Today's morning reading covers Christ's fulfilling of the Law, Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation and Love. Some interesting notes from this reading:
Christ says he came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the Law; JM notes that Christ fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly, He fulfilled the ceremonial Law
Jesus teaches in vv. 21-26 that if we have hatred for someone in our heart, it is just as horrible as if we murdered that person. While the latter would certainly have more earthly consequences, the former has just as much internal moral guilt; this is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, teaching that God looks at the heart and intentions of man, not just his outward actions. (as illustrated in the next section)
Christ teaches us that to look upon someone of the opposite sex (except your spouse) and lust after them (i.e. desire to have sex with them, picture yourself doing sexual acts with them) is just as morally bankrupt as actually participating in the act itself. This is one of the most clear passages in the Bible condemning pornography, as it is the explicit depiction of sex and sexual acts and its whole intent is to cause the viewer to become sexually aroused and orgasm.
In vv. 31-32, Christ is not encouraging people to divorce their spouse if they have been unfaithful, instead he is saying that it is permissible. We learn later, however, that just because something is permissible, does not mean it is profitable nor without consequence.
Despite popular belief, Christ never universally condemned making an oath in vv. 33-37. Instead, JM notes he was referring to those who would make an oath and swear by Heaven and Earth or by their own head when lying. They thought that by not swearing by God himself, they could and would avoid divine judgment. Christ teaches that God made Heaven and Earth, therefore swearing by them produced the same guilt and shame as swearing by God.
Next Christ teaches that we should not resist an evil person, but instead turn the other cheek. JM teaches that Christ was not referring to criminal punishment or military action, nor was he voiding the "Eye for an Eye" from Ex. 21:24, Lev 24:20 and Det 19:21. Instead he was referring to personal retaliation, saying that individuals who have been wronged should seek love and forgiveness, not hate and retaliation. These verses do not prohibit one from seeking out the police when they have been criminally violated.
Finally Christ corrects a common misinterpretation regarding Lv 19:18; While it is true we should love our neighbor it is false that we should hate our enemies. We should love those who persecute us and pray for them.
