Christians have been inspired by the Sermon on the Mount, but it has also caused confusion and concern about salvation. The purpose of Jesus’ speech was to teach Jews how to fulfill the Mosaic law and prevent a war with Rome. It’s clear that he was not speaking to Christians under the New Covenant when he commanded Jews to leave their gift at the altar because the alter was part of the Old Covenant.
Matthew 5:23-24 (WEB) If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Jesus was sent to minister to Israel, not the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), and the purpose of his speech was to show how the Mosaic law should properly be kept. Jesus was born “under the law,” and part of his obedience to the law was teaching how it should properly be kept (Galatians 4:4).
Matthew 5:17-20 (WEB) “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Adultery of the Heart
For example, the Pharisees were only concerned with not committing the physical act of adultery, but the Mosaic law also commanded Jews not to covet their neighbor’s wife.
Deuteronomy 5:21 (WEB) “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Jesus illustrated the importance of obeying the law from the heart, explaining that even if one did not commit adultery, coveting another man’s wife was also a sin. In Matthew 5:27-28, the Greek word for “lust” or “epithumeó” should be properly translated as “covet” (Biblehub). Consider how the King James Bible translates this same word as “lust” or “covet” in Romans 7:7.
Romans 7:7 (KJB) What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
In Matthew 5:27-28, the Greek word for “woman” or “guné” also means “wife.” In the Mosaic law, God permitted men to have multiple wives (Exodus 21:10; Deuteronomy 21:15-17). However, a man was not allowed to covet another man’s wife or fiancé (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Since the focus of the passage is on committing adultery, Jesus clearly intended the meaning, “married woman” as the David Bentley Hart translation renders the passage.
Matthew 5:27-28 (David Bentley Hart) “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 Whereas I tell you that everyone looking at a married woman in order to lust [covet] after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
In ancient Rome, committing adultery or stealing could result in severe punishment, such as having one’s eyes gouged out or hands cut off. While these punishments were not prescribed by the Mosaic law, the Jews were subject to Roman rule and had to abide by these laws. Jesus cautioned Jewish zealots that it was better to endure these punishments than to rebel against Rome, which would lead to the destruction of Jerusalem. It is important to note that the term “Gehenna” or “Vale of Hinnom” in Matthew 5:29 refers to a city dump outside of Jerusalem, which is sometimes mistakenly translated as “hell.”
Matthew 5:29 (David Bentley Hart) So if your right eye causes you to falter remove it and fling it away from you; for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish, rather than that your whole body should be thrown into the Vale of Hinnom.
Tolerate Roman Rule
The Roman soldiers forced citizens to carry their equipment for one mile, slapped civilians on the cheek, took their coats as surety for a debt, and forced them to pay taxes.
Throughout Matthew 5, Jesus urged the Jews to tolerate Roman rule and follow their laws, even if they were harsh, in order to avoid the devastation of their city. He counseled them to turn the other cheek, walk two miles instead of one, give their coat and tunic, and love their enemies. Jesus also reminded the Jews to pay taxes to Rome and not rebel against its authority (Mark 12:17), as doing so would lead to disastrous consequences, as was the case with the Jewish zealots.
One of the key takeaways from Matthew 5:29 is that Jesus did not intend to deliver the unbelieving Jews from Roman rule as they had hoped.
Divorce
Another passage that is often misunderstood is Matthew 5:31-32. In this passage, Jesus emphasizes that if a man separates or sends away his wife without formally divorcing her, he causes the next person she marries to commit adultery. The intended meaning of Jesus’ words is that if a man wants to separate from his wife, he should formally divorce her so that she is free to marry another without committing adultery.
Matthew 5:31-32 (LSV) And it was said that, Whoever may put away [send away] his wife, let him give to her a writing of divorce; but I say to you that whoever may put away [send away] his wife, except for the matter of whoredom, makes her to commit adultery; and whoever may marry her who has been put away [sent away] commits adultery.
Jesus Over Heritage
Matthew 7:21-23 cautions unbelieving Jews not to rely on their Jewish heritage to save them, but to put their trust in Jesus. The passage emphasizes that simply calling God “Lord” is not enough; rather, those who do the will of the Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This means accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior (John 6:40).
Matthew 7:21-23 (WEB) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ 23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’
Throughout the Old Testament, God used Jewish prophets to perform mighty works, including the likes of Elijah and Elisha. The Jews even cast our demons.
Matthew 12:27 (WEB) If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out?
The unbelieving Jews assumed they would enter heaven because they were descendants of these great men of God, not because they accepted Jesus.
Matthew 3:9 (NLT) Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.
Sadly, many Jews in the first century rejected Jesus, and as a result, they would not be accepted into heaven because of their unbelief, as stated in Romans 9:27-29. Therefore, it is vital to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Narrow is the Gate
Another passage that is often misunderstood is Matthew 7:13-14. In this passage, Jesus speaks strictly to Jews who largely rejected him in the first century. As Isaiah prophesied, “it is the remnant who will be saved,” and “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom” (Romans 9:27-29). He encourages Jews to believe in him and put their trust in the rock (Matthew 7:24-27) or Christ (Romans 9:30-33) so that they will be part of the saved remnant.
Matthew 7:13-14, 24 (WEB) “Enter in by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in by it. 14 How the gate is narrow and the way is restricted that leads to life! There are who find it… Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock.
Although there is much more to explore in the Sermon on the Mount, I hope these examples have brought some peace of mind to those who often find certain passages confusing and concerning. Believers are no longer under the Old Covenant today. We live under the Spirit and God moves in our heart to desire the things that please him and sometimes that can look different than the Mosaic law in the first century.