Matthew’s Gospel offers many indications of the Jewishness of Jesus. Some are found in the readings for this week, his Sermon on the Mount ( Matthew 5) , where he speaks as a loyal, practicing Jew, fully involved in his religion and culture. He celebrates Jewish feasts and observes Jewish laws; he prays in the synagogue every Sabbath.

Yet, Jesus criticized the Jewish world he lived in. That’s evident in the Sermon on the Mount.

Some of his words seem harsh to us– “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away…And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” Jesus spoke as Jewish prophets spoke; extreme words made their point.

 Like them, Jesus spoke strongly when religious standards were neglected and unfulfilled. “I came not to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill them.” (Wednesday) His criticism was directed especially to the Jewish leadership of his day.

He criticized life focused simply on externals–and sometimes just a few externals– and divorced from an inner spiritual awareness. 

For example, the commandment “You shall not kill…. whoever kills will be liable to judgment.” (Matthew 5: 26 Thursday) There are other ways you can to kill, Jesus teaches. You may not go to jail for them either, but you can destroy people by anger or by regarding them as fools. Strong words make a point, not just for his time but for ours as well. 

“ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27, Friday) Again, you may not go to jail for your thinking, but your thoughts can poison your appreciation of people. I think that’s what pornography does. It poisons your mind and lessens your respect for others. 

Watch your thinking and your judging, Jesus says. The way you think influences the way you live. The way you look at things influences the way you do things.

Jesus  also teaches about divorce procedures and taking oaths in the Sermon on the Month. (Matthew 5:33, Saturday)  Some saw life in terms of law; some today still do. All you have to do is keep within the law, be law abiding, live legally and that’s enough. Yet, Jesus never saw keeping laws enough. They’re just a start.