“But I Say to You…” 4-21-24

Overview

"But I Say to You…": The Spirit of the Law and the Sweetness of Christ

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly sets up a striking contrast: "You have heard that it was said… but I say to you" Matthew 5:21–22. He is not contradicting the Old Testament—He explicitly says He has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it Matthew 5:17. What He confronts is the rabbinic teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, who reduced God's commands to outward compliance. Jesus presses past the letter of the law to its spirit.

Take the fifth commandment. The Pharisee could say, "I have not murdered." But Jesus extends the command to the heart: brooding anger that holds a grudge and refuses to reconcile, slander that derides a brother or sister ("Raca"), and the contemptuous dismissal of someone as a "fool" (moros—dull, stupid, godless) all fall under the judgment of God. The escalating consequences—judgment, the council, the hell of fire—make clear that all such sins are forms of murder, and there is one penalty for sin. John says it plainly: "All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them" 1 John 3:15. Paul's call follows naturally: "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up" Ephesians 4:29.

This is why Jesus pronounced woe on the scribes and Pharisees as "whitewashed tombs"—beautiful outside, full of death within Matthew 23:27–28. We are tempted to the same hypocrisy: managing appearances while harboring contempt, cutting words, and unreconciled anger inside. If we are honest, none of us is innocent. We have all murdered with thought and tongue.

And here is the sweetness of the gospel. The same Christ who exposes the depth of our sin bears its full weight at the cross: "Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" 1 Peter 3:18. The Lord who rose on Easter morning, who claims us in the waters of Baptism, who continues to speak His word of absolution—His grace covers every debt our anger and our words have incurred. The Law condemns; it cannot justify. But to Jesus we flee for refuge, saved by grace through faith. Every day, when we fall short, we are met not with rejection but with the mercy of Christ—and He grows sweeter and sweeter.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible's please with me to the fifth chapter of the gospel of Matthew. 3s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that page 4 in the 9s

New Testament. 14s

Matthew the fifth chapter for our study today. 15s

Good words and bad words. 21s

We know the difference, don't we? 26s

We learn that rather early, most likely. 30s

Perhaps it's apparent to turns and says, what did you just say? 36s

Or perhaps it's one who says, young man, young lady, that word does not belong in 44s

this house. 54s

We learn it young, don't we? 56s

We learn the difference between the good word and the bad word. 58s

Scripture is quite clear on the subject. 65s

In Ephesians the fourth chapter, Paul writes, let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but 68s

only what is useful for building up as there is need so that your words may give grace 75s

to those who hear. 82s

Luther and the small cataclysm expounding on the second commandment. 85s

Said that with regard to the name of the Lord, we're not to use the name of the Lord superstitiously 90s

or to curse swear, liar, deceive, but call them him in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. 96s

It's clear, right? 103s

It's clear and we know. 105s

We know the difference between a good word and a bad word. 107s

How about this word? 117s

Fool. 122s

Fool. 125s

Well, look at the last part, please, of verse 22 of the fifth chapter. 128s

Jesus says, and if you say you fool, you will be liable to the hell of fire. 133s

And yet, in addressing the Pharisees and the scribes, in Matthew the 23rd chapter, our Lord 142s

himself says, you blind and poof in math in Psalm 53, it says, fools say in their 149s

hearts, there is no God. 162s

So as we continue our series today on hard saying, as we look at this hard saying of our 167s

Lord, and as we hear in Scripture on the one hand, Jesus says, if you call someone a fool, 176s

you're liable to the hell of fire, but he himself called people, fools. 184s

How do we understand this? 191s

And could it be? 195s

Could it be that there's something deeper in this text than simply whether a word is a good 198s

word or a bad word? 208s

The text comes from the greatest sermon you'll ever hear. 215s

The sermon on the mount, the sermon that our Lord gave, and there's a phrase that 219s

continues to occur in the section of the sermon on the mount. 225s

Look when they place, at verse 21, the very first part. 231s

Jesus says, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times. 235s

Now go to the first part of verse 27. 241s

You have heard that it was said. 246s

First part of verse 33. 250s

Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times. 252s

First part of 38. 257s

You have heard that it was said. 260s

And one more verse 43. 263s

You have heard that it was said. 267s

Jesus keeps repeating this phrase, but in contrast to it, in contrast to it is another phrase. 271s

Look at verse 22, first part. 279s

But I say to you. 283s

28, first part. 286s

But I say to you. 288s

34. 292s

But I say to you. 294s

39. 298s

But I say to you. 298s

44. 303s

But I say to you. 305s

Every time he says you've heard that it was said, he says. 310s

But I say to you. 316s

Now Jesus is teaching is no different than what was in the Old Testament. 320s

Notice, please, verse 17 of chapter 5. 325s

Jesus is do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets. 330s

I've come not to abolish but to fulfill. 334s

For truly, I tell you until heaven and earth pass away not one letter, not one stroke of a letter. 338s

We'll pass from the law until all is accomplished. 345s

So when is he addressing here? 350s

When he says you've heard that it was said, but I say to you, since he's not contradicting 351s

the teaching of the Old Testament. 358s

What's he going after here? 362s

He's going after the rabbinic teaching. 363s

He's going after the teaching of the rabbis of the Word of God. 369s

You see what the rabbis were so concerned about, what the Pharisees and the scribes were so concerned about. 377s

Was the external appearance that you gave? 386s

How people would see you externally or what you did? 393s

But Jesus says the laws depritham that. 399s

The laws depritham, whether or not the letter of the law is kept. 403s

Jesus is getting at the spirit of the law. 412s

The spirit of the law. 417s

Look again, please, verse 21. 420s

You've heard that it was said to those of ancient times. 423s

You shall not murder. 427s

And whoever murders shall be liable to judgment. 429s

So what were the Pharisees and the scribes say? 435s

I haven't murdered. 439s

I haven't murdered. 441s

Kept. 444s

The law. 445s

But notice what Jesus says as he goes on, verse 22. 448s

But I say to you that if you're angry with a brother or sister, 451s

you'll be liable to judgment. 457s

And if you insult a brother or sister, you'll be liable to the council. 460s

And if you say, you fool, you will be liable to the hell of life. 466s

Jesus says that we can murder people with our anger, 478s

with insults, with words. 489s

They may walk away from the exchange that occurs, 495s

but they'd been murdered nonetheless. 501s

Jesus is saying it's not just a matter of the law, 508s

in the little letter, but it's a matter of the law, in the spirit of it. 510s

Notice here, there's a threefold level here that Jesus gives. 522s

Verse 22, first part. 528s

But I say to you that if you're angry with a brother or sister, 530s

you'll be liable to judgment. 534s

This is the word here used for anger. 538s

It's the brooding kind of anger. 542s

It's the simmering kind of anger. 545s

It's the whistling of the grudges kind of anger. 547s

It's the refusal to reconcile type of anger. 552s

And Jesus says that kind of murder, 557s

you're liable to judgment, 564s

or you can translate it, you're liable to the civil court. 565s

Then notice the next layer. 572s

All the layers are wrong, all the layers are sinful, 574s

but notice how he's building this. 577s

Next part of verse 22. 580s

And if you insult a brother or a sister, 584s

you'll be liable to the counsel that word insult there. 586s

The word is rock. 589s

There's no English word that takes rocka 592s

and you can translate it perfectly. 597s

Rocka gets at slander. 601s

Rocka gets at deriding someone. 605s

So Jesus says, 609s

you slander someone, you derides someone, 611s

you murder someone in that way, 614s

you're liable to the court. 618s

The counsel, what was the counsel? 620s

It was the counsel of the 70. 622s

It was the Sanhedrin. 623s

It was the Jewish Supreme Court. 625s

So he says, first, 629s

this is kind of anger. 630s

You're liable to the civil court. 631s

Those others, this kind of kind of anger, 634s

this kind of deriding and this kind of slander. 636s

You're liable to the Supreme Court. 639s

And then he goes on to say, 643s

last part of verse 22. 645s

And if you say, you fool, 648s

you'll be liable to the hell, 653s

fire. 657s

The Greek word there for fool is morals. 661s

You know what word we get right in English for it, 664s

moron. 667s

Jesus is saying, 668s

if you call someone dull, 670s

if you call someone stupid in secular, 672s

if you call or Greek also morose, 676s

it was used to denote a godless person. 678s

He is a he calls someone. 681s

You call someone stupid. 683s

You call him dull. 685s

You call them godless, 686s

you are liable to the hell of fire. 688s

They're all of the levels here. 693s

As Jesus builds that all of them wrong. 695s

All of them are sinful. 698s

All of them were form of murder here. 699s

But notice here. 701s

How he is communicating, 703s

these different things in Scripture. 705s

levels. You see there's something deeper going on here. There's something deeper than 706s

going on. Then just is full a good word or a bad word. What's going on here? 715s

It's a matter of the law. Not just obeying it or disobeying it in terms of the 726s

letter of it, but also in terms of the spirit of it. 735s

Okay, then what does this hard saying of our Lord mean for us? It means we're all 749s

we're all murderers. We murder with the kind of anger that simmers and holds 765s

a grudge and refuses to reconcile. We murder with the kind of anger that derides 777s

someone and slander someone we murder when we give the ugly assessment of someone. 786s

See what Jesus is doing here? It's not just. I haven't murdered someone physically. Jesus 801s

in that. We murder in many different ways. And we too, like the Pharisees in the scribes, 814s

we too can be concerned with regard to the outward appearance that we give. You see, 828s

as long as people would look at us and say, now there's a good quote unquote, a good 834s

person there. We can be so concerned with what the Pharisees in the scribes were concerned about, 840s

which is the outward appearance that we give out, the impression that people get from us. 846s

And like the Pharisees in the scribes, we can be tempted that to be concerned with the inside 854s

of us. What's going on inside? And as Jesus goes on to describe it, the fill that goes on inside. 859s

You know, it's what we say in the more private settings, it's what we think when the person's right 871s

before us, but we dare not let it cross our lips. That's what Jesus is getting. And we too, 883s

like the Pharisees in the scribes, can be so tempted to be concerned with the external. But what did 895s

Jesus say in the 23rd chapter of Matthew, he says, whoa to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 902s

for you're like white wash tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside, they're full of 911s

bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also, on the outside look righteous to others, 918s

but inside you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 927s

Though shall not murder, I didn't murder, I've kept the law and Jesus says, 936s

but I say to you, if you're angry with a brother or sister, you'll be liable to judgment. If you 943s

insult a brother or sister, you'll be liable to the counsel. If you say you fool, you'll be liable 952s

to the hell of fire. Jesus is saying, it's not just a matter of a letter. It's a matter of 959s

the spirit of the devil. And there's one punishment for all of sin. 968s

John writes in 1 John 3, all who hate a brother or sister, and brother or sister is much more here than 985s

simply blood relation, all who hate a brother or sister are murderers. And you know that murderers 997s

do not have eternal life abiding. 1013s

What they? Because if we want to be real, if we want to be honest with each other today, 1027s

is there any one here who hasn't murdered? Hopefully not physically. 1037s

But is there is there any one here, along us? Who don't kill people? 1053s

With our younger and our words and our insults? Are there any of us here? 1064s

What then? Second service today, there's going to be a baptism. 1079s

Baptisms are always such wonderful times to reflect on our own baptisms, our own graciousness. 1087s

I'm often reminded of my godmother when I see godparents when I see sponsors in social 1096s

asian with baptism. My aunt reign loved me, not only because she was my aunt, but she also loved 1105s

me because she was my baptismal sponsor. If someone were to write a book on how to be a baptismal 1115s

sponsor, it should have been atry. Year after year, she would encourage me in the faith. Year after 1124s

year, she would disciple me in the faith. It was really quite lovely and quite beautiful. 1132s

She gave me a Bible, still have it. On the inside, she wrote, what life soon will pass only what 1142s

is done for Christ will last? She lived in Chicago, so it wasn't often that I would get to see her. 1148s

When I get to see her, oftentimes we didn't even have to leave the baggage area of the airport 1158s

before she opened up her suitcase and she had her surprise for me. In seminary, sometimes I'd go 1164s

from Minneapolis to Chicago during breaks and I would visit her. In her very modest apartment, 1173s

there was books and bibles around a pointed decryst, obviously. There was always this Christian 1183s

music going on 24 hours a day in her bathroom. She was sending cards. I remember one card in 1194s

particular that came to mind as I was reflecting on her. There was one card in particular when she 1206s

said, it's really cold outside. Don't get out much anymore. But the Lord is sweeter and sweeter. 1212s

And very single. And date, it's the sweetness of the grace of God that we see in the Lord Jesus Christ, 1230s

when He goes to the cross and He bears. All of our sin, all of it, 1247s

including our murdering sin. It's the sweetness of the Lord who bears that penalty for us. It's 1256s

the sweetness of the Lord who continues to come with His Word of Absolution. It's the sweetness of the 1266s

Lord as He comes out of that tomb Easter mourn. It's the sweetness of the Lord in the 40 days of 1271s

appearances as He's showing Himself and proving Himself alive. It's the sweetness of the Lord who 1277s

calls us His own in the waters of baptism. You and I, we break the letter of the law and the spirit 1286s

of the law. We ignore the law and it God's sweetness of His grace in Jesus Christ remains the constant. 1303s

You and I, we amass this incredible debt, incredible debt of all of our sin. 1321s

And the sweetness of Christ blood covers it all. We can be burdened by the reality of our 1331s

unrighteousness. And yet we hear the words of Peter in first Peter, the fourth chapter, for Christ 1341s

also suffered for sins once for all the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring you to God. 1352s

And because of the sweetness of Christ each day, each day is new. It is truly, truly, new. And when we fall 1363s

short in our struggle with sin, when we fall short, what are we met with? But we are met with the 1377s

grace of God in Jesus Christ. Or met with the sweetness of His grace. 1387s

And Lutheran theologian, my highest law I wrote this, the laws good. But since the fall, 1404s

it's holiness condemns us all. It dooms us for our sin to die and has no power to justify. 1416s

To Jesus, we for refuge, plea, who from the curse has set us free and humbly worshiped 1427s

his throne saved by his grace through faith, O Lord, our Lord is sweeter and sweeter every single year. 1438s

And in his good word of forgiveness, we live. 1462s