Cliff Notes
1:19-27 The focus of this section is on proper Christian conduct, especially regarding use of the tongue.
1:21 Implanted word refers to the gospel as received by the believer.
1:22 The presence of the ‘implanted word’ should produce more than idle listening. True worship leads to putting gospel exhortations into action.
1:23-25 In the contrast between the hearer of the word who looks at his own face in a mirror and yet forgets, and the doer of the word who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, the distinction is found in whether the one who looks allows ‘the perfect law of freedom’ (the gospel) to shape his life’s course. The person who hears and does ‘the word’ puts faith into action and is blessed; his worship influences his life.
1:26-27 James made an observation about true religion. Just as the hearer looks in a mirror and forgets his own face, so the person who refuses to hold his tongue is deceived about his faith. He hears and talks, but he does not act on what he has heard. James’s definition of pure and undefiled religion is based on action, not heedless hearing and meaningless lip service.
Hearing and Doing the Word, James 1:19-27 (HCSB)
5:13 Salt has many uses, but in the old testament it is most often a purifying agent. As the salt of the earth, Jesus’ disciples are to purify a corrupt world through their example of righteous living and their proclamation of the gospel. However, contaminated salt does not promote purity. The verb translated lose its taste indicates foolish and immoral behavior. It refers to a professing disciple whose unrighteous lifestyle promotes destruction rather than purification. Such salt is only good for spreading over ground where you want to kill vegetation. Such is the fatal effect of an unrighteous disciple’s lifestyle. Nothing grows where they go. The verb thrown out describes the disposal of something worthless, and the verb trampled alludes to the treatment an immoral disciple receives from the world.
Believers Are Salt and Light, Matthew 5:13 (HCSB)
5:33-37 Oaths to the Lord (i.e., “I swear to God”) were considered binding, but since Jews avoided use of God’s personal name and instead used reverent substitutions, clever liars could take an oath that seemed to appeal to God without technically doing so. Jesus taught that swearing oaths is wrong since oaths call for the destruction of an object or person if the oath is broken. Thus, swearing by heaven… earth… Jerusalem, or even one’s own head is inappropriate because it implies that we have the authority to destroy things over which God alone has authority. Swearing against God or His belongings aligns us with the evil one who attempted to assume God’s position as Ruler of the universe.
Tell the Truth, Matthew 5:33-37 (HSCB)
7:13-14 The narrow gate symbolizes the exclusive nature of Christ’s kingdom. Entrance requires the disciple to do the will of the Father in heaven. The gate that is wide indicates that hell grants unrestricted entrance and that road may symbolize the life of hardship and persecution that the disciple must face. However, since Jewish literature often used the symbol of the road to represent a moral path (Jdg 2:22; Is 30:21; Jr 6:16; 2 Jn 6) and because the law was portrayed as a narrow road from which a person was not to deviate (Dt 5:32; 17:20; 28:14; Jos 1:7; 2 Kings 22:2), the narrow road probably represents Jesus’ morally restrictive teaching. The wide road permits travelers to meander and pursue worldly desires, but the narrow path requires travelers to stick to God’s will (Mt 7:21).
Entering the Kingdom, Matthew 7:13-14 (HSCB)
18:23-25 In Jewish parables, a king symbolizes God and to settle accounts symbolizes divine judgment. The 10,000 talents was equivalent to a billion day’s worth of peasant wages. This was more money than was circulating in all of Palestine. The talent was the largest unit of currency [equivalent to approximately 6,000 days worth of wages] and 10,000 is the highest single number that can be expressed in Greek. Thus, we see that in this allegory the sum represents the sinner’s hopeless debt to God. Selling the debtor, his family, and possessions would hardly begin to recoup this debt. Forgiving such loan is an astounding act of grace.
One nundred denarii was equivalent to three months of wages. This was negligible compared to the first slave’s debt to the king. The contrast between the 10,000 talents and the 100 denarii shows that the sins of others against us are trivial in comparision to the enormity of our own sins against God. The drudge begged the slave to be patient just as the slave had begged before the king, but the drudge was more honest in his pleas and promises since his debt was actually manageable.
The parable’s point is now revealed. Since God has shown believers such great mercy by pardoning their sins, they should in turn forgive the sins of others from their heart. The word jailers literally means “torturers.” The debtor’s torture would continue until the debt was paid in full. Since the debt could not possibly be repaid, the torture symbolizes eternal punishment.
The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave, Matthew 18:23-35 (HCSB)
