Bulletin Questions

Matthew 5:31-42

Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 24 concerning divorce. Does the text quoted allow divorce to occur for any reason?

Does the text in Deuteronomy give a reason for allowing divorce?

What does the Deuteronomy 24:1-4 condemn?

What does Christ condemn in Matthew 5:32?

Is Verse 32 a rule exclusively for Christians, those that have obeyed the gospel of Christ?

Is Verse 22 exclusive to Christians?

Is Verse 28 exclusive to Christians?

What does Jesus refer to as vows?

Why is it that Jesus distinguishes between taking an oath and simply stating what you will do or not do?

What significant about taking an oath in the context of what Jesus is saying?

Why is it that anything beyond stating yes or no is of evil?

What was the purpose of the law stating an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

Under what conditions should we turn the other cheek?

Does Verses 39 disallow self-defense?

What is implied on the part of the striker if someone slaps you on your right cheek?

What is specifically not being done if you turn the other cheek? What is not being returned to the striker?

If someone wants to sue us in court, should we just accept the suit with no defense?

Is Jesus saying we should surrender more to a complainant than for what we are being sued despite the truth or facts?

What is implied about the complainant?

Who would “force you to go one mile”?

What is the expected result of going with them two miles?

What sort of character is required in a person to be willing to go two miles?

Should we lend money to everyone who asks of us?

When is it wise to lend money?

Could anything else be borrowed from us?

Matthew 5:27-30

In Verse 27 Jesus uses the phrase, “You have heard it said” for the second time since Verse 21. What does He mean by this?

How many times does Jesus use the phrase “You have heard it said”, “it was said”, or “you have heard” in this chapter?

Is changing the law concerning adultery?

What does it mean to look on someone with lust for them?

What makes looking on someone with lust for them a sin of sexual immorality?

Who is able to judge whether a person commits a sin of lusting for someone so as to commit adultery?

What is the means by which we have to judge whether or not someone has committed adultery?

Why should this be a shock to the hearers of Jesus?

Does Jesus really intend for people to start chopping off body parts to keep from sinning according to Verses 29-30?

In Verse 29 Jesus uses the word skandalizō. This word is commonly translated as stumble. It means to trip over something because of entrapment.

Does Jesus want us to understand that parts of the body cause one to sin?

Are we to believe from the teaching of Jesus that literally removing parts of the body will prevent us from going to hell?

Where does sin originate in a person?

How is sin or righteousness regulated in a person?

Is sin a physical attribute or a spiritual attribute?

What remedies sin in a person?

How we do remove sin from ourselves?

What does it mean to repent of sin?

If adultery begins by looking on a person so as to lust for them then isn’t lust the problem as opposed to eyes?

If lust is a condition of the heart, then to be consistent, isn’t Jesus speaking of removing body parts symbolically as to removing conditions of the heart that cause scandal in our spirit?

Jesus speaks symbolically of removing an eye or hand so that the whole body is not destroyed. Peter speaks of the ending of this physical world in as much as all the elements of it are to be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-13). We are to look for a “new heaven and new earth” in which spiritual definitions exist and not physical. We don’t know what these definitions are exactly (1 John 3:2) but we know that it is spiritual as God is spirit (John 4:24).

What is the hell that Jesus speaks of in Verses 29-30?

Is Jesus speaking literally of hell or a place that is referred to as a type unto hell?

If we are of mind to understand that it is better to lose an eye or a hand in order to keep our whole body from being destroyed due to judgment of crime against us, shouldn’t we understand the importance of the judgment against our souls if we do not put away parts of our spirit that bring us to condemnation (Rom. 1:18; 1 Peter 3:11,21; Eph. 4:31; Gal. 4:9; Titus 2:12)?

Matthew 5:21-26

Who are the ancients that Jesus speaks of in Verse 21?

The Greek word in Verse 22 that is translated as kill or murder, depending on the bible version read, is phoneuō.

What English word best suits the context for the translation of phoneuō?

Is Jesus implying that the context under which the ancients were expected to understand this law is the same that He is stating here?

Why would someone that commits phoneuō be liable to the court?

In Verse 22 Jesus says that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. Does this mean that anger is sin?

If being angry makes you guilty or liable before the court, then to what is Jesus comparing anger?

What is the court that Jesus refers to?

What does it mean to say to your brother/neighbor, “you good for nothing” (NASV)? In the LITV the phrase is the word Raca.

What is the supreme court Jesus speaks of in Verse 22?

What is the difference in the court and the supreme court in Verse 22?

What is the significance of saying, “you fool”, to your brother/neighbor?

What is the relevancy of being angry, saying raca, or “you fool” to your brother and what does it have to with murder?

What is the “fiery hell” that Jesus speaks of at the end of Verse 22? The phrase is geenna pur.

Strong defines the word geenna as follows:

Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment: - hell.

References: Joshua 15:8, 18:16; Jeremiah 19:2; Nehemiah 2:13, 3:13; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6;2 Kings 33:10; Jeremiah 7:32, 19:6.

Is Jesus speaking literally of hell or a place that is referred to as a type unto hell?

Verse 23 starts with the word, therefore. What does the word therefore mean?

Jesus gives a scenario of someone going before an alter to present an offering. Why would this occasion be relevant to being angry with or offending to a neighbor?

Are there other occasions that would warrant such an inspection of our relationships?

What is the significance of leaving the offering at the alter and going to be reconciled with your brother?

What does Jesus mean by, “make friends quickly with your opponent” in Verse 25?

Does He mean that you should not answer for what is owed?

Does Jesus imply that we should get out paying what we owe by any means necessary, or by any degree of dishonestly?

Does Jesus imply that is acceptable to be in this situation again as long we don’t go to court or jail?

What is the picture of being in prison and paying debts owed from assets representative of for a Christian?