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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 5

1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them by saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.⁠ 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.⁠ 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.⁠ 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.⁠ 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.⁠ 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.⁠ 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.⁠ 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.⁠ 11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.⁠ 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people!⁠ 14 You are the light of the world.⁠ A city located on a hill cannot be hidden.⁠ 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.⁠ 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.⁠ 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them.⁠ 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.⁠ 19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven! 21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’⁠ 22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment.⁠ And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be sent to fiery hell.⁠ 23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,⁠ 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift. 25 Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny! 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.⁠ 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.⁠ 31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’⁠ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.⁠ 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’⁠ 34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all—not by heaven, because it is the throne of God,⁠ 35 not by earth because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. 36 Do not take an oath by your head because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’⁠ More than this is from the evil one.⁠ 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’⁠ 39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.⁠ 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your coat also. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you.⁠ 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’⁠ 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you,⁠ 45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven,⁠ since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.⁠ 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they?⁠ 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 5:30 and Bava Metzia 59a

New Testament · Rabbinic

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Summary

In Matthew 5, Jesus uses the image of cutting off a hand to stress avoiding sin. Rabbinic tradition in tractate Bava Metzia uses choosing death over public shame, showing a similar use of extreme images to express moral seriousness.

Passages

Matthew 5:30

New Testament
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Bava Metzia 59a

Rabbinic · Babylonian Talmud
And Mar Zutra bar Toviyya says that Rav says; and some say Rav Ḥana bar Bizna says that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida says; and some say Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: It is more comfortable for a person to cast himself into a fiery furnace, than to humiliate another in public to avoid being cast into the furnace. From where do we derive this? From Tamar, daughter-in-law of Judah. When she was taken out to be burned, she did not reveal that she was pregnant with Judah’s child. Rather, she left the decision to him, to avoid humiliating him in public, as it is written: “And Judah said: Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong. And she said: Examine these, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff?” (Genesis 38:24–25).
450–550 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Bava Metzia

References

"... First, let us examine the place of shame in Jewish religious commentary. The attitude of the Jewish Sages towards shame is divided – on the one hand they said “a bashful one cannot learn” (Pirkei Avot, 2:5) and encouraged the students to be bold, not to be afraid to ask questions that may seem shameful. On the other hand they also said “The brazen—to purgatory; the bashful—to paradise” (Pirkei Avot, 5:20). Thus there is a need for a measure of shame, for when a man is utterly shameless, he may act in detrimental ways without any consideration for others or society as a whole. It is important, however, to note that they likened shaming others or humiliating them to murder: “It is more comfortable for a person to cast himself into a fiery furnace than to humiliate another in public to avoid being cast into the furnace” (Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia, 59a); “Rabbi Elazar of Modi’in would say: One who…humiliates his friend in public ... although he may possess Torah knowledge and good deeds, he has no share in the World to Come” (Pirkei Avot, 3:11) ..."
Bina Nir, “The Individual and Society: The Social Role of Shame,” Journal of Philosophical Criticism 1.2 (2018): 36–70.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 5:30 and Bava Metzia 59a

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