tell the truth. “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’”
— Matthew 5:37 Imagine living with the kind of integrity where people don't need additional assurances from you. You don't need to say, “I promise.” You don't need to say, “I'm serious this time.” You don't need to swear on anything. You said it. That's enough.My dad has said something for years that has stuck with me: Truth matters. It does.
If you've ever lived through the consequences of dishonesty whether your own or someone else's you know how destructive lies can be. And if you've ever finally told the truth after carrying a lie, you know how freeing truth can be.
God isn't looking for people who tell the truth when the circumstances are serious enough. He wants truthful people. There's a difference. The question isn't, When am I required to tell the truth? The better question is, Am I becoming the kind of person whose words can be trusted?
Jesus ups the intensity.
You Don't Have to Get Even
Then Jesus moves to retaliation: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” — Matthew 5:38–39 “Eye for an eye” was never permission to unleash unlimited revenge. It actually restricted retaliation. The punishment couldn't exceed the offense.
But once again, Jesus goes further. Just because you have the right to get even doesn't mean you should. When Jesus talks about being slapped on the cheek here, He's speaking about an insult. He's dealing with that very human instinct that says: You hurt me, so now I get to hurt you. And we are good at this one. Insult for insult. Comment for comment. Passive-aggressive social media post vaguely referring to someone for passive-aggressive social media post vaguely referring to someone.
Someone lies about us, and immediately we need to set the record straight. Someone takes a shot at us, and we start loading the return fire. But what if your integrity was strong enough that you didn't have to answer every accusation? What if you knew the truth so well that a lie about you didn't control you? I've tried to live by this: I don't mind being lied about. I know the truth, so a lie doesn't bother me. That's easier to write than it is to live. But I've also learned something else: The problem with getting even is that it makes you even with someone you don't even like.
Why would I want to become like the person I'm angry with? The goal of following Jesus isn't to beat someone at their own game. It's to stop playing their game altogether. When Jesus was insulted, mocked, falsely accused, and eventually led toward the cross, He didn't become like His accusers. He remained Jesus. Jesus never stooped to the level of His insulters. Neither should we. Again, Jesus doesn't make the command easier. He makes it deeper.
Then He Goes Even Further As if telling the truth and refusing retaliation weren't enough, Jesus keeps going: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” — Matthew 5:43–44 Interestingly, “hate your enemy” isn't an Old Testament command.
God never said it. People did.Which is an important reminder that just because you've heard something said enough times doesn't make it true. My wife and I went to Rome with a group of friends once, and I entertained myself by making up historical facts to see who would believe me. We visited the place where Julius Caesar was killed, and I told people that was also where Caesar made his first salad. Stupid.But my favorite happened near our hotel. There was a mural of a woman near some steps, so I started telling people it commemorated the first woman to vote in Rome. A few days later, I walked by with my brother Cayden.“Hey Cayden, do you know what's interesting about that mural?” “Yeah. Matt told me it's the first woman who voted in Rome.”It had spread. He had heard it said.That didn't make it true.
People had heard, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Jesus corrects it. Love your neighbor. And love your enemy. The word Jesus uses for love is agape, a love that gives itself for the good of another. Which gives us a much harder question than, Do I like this person?
The question becomes: What does love require of me? Maybe love requires me to serve. Maybe it requires me to give. Maybe it requires me to keep my mouth shut. Maybe it requires me to have the conversation I've been avoiding. Maybe it requires me to forgive. Maybe it requires me to ask for forgiveness. Maybe it means praying for someone when I'd much rather complain about them. What does love require of me? Jesus doesn't give us an out here. In fact, He points out that loving people who already love you isn't particularly impressive. Everybody does that. If you're kind to people who are kind to you, congratulations. So is the rest of the world. The test comes when love isn't returned. The test comes when they hurt you. The test comes when they don't deserve it. Because that's when we begin loving people the way God loved us.
Remember Who the Enemy Was This is where the entire thing turns. It's easy to read “love your enemies” and immediately picture our enemies. That person. That coworker. That family member. That former friend. That person online. Whoever's face appeared in your mind when you read the word enemy. But Scripture reminds us of something uncomfortable: We were the enemy. Paul writes: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”
— Colossians 1:21 Because of sin, I was separated from God. God would have been completely justified in treating me as an enemy. So how did God treat His enemies? “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8
He loved us. He gave Himself for our good. While Jesus hung on a cross, He prayed for the forgiveness of the people responsible for putting Him there. Jesus isn't asking us to live a life He was unwilling to live Himself. He modeled it. Then He invited us to follow Him. That's the Sermon on the Mount. It's not simply a collection of impossible rules. It's a picture of what Jesus is like. And an invitation to become like Him.
This Is Supposed to Feel Impossible Jesus eventually says: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
— Matthew 5:48 Well, there's the standard. Good luck. Except that's part of the point. You can't make yourself perfect. Neither can I. The law was never meant to convince us of how good we are. It exposes how desperately we need a Savior. Jesus raises the standard so high that eventually we have to stop asking, How can I get out of this? And admit: I can't do this without Him.
That's where grace becomes more than God overlooking our behavior. Jesus fulfilled what we couldn't fulfill. He took the penalty we deserved. Hebrews says: “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
— Hebrews 10:14 Notice both parts. Made perfect. Being made holy.
Because of Jesus, those who belong to Him are made right before God. And because we belong to Him, we're now becoming more like Him. That means grace isn't permission to take God's Word less seriously. God did not send His Son to the cross so we could take His Word lightly. Grace frees us to actually follow Him. So yes, Jesus raises the intensity. Tell the truth, not just when you've sworn an oath. Refuse revenge, not just when retaliation would go too far. Love, not only the people who love you back. This isn't easy Christianity. It's life in the Kingdom.
And maybe we need to stop asking: How can I get out of what God says? And start asking: Jesus, how can I become more like You? Because in this life, perfection isn't attainable.
But holiness is.
Take It With You
Don't try to fix all of this at once. Start by getting honest about where Jesus' words are pressing against your life.
Where am I looking for a loophole?
Is there something God has clearly said that I'm trying to explain away, redefine, or get as close to as possible without technically disobeying?Can people trust my words?
Think about your promises, exaggerations, excuses, and the things you say you'll do. Is your “yes” actually yes?Who am I trying to get even with?
Is there someone whose actions are determining your actions? What would it look like to refuse to become like them?Who is difficult for me to love right now?
Don't begin with how you feel about them. Ask instead: What does love require of me
