5:17 not come to destroy. The Lord Jesus, by His own word, did not destroy the law of God; thus it is still operable. He did, however, alone of all men, obey it perfectly. He fulfilled all its demands and requirements, which no other man or woman could ever do. Consequently, He alone can redeem us from “the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13).

5:18 one jot or one tittle. The “jot” and “tittle” were the smallest letter and a mark which distinguished two letters in the Hebrew words of the Old Testament. Thus, not only the words, but even the letters are divinely inspired, in the original autographs of the Scriptures.

5:19 least in the kingdom. We “in the kingdom” are held accountable (especially when we teach others), for believing and obeying all God’s commands. There are no insignificant or non-inspired statements in the Bible.

5:22 Raca. The word raca is an Aramaic expression of contempt, something like our English “stupid idiot!” Such an insult to a fellow believer in the Jewish economy might warrant being charged, before the council of the Sanhedrin, with slander.

5:22 Thou fool. This is even a greater insult. The Greek is the word from which we get our English word “moron,” but it also conveys an implication of rebellion. For a believer to call a brother a “rebellious moron” would be so out of character as to imply that the one using such language might not even be a true believer.

5:22 hell. “Hell” is gehenna, in the Greek, the place of everlasting fire. Almost certainly it refers to the ultimate lake of fire (Revelation 20:15), not to the great pit in the center of the earth known as hades (this word is also commonly translated “hell”—e.g., Matthew 11:23), where the spirits of the unsaved are confined as they await the final judgment. Note the divine principle implied in this verse of degrees of punishment.

5:26 farthing. The English coin was a fourth of a penny—hence the “fourth-ing,” the smallest coin of all, except for the “mite” (see Mark 12:42).

5:31 divorcement. On divorce and remarriage, see notes on Matthew 19:9 and I Corinthians 7:15.

5:37 your communication. Even the use of so-called “minced oaths” or supposed mild euphemisms for profane or vulgar words “cometh of evil”—that is, literally, “is from the evil one.” On the high standards of true Christian speech, see notes on Ephesians 5:4 and Colossians 4:6.

5:44 Love your enemies. We cannot learn to love our enemies unless we have enemies! This sermon to His disciples (see note on Matthew 5:1) simply assumes that, in living and witnessing for their Lord, they would inevitably have enemies, and so shall we (John 15:18-21).

5:48 perfect. Jesus knew no believer could be sinlessly perfect (note, e.g., Matthew 6:14-15) in this life. Nevertheless, this must be the standard and the goal—not for gaining salvation but for living the Christian life. The word “perfect” also can be understood as “complete” or “fully mature,” but this state is no more attainable than sinless perfection—in fact, they are really the same. We do have such a standing in Christ, and we should perpetually seek to fulfill this standard by God’s help.

5:48 is perfect. God created a perfect world (Genesis 1:31); His word is also “perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7); “His work is perfect,…without iniquity” (Deuteronomy 32:4); “His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30); and we are exhorted to “prove what is that…perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).