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20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

21 You heard that it was said to your ancestors, “You will not murder,” and that whoever murders would be liable for judgment. 22 But I say to you that whoever nurses anger against his brother will be liable for judgment. Whoever calls his brother an idiot will be answerable to a court, and whoever calls his brother a moron will be in danger of the fires of Gehenna. 23 If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First reconcile with your brother, and then go and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while you are still on the road with him, lest your opponent turn you over to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you in prison. 26 Amen I say to you, you will not escape there until you have paid the last penny.

27 You heard that it was said, “You will not commit adultery.” 28 But I say to you that every man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away, for it is better for you to lose a body part than to be thrown with a whole body into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away, for it is better for you to lose a body part than to enter whole into Gehenna.

Comments

Unlike the Scribes (i.e. Torah scholars) and Pharisees, Jesus requires that his disciples follow the spirit rather than the letter of the Law. This makes the Biblical commandments more demanding, not less. The Fifth Commandment prohibits not just murder, but harming one’s neighbor in anyway, including emotionally through verbal abuse. The Sixth Commandment prohibits not just adultery, but any expression of sexuality that might harm or demean one’s neighbor. Gehenna was a garbage dump outside first century Jerusalem that frequently caught fire; it was commonly used as a metaphor for Hell. Jesus’ threats of Hell and invitation to self-mutilation are not to be read literally - they are hyperboles that highlight the seriousness of his ethical demands. Following the Gospel requires us to reorient our lives if necessary, and to humbly ask forgiveness from our neighbors if we fail to love them as ourselves.