Hello All,

Please join us, our Zoom Link is below for this Saturday’s session at 8:00 AM PST 02/07/2026. I am blessed by the presence of each one of you in my life. We show gratitude to God by “giving thanks in all circumstances …” [1Thess. 5:18a]

We will continue our study of Matthew this morning. The study of [Matthew 5, 6, 7] is quite simply dense, but we will take our time, we are in no rush, we do not want to miss important elements of Jesus’ teachings. In this study session we will review a portion of [Matthew Chapter 5]. It is here that Jesus lays out His authority and His entire ministry. This is a brief transitional portion of Jesus’ message as He shifts from the Beatitudes to the Similitudes.

It is my prayer that you are able to join us.

Love, hank

Zoom Link:
For Study, Prayer and Fellowship – 8:00 AM PST 02/07/2026:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82968961343?pwd=LzcwVjJKcWVESDRURlhDcXlNV0JUdz09
Meeting ID: 829 6896 1343
Passcode: 77299ere:

Bible Study Notes:

Study Notes:

02/07/2026 – Prologue – Big News – Pope Leo XIV has declared that different Christian faiths are already “one.” Further “We are one! We already are! Let us recognize it, experience it and make it visible!” He stressed how “different Christian religions share the same faith.” His remarks were addressed to the clergymen of schismatic and heretical churches, nominally the Orthodox and Anglican churches. Leo’s claim contradicts Catholic teaching by which the Church is united by the “same faith,” “same worship,” “same law” “and in participation of the same Sacraments, under the same visible Head, the Roman Pontiff.” Therefore, the churches that reject the authority of the pope, cannot be said to be unified, or “one,” with the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Council of Trent (12/13/1545 – 12/04/1563) teaches, “It is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers that this visible head is necessary to establish and preserve unity in the Church.” In an encyclical promulgated on 06/29/1896, Leo XIII taught that Christian unity is grounded in shared faith, sacraments, and governance. The document explicitly rejected the idea of an invisible or merely spiritual Church and affirmed that full unity requires adherence to the authority established by Christ in the Catholic Church. “As we look toward the 2,000th anniversary of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus in 2033, let us commit ourselves to further developing ecumenical synodal practices and to sharing with one another who we are, what we do and what we teach,” Leo said.

[Matt. 5:21-48] – The Son of God reveals God’s original intention in the Torah – These 28 verses are transitional, dense and complex, but before discussing how to apply Jesus’ thinking, three issues must be addressed: 1) Is Christ placing His own authoritative interpretation of the Torah against current interpretations by the scribes? 2) Do we read Jesus’ teaching as “general truth” that emanates from the very heart of God, but fails to give explicit answers to specific questions that the Lord’s words address, whether 2,000 years ago or today? And 3) How can attention to 1/C context of Jesus’ teaching help us to understand what or what not He intends to say? 

It seems clear that we should take our instruction from [v. 19] and not follow the Pharisees [v.20] to guide us through the 28 verses that follow. That point is frequently overlooked. We must accept that Jesus is expounding the true meaning of God’s OT commandments. Jesus’ teaching in [5:21-48] should be received as sweeping general truth and revelation from God. It is not case law! In all the covered six units we must make adjustments to avoid drifting into error. Jesus does not attempt to supply His disciples with teachings that cover every possible opportunity that a fallen human, in his sin, may create. NB – To be definitive, neither God nor Jesus produced an exhaustive list of man’s fallibilities.

However, those who obey Jesus’ teaching are like the wise man who builds his house on rock. [Matt. 7:24-27] Jesus’ distinctive role in [Matt.] is more didactic: He becomes the ‘one teacher’ who supplants all other rabbis who consistently manipulate God’s truth. [Matt. 23:8] In [Matt. 5:21-48] Jesus teaches on six antitheses and in doing so they become pointers to the original righteousness of the heart and thus intensifying the demand of God far better than the letter of the law. God always communicates an overarching principle, but man continues to manipulate – and always will! The Law of Righteousness, is used by God to condemn and He uses it to cover all who believe. We will see that God uses it to forbid murder and adultery, Jesus calls for the renunciation of anger and lust: where the Law poses regulative limitations on divorce and revenge, Jesus calls His followers to renounce these options. What Jesus is teaching here is not to allow ourselves to drown in anger, nor be angry without cause. To put this in perspective with man’s fallen nature we must read [Gen. 4:5-7]. “ Then the Lord said to Cain, “ why are you angry? [Gen. 4:6a] To get the full flow of God’s conversation with Cain read [Gen. 4:1-15 ] and then compare with [Matt. 5:21-26].

Where the law limits the obligation of love to the neighbor (the fellow Israelite), Jesus calls for love of the enemy. He is telling His disciples to “be perfect … as your heavenly Father is perfect” [Matt. 5:48]. This is the manner in which Jesus is said to “fulfill” the Law; He clarifies its inner intent, demanding of His followers a righteousness that ‘exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.” [Matt. 5:20] Matthew insists that it is Jesus – not the stiff-necked and proper Pharisees – who truly instructs His followers to do what the Law requires. Matthew’s summons to moral perfection can not be rightly understood as simply a call to obey a comprehensive system of rules. Despite his emphasis on the church’s order to teach obedience to Jesus’ commandments, he sees such teaching as aid to a deeper goal: the opening of an individual’s character and heart to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. This might be more clearly stated as learning to use the language of virtues. We can not lose sight of the fact that Matthew asserts that the coming of the kingdom changes everything, especially the people, who live under its call to accountability. There is no question that living under rules and commandments will provide for an orderly structure for a moral life. But Matthew wants us to think that our actions grow organically from our character: “… a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree bear good fruit …” [Matt.7:15-20] Jesus uses the ‘fruit’ metaphor in Jesus’ denunciation of the Pharisees who have accused Him of casting out demons: “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good … You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?” [Matt. 12:33-34a] 

Speech and action are the outward manifestations of what is in the heart. The most important thought within Matthew’s writings here is that Matthew is writing the inspired work of God and communicating God’s word to the folks of Israel. Matthew does not explain this systematically, but we are to follow the reasoning: Action flows from character, but character is not a matter of innate disposition, but it is a result of our training in the ways of righteousness. Those who respond to Jesus’ teaching and submit to His instruction will find themselves formed by the Holy Spirit in a new manner so that their actions will, ‘naturally’ be wise and righteous. They will learn the skills and discernments requisite to living faithfully. Understandably, Matthew is a man who made his living as a tax collector, a man often despised. He was a man in his society where he often found himself in the middle. ( Taxing entity – tax collector – tax payers) In writing his gospel he is once more in the middle. However, a careful reading of Matthew leads one to conclude that God was more concerned with community foundation than with the cultivation of wisdom and virtue in each individual. If we read the six antitheses with community in mind, we are able to see how essential those ‘six’ are for moral cohesion within our communities.       AMEN  (pg. 23-24)

Love, hank

Hank Hohenstein, OFS

Land Steward

161 Osprey Vista

Shady Cove, OR 97539
Cell: 541-973-5442

hankhohenstein@gmail.com