Matthew 5:17–37

The Importance of the Law

¹⁷“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to bring about what they said. ¹⁸I tell you the truth, nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. Not even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will be lost until everything has happened. ¹⁹Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I tell you that if you are no more obedient than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus Teaches About Anger

²¹“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. ⁿ Anyone who murders another will be judged.’ ²²But I tell you, if you are angry with a brother or sister, ⁿ you will be judged. If you say bad things to a brother or sister, you will be judged by the council. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³“So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with that person, and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵“If your enemy is taking you to court, become friends quickly, before you go to court. Otherwise, your enemy might turn you over to the judge, and the judge might give you to a guard to put you in jail. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you will not leave there until you have paid everything you owe.

Jesus Teaches About Sexual Sin

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’ ^{n 28}But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

³¹“It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.’ ^{n 32}But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife forces her to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has sexual relations with another man. And anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

Make Promises Carefully

³³“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘Don’t break your promises, but keep the promises you make to the Lord.’ ^{n 34}But I tell you, never swear an oath. Don’t swear an oath using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. ³⁵Don’t swear an oath using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to God. Don’t swear an oath using the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great King. ³⁶Don’t even swear by your own head, because you cannot make one hair on your head become white or black. ³⁷Say only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more than yes or no, it is from the Evil One.