Matthew 5

v11

For some reason in the NIV, vs3-10 are indented like a poem or a saying, but v11 is not. Not sure why, because v11 and 12 seems to fit in pretty well with the rest.

Note that the persecution is not for the sake of justice or even for other kinds of injustice (eg political opinions, being ugly) - it's because of Christ. It can be easy for Christians to play the persecution card, especially in the west where the persecutions don't actually look too bad (I'm not devaluing them, because in all sufferings we have to realise that they are subjectively borne), but that undercuts the value of what's being said here. The blessing isn't persecution itself; it is persecution in the name of Christ.

v12

Persecution for the sake of God's message and his service is as old as the hills really. It's a longstanding situation, and so we shouldn't be surprised. Instead, we should look back at those heroes of the faith and be glad that we share the same struggles they did. It means we're like them, both in service to God and hopefully in relationship with God. How many times have people said, "I wish I heard from God like Moses did"? Well, live the life of devotion to God that Moses did, and then you can suffer like he did.

v13

The NASB and KJV add the pretty unnecessary "of men". It's probably in the Greek. I don't think the NIV's loss of it damages the meaning.

I've often heard the story about salt in NT times being mixed with dirt so that you had a bowl of it on your table, and you would pinch it between fingers and grind it so that the salt would fall and the dirt stays in your fingers. I've no idea if that's true. What is true is that if salt loses its flavour, it is just a white powder that is pretty much worthless. We are that flavour of God in the world. I'm not sure that we are actually all that flavourful at times. How often do people desire what we offer? Our lives need to be so obviously better that people want what we have in their own lives. And I don't just mean rich - that is so painfully obviously how it seems to work here, and that's sad, especially in the context of Jesus' previous words about the poor in spirit.

v14

Again, our light should be so bright that we can't hide it, that it's obvious to anyone looking or even glancing in our directions. How do we do this? I think this actually sets up the hard teachings of Jesus that will come subsequent in the sermon on the mount.

v15

This is more than just chance seeing now, Jesus is talking about motive. We need to be active in not just being lamps, but being put on lampstands.

v16

Jesus directly explains it. Our lives shouldn't just stand out, we should be bold in making sure we're in the world where people can see us. Behind closed doors is not where the gospel shines. How can we ignore that?

v17

There is a difference between abolishing a law and fulfilling it. In both instances they are done away with, but one is done away with because it has become or perhaps always was wrong (eg abolishing slavery); the other is fulfilled because its good purpose is complete (eg laws about the actions of barber surgeons are no longer needed, because we now have hospitals and proper surgeons).

That can be confusing for some people, and the role of the OT is regularly one of difficulty. It's historical difficulty in interpretation and application has created huge problems; South Africa is a great example, and if you don't know what I mean just read a little about the Calvinism of the Trekboers.

v18

I would argue that what is accomplished is primarily the death and resurrection of Christ, but I think you could also persuasively argue that the accomplishments are on a sliding scale from that to eternal glory, and as such the laws of God decrease as grace increases. That does fit in with the "heaven and earth passing away" language of Christ too.

v19

Reading this passage on its own makes it sound like we're still completely under the law. But that's a very irresponsible reading. You need to read it in the context of other things Jesus says about the Sabbath, about food laws, about tithing...

v20

These laws serve a purpose in the new age of Christ's coming, but not in the brutally legalistic way that the Pharisees and teachers of the law put it forward. Relationship is key. Yes, God is holy and pure and powerful, and that can be scary. But he is also loving and kind and forgiving, and we should relate to him on both bases. Dogs are scary, but we have them as pets. Of course, God is not a dog - good dogs are just a fantastic example of how we should live. We don't tame God, he is domesticating us in a way. But instead of turning us into simple servants, like the modern world has done with pets he is turning us into members of his family.

This is complicated and difficult, and I don't think we should expect anything less from dealing with God. Again, it seems clear to me that this is a message that is being set up to show the quality of the life that a Christian should lead. It should be more righteous than a Pharisee - but perhaps not because we are more pedantic about law-keeping; rather because we do so in an attitude of love and service to God through Christ.