Six Antitheses (Last Three)

• Six Antitheses (2nd Three)
• Senior Bible
• Mr. Settecase
• Monday, January 11, 2010

• Same SWBATS and Key Questions as yesterday.

• #3: Jesus on Divorce
• Matthew 19:3-12
• Read the passages actively. Don’t just spongily, passively absorb the information. ASK QUESTIONS.

• Two Pharisaic Schools
• 1. Hillel and Shammai.
 Deut. 24:1-2
 If a man finds something indecent about his wife, he has to get a certificate of divorce and send her away.
• Hillel: a man may divorce his wife for any reason
• Shammai: it must be for a clear violation of the law.

• Genesis 1-2
• Jesus points to the original lineup. When things were perfect, it was one man, one woman.
• Jesus shows the true intention of the divorce law
 Actually, it was to protect women.

• Why didn’t God say “No more divorce?”
• They didn’t listen anyway, so why bother?
• Like car insurance
 You could say “No more accidents,” but they would still happen.
 Car insurance regulates the situation—does not say accidents are good.
 Divorce law does not mean that divorce is good.

• Which are we closer to today: Hillel or Jesus?

• Jesus vs. the OT?
• Jesus affirms the O.T., but clarifies and shapes the OT law to reveal what?
• God’s true intention.

• #5: Jesus on Oaths
• Matthew 5:33-37—Jesus denies the teaching in Leviticus?
 Moses said, “Keep your oaths.”
 Jesus says, “Don’t even make them.”
• Jesus was addressing the Pharisaic practice of making a distinction between what was sworn upon.
 Jesus says, don’t worry about oaths and thus abuse the system. Rather, just do what you are going to say you are going to do.

• Are all oaths bad?
• Even God swore oaths.
 Does this add to his truthfulness? No. Who would hold him accountable?
 If he’s not truthful in the first place, then swearing by himself won’t do much good.
• God swore an oath to make it more certain to Abe.
 Now we can swear oaths, but let’s keep things in perspective.

• #6: Jesus on Love for Enemies
• Matt. 5:43-48
• Love your neighbor & hate your enemy?
 There is no “hate your enemy.” This was a man-made tradition.
• The society was focused on in- and out-groups.
 Cliques
• Jesus says: if you only love the “in-groups,” you are no better than the pagans!
 God the Father loves everyone.

• Principles in the OT remain intact.
• Commands particular to the Israelites are irrelevant.

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