Do not judge your neighbor

Jesus teaches us not to judge our neighbor.

Matthew 7:1-5 "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching not to judge our neighbor?

Note: When followers of Jesus take it on themselves to be the judge of what their neighbor does, they presume to "be God" (Rom 14:10) therefore shutting themselves out from God's generous mercy.

Strive to love and no one will be in need.

Jesus taught a new economy, one where all needs are met when its citizens live by kingdom standards.

Matthew 6:25-34 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that if we strive to love God and others that no one will ever be in need?

Note: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  I think this is the most important verse in this teaching and probably the most misunderstood.  Most people think this means that if they have the right list of rules to follow and follow them carefully, that they will never starve or go without clothes.  But the Pharasees were so good at following the law and, yet, Jesus blasted them for not being followers of God.  The kind of righteousness that is of the Kingdom of God is not a list of rules to be followed or a list of rules to make others follow.  Instead it is an all out crazy love for God and others.  So one might interpret this to say "Strive to love God and others and the world's needs will be met."  This is God's economy: It is in loving God and others that there is always enough for everyone.  We don't really need to pray that God will provide enough for everyone.  God already has.  We need to pray that we will love God and others so much that we will spread our abundance to others.

Serving God & hoarding resources are incompatible.

Jesus teaches that serving God & hoarding resources are incompatible.

Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that serving God and hoarding resources are incompatible?

Evaluate what is accepted as truth.

Jesus teaches us to evaluate what we accept as "truth."

Matthew 6:22-23 22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to evaluate what we accept as "truth?"

Note:  Luke 11:33-36 33 "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays."

Collect acts of love - not physical belongings.

Jesus teaches us to store up treasures in heaven not on earth.

Matthew 6:19-21 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to build storehouse full of acts of love, not physical belongings?

Note: Spiritual Treasures are acts of love for God and others.  Physical Treasures are things that will perish.

Fast - but fast in secret

Jesus teaches us to fast, but to fast in secret

Matthew 6:16-18 16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to fast in secret?

Note: Fasting means not eating or working.  Fasting occurs throughout the Bible to confess sins, ask for healing, petition God, or to remember through God's eyes.  But even in the Old Testament, God accuses humanity of fasting to be heard by him, but not to listen to him.  If they had listened (Zec 7:9-10), then God tells them they would have heard him say to administer justice; show mercy and compassion, stop oppressing the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor, etc. They refused to listen to God, so he refused to pay attention to their fasts.  In Isaiah 58:1-7, God says fasting results in loosening the chains of injustice and untying the cords of the yoke, setting the oppressed free, breaking every yoke, sharing your food with the hungry, providing the poor wanderer with shelter, clothing the naked, not turning away from your own flesh and blood.  Then God will hear us.  True fasting seeks direction from God not to be heard.  Jesus commands us to fast and to fast in secret so that it is just between us and God.

Forgive, rather than insisting on perfection

Jesus teaches that our relationship with others is to be one of a forgiving nature rather than one that insist on their perfection.  This forgiving nature is tied to a right relationship with God.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;  but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to forgive others rather than insisting on their perfection?

Note:  Church Communities that strive for perfection (perfect list of rules to follow, perfect set of doctrine to believe, perfect list of good works to do) are always weeding out the imperfect people - until there is no one left.  Jesus is teaching us a different way of living.  Instead of insisting on perfection, we strive to forgive the imperfect.  And in forgiving, our relationship with God is perfected (because he forgives our imperfections in this way too).

Face danger knowing Father is with us.

Jesus warns that problems are a certainty for those following him, but that Father is with us.

Matthew 6:13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.
Matthew 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that his followers are not called to lives of ease and comfort, but to face the places of danger knowing Father is with them?

Note:  Jesus doesn't teach us to pray "rid the world of evil" or "keep us away from danger."  Christians are not called to safety, but God promises he will be with us.  I think the most pathetic part of the Christian Religion is that so many sit home in comfort and ease with a list of rules they follow and feel good about themselves. But Jesus' followers are called to the dangerous places not to mandate morality, but to demonstrate Jesus' love.

Rely on God to identify and overcome temptation

Jesus taught us to rely on God to identify and overcome temptation.

Several Translations/Interpretations:
NRS Matt 6:13  And do not bring us to the time of trial...
NIV  Matt 6:13  And lead us not into temptation...
NLT Matthew 6:13 And don't let us yield to temptation...


Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to rely on God to identify and overcome temptation?

Note: If we rely on ourselves to identify pitfalls in our journey, we will miss them and they will overcome us.  If we think we can overcome pitfalls ourselves, we will probably stumble into them.  Following Jesus is done through the Father's wisdom and power not ours.

Forgive all that others owe us.

Jesus compels us to forgive others for whatever they owe us.

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.


Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to forgive whatever others owe us?

Live one day at at time relying on God

Jesus teaches us to live one day at a time relying on God

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to live one day at a time relying on God?

Note:  "Give" presupposes not only that Jesus' disciples live one day at a time but that all good things, even our ability to work and earn our food, come from God.  We are called to remember that self-sufficience is not a virture for we are reliant on God. "Daily" is hard to interpret since the word is only used 2 times in the Bible and has only been found 2 other times in ancient Greek literature.  It has the sense of immediate need or need that will soon happen.  Might be interpreted: "Give us bread for our immediate needs."  "Bread" represents physical needs (not wants) - and perhaps our spiritual (the bread symbolizes Jesus' body) needs too.

Seek and do Father's will

Jesus teaches us to seek and do Father's will

Matthew 6:10 Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to seek and do Father's will?

Note:  We really can't understand Father's will by asking, "what would Jesus do?" unless we first ask, "what did Jesus do?"  His will is radically different (its from heaven!) than what we can reason out - so much so that Paul celebrated its "foolishness".  Equally important is that this prayer teaches us to seek God's will together as a community of Jesus' followers. 

Participate in Father's Kingdom (not politics)

Jesus taught us to live as citizens of Father's Kingdom - not world governments.

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come...

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to live as citizens of Father’s Kingdom - not world governments?

Note: The Father’s kingdom is not a place that we go when we die, but a community Jesus enabled on earth where his followers are loyal and active servants of the king. It is not a democracy - we serve the King. It is not capitalism - all we have belongs to the King. It is not a plan to take over the powers that be and make them Christian. It is way of living together where the community's goal is to give themselves for others just as Jesus gave himself for us. Jesus describes this community as his body where we are living members. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells us to remember that his body was given - broken - for the world.

Live worthy of being stamped with God's name

Jesus taught us to pray that we would be worthy of God's name.

Matthew 6:9 9 "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to live a life worthy of the name of God?

Note: God doesn't need our prayers to make him holy and that isn't what this part of the prayer "hallowed be your name" is about.  It isn't even about praising God.  In the OT, the name of God was "stamped" on those who entered into covenant with him.   But humanity defiled God's name because they didn't take care of the poor, didn't do righteousness, and didn't love justice.  Jesus' followers will now have the name of God stamped on them.  Jesus is teaching the disciples to ask that they will keep God's name holy through this new way of life that he is enabling within us.

Have family values that transcend the family unit

Jesus taught "family values" that transcend the family unit

Matthew 6:9 9 Pray then in this way: "Our Father..."

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that family values reach far beyond the family unit?  Can we call God "Our Father" and ignore our brothers and sisters down the street and around the world who don't have food to eat, health care, and who are just plain lonely and hurting?

Note: These are Jesus' family values: 
         Mark 3:31-35 31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." 33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
          Luke 14:26 26 "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.   
         John 19:25-27 Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." 27 Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Pray together

Jesus taught us to pray as a community.

Matthew 6:9  "Pray then in this way: "Our..."

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to pray together?

Note: The American culture robs us of community, seducing us to believe that indepedence is better than interdependence... so much so... that community looks idealistic and spectacular.  This is not the way of Jesus.

Authentic prayer isn't pretentious

Jesus taught that authenitc prayer isn't pretentious

Matthew 6:5-6 5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that authentic prayer isn't pretentious, but between us and God?

Don't let praise from humans motivate you.

Jesus teaches that our motive for kingdom living shouldn't be praise from other humans.

Matthew 6:1-4 "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Note: Piety = acts of righteousness = good deeds = kindness.  Alms = acts of kindness = gifts to those in need

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that our motive for kingdom living shouldn't be praise from other human beings?

Be perfect

Jesus taught that we should perfect.

Matthew 5:48 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to be perfect?  Do we care we aren't perfect?

Note: Perfect also means complete, full-grown, or mature.  The character of God, which ultimately is love, is behind all his commandments.

Leviticus 19:2 --> ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy." 

1 Peter 1:14-16 --> 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Love and pray for your enemies

Jesus teaches that we should love and pray for our enemies.

Matthew 5:43-47 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to love and pray for our enemies?

Note:  Love is concrete actions... not just emotions. It is self-sacrifice.  Prayer aligns us with the character of God and focuses on God's desire for all to experience his Shalom.

Give unconditionally to anyone who asks

Jesus teaches that we are to give unconditionally to anyone who asks.

Matthew 5:40-42 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Do we ingore Jesus' teaching to give unconditionally to anyone who asks?

Note: The only limit to the believer's giving is what love imposes.

Turn the other cheek

Jesus taught that we should not resist an evildoer, but to turn the other cheek.

Matthew 5:38-39 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek?

Let your word be true and vaild.

Jesus taught that we didn't need special oaths because our word should stand on its own.

Matthew 5:33-37 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Do we ingore Jesus' teaching that everything we speak or agree to be true and valid?

Keep marriage vows

Jesus taught that marriage vows were to be kept.

Matthew 5:31-32 31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that marriage vows are to be kept?