NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FIVE

Part X

When it comes to blessings being poured out on both the good and the bad, in Jewish writings we find this clearly expounded where one Rabbi says: “The day when rain falls is greater than [the day of] the Revival of the Dead, for the Revival of the Dead is for the righteous only whereas rain is both for the righteous and for the unrighteous.”¹ We find a similar thought in the earliest Talmud where it explains: “The dew does not fall on account of the merit of any living being. What is the basis in Scripture for this view? ‘Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers upon the grass, which tarry not for the sake of men or wait for the merit as sons of men.²”³ And in the same Jewish document we find this incident: “Rabbi Yosé bar Jacob went to visit Rabbi Yudan of Magdela who was ill. While he was there, rain came. He heard the sick man saying, ‘A thousand times a thousand are we liable to praise your name, O our king, for each and every drop that you bring down to us, for you do good to the unworthy.’ So Rabbi Yose bar Jacob asked Rabbi Yudan, “Where did you hear that blessing?” Rabbi Yudan said, “This is how Rabbi Simeon, my master, would say a blessing when rain came.”⁴ So in this case we can say that our Savior was quoting already existing verbal tradition more than introducing a new thought.

Jesus now expands this idea by saying: “If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that.”

Just as we often choose an extreme example of some contradiction to prove a point, Jesus points to some of the most hated Jews in any city or town, and they were those who collected the taxes for the Romans. This was truly a case of taxation without representation. These taxes were oppressive, and therefore the tax collectors were seen as joining the heartless Romans as oppressors. One venerable Rabbi says: “It is forbidden to benefit from the property of people whom we can assume to be robbers, when all of their property can be assumed to have come from robbery, for their profession is based on robbery – e.g., customs-collectors and highwaymen. We may not change money from their cash-box, for all their money can be assumed to have come from robbery.”⁵ They were considered so obnoxious, that Rabbis compared them to murderers who will kill if their demands are not met.⁶ And yet Jesus credits them with being friends to those who are friendly with them.

So Jesus continues: “And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends.”

Being kind and loving to those who are kind and loving to you is not an act of the will, it is a natural emotional response. As a matter of fact, Jesus said you are nothing special. You are only doing what is expected. Luke puts a different twist on this idea.⁷ There, Jesus says that if you only lend to others for the credit you will receive for being so good, don’t bother. Even sinners can do that. Rather, express your generosity even to your opponents without looking for anything in return, not even a thank you, because you will be coping Your Father in Heaven who is kind even to the unthankful and ungrateful. Loving the unloving, and caring for the uncaring is an act of the will. This is why God was able to love the world even before the world loved Him, and why Jesus was willing to die for us while we were yet sinners.

That’s why Jesus ended by explaining, “What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Here the word “perfect” can be easily taken as meaning errorless. But that’s not how the Greek word used here is defined. It means, “to complete, to leave nothing out, to reach the mark or goal.” In this case, the highest mark of virtue and integrity in understanding integrity and goodness. We should not skip over this verse too quickly, thinking that it requires too much and may put you in an untenable position. For instance, we find that in Jewish tradition, the Hebrew word “tamiym” (“complete, whole, entire, sound”);⁸ was used to describe Noah. One well respected Jewish scholar states that this attribute on Noah’s part: “refers to interpersonal relations with his peers. He was good to them, as opposed to his peers who tried to take advantage of each other.”⁹ Another Jewish theologian adds this: “He was guiltless and perfect in his righteousness in order to inform us that he was worthy to be saved from the flood without any punishment whatever since he was wholehearted in righteous. For a righteous person is one who is found guiltless in judgment as opposed to the wicked person.”¹⁰ In other words, Noah did not build the ark at God’s command just for himself and his family, but whosoever would come in response to the invitation to be saved from the coming flood. So it is that we should not construct our lives solely for our own comfort and enjoyment. God has a higher goal for His children.

According to other scholars, in older Jewish sayings Noah is called “a righteous and blameless man”,¹¹ which could indicate “perfection” (KJV) and “blameless” (NIV) with God, though not necessarily in a moral sense¹².¹³ One Jewish commentator draws a distinction between Noah and Abraham by saying “Noah endeavored to do what God expected of him. He acted righteously while Abraham ten generations later did so without having to be told to by God”.¹⁴ We also find this in the teaching of the Essenes who strived for perfection by committing themselves to perfect obedience to the Law and the sect’s teachings.¹⁵ But they also exhorted men to “choose whatever is pleasing to God and to reject whatever he hates, ‘that you may walk perfectly in all His ways and not follow after thoughts of the guilty inclination and after eyes of lust.’”¹⁶

But we know from history that they failed, as all others have done. So to put it more simply, being perfect as it was understood in the Jewish mind at the time of Jesus, was to “finish the task given you.” And in so doing, make friends, not enemies. Consider how Jesus handled this on His way to the cross. Just as we cannot require people to earn our love, we should also refrain from making them earn our forgiveness. To do so is only making them pay a fine or penalty. To receive God’s forgiveness we need only sincerely confess with a contrite heart. Should it require anymore from us? So this is what Jesus was teaching. He was telling His disciples to ascribe to all the virtues and ethics that He has just presented as being attributes of God. In so doing, they would be fulfilling their calling, and becoming more and more like the One who called them.

Therefore, when choosing the model for our lives, select the one that will please God more because it is designed to give rather than to receive. For instance, some of the most cordial and ennobling doctors I’ve ever met were those who went into the profession because it gave them an opportunity to help others, not to make money. Likewise, the most inspiring men and woman of God that I have met along my journey are those who accepted their calling and performed the mission given them by the Holy Spirit in reaching God’s expectations for their ministry, not their own expectations of promotion and recognition.