Friday Playlist: Matthew 5-7

Our second edition of the Friday playlist continues the book of Matthew with each track featuring portions of what is most commonly known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” As you dive into this section of Matthew’s Gospel, keep in mind what we talked about last week regarding the significance of the sequence of events in the story. Jesus has “come out” of Egypt, passed through the waters of baptism, faced 40 days of temptation in the desert and is now about to deliver a new understanding of the law from a mountain in the same way that Moses delivered the original law from God on Mount Sinai.

Finally, as you read through these three chapters this week, I want to really encourage you to wrestle with the practical implications of the teachings that Jesus’ shares here. I would argue, as many biblical scholars would as well, that in these three chapters, we find the heart of the message that Jesus brings to our world. So what does that mean for you and me? If our lives are about fully engaging the message and teachings of Jesus and seeking to produce the “kingdom fruit” that we are going to read so much about in Matthew, what type of change do these three chapters invite into our lives?

Here we go. Track one.

Track One: Matthew 5:1-16
In the Study Bible that I use, these is this note related to the nature of the blessings listed here.

“Surprisingly, in an imperial world that prizes power, wealth and status, God’s favor is found among the powerless and poor without resources and options who yearn for God’s empire and faithful intervention.”

This tension is heightened by the greek word used that is translated as blessing. Makarios meant highly favored and it was most commonly used to refer to the life of the Gods.

How does this challenge your notion of blessing?

What does this say about the things that we value? How does the language of our culture define what situations are worthy of blessing?

Several of the blessings listed here refer to someone’s situation, but several refer to the activity of their lives. What are some of those activities that Jesus seems to affirm with these words?

What does this text tell us about God and his relationship with his creation?

Track Two: Matthew 5:17-48
Jesus takes aim at the religious establishment of his day in verse 20 when he says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. After Israel was sent into exile and lost their ability to exist as a nation in the land that God had originally promised to Abraham, there was a dominant question on the hearts of minds of the Jewish people. What went wrong? The Pharisees answer was simple. We’ve broken God’s law. We’ve not been faithful to the commandments. Our inability to fulfill our end of the bargain has cost us the Promise Land. So the Pharisees become essentially the “morality police” who seek to enforce the law on the people. A Pharisees ability and commitment to follow the law was a source of great pride.

So, what exactly is Jesus saying when he says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees?” At first glance, he seems to be suggesting the impossible.

Today, as you read through several of Jesus’, “You have heard it said, but I say to you,” statements, consider just one question.

What is Jesus saying about the nature of righteousness? Or, to put it another way, in what ways is Jesus redefining for the Israelites what it means to live in relationship with God and neighbor?

Track Three: Matthew 6:1-24
This section begins with an emphasis on giving, prayer and fasting before shifting to a focus on our relationship with “stuff.” It’s here that we find Jesus’ instructions for what we call The Lord’s Prayer which we pray each week in all our weekend worship services. In our community, The Lord’s Prayer is the one component of worship that is a part of every one of our worship gatherings. As you read through this section of scripture today, I want to encourage you to look at each section and wrestle with three questions.

What does this say about God?

What does this say about us?

What does this say about the relationship between God & us?

Track Four: Matthew 6:25-7:12
Before beginning today’s readings, I want to encourage you to take out a blank sheet of paper and taking 5-10 minutes to write down all the things that you either are currently worried about or have been worried about in the past few months. After completing that exercise, read ch. 6:25-34. After reading, spend a few moments scanning the list of worries you’ve been carrying around with you. Then consider these questions.

Why are you worried about these things? As you consider this question, think about what’s not on your worry list. In other words, what does the nature of “what” you worry about tell you about what’s going on in your heart right now?

What do your worries tell you about you and the relationship you have with God right now?

I do want to note one more thing from this portion of scripture. Again, I’ll share a note with you from my study bible.

“To not judge does not forbid the practice of carefully discerning appropriate (and inappropriate) practices. But disciples do not exercise God’s right to determine one’s ultimate destiny (condemnation). Self examination provides the context for merciful correction.”

I think that is an important thing to note because this particular passage [7:1-5] has been used in the past to uphold an “every person for themselves” mentality that I think is very counter-intuitive to the way that Jesus taught us to live in relationship. Every instance of “reproof” or “correction” should begin by being clothed in grace, but the idea that seeking to help a brother or sister to move past destructive behavior is always being “judgemental” and as such “unbiblical” is simply an inappropriate reading of this text.

Track Five: Matthew 7:13-29
Let’s wrap up our reading of the Sermon on the Mount with a few final questions.

Where in your life do you see the fruits of faithfulness?

Where in your life do you see the fruits of unfaithfulness?

What has challenged you the most in your reading this week? Why?

What does your reading of these chapters tell you about the foundation on which you’re building your life?