Notes on the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 5

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The fifth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew contains the first portion of the Sermon on the Mount, which also takes up the next chapter and a half.  Portions of this chapter of Matthew are similar to the Sermon on the Plain in the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke.  However, much of Jesus (a.s.) is reported to have said is found only in this chapter of Matthew.  As Muslims, our understanding of the teachings of Jesus (a.s.) are taken in the light of the Qur’an and the hadits and in many places, there are marked differences from how a Christian would understand it.  

This chapter is one of the most discussed and analysed of the New Testament.  No chapter was more often cited by the early scholars of the Church.  It still holds true today.  Like much of the rest of the Gospel, the source of the fifth chapter of Matthew is uncertain.  It contains only a handful of parallels with the Gospel according to Mark, from which it was thought to be copied from.  It does have a number of loose parallels with the Gospel according to Luke’s Sermon on the Plain.  If the two source hypothesis is correct, it indicates that much of this text likely came from the Q document.  However, the parallels in the Gospel according to Luke tend to be very loose and far further away than most areas they overlap.  There are a considerable number of verses here that have no parallel in Luke. 

The Sermon on the Mount itself is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus (a.s.), which emphasised his moral teaching of the need for balance in spirituality and the legal aspect of the religion.  It is echoed in Islam as the need for both taswawwuf and shari’ah in the journey to the Divine.  It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew and takes place early in the ministry of Jesus (a.s.).  The term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by Jesus (a.s.) as recorded within the Gospel according to Matthew.  The other four discourses are the Missionary Discourse, the Parabolic Discourse, the Discourse on the Church and the Discourse on End Times.  They form the Christian understanding of the teachings of Jesus (a.s.).  Each of these discourses has a shorter parallel in the other synoptic gospels, the Gospel according to Mark and the Gospel according to Luke. 

The Sermon itself is the longest piece of teaching directly attributed to Jesus (a.s.) in the New Testament, and is one of the most widely quoted elements of the Canonical Gospels.  It includes two of the best known teachings of Jesus (a.s.), the Beatitudes, and the Lord’s Prayer, the only du’a we know of from him.  To most Christians, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship. 

While the issue of the exact theological structure and composition of the Sermon on the Mount is subject to debate among scholars, specific components within it, each associated with particular teachings, can be identified.  The Gospel according to Matthew groups Jesus’ (a.s.) teachings into sets of similar material, but the same material is scattered when found in the Gospel according to Luke.  The Sermon on the Mount may be compared with the similar but more succinct Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel according to Luke, which also features Jesus (a.s.) heading up a mountain, but giving the sermon on the way down at a level spot.  Some scholars believe that they are the same sermon, but it is more that Jesus (a.s.) frequently preached similar themes in different places, as all the prophets of old did and the shuyukh even now. 

As mentioned above, this chapter contains the Beatitudes.  The Beatitudes are divided into two quartets.  The first group outlines the trials of the believers and the Rewards they will receive.  The second four lists their righteous behaviour which led to this persecution.  Most scholars feel the ninth Beatitude at is separate from the first eight, as demonstrated by its shift to the second person.  Four of the Beatitudes are found in a similar form in the Gospel according to Luke, the rest are only found here. 

The English word used to show the positive nature of the Beatitudes is “blessed”.  This is not an ideal translation since in modern English, “blessed” carried the connotation of being Blessed by God, a meaning not implied by the Greek.  It is difficult to find an accurate word, but some scholars feel “fortunate” is a better fit.  The New American Bible uses “happy” because it directly translates the “beatus” of the Vulgate, and it carries a similar meaning to that of the Classical Greek.  After the Beatitudes there are a series of metaphors, called Salt and Light, that are often seen as commentaries upon them.  From them originate many famous phrases of the English language. 

Jesus (a.s.) then moves to a structured discussion of the halacha and explains the spirit of the Law as opposed to the letter of the Law.  This section is traditionally referred to as the Antitheses.  The antithesis form is from the Greek for “setting opposite”.  This is used when two opposites are introduced in the same sentence, for contrasting effect.  A simple counting of the elements of dialectics is that of thesis; antithesis, and synthesis.  It is the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in a balanced way.  It is at the core of the argument about the relationship between the views attributed to Jesus (a.s.), which is more spiritual and those attributed to Moses (a.s.), the Mosaic Law, which is more legalistic.  It is taken as a microcosm between the relationship between the New Testament and Old Testament.  The Pauline interpretation of this led to the abrogation of Old Covenant laws.  Form a Muslim point of view, this is a great injustice to both prophets.  The message is the same, since God does not contradict Himself.  It is only that Moses (a.s.) was Sent to bring forth the Law, the Decalogue and the basis for the halacha.  Unfortunately, the Jews had forgotten the spirit of the Law and the nature of Gd.  They ceased worshipping God and viewing the halacha as a means to a relationship with the Divine.  Instead, they began to worship the Law and thought they were serving God, when in reality, they only served their desires.  Jesus (a.s.) was Sent to bring back the spirit of the Law. 

Matthew 5:1-16

¹ Jesus, when he saw how great was their number, went up on to the mountain-side; there he sat down, and his disciples came about him.  ² And he began speaking to them; this was the teaching he gave.  ³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  ⁴ Blessed are the patient; they shall inherit the land.  ⁵ Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted.  ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for holiness; they shall have their fill.  ⁷ Blessed are the merciful; they shall obtain mercy.  ⁸ Blessed are the clean of heart; they shall see God.  ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be Counted the children of God.  ¹⁰ Blessed are those who suffer persecution in the cause of right; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.  ¹¹ Blessed are you, when men revile you, and persecute you, and speak all manner of evil against you falsely, because of me.  ¹² Be glad and light-hearted, for a rich reward awaits you in Heaven; so it was they persecuted the prophets who went before you.  ¹³ You are the salt of the earth; if salt loses its taste, what is there left to give taste to it?  There is no more to be done with it, but throw it out of doors for men to tread it under foot.  ¹⁴ You are the light of the world; a city cannot be hidden if it is built on a mountain-top.  ¹⁵ A lamp is not lighted to be put away under a bushel measure; it is put on the lamp-stand, to give light to all the people of the house; ¹⁶ and your light must shine so brightly before men that they can see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” 

¹ Ἰδὼν δὲ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος: καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ: ² καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς λέγων, 3 μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.  ⁴ μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται.  ⁵ μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς ὅτι αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν ⁶ μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χορτασθήσονται.  ⁷ μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται.  ⁸ μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται.  ⁹ μακάριοι οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί, ὅτι αὐτοὶ υἱοὶ θεοῦ κληθήσονται.  ¹⁰ μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.  ¹¹ μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ: ¹² χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς: οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.  ¹³ Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς: ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας μωρανθῇ, ἐν τίνι ἁλισθήσεται; εἰς οὐδὲν ἰσχύει ἔτι εἰ μὴ βληθὲν ἔξω καταπατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.  ¹⁴ Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπάνω ὄρους κειμένη: ¹⁵ οὐδὲ καίουσιν λύχνον καὶ τιθέασιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν, καὶ λάμπει πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ.  ¹⁶ οὕτως λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. 

¹ Videns autem Jesus turbas, ascendit in montem, et cum sedisset, accesserunt ad eum discipuli ejus, ² et aperiens os suum docebat eos dicens: ³ Beati pauperes spiritu: quoniam ipsorum est regnum cælorum.  ⁴ Beati mites: quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram.  ⁵ Beati qui lugent: quoniam ipsi consolabuntur.  ⁶ Beati qui esuriunt et sitiunt justitiam: quoniam ipsi saturabuntur.  ⁷ Beati misericordes: quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur.  ⁸ Beati mundo corde: quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt.  ⁹ Beati pacifici: quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur.  ¹⁰ Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam: quoniam ipsorum est regnum cælorum.  ¹¹ Beati estis cum maledixerint vobis, et persecuti vos fuerint, et dixerint omne malum adversum vos mentientes, propter me: ¹² gaudete, et exsultate, quoniam merces vestra copiosa est in cælis. Sic enim persecuti sunt prophetas, qui fuerunt ante vos.  ¹³ Vos estis sal terræ. Quod si sal evanuerit, in quo salietur?  ad nihilum valet ultra, nisi ut mittatur foras, et conculcetur ab hominibus.  ¹⁴ Vos estis lux mundi. Non potest civitas abscondi supra montem posita, ¹⁵ neque accendunt lucernam, et ponunt eam sub modio, sed super candelabrum, ut luceat omnibus qui in domo sunt.  ¹⁶ Sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus: ut videant opera vestra bona, et glorificent Patrem vestrum, qui in cælis est. 

The reference in the beginning of this section to Jesus (a.s.) ascending the mountain prior to preaching is considered by many to be a reference to Moses (a.s.) on Mount Sinai. 

Deuteronomy 9:9

⁹ I went up to the mountain where I was to receive the two stone tablets that recorded the Covenant the Lord was Making with you and on the mountain, without food and drink, I spent forty days and forty nights. 

⁹ ἀναβαίνοντός μου εἰς τὸ ὄρος λαβεῖν τὰς πλάκας τὰς λιθίνας πλάκας διαθήκης ἃς διέθετο κύριος πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ κατεγινόμην ἐν τῷ ὄρει τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσαράκοντα νύκτας ἄρτον οὐκ ἔφαγον καὶ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔπιον 

⁹ quando ascendi in montem, ut acciperem tabulas lapideas, tabulas pacti quod pepigit vobiscum Dominus: et perseveravi in monte quadraginta diebus ac noctibus, panem non comedens, et aquam non bibens. 

There are no actual mountains in Galilee, only several large hills in the region to the west of the Sea of Galilee.  A number of hills there have traditionally been claimed as the site of the sermon, but the best known is the Mount of Beatitudes.  The introduction to the Sermon on the Plain also has Jesus (a.s.) going up into a mountain, but he goes there to pray and descends before beginning his sermon.  Some scholars have tried to reconcile the two accounts, saying the sermon was delivered on a flat plain part-way up a mountain.  It is irrelevant, since the nature of prophethood is such that the same lessons were likely said many times to different groups of people. 

This verse is the first place where the word “disciples” appears in the Gospel according to Matthew.  Its exact meaning here is unclear.  Some feel that it refers only to the small group of Jesus’ (a.s.) followers, and that the sermon was only directed to them.  This is the prevailing view in the Catholic Church.  Martin Luther and the Protestant movement in general believe otherwise.  As how we understand it, the sermon itself was primarily meant for the muridun of the shaykh, the disciples, but was also for general consumption.  The spiritual blessing of such swuhbah, an association, is that each would take to his own spiritual level and those closest would reap the most benefit. 

Verse 3 opens the first of nine statements of who is the fortunate one.  Each, except for the last, follows the same pattern of naming a group of people and the reward they will receive.  In Jesus’ (a.s.) time, a Greek word translated as blessed or fortunate here, was a common way of describing someone who is wealthy.  This opening of the sermon was meant to shock the audience with a deliberate inversion of standard values.  The “poor” translates more closely to faqir rather than miskin, the absolutely destitute.  In the New Testament, the term applies to those who require the charity of others in order to survive.  Within taswawwuf, the faqir can be understood to be a dervish, one who has given up dunya for akhirah in a physical as well as spiritual sense.  We understand it thus because whilst Luke 6:20 simply has “fortunate are the poor”, that Matthew 6:3 adds “in spirit”.  The phrase does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament, it occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and it is an important notion to the ascetics of Qumran.  “Poor in spirit” does not mean lacking in spirit.  It is that poverty is not only a physical condition, but also a spiritual one.  Simply being poor is not a ticket into the Divine Presence, but rather only those who understand the nature of real poverty are blessed.  To this group, blessing is promised without qualification.  The elect of the ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w.) understand it best since it is God who is Wealthy, al-Ghany and all Creation that is in poverty since we are the owners of nothing, whereas He is the Master of everything.  Those who recognise the Divine have a maqam of wilayat. 

The fourth verse is the second verse of the Beatitudes.  This is often considered to be a version of Luke 6:21, part of the Sermon on the Plain, which has weepers being able to laugh. 

Luke 6:21

²¹ Blessed are you who are hungry now; you will have your fill.  Blessed are you who weep now; you will laugh for joy. 

²¹ μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες νῦν, ὅτι χορτασθήσεσθε. μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν, ὅτι γελάσετε. 

²¹ Beati qui nunc esuritis, quia saturabimini. Beati qui nunc fletis, quia ridebitis. 

This is in reference to Isaiah 61:2. 

Isaiah 61:2

² … proclaiming the year of the Lord’s Pardon, the day when He, our God, will Give us Redress.  Comfort for every mourner; 

² καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτὸν καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνταποδόσεως παρακαλέσαι πάντας τοὺς πενθοῦντας 

² ut prædicarem annum placabilem Domino, et diem ultionis Deo nostro; ut consolarer omnes lugentes, 

The word mourn does not refer to mourning for the dead, the most common English use of the term.  Most scholars feel mourners should be read as “the oppressed”.  The view that it refers to those mourning their sinfulness is incorrect, since the theology of the period is that sins are to be hated, not mourned. 

The fifth verse is the third verse of the Beatitudes.  This well known verse is perhaps the most famous of the Beatitudes, but unlike the previous two, this one has no parallel in the Sermon on the Plain.  That Sermon contains four Beatitudes and four Woes.  There is considerable debate over whether this Beatitude was in Q, and the authors of Luke left it out, or if it is an original addition by the authors of Matthew.  The meek should be understood as meaning powerless. 

The phrase, “inherit the Earth”, is also similar to “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” in the third verse.  The two terms reflect the two different views of the eschatology prevalent when the authors of Matthew were writing.  One view was that the end of the world would see all the believers brought up to the Kingdom of Heaven.  The other view was that the end times would have God come down to directly rule Earth, and the chosen people would then be given dominion over the entire world.  In the Muslim understanding, both views are inadequate.  “Meek” in the Greek literature of the period most often meant “gentle” or “soft”.  The phrase would better be reflected in the concept of the khalifah fi al-ardh, God’s vicegerent on earth.  That concept is explained in greater detail in other posts in this blog. 

The sixth verse is the fourth verse of the Beatitudes.  Fasting was the sunnah f the prophets.  It was a means to subdue the nafs and recognise the Divine.  In a hadits, we are told that the Reward for fasting is Known only to God Himself, so great it is a form of ‘ibadah.  That Reward is portrayed as a spiritual and temporal feast at the end of the fast. 

Isaiah 55:1

¹ So many athirst; who will not come to the water?  So many destitute; who will come and get him food, get wine and milk free, no price to be paid? 

¹ οἱ διψῶντες πορεύεσθε ἐ{F'} ὕδωρ καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχετε ἀργύριον βαδίσαντες ἀγοράσατε καὶ πίετε ἄνευ ἀργυρίου καὶ τιμῆς οἴνου καὶ στέαρ 

¹ Omnes sitientes, venite ad aquas, et qui non habetis argentum, properate, emite, et comedite: venite, emite absque argento et absque ulla commutation vinum et lac. 

Jeremiah 31:25

²⁵ … faint hearts shall be refreshed, and hunger’s craving satisfied. 

²⁵ ὅτι ἐμέθυσα πᾶσαν ψυχὴν διψῶσαν καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν ἐνέπλησα 

²⁵ Quia inebriavi animam lassam, et omnem animam esurientem saturavi. 

Psalm 107:9.

⁹ … poor souls that were thirsty, contented now, poor souls that were hungry, satisfied now with all good. 

⁹ ὅτι ἐχόρτασεν ψυχὴν κενὴν καὶ ψυχὴν πεινῶσαν ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν 

⁹ Quia satiavit animam inanem, et animam esurientem satiavit bonis. 

Like the first two Beatitudes, this one seems too similar to one in Luke, in this case with Luke 6:21. 

Luke 6:21

²¹ Blessed are you who are hungry now; you will have your fill.  Blessed are you who weep now; you will laugh for joy. 

²¹ μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες νῦν, ὅτι χορτασθήσεσθε. μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν, ὅτι γελάσετε. 

²¹ Beati qui nunc esuritis, quia saturabimini. Beati qui nunc fletis, quia ridebitis. 

The Gospel according to Luke only has the blessed hunger, whereas the Gospel according to Matthew added thirst, a minor addition, but the addition of the word “righteousness” is a major change.  Righteousness is one of the key concepts in the Gospel according to Matthew, though what exactly is meant by the term is not always clear to the Christians.  To Muslims, the example of the righteous would be Jesus (a.s.) himself.  There is no ambiguity in this.  

The seventh verse also has no parallel in the Sermon on the Plain.  This verse marks the beginning of the second quartet of Beatitudes.  The first four are all about the self.  The second four are about the mu’amalah, relations between people.  The eighth verse is the sixth Beatitude.  This verse is generally believed to have been taken from Psalm 24:3-5. 

Psalm 24:3-5

³ Who dares climb the Mountain of the Lord, and appear in His Sanctuary?  ⁴ The guiltless in act, the pure in heart; one who never set his heart on lying tales, or swore treacherously to his neighbour.  ⁵ His to receive a Blessing from the Lord, Mercy from God, his Sure Defender; 

³ τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ ⁴ ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ⁵ οὗτος λήμψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ 

³ Quis ascendet in montem Domini?  aut quis stabit in loco sancto ejus?  ⁴ Innocens manibus et mundo corde, qui non accepit in vano animam suam, nec juravit in dolo proximo suo: ⁵ hic accipiet benedictionem a Domino, et misericordiam a Deo salutari suo. 

Since Jesus (a.s.) was explaining the Law, he quoted from the corpus of the Old Testament.  The purity refers not to one who was ritually cleansed, but rather to spiritual purity, as noted by the “in heart” addition.  This is what we call tadzkiyyah an-nafs, the purification of the self and the result of it is the purified soul, nafs asw-swafiyyah.  The Beatitudes are then the maqamat of wilayat. 

The ninth verse is the seventh verse of the Beatitudes.  The word “peacemakers” does not imply pacifism.  It does not refer to those who do not fight, but those who actively bring conflict to an end.  This is the same message as better expounded in the Qur’an. 

سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة

وَقَـٰتِلُوهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتۡنَةٌ۬ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِ‌ۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَہَوۡاْ فَلَا عُدۡوَٲنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (١٩٣) 

And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. (Surah al-Baqarah:193) 

Martin Luther and other early Protestant translators of the Bible preferred the translation “children of God”, in this verse because they wanted to avoid any confusion whether Jesus (a.s.) was the only Son of God.  “Sons of God” is, however, the more accurate translation and is used by most modern Bible translations.  However, Jesus (a.s.) has never called himself the Son of God.  The closest we have to the original Gospels has Jesus (a.s.) referring to himself as the Son of Man approximately twenty-five times.  Other than “blessed are the meek”, this is perhaps the most famous of the Beatitudes. 

The tenth verse is the eighth verse of the Sermon on the Mount, the last of the Beatitudes.  As with Matthew 5:3, this verse cites the Kingdom of Heaven as the reward, also like that first verse, the reward is in the present tense whilst the other six have it in the future.  The ‘arifin understand this because of the hadits of the Prophet (s.a.w.) where for the muqarrabin, those who are close to the Divine, they have two Heavens, one here and one in the hereafter. 

The eleventh verse is an expansion on the eighth and final Beatitude in the previous verse.  While this verse begins with the same “blessed are” opening of the previous eight Beatitudes, it quickly varies from them in structure, shifting from the third to the second person and abandons the simple virtue to reward format.  It is a commentary on the eighth Beatitude. The verses are this, are generally commentaries of the Beatitudes and an expansion of the teachings of Jesus (a.s.) and the theme of the spirit of the Law. 

The thirteenth verse is the first of a series of metaphors expanding on the Beatitudes.  There are a wide number of references to salt in the Old Testament, presented as a sign of God’s Covenant and as a purifying agent.  Salt had a wide number of uses in the ancient world.  Salt was so important in this period that it was sometimes even used as currency, from which the word salary originates.  A common Jewish expression at the time was to call the Laws, the “salt and the light” of the world.  This makes this section an introduction to the discussion of Mosaic Law that commences after this.  In Rabbinic literature, salt was a metaphor for wisdom.  Salt was important as a preservative, and the most common interpretation of this verse is to see the duty of the apostles as preserving the purity of the faith, something the Christians have failed at spectacularly.  Salt also played a role in ritual purity, and all sacrifices had to contain salt. 

The issue of salt losing its flavour is a metaphor for it losing its purity.  Salt itself, sodium chloride, is extremely stable and cannot lose its flavour.  This only happens when it is adulterated.  In the same vein, the pure monotheism of the prophets was adulterated, and it took the coming of the final prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.), to address it.  This is a very famous verse, and “salt of the earth” has become a common English idiom. 

The fourteenth verse has a fairly sudden shift of metaphor from “salt of the earth” to “city on a hill”.  It is related to the expression, “salt and light” which was used to describe the Law.  This verse is unparalleled elsewhere in the New Testament, but a version of it is found in the apocryphal Gospel according to Thomas.  In the Gospel according to Thomas, the focus of the verse is on the city’s security and impregnability rather than its symbolism.  There are many interpretations for this phrase. 

“Father in Heaven” is a favourite expression of the authors of the Gospel according to Matthew.  It occurs twenty times.  “Father” has its roots in the Aramaic “Robb”, which is etymologically related to the Arabic, “Rabb”, which is one of the Names of Allah (s.w.t.).  In the Aramaic and Arabic, it has the connotation of The Nourisher, the Cherisher and the Sustainer.  The translation is thus inadequate. 

Matthew 5:17-19

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to set aside the Law and the prophets; I have not come to set them aside, but to bring them to perfection.  ¹⁸ Believe me, heaven and earth must disappear sooner than one jot, one flourish should disappear from the Law; it must all be accomplished.  ¹⁹ Whoever, then, sets aside one of these commandments, though it were the least, and teaches men to do the like, will be of least account in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches others to keep them will be accounted in the kingdom of heaven as the greatest.” 

¹⁷ Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας: οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι.  ¹⁸ ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται.  ¹⁹ ὃς ἐὰν οὖν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων καὶ διδάξῃ οὕτως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν: ὃς δ' ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. 

¹⁷ Nolite putare quoniam veni solvere legem aut prophetas: non veni solvere, sed adimplere.  ¹⁸ Amen quippe dico vobis, donec transeat cælum et terra, jota unum aut unus apex non præteribit a lege, donec omnia fiant.  ¹⁹ Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis, et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno cælorum: qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno cælorum. 

The seventeenth verse in one of the most debated verses in the Gospels.   It begins a new section where Jesus (a.s.) discusses the Law and the prophets.  This verse is central to the debate over the relationship between the New Testament and the Old Testament first begun by Marcion of Sinope.  This issue would have been a central one to the Jewish Christians.  The main controversy over this verse is over the word “fulfill”.  From a Muslim point of view, there is no controversy since we understand the concept of naskh, abrogation, well.  In this case, Jesus (a.s.) was actually teaching them the spiritual and literal understanding of the Law.  The Christians eventually chose to abandon them in their entirety.  The antinomian viewpoint holds that because Jesus (a.s.) accomplished all that was required by the Law, thus fulfilling it, he made it unnecessary for anyone to do anything further.  The opposite of antinomianism holds that the entire Law is still entirely applicable to Christians; not for salvation, but rather for simple obedience.  Antinomianism eventually prevailed through the Pauline faction.  When Jesus (a.s.) spoke of the Law that must prevail, he was not speaking of the Law of Moses (a.s.).  Rather, he spoke of the Law of God, the Shari’ah of Allah (s.w.t.).  That is tied to His Divine Will and is always Manifest and Ever-Existing. 

Matthew 5:20-26

²⁰ “And I tell you that if your justice does not give fuller measure than the justice of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  ²¹ You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘Thou shalt do no murder’; if a man commits murder, he must answer for it before the court of justice.  ²² But I tell you that any man who is angry with his brother must answer for it before the court of justice, and any man who says, ‘raca’ to his brother must answer for it before the Council; and any man who says to his brother, Thou fool, must answer for it in hell fire.  ²³ If thou art bringing thy gift, then, before the altar, and rememberest there that thy brother has some ground of complaint against thee, ²⁴ leave thy gift lying there before the altar, and go home; be reconciled with thy brother first, and then come back to offer thy gift.  ²⁵ If any man has a claim against thee, come to terms there and then, while thou art walking in the road with him; or else it may be that the claimant will hand thee over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and so thou wilt be cast into prison.²⁶ Believe me, thou shalt not be set at liberty until thou hast paid the last farthing.” 

²⁰ λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ὑμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη πλεῖον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.  ²¹ Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, οὐ φονεύσεις: ὃς δ' ἂν φονεύσῃ, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει.  ²² ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει: ὃς δ' ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, ῥακά, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ: ὃς δ' ἂν εἴπῃ, μωρέ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός.  ²³ ἐὰν οὖν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ²⁴ ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρόν σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου.  ²⁵ ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σου ταχὺ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, μήποτέ σε παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ, καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήσῃ: ²⁶ ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην. 

²⁰ Dico enim vobis, quia nisi abundaverit justitia vestra plus quam scribarum et pharisæorum, non intrabitis in regnum cælorum.  ²¹ Audistis quia dictum est antiquis: Non occides: qui autem occiderit, reus erit judicio.  ²² Ego autem dico vobis: quia omnis qui irascitur fratri suo, reus erit judicio. Qui autem dixerit fratri suo, raca: reus erit concilio. Qui autem dixerit, fatue: reus erit gehennæ ignis.  ²³ Si ergo offers munus tuum ad altare, et ibi recordatus fueris quia frater tuus habet aliquid adversum te: ²⁴ relinque ibi munus tuum ante altare, et vade prius reconciliari fratri tuo: et tunc veniens offeres munus tuum.  ²⁵ Esto consentiens adversario tuo cito dum es in via cum eo: ne forte tradat te adversarius judici, et judex tradat te ministro: et in carcerem mittaris.  ²⁶ Amen dico tibi, non exies inde, donec reddas novissimum quadrantem. 

The twentieth verse introduces the discussion, where Jesus (a.s.) demonstrates how the Law as it was then followed was wrong and an oppression upon the soul.  The Pharisees were the leading faction within Judaism at the time of Jesus (a.s.), and are very poorly looked upon in the entire Gospel according to Matthew although technically, Jesus (a.s.) himself would have been considered a member of the sect, as a wandering rabbi.  He criticised their overly legalistic approach.  They could be likened in some sense to the Wahhabis of the time.  

The twenty-first verse opens the first of what have traditionally been known as the Antitheses, in which Jesus (a.s.) compared the legalistic interpretation of a part of Mosaic Law with how it should actually be understood.  This verse begins the discussion of murder.  Like the original Hebrew version of the Ten Commandments, the Greek here, “phoneuo” more accurately translates as murder or assassinate rather than kill. 

The original commandment does not have “shall be in danger of the judgement”, but this was commonly appended elsewhere, both in the Old Testament and also in the many commentaries on the Law.  In the next verse, Jesus (a.s.) compares the current interpretation of “You shall not murder” from the Ten Commandments with his interpretation.  This verse asserts that the intention to murder is as serious an affront to the Divine as murder itself.  The term, “raca” is not from the Classical Greek but rather from the Aramaic, reka, which means fool.  The twenty-fifth verse is the Antitheses, where Jesus (a.s.) attacks anger and advocates reconciliation.  In this verse, he states that it is prudential to quickly reach agreement with one’s adversary. 

Matthew 5:27-32

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’  ²⁸ But I tell you that he who casts his eyes on a woman so as to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  ²⁹ If thy right eye is the occasion of thy falling into sin, pluck it out and cast it away from thee; better to lose one part of thy body than to have the whole cast into hell.  ³⁰ And if thy right hand is an occasion of falling, cut it off and cast it away from thee; better to lose one of thy limbs than to have thy whole body cast into hell.  ³¹ It was said, too, Whoever will put away his wife must first give her a writ of separation.  ³² But I tell you that the man who puts away his wife (setting aside the matter of unfaithfulness) makes an adulteress of her, and whoever marries her after she has been put away, commits adultery.” 

²⁷ Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη, οὐ μοιχεύσεις.  ²⁸ ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ.  ²⁹ εἰ δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ: συμφέρει γάρ σοι ἵνα ἀπόληται ἓν τῶν μελῶν σου καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου βληθῇ εἰς γέενναν.  ³⁰ καὶ εἰ ἡ δεξιά σου χεὶρ σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὴν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ: συμφέρει γάρ σοι ἵνα ἀπόληται ἓν τῶν μελῶν σου καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου εἰς γέενναν ἀπέλθῃ.  ³¹ Ἐρρέθη δέ, ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, δότω αὐτῇ ἀποστάσιον.  ³² ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχευθῆναι, καὶ ὃς ἐὰν ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσῃ μοιχᾶται. 

²⁷ Audistis quia dictum est antiquis: Non mœchaberis.  ²⁸ Ego autem dico vobis: quia omnis qui viderit mulierem ad concupiscendum eam, jam mœchatus est eam in corde suo.  ²⁹ Quod si oculus tuus dexter scandalizat te, erue eum, et projice abs te: expedit enim tibi ut pereat unum membrorum tuorum, quam totum corpus tuum mittatur in gehennam.  ³⁰ Et si dextra manus tua scandalizat te, abscide eam, et projice abs te: expedit enim tibi ut pereat unum membrorum tuorum, quam totum corpus tuum eat in gehennam.  ³¹ Dictum est autem: Quicumque dimiserit uxorem suam, det ei libellum repudii.  ³² Ego autem dico vobis: quia omnis qui dimiserit uxorem suam, excepta fornicationis causa, facit eam mœchari: et qui dimissam duxerit, adulterat. 

These verses begin the second antithesis: while since Matthew 5:21 the discussion has been on the commandment: 

Exodus 20:13

¹³ Thou shalt do no murder. 

¹³ οὐ μοιχεύσεις 

¹³ Non occides. 

It now moves to the commandment: 

Exodus 20:14

¹⁴ Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

¹⁴ οὐ κλέψεις 

¹⁴ Non mœchaberis. 

This follows immediately after the prohibition against murder, and the Sermon follows this same pattern.  The equation of lust with adultery is very similar to the earlier equation of anger and murder.  This is Jesus (a.s.) expanding on the requirements of the Mosaic Law.  The sin does not begin with adultery, but already when a man covets his neighbour’s wife.  In the thirtieth verse, part of the section on adultery, it is very similar to the previous verse, but with the hand mentioned instead of the eye.  This is similar to what is in the Qur’an: 

سُوۡرَةُ النُّور

قُل لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ يَغُضُّواْ مِنۡ أَبۡصَـٰرِهِمۡ وَيَحۡفَظُواْ فُرُوجَهُمۡ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ أَزۡكَىٰ لَهُمۡ‌ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا يَصۡنَعُونَ (٣٠) 

Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is Well Acquainted with all that they do. (Surah an-Nur:30) 

The thirty-first verse opens the brief, but much scrutinised, discussion of the issue of divorce.  Scholars are divided whether this is a separate Antithesis, or whether it is simply an addendum to the discussion of adultery.  Jesus (a.s.) refers to Deuteronomy that specifically condones divorce and also makes mention of a certificate that the husband gives to the wife to enact the separation. 

Deuteronomy 24:1-4

¹ Does a man take a wife, and then, after making her his own, find some taint of defilement in her, so that he loves her no longer?  He must draw up a writ of separation and hand it to her before he sends her away from his house.  ² Does she, after parting from him, marry a second husband, ³who also wearies of her and sends her away with a writ, or perhaps is lost to her by death?  ⁴ Her first husband may not take her back again, now that she is contaminated, a thing detestable in the Lord’s Eyes.  Do not bring guilt on the land which the Lord Gives thee for thy home. 

¹ ἐὰν δέ τις λάβῃ γυναῖκα καὶ συνοικήσῃ αὐτῇ καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ εὕρῃ χάριν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὅτι εὗρεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἄσχημον πρᾶγμα καὶ γράψει αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου καὶ δώσει εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτὴν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ ² καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ ³ καὶ μισήσῃ αὐτὴν ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἔσχατος καὶ γράψει αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου καὶ δώσει εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτὴν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ ἢ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἔσχατος ὃς ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα ⁴ οὐ δυνήσεται ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ πρότερος ὁ ἐξαποστείλας αὐτὴν ἐπαναστρέψας λαβεῖν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα μετὰ τὸ μιανθῆναι αὐτήν ὅτι βδέλυγμά ἐστιν ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου καὶ οὐ μιανεῖτε τὴν γῆν ἣν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν δίδωσιν ὑμῖν ἐν κλήρῳ 

¹ Si acceperit homo uxorem, et habuerit eam, et non invenerit gratiam ante oculos ejus propter aliquam fœditatem: scribet libellum repudii, et dabit in manu illius, et dimittet eam de domo sua.  ² Cumque egressa alterum maritum duxerit, ³ et ille quoque oderit eam, dederitque ei libellum repudii, et dimiserit de domo sua, vel certe mortuus fuerit: ⁴ non poterit prior maritus recipere eam in uxorem: quia polluta est, et abominabilis facta est coram Domino: ne peccare facias terram tuam, quam Dominus Deus tuus tradiderit tibi possidendam. 

Divorce was acceptable among the Jewish community of the time, however what were permissible grounds for divorce was debated.  Only a man could initiate a divorce, and there was no need to go to court.  He simply had to announce his intentions.  This is in contrast to Islam, which gave women the right to divorce and remarry without social repercussion. 

One of the most debated issues is over the exception to the ban on divorce, which the KJV translates as “saving for the cause of fornication.”  At the time of first century, Iudaea Province, Pharisaic Judaism was divided between two major sects.  The dominant teaching was that of Rabbi Hillel HaGadol (r.a.), who taught that divorce could be granted on a wide array of grounds, even because a wife burnt a dinner.  Rabbi Shammai (r.a.) took a more conservative opinion, arguing that only adultery was valid grounds for divorce.  Current mainstream theories of the Synoptic Gospels are that they are based upon a single writer whose original verse is that of Mark, with Matthew being the most intended to communicate with the Jewish community.  Some scholars feel that Matthew endorses the view of Rabbi Shammai (r.a.) over Rabbi Hillel (r.a.), and arguing for the adultery only rule. 

Following their reading of the verse, Protestant churches give prominence to the Gospel according to Matthew over Mark and Luke and accepted adultery as valid grounds for divorce.  They also often believe that an innocent divorcee can freely remarry afterwards.  For many centuries, there was debate over this issue in the Roman Catholic Church, with major thinkers such as Augustine of Hippo supporting adultery as a valid reason for divorce.  However, at the Council of Trent in 1563, the indissolubility of marriage was added to the canon law.  Since that day, Catholic doctrine has been that divorce is unacceptable, but the separation of spouses can be permitted.  The official Catholic position remains that there are no valid reasons for divorce.  The Eastern Orthodox churches have also accepted this verse as allowing for divorce for adultery and more reasons.  The Orthodox faith has also generally allowed remarriage after a divorce. 

The verse is important in that it gives a clear argument against divorce.  At a time when only a man could initiate a divorce, Jesus (a.s.) makes it clear that while the divorce may not adversely affect him, it is forbidden because it forces his wife into sin.  In this era, a woman had few legal rights.  She was dependent on her husband for survival.  It was thus assumed that a divorced woman would always remarry.  It was thus meant as a mercy.  However, they had to wait until the time of Islam before women had full rights. 

Matthew 5:33-42

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, thou shalt not perjure thyself; thou shalt perform what thou hast sworn in the sight of the Lord.  ³⁴ But I tell you that you should not bind yourselves by any oath at all: not by Heaven, for Heaven is God’s Throne; ³⁵ nor by Earth, for Earth is the footstool under His Feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.  ³⁶ And thou shalt not swear by thy own head, for thou hast no power to turn a single hair of it white or black.  ³⁷ Let your word be ‘Yes’ for ‘Yes,’ and ‘No’ for ‘No;’ whatever goes beyond this, comes of evil.  ³⁸ You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  ³⁹ But I tell you that you should not offer resistance to injury; if a man strikes thee on thy right cheek, turn the other cheek also towards him; ⁴⁰ if he is ready to go to Law with thee over thy coat, let him have it and thy cloak with it; ⁴¹if he compels thee to attend him on a mile’s journey, go two miles with him of thy own accord.  ⁴² Give to him who asks, and if a man would borrow from thee, do not turn away.” 

³³ Πάλιν ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις, ἀποδώσεις δὲ τῷ κυρίῳ τοὺς ὅρκους σου.  ³⁴ ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως: μήτε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὅτι θρόνος ἐστὶν τοῦ θεοῦ: ³⁵ μήτε ἐν τῇ γῇ, ὅτι ὑποπόδιόν ἐστιν τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ: μήτε εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ὅτι πόλις ἐστὶν τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως: ³⁶ μήτε ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ σου ὀμόσῃς, ὅτι οὐ δύνασαι μίαν τρίχα λευκὴν ποιῆσαι ἢ μέλαιναν.  ³⁷ ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ: τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν.  ³⁸ Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη, ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ καὶ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος.  ³⁹ ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πονηρῷ: ἀλλ' ὅστις σε ῥαπίζει εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, σου στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην: ⁴⁰ καὶ τῷ θέλοντί σοι κριθῆναι καὶ τὸν χιτῶνά σου λαβεῖν, ἄφες αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον: ⁴¹ καὶ ὅστις σε ἀγγαρεύσει μίλιον ἕν, ὕπαγε μετ' αὐτοῦ δύο.  ⁴² τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δός, καὶ τὸν θέλοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ δανίσασθαι μὴ ἀποστραφῇς. 

³³ Iterum audistis quia dictum est antiquis: Non perjurabis: reddes autem Domino juramenta tua.  ³⁴ Ego autem dico vobis, non jurare omnino, neque per cælum, quia thronus Dei est: ³⁵ neque per terram, quia scabellum est pedum ejus: neque per Jerosolymam, quia civitas est magni regis: ³⁶ neque per caput tuum juraveris, quia non potes unum capillum album facere, aut nigrum.  ³⁷ Sit autem sermo vester, est, est: non, non: quod autem his abundantius est, a malo est.  ³⁸ Audistis quia dictum est: Oculum pro oculo, et dentem pro dente.  ³⁹ Ego autem dico vobis, non resistere malo: sed si quis te percusserit in dexteram maxillam tuam, præbe illi et alteram: ⁴⁰ et ei, qui vult tecum judicio contendere, et tunicam tuam tollere, dimitte ei et pallium: ⁴¹ et quicumque te angariaverit mille passus, vade cum illo et alia duo.  ⁴² Qui petit a te, da ei: et volenti mutuari a te, ne avertaris. 

The thirty-third verse is the opening of the fourth Antithesis, beginning the discussion of oaths.  The discussion of oaths naturally follows the discussion of divorce, as one of the major legal issues of the day was over marriage vows.  Unlike the previous antitheses, this verse does not contain a direct quotation from the Old Testament, but similar sentiments are expressed in a number of places in the Scripture.  The Mosaic Law forbade false and irreverent oaths.  The Pharisees had the habit of lying in their oaths as long as it was not sworn upon the Name of God. 

The thirty-eight verse begins the Antithesis of the commandment: “Eye for an eye”, one of the most important parts of the New Testament.  This verse begins in the same style as the earlier Antitheses, with a reference to the Old Testament. 

Exodus 21:24

²⁴ So it is to be; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, 

²⁴ ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος χεῖρα ἀντὶ χειρός πόδα ἀντὶ ποδός 

²⁴ oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede, 

Leviticus 24:20

²⁰ … making amends for broken limb with broken limb, for eye with eye, for tooth with tooth; the loss he inflicted, he must undergo. 

²⁰ σύντριμμα ἀντὶ συντρίμματος ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος καθότι ἂν δῷ μῶμον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ οὕτως δοθήσεται αὐτῷ 

²⁰ fracturam pro fractura, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente restituet: qualem inflixerit maculam, talem sustinere cogetur. 

Deuteronomy 19:21

²¹ No pity must be shewn him; life must answer for the life he would have sworn away, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

²¹ οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἐ{P'} αὐτῷ ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος χεῖρα ἀντὶ χειρός πόδα ἀντὶ ποδός 

²¹ Non misereberis ejus, sed animam pro anima, oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede exiges. 

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, is known as the principle of lex talionis.  It is an ancient statement of the principle of retributive punishment, dating back to the Code of Hammurabi.  This was a moderate rule compared with the blood feuds described in Genesis 

Genesis 4:23-24

²³ It was to his wives, Ada and Sella, that Lamech uttered the saying, “Listen to these words of mine, you wives of Lamech, note my saying well.  The man that wounds me, the stripling who deals me a blow, I reward with death.  ²⁴ For Cain, sevenfold vengeance was to be taken; for Lamech, it shall be seventy times as much.” 

²³ εἶπεν δὲ Λαμεχ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ γυναιξίν Αδα καὶ Σελλα ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς φωνῆς γυναῖκες Λαμεχ ἐνωτίσασθέ μου τοὺς λόγους ὅτι ἄνδρα ἀπέκτεινα εἰς τραῦμα ἐμοὶ καὶ νεανίσκον εἰς μώλωπα ἐμοί ²⁴ ὅτι ἑπτάκις ἐκδεδίκηται ἐκ Καιν ἐκ δὲ Λαμεχ ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά 

²³ Dixitque Lamech uxoribus suis Adæ et Sellæ: Audite vocem meam, uxores Lamech; auscultate sermonem meum: quoniam occidi virum in vulnus meum, et adolescentulum in livorem meum.  ²⁴ Septuplum ultio dabitur de Cain: de Lamech vero septuagies septies. 

It should be noted here that the Hebrew text says 77 times, but the Septuagint Greek has 490 times.  The Latin may mean either. 

In one of the most famous verses in the New Testament, Jesus (a.s.) rejects revenge and retaliation, instead telling his followers to turn the other cheek. 

Matthew 5:43-48

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thy enemy.’  ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute and insult you, ⁴⁵ that so you may be true sons of your Father in heaven, who makes his sun rise on the evil and equally on the good, his rain fall on the just and equally on the unjust.  ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what title have you to a reward?  Will not the publicans do as much?  ⁴⁷ If you greet none but your brethren, what are you doing more than others?  Will not the very heathen do as much?  ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” 

⁴³ Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη, ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου καὶ μισήσεις τὸν ἐχθρόν σου. ⁴⁴ ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν καὶ προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων ὑμᾶς, ⁴⁵ ὅπως γένησθε υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους.  ⁴⁶ ἐὰν γὰρ ἀγαπήσητε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, τίνα μισθὸν ἔχετε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν; ⁴⁷ καὶ ἐὰν ἀσπάσησθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν μόνον, τί περισσὸν ποιεῖτε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν; ⁴⁸ ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν. 

⁴³ Audistis quia dictum est: Diliges proximum tuum, et odio habebis inimicum tuum.  ⁴⁴ Ego autem dico vobis: diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos, et orate pro persequentibus et calumniantibus vos: ⁴⁵ ut sitis filii Patris vestri, qui in cælis est: qui solem suum oriri facit super bonos et malos: et pluit super justos et injustos.  ⁴⁶ Si enim diligitis eos qui vos diligunt, quam mercedem habebitis?  nonne et publicani hoc faciunt?  ⁴⁷ Et si salutaveritis fratres vestros tantum, quid amplius facitis?  nonne et ethnici hoc faciunt?  ⁴⁸ Estote ergo vos perfecti, sicut et Pater vester cælestis perfectus est. 

The forty-third verse is the opening of the final Antithesis, that of the commandment to “Love thy neighbour as thyself”.  This verse begins like the other Antitheses with a reference to the Old Testament. 

Leviticus 19:18

¹⁸ Do not seek revenge, or bear a grudge for wrong done to thee by thy fellow-citizens; thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; thy Lord is his. 

¹⁸ καὶ οὐκ ἐκδικᾶταί σου ἡ χείρ καὶ οὐ μηνιεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος 

¹⁸ Non quæras ultionem, nec memor eris injuriæ civium tuorum. Diliges amicum tuum sicut teipsum. Ego Dominus. 

We must note that the Latin translation is incorrect, since the better translation instead of “neighbour” would be “friend”.   In Jesus’ (a.s.) time, neighbour was interpreted to mean fellow Israelites, and to exclude all others.  This was against the teachings of the prophets.  At the time, Jewish thinkers were divided, as they have always been.  Some extolled universal love, others hatred of enemies.  Again, it was the Muslims, specifically the Ahl asw-Swafa’, the Sufis, who best demonstrated the meaning of this.  This proves once again, that if Jesus (a.s.) were not already amongst the greatest of the prophets, he would definitely be the greatest of the shuyukh. 

The forty-eighth and final verse is a summary of Jesus’ (a.s.) earlier teachings.  The formulation is this verse is known as the Imitatio Dei.  The Christians debate about the exact meaning of this verse.  Being as Perfect as God is an impossibility.  However, the perfected soul, is the very reason for our Creation.  Nafs asw-swafiyyah, or nafs al-kamilah is the perfected soul, where one is Dressed with the Attributes of Insan al-Kamil.  It is at this stage that man is Khalifah fi al-‘Ardh.  This is the level of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and those who follow him.  Creation was Created for him and as long as there is at least one Perfected Soul, Yawm al-Qiyamah will not come.  And when the last Perfected Soul has gone, the world ends and Judgement begins.