DISCOVERING BIBLICAL TREASURES

For the Week Beginning Sunday February 19, 2017

Volume 02, Issue 07

INSPIRATION AND PRAYER WEEKLY

LET’S DISCOVER MATTHEW 5:38-48

(USING ANCIENT BIBLE STUDY METHODS)

LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE
A [resist evil] 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'AN
EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A
TOOTH.' 39 "But I say to you, do not resist an evil
person;
B but whoever slaps you on your right cheek,
turn the other to him also. Graphic Credit: theodysseyonline.com

B1 40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take your-

shirt, let him have your coat also.
B2 41 "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with
him two.
A’ [resist evil] 42 "Give to him who asks of you, and do
not turn away from him who wants to borrow from SOMETHING
you. ABOUT THE
LINGUISTICS
This passage is
A 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44 broken down in-
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for to two chiasms
those who persecute you,
each dealing
B 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is
in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the with Yeshua’s
evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous interpretation of
and the unrighteous.
what the Law
A’ 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward
do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the says and how
same? 47 "If you greet only your brothers, what more
we should re-
are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles
do the same? spond to the
B’ 48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heav- Law.
enly Father is perfect.

REFLECTIONS
There are many times we have
to stop and remember that our
Lord Yeshua spoke Aramaic and
not in Greek. We also have to
remember that he spoke about
his culture and not our culture.
As we look at these statements
about the kingdom of God we
can learn what Yeshua was
speaking about by looking at the
culture of his day. What we find
is that the interpretation the
church of today has given to
these statements is completely
different, in some cases, to what
Yeshua was talking about. This
happens because the church
divorced itself from its Hebraic
roots and refused to ever look
back. Yeshua has been pacified
by the church over the centuries
and even though Yeshua tells us
that love and peace is central to
the kingdom of God he also did
not say that we should not de-
fend ourselves in time of need.
Yeshua did say that is better not
to escalate quarrels and argu-
ments because evil leads to evil
and violence leads to violence.
When we can be meek and gen-
tle we should because the one
who is committing the evil
against us will lose the desire to
do so. Bullies who pick on us
today stop when their influences
no longer felt. Evil controls us
when we react to evil. Therefore,
only react to love.
APPLYING THE SCRIPTURE TO YOU
Jesus challenges us as His disci- that even though we have these
ples to do things that are contrary to differences we need to love one
human nature. We live in a world another. In the current state of af-
that believes everything is “all about fairs in the United States we see
me” and therefore, finds it difficult to protests by those who lost in the
follow Jesus imperatives. We like to last election because it is not going
say out loud that we believe in Je- to be there way any longer as it had
sus’ imperatives and really wish been for the previous eight years.
everyone would do it but yet we Things change over time and we
cling onto the past that is filled with cannot always get our way. Per-
times of suffering. Even today we haps we need to stop thinking
look at different groups of people about our way and start thinking
and discriminate against them be- about a way for the good of the
cause they are not like us or they community we live in. The Bible is
do not live like us. In order for the more concerned with the welfare of
kingdom of God to be in place we the community than it is about the
need to let go of these prejudices individual. If all sides of the political
and learn to live together and ex- spectrum started thinking this way
cept that people will think and live then perhaps we would have com-
differently than we do. We all have promise and a functional society.
different ideas about how things
should be and Jesus reminds us
MORNING PRAYER EVENING PRAYER
Lord, as I begin this new day, Lord, I am not perfect. By your
give me understanding, that I grace, let me receive your perfecting
may observe your law of love. love and know your commandments,
not as an impossible achievement,
Lead me in the path of right-
but as a life-giving promise, the hope
eousness and teach me to of life eternal. Amen.
delight in your way. Turn my
heart to your word and help
me forsake selfish gain. Con-
firm your promise in my heart
and lead me to eternal life
with Christ my Lord. Amen.
Graphic Credit: http://www.oakbrookpca.org/