{"id":70678,"date":"2019-02-21T22:33:11","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T05:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=70678"},"modified":"2019-02-21T22:33:11","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T05:33:11","slug":"new-testament-notes-56-57","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/02\/new-testament-notes-56-57.html","title":{"rendered":"New Testament Notes 56-57"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
The Sea of Galilee, in northern Israel \u00a0 \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew 5:27-32<\/a><\/p>\n

Compare Matthew 18:8-9; 19:9; Mark 9:43-48; 10:11-12; Luke 16:18<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In my recently posted note on Matthew 5:17-20, I mentioned\u00a0what I call \u201cantinomian\u201d readings of Christianity, which seem to suggest that it\u2019s all and only about grace, and that good works have very little place in Christian discipleship. \u00a0I commented that one would be hard pressed to defend such a reading from the four gospels, and particularly from the Sermon on the Mount.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s reading selection certainly illustrates my point. \u00a0Even lustful thoughts<\/em> are to be avoided, whether they lead to adulterous actions or not<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The standard is extremely high. \u00a0Between the law of Moses and the New Testament, it certainly hasn\u2019t been lowered<\/em>. \u00a0Jesus\u2019s vivid language about plucking out and throwing away your right hand if it leads you into sin, or dispensing with your eye, surely can\u2019t be taken to suggest that Jesus views sin with benign indulgence or indifference. \u00a0The Christianity taught by Christ himself is very demanding.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t mean to suggest that this text is merely a good weapon to deploy against others who may differ from us about faith and works. \u00a0We who profess to follow Christ should be continually applying the test Christ describes in our own lives<\/em>. \u00a0Is there anything in our daily routine or among our possessions that distracts us from living as Christian disciples, that interferes with service in the Kingdom and to the Saints and others? \u00a0If so, we should seriously consider getting rid of it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

C. S. Lewis\u2019s The Great Divorce<\/em> is a profound meditation on just this kind of discipleship, and I recommend it to all.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Perry<\/a>
\u201cPerry Mason\u201d just wouldn\u2019t have been the same without witnesses under oath.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew 5:33-37<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some Christian groups have, quite understandably, taken this passage to mean not merely that disciples of Jesus shouldn\u2019t swear falsely<\/em> but that they should never take oaths (e.g., of citizenship) at all<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this seems to me mistaken, and quite impractical.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why? \u00a0Because our society runs on promises such as contracts, marriage covenants, and the like. \u00a0We could not, and should not, function without them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And God himself is said to have sworn an oath, at Hebrews 6:13, where we\u2019re told that, having nobody greater to swear by, he swore by himself<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a great deal more that ought to be said on this subject, but it seems to me that the burden of Christ\u2019s counsel here might not be that we should never make promises, but that we not swear by things<\/em>\u00a0such as the heavens, the earth, the city of Jerusalem, or, even, our hair (an oath that I\u2019ve seldom been tempted to take).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Matthew 5:27-32 Compare Matthew 18:8-9; 19:9; Mark 9:43-48; 10:11-12; Luke 16:18 \u00a0 In my recently posted note on Matthew 5:17-20, I mentioned\u00a0what I call \u201cantinomian\u201d readings of Christianity, which seem to suggest that it\u2019s all and only about grace, and that good works have very little place in Christian discipleship. \u00a0I commented that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Testament Notes 56-57<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Matthew 5:27-32 Compare Matthew 18:8-9; 19:9; Mark 9:43-48; 10:11-12; Luke 16:18   In my recently posted note on Matthew 5:17-20, I\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/02\/new-testament-notes-56-57.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Testament Notes 56-57\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    Matthew 5:27-32 Compare Matthew 18:8-9; 19:9; Mark 9:43-48; 10:11-12; Luke 16:18   In my recently posted note on Matthew 5:17-20, I\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/02\/new-testament-notes-56-57.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-22T05:33:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2015\/01\/800px-Sea_of_Galilee_2.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/02\/new-testament-notes-56-57.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/02\/new-testament-notes-56-57.html\",\"name\":\"New Testament Notes 56-57\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-22T05:33:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-02-22T05:33:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"    Matthew 5:27-32 Compare Matthew 18:8-9; 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