Matthew 5:19

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. WHOSOEVER THEREFORE SHALL BREAK, [ lusee (G3089)] - rather, 'dissolve,' 'annul,' or 'make invalid,' -- ONE OF THESE LEAST COMMANDMENTS - an expression equivalent to 'one of the least of these commandments' -- AND SHALL TEACH MEN SO - referring to the Pharisees and their teaching, as is plan from the next verse, but of AND SHALL TEACH MEN SO - referring to the Pharisees and their teaching, as is plan from the next verse, but of course embracing all similar schools and teaching in the Christian Church -- He shall be called the least...

19._Whoever then shall break _Christ here speaks expressly of the commandments of life, or the ten words, which all the children of God ought to take as the rule of their life. He therefore declares, that they are false and deceitful teachers, who do not restrain their disciples within obedience to the law, and that they are unworthy to occupy a place in the Church, who weaken, in the slightest degree, the authority of the law; and, on the other hand, that they are honest and faithful ministers of God, who recommend, both by word and by example, the keeping of the law. _The least commandments _is an expression used in accommodation to the judgment of men: for though they have not all the same weight, (but, when they are compared together, some are less than others,) yet we are not at liberty to think any thing _small, _on which the heavenly Legislator has been pleased to issue a command....

17-20 Let none suppose that Christ allows his people to trifle with any commands of God's holy law. No sinner partakes of Christ's justifying righteousness, till he repents of his evil deeds. The mercy revealed in the gospel leads the believer to still deeper self-abhorrence. The law is the Christian's rule of duty, and he delights therein. If a man, pretending to be Christ's disciple, encourages himself in any allowed disobedience to the holy law of God, or teaches others to do the same, whatever his station or reputation among men may be, he can be no true disciple. Christ's righteousness, imputed to us by faith alone, is needed by every one that enters the kingdom of grace or of glory; but the new creation of the heart to holiness, produces a thorough change in a man's temper and conduct....

Verse Matthew 5:19. _WHOSOEVER - SHALL BREAK ONE OF THESE LEAST_ _COMMANDMENTS_] The Pharisees were remarkable for making a distinction between weightier and lighter matters in the law, and between what has been called, in a corrupt part of the Christian Church, _mortal_ and _venial sins_. Matthew 22:36. _Whosoever shall break_. What an awful consideration is this! He who, by his mode of _acting, speaking_, or _explaining_ the words of God, sets the holy precept _aside_, or explains away its _force_ and _meaning, shall be called least _- shall have no place in the kingdom of Christ here, nor in the kingdom of glory above. That this is the meaning of these words is evident enough from the following verse....

WHOSOEVER THEREFORE SHALL BREAK - Shall violate or disobey. ONE OF THESE LEAST COMMANDMENTS - The Pharisees, it is probable, divided the precepts of the law into lesser and greater, teaching that they who violated the former were guilty of a trivial offence only. See Matthew 23:23. Christ teaches that in his kingdom they who make this distinction, or who taught that any laws of God might be violated with impunity, should be called least; while they should be held in high regard who observed all the laws of God without distinction. SHALL BE CALLED LEAST - That is, shall be least. See Matthew 5:9. The meaning of this passage seems to be this: in the kingdom of heaven, that is, in the kingdom of

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 5:1 AND SEEING THE MULTITUDES; _i.e. _those spoken of in Matthew 4:25—the multitudes who were at that point of time following him. HE WENT UP. From the lower ground by the lake. INTO A MOUNTAIN; Revised Version, _into the mountain _(εἰς τὸ ὄρος);_ i.e. _not any special mountain, but "the mountain nearest the place spoken of—the mountain near by" (Thayer); in contrast to any lower place, whether that was itself fairly high ground (as probably Luke 9:28) or the shore of the lake. The actual spot here referred to may have been far from, or, and more probably ...

WHOSOEVER THEREFORE SHALL BREAK ONE OF THESE LEAST COMMANDMENTS,.... Which are to be understood not of the beatitudes in the preceding verses, for these were not delivered by Christ under the form of commandments; nor of any of the peculiar commands of Christ under the Gospel dispensation; but of the precepts of the law, of which some were comparatively lesser than others; and might be said to be broke, loosed, or dissolved, as the word here used signifies, when men acted contrary to them. AND SHALL TEACH MEN SO; not only teach them by their example to break the commandments, but by express orders: for however gross and absurd this may seem to be, that there should be any such teachers, and they should have any hearers, yet such there were among the Jews; and our Lord here manifestly strikes at them: for notwithstanding the great and excellent things they say of the law, yet they tell u...

Matthew 5:1. _And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,-_ Our Saviour soon gathered a congregation. The multitudes perceived in him a love to them, and a willingness to impart blessing to them, and therefore they gathered about him. He chose the mountain and the open air for the delivery of this great discourse, and we should be glad to find such a place for our assemblies; but in this variable climate we cannot often do so. «And when he was set.» The Preacher sat, and the people stood. We might make a helpful change if we were sometimes to adopt a similar plan now. I am afraid that ease of posture may contribute to the creation of slumber of heart in the hearers. There Christ sat, and «his disciples came unto him.» They formed the inner circle that was ever nearest to hi

5. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KING CONCERNING HIS KINGDOM. CHAPTER S 5-7 _ 1. The Characteristics of the heirs of the Kingdom.(Matthew 5:1 .) 2. The Confirmation of the Law and its Expansion.(Matthew 5:17 .)_ CHAPTER 5 In the closing of the last chapter we saw our Lord Jesus Christ surrounded by a great multitude of people, which followed Him and who were attracted by the King's presence, before whom the various diseases had to flee. If we turn to the eighth chapter we find the continuation of these scenes we had in the last half of the fourth chapter. Between these two Chapter s are three very important ones, which are as such found only in this Gospel. The contents of the fifth, sixth and seventh Chapter s are in the form of a continued discourse of our Lord, commonly called “t

MATTHEW 5:17 TO MATTHEW 6:18. RIGHTEOUSNESS, LEGAL AND REAL. After laying down the principle that the Law is not destroyed or annulled, but developed and transcended (Matthew 5:17), Jesus applies it to (_a)_ the teaching of the Scribes (Matthew 5:21), (_b)_ the life of the Pharisees (Matthew 6:1). MATTHEW 5:17. On the attitude of Jesus towards the OT see pp. 663, 666f., also M-' Neile in _Cambridge Biblical Essays,_ pp. 216ff.; Kent, L