How Can You Know What’s Right? Here’s What Jesus Thought.

Summary

The video explores the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, where he reveals God's rescue plan for humanity from selfishness and violence. Jesus emphasized living a life of righteousness, which means doing right by God and others. By meditating on the Torah and Prophets, people can gain God's wisdom. Jesus challenged traditional interpretations of the Torah, stating he came to fulfill them and offering a deeper vision of righteousness that surpasses the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. He provides case studies to demonstrate how to live a life of love, respect, and justice.

Takeaways

• 📜 Jesus' Sermon on the Mount presents teachings on righteousness and God's rescue plan for humanity.
• 🤲 Jesus spent most of his time with the poor and insignificant people, claiming that God's rescue of the world was starting through them.
• 🌍 God's rescue is from a world shaped by selfishness, contempt, and violence, into communities of love and respect.
• 💡 Righteousness, according to Jesus, means doing right by both God and others, bringing people into the 'kingdom of the skies.'
• 📖 Israelites believed that God's wisdom could be found in the Torah and Prophets, which were meditated upon day and night.
• 📜 The Torah contains laws, but also tells the story of God's plan to partner with humans in ruling the world.
• ⚖️ Israel's teachers, including scribes and Pharisees, interpreted the Torah's laws to apply to everyday life, filling in gaps with wisdom.
• 🗣️ Jesus often joined debates about the Torah, sometimes agreeing, sometimes challenging the interpretations of the scribes and Pharisees.
• ✍️ Jesus claimed he was not dismantling the Torah but 'filling it full,' advancing God's story of wisdom and righteousness.
• 💪 Jesus proposed a bold vision of righteousness that surpasses the scribes and Pharisees, transforming relationships and building healthy communities.

Q & A

What is the Sermon on the Mount, and why is it significant?

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teachings by Jesus that emphasizes the values of love, respect, and righteousness. It is significant because it provides guidance on how to live a righteous life and be part of God's rescue plan for the world.

What does Jesus claim God is rescuing the world from?

Jesus claims that God is rescuing the world from selfishness, contempt, and violence, which disrupt human relationships and lead to broken communities.

What does 'righteousness' mean in the context of Jesus' teachings?

In Jesus' teachings, 'righteousness' refers to consistently doing right by God and others. It involves living a life of love, respect, and justice, aligned with God's wisdom.

How can people learn to live righteously according to Jesus?

According to Jesus, people can learn to live righteously by seeking God's wisdom, which is revealed in the Scriptures, particularly the Torah and Prophets. Meditation on these texts helps people discern how to do right by God and others.

What role do the Torah and Prophets play in understanding God's wisdom?

The Torah and Prophets reveal God's wisdom and tell the story of God's plan to partner with humanity. By meditating on these Scriptures, people can understand God's commands and apply them to their daily lives.

Why was applying the Torah's laws challenging in Jesus' time?

Applying the Torah's laws was challenging in Jesus' time because many of the laws were created when the Israelites lived freely on their own land. By Jesus' time, they were under Roman occupation, making it difficult to follow many of the laws as originally intended.

Who were the scribes and Pharisees, and what was their role?

The scribes and Pharisees were teachers of the Torah who sought to apply God's wisdom to everyday life by interpreting the laws. They helped fill in the gaps where the Torah was not explicit, like defining what constituted 'work' on the Sabbath.

How does Jesus respond to concerns about him dismantling the Torah or Prophets?

Jesus responds to these concerns by saying he has not come to dismantle the Torah or Prophets but to 'fill them full,' meaning he came to reveal their deeper meaning and take God's plan forward.

What does Jesus mean by saying that righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees?

Jesus means that righteousness is not just about following laws but about living with a deep sense of love and justice that goes beyond legalistic interpretations. He emphasizes a heart-driven approach to fulfilling God's wisdom.

What will Jesus demonstrate in the six case studies he provides?

In the six case studies, Jesus will illustrate how to apply God's wisdom in challenging relationships, showing what real righteousness looks like in situations involving hostility, brokenness, and conflict.

Outlines

00:00

🕊️ The Sermon on the Mount and God's Rescue

This paragraph introduces the concept of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches about God's rescue of the world. Jesus focuses on the poor and marginalized, emphasizing that God's rescue is from a world tainted by selfishness and violence. He invites people into communities defined by love and respect, referring to this way of life as 'righteousness.' According to Jesus, those who live righteously are entering the 'kingdom of the skies.'

05:01

🧠 The Pursuit of God's Wisdom

Here, the focus shifts to the question of how one knows what is 'right' in messy, real-life situations. The Israelites believed the answer lay in God's wisdom, which could be found in their Scriptures—the Torah and the Prophets. This wisdom is essential for living righteously, both towards God and others.

📖 The Role of the Torah in Gaining Wisdom

The Torah, meaning 'teaching' in Hebrew, is explored as the source of God's wisdom. Though often translated as 'the law,' the Torah contains more than just rules—it tells the story of God's plan to partner with humanity. Despite human failure, God rescues the Israelites and forms a covenant with them, which continues the story of this partnership.

🗻 Moses, Mount Sinai, and the Prophets

This paragraph recounts how Moses received the commandments on Mount Sinai, setting up a covenant for the Israelites. The Prophets continued this story, demonstrating Israel's failure to live by God's commands. However, their writings also offered hope, prophesying the fulfillment of this covenant relationship. The Torah and Prophets offer wisdom to those who meditate on them.

📜 Ancient Laws in a New Context

Here, the text discusses the challenge of applying ancient Torah laws to the time of Jesus, particularly under Roman occupation. The 613 laws of the Torah were not a comprehensive rulebook, so scribes and Pharisees interpreted and expanded them to fit contemporary life. For example, they defined what 'work' meant in the context of observing the Sabbath, applying the wisdom of the Torah to everyday situations.

✍️ Jesus' Engagement with Torah Interpretation

This section addresses the debates among Israel’s teachers and how Jesus often engaged with them. While Jesus sometimes agreed with the scribes and Pharisees, he also challenged their interpretations. This led to concerns that Jesus might not be taking the Torah seriously, prompting his famous statement: 'I haven’t come to dismantle the Torah or the Prophets but to fill them full.'

🌟 Jesus Fulfills the Torah and Prophets

Jesus’ statement about filling the Torah and Prophets full is explained. The Scriptures tell the story of God's plan to partner with humanity, and Jesus claimed to be moving that story forward. His teaching on righteousness, which he argued was more aligned with God's wisdom than the scribes and Pharisees, presents a new vision of what it means to live rightly.

🚪 A Higher Standard of Righteousness

Jesus asserts that his vision of righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, suggesting that those who don’t meet this higher standard will not enter the 'kingdom of the skies.' This bold claim leads into a discussion about how Jesus’ teachings offer a transformative vision of human relationships and communities, centered on love, respect, and healing.

⚖️ Jesus' Case Studies on Righteousness

This final paragraph introduces the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus provides six case studies. He will use these examples to demonstrate how the Torah reveals God’s wisdom, showing how people can consistently love God and their neighbors by living righteously, even in difficult relationships.

🔍 A Deep Dive into Righteous Living

This paragraph sets the stage for a more in-depth exploration of righteousness, emphasizing that Jesus is introducing a middle section of the Sermon on the Mount. It serves as a transition into three upcoming case studies where Jesus will illustrate what real righteousness looks like in some of the most challenging human relationships.

Keywords

💡Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teachings by Jesus, focusing on themes of righteousness and God's wisdom. In the video, it serves as the backdrop for understanding how Jesus envisioned a way of life centered around love, respect, and righteousness. It highlights Jesus’ engagement with the poor and how God's rescue of the world begins with these teachings.

💡Righteousness

Righteousness refers to the act of consistently doing what is right by God and others. In the video, Jesus uses this term to describe the moral and ethical standards expected in a community, suggesting that living righteously aligns one with God's kingdom. This concept is central to Jesus’ teachings and is explained as a more profound, heart-centered approach compared to the legalistic interpretations of his time.

💡Kingdom of the skies

The 'kingdom of the skies' refers to the spiritual realm where God's will is carried out. Jesus states that those who live righteously are entering this kingdom. It signifies not just a future destination but a way of life characterized by love, respect, and right relationships in the present world.

💡God's wisdom

God’s wisdom is the divine understanding of how humans should live in harmony with God and one another. In the video, Jesus explains that this wisdom can be found in the Scriptures and is the foundation for righteous living. The Israelites sought to discover this wisdom through meditation on the Torah and the Prophets, using it as a guide for moral decision-making.

💡Torah

The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, often referred to as 'the law.' In the video, it is described as a source of God's wisdom, containing laws and stories about God's partnership with humanity. Jesus and the Israelites viewed the Torah as essential for understanding how to live righteously, although Jesus offered new interpretations of these ancient teachings.

💡Pharisees

Pharisees were Jewish religious leaders and teachers of the Torah during Jesus' time. They interpreted the laws of the Torah and helped apply them to everyday life. In the video, Jesus engages with the Pharisees’ interpretations of righteousness, often challenging them by presenting a more holistic and profound understanding of God’s wisdom.

💡Scribes

Scribes were experts in the law who interpreted the Torah for the Jewish people. They played a role in defining and applying God's wisdom in practical life situations. The video explains that scribes often provided detailed rules to help people follow the Torah, though Jesus sometimes disagreed with their conclusions, advocating for a more direct understanding of righteousness.

💡Covenant

A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and humanity. In the video, the covenant refers to God’s relationship with the Israelites, beginning with figures like Moses and extending to the teachings of Jesus. This partnership is central to the Torah, where God's rescue plan is initiated, and Jesus' mission is seen as the fulfillment of that covenant.

💡Prophets

The Prophets are figures in the Hebrew Bible who conveyed messages from God, often calling out the Israelites for failing to follow the Torah. They also predicted the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan. The video points out that Jesus viewed the Prophets as revealing God's wisdom, and he built upon their teachings to guide his followers toward righteous living.

💡613 Laws

The 613 laws refer to the specific commandments found in the Torah, covering various aspects of daily life. The video explains that while these laws were central to Jewish life, they were not always applicable in every situation, especially under Roman occupation. Jesus engaged with these laws, often revealing the deeper wisdom behind them rather than adhering to their literal interpretation.

Highlights

The Sermon on the Mount is a well-known collection of teachings by Jesus, focusing on how to live a righteous life.

Jesus spent most of his time with the poor and marginalized, claiming God's rescue of the world began with them.

God's rescue is from a world created by human selfishness and contempt, leading to violence, and into communities of wholehearted love and respect.

Righteousness, in Jesus' view, is consistently doing right by God and others, and those who live this way are entering the kingdom of the skies.

Israelites believed God's wisdom was found by meditating on the Torah and Prophets, which were key to living righteously.

The Torah, or 'teaching,' was more than just laws—it was the story of God's partnership with humanity and His rescue plan.

Israel received commands to live by through Moses, as part of their covenant relationship with God.

The Prophets continued the story, showing Israel's failure to follow God's wisdom but promising a future fulfillment of the covenant.

Jesus viewed the Torah and Prophets as revealing God's wisdom to anyone willing to meditate on them.

The Torah's laws were ancient and difficult to apply in Jesus' time, especially under Roman occupation, leading to debates among religious teachers.

Scribes and Pharisees attempted to discern the wisdom beneath the laws to apply them to daily life, such as defining what counts as 'work' on the Sabbath.

Jesus participated in these debates, sometimes agreeing and sometimes challenging the interpretations of the scribes and Pharisees.

In response to concerns, Jesus claimed he did not come to dismantle the Torah or Prophets but to 'fill them full' by revealing their deeper wisdom.

Jesus asserted that his vision of righteousness aligned more closely with God's wisdom than that of the religious leaders of his time.

Through six case studies, Jesus demonstrated what real righteousness looks like in challenging relationships, showing how to consistently love God and neighbor.

Transcripts

- We're exploring a well-known collection of teachings

by Jesus called the Sermon on the Mount.

- Jesus spent most of his time with the poor

and insignificant people of his day,

and he claimed that God's rescue of the world was beginning

through him and them.

- What was God rescuing the world from?

- Well, it's a rescue from the kind of world we've created

by our selfishness

and our contempt for others that leads to violence,

and it's a rescue into communities

of wholehearted love and respect.

Jesus described this way of life

by using an ancient biblical word, righteousness.

A righteous person is someone who consistently does right

by God and right by others.

Jesus said, "Those

who live this way are entering the kingdom of the skies."

- Okay,

but life is messy. In any given situation,

how are we even supposed to know what it means

to do right by everyone?

- Yes, that is the question.

So remember, Jesus was an Israelite,

and the people of Israel had a specific answer to

that question that was simple

and profound. To do right by God and people

you need to learn God's wisdom.

- And how do you get God's wisdom?

- Well, for Israelites, you find God's wisdom

by meditating on their Scriptures called

the Torah and Prophets.

- The Torah.

That's the first five books of the Bible.

- Right.

In Hebrew, Torah means teaching,

though it's often translated in our Bibles as the law.

- But these books aren't just laws.

- Right.

The Torah is a story about God's plan to partner with humans

in ruling the world.

And when humans ruin that partnership through stupidity

and violence, God begins a rescue plan. First by choosing

and then rescuing the Israelites,

and then by inviting them into a covenant relationship.

- Right.

The story of Moses on Mount Sinai, that's

where they get all these commands to live by. - Yeah.

Now, after the Torah come the Prophets

who continued the story. They show how Israel failed to live

by God's wisdom by violating those commands,

but they also wrote poetry about how

that failure was not the end of the story.

God was going to bring this partnership to its fulfillment.

And for Jesus and his people, the Torah and the Prophets

they reveal God's wisdom to anyone

who will meditate on them day and night.

- Okay, but let's go back to all those commands.

How do you find God's wisdom in an ancient law code?

- Yeah, totally. The laws in the Torah were ancient, even

to Jesus, given centuries earlier when the Israelites could

live free on their own land,

but in the time of Jesus, they were occupied by the Romans.

They couldn't even follow many of the laws

as originally stated.

- Okay, so that's a problem.

- And on top of that, the 613 laws in the Torah are not a

comprehensive rule book.

And so there are arose teachers of the Torah called scribes

and Pharisees, and they would fill in the gaps

by discerning God's wisdom underneath the laws,

so they could apply it to other areas of life.

For instance, the Torah said

Israelites should stop working one day a week.

- Right,

but what counts as work?

- Well, the Torah doesn't actually give a full definition,

and so the scribes would study the Scriptures

and provide a comprehensive list that people could live by.

- They're applying God's wisdom to everyday life

so they can do righteousness before God and others.

- Right. Now, Israel's teachers didn't always agree

with each other, and Jesus would often wade into these

debates, sometimes agreeing

and other times disagreeing with the scribes and Pharisees.

- And that would make them worry

maybe Jesus doesn't take the Torah

and the prophets seriously enough.

- And so Jesus responds

to this concern in the Sermon on the Mount when he says,

"Don't suppose that I've come

to dismantle the Torah or the Prophets.

I haven't come to dismantle them, but to fill them full."

- What does that mean? That Jesus came to fill the Torah

and Prophets full?

- Well, remember, the Scriptures tell the story about God's

plan to partner with Israel

and all humanity in ruling the world,

and Jesus claimed that he was taking that story forward,

showing how to be righteous and live by God's wisdom.

- That's quite a claim.

- Yes, Jesus even said that his vision

of righteousness was more in line

with God's wisdom than anyone else in his day.

He said, "unless your righteousness far surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you won't enter the kingdom of skies."

- That's intense.

- It is. But as we'll see, Jesus is offering a bold

and beautiful vision of human life, how

to build healthy communities and heal broken relationships,

and how to transform hostility into honor and respect.

- Which is great, but can you give me an example?

- Actually, Jesus is going to do just

that in six case studies.

Each time he'll quote a command from the Torah

and then explain how it reveals God's wisdom so

that we can learn how to consistently love God

and do right by our neighbor.

- We just looked at this section

of the Sermon on the Mount.

- It's an introduction to this whole middle section where Jesus

describes the life of a righteous community that's learning

to live by God's wisdom.

- Next up, we'll look at the first three case studies

where Jesus shows

what real righteousness looks like in our most

challenging relationships.