33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love youyr enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust Matthew 5:33-45
That is quite a list of does and don'ts; or is it? How quickly do we throw up the veil of our flesh? We look for a way to obtain right standing with God and miss that he is describing who we will become when his life is living in is.
In describing how we will act toward others Jesus is describing how the Father acts toward us. It is a description of the Father living in us; for when Jesus brought us grace he gave us the ability by faith in him to become the sons of God.
When someone meets my son they see me in him. It is more than the way he looks; it is also the way he speaks, stands, and mannerisms. This is a picture of my relationship with God; a parable which helps me to see the truth.
If I would be as He is then he must be the source of me. It is not possible for me to bring about this nature, but if I rely and expect Him to be my life then His word becomes a promise not a burden.
