Mark Huey of Outreach Israel Ministries delivers the following message, “The Essence of Torah,” as we review the major teachings of Yeshua that define the heart of the Torah.
There should be little doubt, from any Bible reader, that Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chs. 5-7) is one of the most analyzed of His teachings, because it not only establishes Him as being a Teacher of Teachers—but it also lays forward much of what may be considered “the law of Messiah” (Galatians 6:2), meaning “the Torah’s true meaning, which the Messiah upholds” (CJB). In order for the Sermon on the Mount to be properly considered and applied by born again Believers, we have to each understand how the Messiah establishes the continued authority of Moses’ Teaching for His followers (Matthew 5:17-19). Recognizing the importance of the Torah and Prophets, and how their instruction is expounded upon by the Word made flesh (John 1:1), is imperative if any of us are to lead blessed, happy lives, and have true peace and shalom between God and our fellow human beings.
After Matthew chs. 5-6 have focused on some key actions, required of God’s people in order to seek piety and approach Him without anxiety, the emphasis shifts in Matthew ch. 7 to how people are to treat others and monitor their spirituality. As the august message concludes, Yeshua addresses: the critical topics of not judging others, He issues encouraging ways to pray, He directs His audience on how they should treat others, He describes the realities of the narrow way, how to avoid false prophets, and how to properly follow and implement His inspired teachings.
For us as Twenty-First Century disciples of Yeshua, the concluding admonitions of His Sermon on the Mount either amplify or expand upon some of the declarations previously issued. Some points are repeated. Consequently, any of us as saints, seeking to please the Holy One of Israel, should endeavor to incorporate these culminating instructions into our walk of faith. We should surely want to be pleasing to the Lord, because a failure to follow His instructions has negative consequences. So, what does the closing chapter of the Sermon on the Mount communicate to us, who wish to follow God’s rulebook, and be effective servants for Him in the world today?
Do Not Judge Others
Having just told His hearers not to be anxious, especially given the worries of today (Matthew 6:34), the Messiah now turns to the human tendency to judge others:
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:1-6, NASU).
Throughout a great deal of history, both ancient and modern, there have been various detractors to Yeshua’s statements about not judging, who are quick to quote back some of the instructions found in this passage in their defense when they feel like they are somehow being “condemned” for various actions. A flippant retort of “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (NIV) is often a reaction to Believers who have made a decision or an evaluation about someone’s behavior or actions. Those who have only looked to Matthew 7:1 think that the Messiah prohibits us from using our wisdom or discernment to make a ruling on what someone does.
Are followers of the Messiah Yeshua allowed to judge? The verb krinō can either mean, “to decide disputes” or “to pass sentence upon, to condemn” (LS). Surely, the Lord does want those pursuing righteousness to correctly identify unrighteousness and avoid it wherever possible. Judging sinful behavior is something that the assembly is to do, as Paul asks, “Do you not judge those who are within the [assembly]?” (1 Corinthians 5:12, NASU). The issue in the Sermon on the Mount is not carefully pointing out unacceptable behavior, activity, attitudes, or lifestyle patterns to fellow brothers and sisters; it is the manner in which judgment is to take place that is carefully targeted. In far too many cases, not judging at all is to be the preferred action.
How unfair and unreasonable is it for someone to judge another person, when quite frequently the manner of judgment that people use might be more severe than that used by God (Matthew 7:2)? The Messiah asks why people tend to look at the proverbial “splinter” (Matthew 7:3, CJB) that is in someone else’s eye, when those who judge others tend to have a “plank” (Matthew 7:3, NKJV) in their own! How hypocritical is this! Yeshua points out that one should introspectively judge themselves by removing whatever large impediment is present in their own lives, not focusing on some kind of small annoyance in another person. None of us ever wants to be caught by the Lord judging someone according to a scale of our own making, and then be held accountable to it rather than to His own Divine Law.
The conclusion to avoid giving what is holy to dogs or pearls to swine indicates that because of a person’s limited knowledge about others, it is probably better to just remain silent rather than judge others. In many situations and circumstances we experience in life, it is best for us not to say anything, and use such moments as a matter to learn and take mental notes. Qohelet reminds us how God is the One who is Judge over all:
“I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by. Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. I said to myself, ‘God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,’ for a time for every matter and for every deed is there” (Ecclesiastes 3:14-17, NASU).
Being a judge of other people is no easy task, but sometimes letting our Heavenly Father serve as the ultimate Judge of people who have done us wrong—as we relinquish ourselves to Him—can be even more difficult.
Persistent Prayers of the Righteous
Yeshua the Messiah is undeniably a strong advocate of prayer (cf. Matthew 6:9-13). While praying to the Holy One each day—hopefully multiple times each day—is an excellent way to orient oneself toward the Creator and His will, what might be some of the more practical reasons for prayer? The Messiah directs His disciples to continually ask the Heavenly Father for their needs to be met, seeking Him and actually “knocking” on the “door” of Heaven, in order to persistently pursue His blessings.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11, NASU).
The Heavenly Father is extremely gracious to those who seek Him every day. If inherently sinful or evil people give good gifts to their children, then is it not true that a perfect God in Heaven will also do the same for His own? The only way that any human being can receive His gifts, though, is to be a persistent one who prays! Only by seeking Him each day, and setting aside moments of one-on-one interaction with the Lord, will He truly know that each of us desires His favor.
I consider this to be quite reminiscent of the parable about the widow who continues to appeal to the unrighteous judge for justice. Note that he eventually answers her pleas, even though he is ungodly:
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, “Give me legal protection from my opponent.” For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’” (Luke 18:1-8, NASU).
If an unrighteous human judge, who cares very little about God or other people, will give a widow what is due because of her persistent nagging—is it not true that our gracious God will supply our needs because of our persistent prayers in righteousness? From the testimony of Scripture, consistent prayer has its rewards. Therefore, no matter where one stands before the Holy One, fervent prayer must be used to get results!
The Essence of the Torah and Prophets
As the Sermon on the Mount enters into its final admonitions, we find a single, most highly influential verse about the proper role of the Tanakh Scriptures or the Old Testament—the Law and the Prophets—for Messiah followers. In a rather simple but profound statement, Yeshua tells His audience to treat others in the same manner as they want to be treated:
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12, NASU).
Elsewhere in the Gospels we see a similar word: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31, NIV). In much of common speech today, the maxims of Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 have become known as the Golden Rule. A similar principle was echoed a generation or so earlier by the great Jewish Sage Hillel, who said, “‘What is hateful to you, to your fellow don’t do.’ That’s the entirety of the Torah; everything else is elaboration. So go, study” (b.Shabbat 31a). The Golden Rule is not, as many in our dog-eat-dog world today might errantly conclude: “Whoever has the gold makes the rules.” Such an errant and ungodly view makes one out to be God, one who ultimately will be caught “speak[ing] against a brother or judg[ing] his brother, speak[ing] against the law and judg[ing] the law” (James 4:11, NASU).
Treating people the same way you want to be treated, is supposed to be the epitome of what the Torah and the Prophets communicate to men and women of faith. And what is the main baseline of the Torah and the Prophets? It is love for God and neighbor. As Yeshua further explains,
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:31-35, NASU).
The difficulty with following the Torah and Prophets to their logical purpose, is not that it is easy to love other people who love you or who do good to you—it is loving people who do not necessarily love you. To repeat Yeshua’s teaching earlier from His Sermon on the Mount, it absolutely required that born again Believers be able to love those who they consider neighbors and their enemies:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR [Leviticus 19:18] and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-46, NASU).
The need to love God and one’s neighbor is something deeply rooted within the Torah. Have you made sure that you are aware of how many times this is directly emphasized throughout the Holy Writ? Here is a catalogue of various references:
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5, NASU).
“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18, NASU).
“Yeshua answered, ‘The foremost is, “HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” The second is this, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:29-31, NASU).
“…HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF…” (Matthew 19:19, NASU; cf. Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16).
“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:36-40, NASU).
“And [Yeshua] said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE’ [Leviticus 18:5]” (Luke 10:26-28, NASU).
“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10, NASU; cf. Exodus 20:13ff; Deuteronomy 5:17ff).
“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Galatians 5:14, NASU).
“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,’ you are doing well” (James 2:8, NASU).
Probe how significant it really is that a proper “Torah observance” begins with love for our Creator God, and then love for one’s fellow human beings. How often do we fail to demonstrate common respect and decency for people? How frequently have we flat disobeyed the Lord when it comes to the two most basic instructions He expects all of us to keep?
The Narrow Way
The need to treat others as you want to be treated is especially highlighted by the knowledge that many people are treading a wide and broad path toward eternal punishment. Those who follow after the Messiah are walking on a very narrow and small path:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14, NASU).
The whole concept of a small gate and narrow way, with few finding it, has challenged readers of the Sermon on the Mount for millennia: “The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way” (Matthew 7:13, NLT). Questions naturally arise as to who can qualify or who is worthy. The sober reality of too many walking on a road toward a God-less eternity and utter ruin, should remind each of us as children of God that we are to never take our salvation for granted (cf. Philippians 2:12)!
Are you sure that you are on the narrow path? Perhaps you need to make sure that you really are treating others in the manner that you wish to be treated (Matthew 7:12).
Fruit Inspectors
How critical is it for followers of the Messiah Yeshua to make sure that they are walking on the narrow way? Note how the Lord warns His listeners about the presence of false prophets who will enter in among the community of Believers. They will be like wolves dressed as sheep. Their fruit will look good, but it will be internally rotten. The admonition of the Lord is to use discernment and inspect them:
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20, NASU).
It is upon reading this passage that Believers should always be mindful of the need to keep an eye on those who claim to be “hearing from God,” with the intention of either leading or exercising a degree of influence over His people. The easiest way to discern whether or not these people are truly of the Father, is by simply examining the fruit of their labors. Are they people who desire to instill in others a quest for holiness, maturity, and a proper knowledge of the Almighty and His Word? I ask you to seriously consider how everyone who is seeking God should become a “fruit inspector,” in order to avoid the pitfalls of following false prophets, false teachers, and any false voices in our midst.
Following His Way
Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount closes with a definite challenge issued to those who have just heard its probing words. Not everyone who has called out to Him for salvation truly has it. The reason? It is because they failed to obey the Heavenly Father. While claims might be issued to the Lord about prophesying or casting out demons or performing miracles—those who are not allowed to enter into the Kingdom are regarded as practitioners of lawlessness:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS’ [Psalm 6:8]” (Matthew 7:21-23, NASU).
We each need to be tempered by the fact that there is only One who gets to determine who enters into God’s Kingdom: God. The sober warning, though, is that there will be many who thought they knew the Lord and had salvation or His favor, but who were instead “workers of lawlessness” (ESV). How serious is it to disregard Yeshua’s word demonstrating good works (Matthew 5:16) via a consistent obedience to the Torah of Moses (Matthew 5:17-19)? Does such an obedience end at only possessing love for God and neighbor, or begin there? How much might some of today’s Christians be found wanting in their scope of obedience to God’s commandments? I, like many others, am of the firm conviction that the Messianic movement has been raised up in this hour to see Believers the world over return to a more steady path of obedience to Moses’ Teaching.
We can have the assurance that we serve a fair and just God. All of us need to review the life-giving words in the Holy Scriptures that can refine us for His service, and empower us to accomplish His tasks. As Yeshua closes the Matthew 5-7 Sermon on the Mount, He implores His listeners to know that those who fail to act on His teaching will be like a house built on sand—one which will be swept away when storms come:
“‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.’ When Yeshua had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:24-29, NASU).
Yeshua’s words carry authority with them, and each of us living today needs to make absolutely sure that we have listened to them! For many of today’s Bible readers, Matthew chs. 5-7 composes what they like to call “the Law of Christ.” In a way, the Sermon on the Mount certainly does help to establish not only Yeshua’s position as a Teacher and Rabbi, but it lays forth His interpretations and applications of the Law of Moses. Yeshua’s teachings, though, cannot function without the authority of the Law of Moses intact—but, to only read the Torah without Yeshua’s teachings in view would also be a serious mistake. Using the analogy of the house as seen above: Moses’ Teaching forms the foundation, the Prophets frame the Messianic expectation, and Yeshua’s teachings and actions give the house its substance for a place for God’s people to live.
Live wisely, heed the words of Yeshua, and make sure that you have a complete house built upon the Rock of Salvation!
