Explore the Bible
Professor of Religion, University of Mobile
VALUING LIFE
Genesis 1:27; Matthew 5:13–16; 21–30; 43–48
God — Author of All Human Life (Gen. 1:27)
Genesis 1 presents God as the creator of all that exists. This includes humans who were created on the sixth day as a sort of capstone to creation. According to Genesis, humans bear the distinct mark of God’s image. This characteristic, though not further described, separates people from the lower orders of the animal kingdom. Both male and female equally bear the stamp of God’s image. In the Ten Commandments, God forbade worshipers to form any image of animal or deity, yet humans bear the image of the deity in a less superficial way. Somehow the basic character of human life reflects the nature of the Creator.
The Church Exists for the World at Large (Matt. 5:13–16)
The teachings of Matthew 5–7 comprise the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes (5:3–13) illustrate the radical reorientation of social values that occur in the kingdom of God. The parable-like sayings on salt and light add a further dimension to Jesus’ instructions on social priorities. Christ taught His followers to make a bland world more savory as salt makes food more tasty. He also expected them to provide comfort, illumination and guidance as light provides such in darkness. In Jesus’ time, the city on a hill provided a reference point, like a lighthouse, for travelers after dark. Shining like light in the nighttime, proponents of the kingdom of God do not exist to serve themselves. What God has shared with them they must share with others, or else God’s gifts are wasted.
The Kingdom Rule Concerning Murder and Adultery (Matt. 5:21–30)
In this first section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus interpreted Jewish Scripture, showing how His teaching “fulfilled” (5:17–18) the intent of its moral law. The first two expositions relate to the fifth and sixth commandments of the Decalogue (Exodus 20: 13–14 and Deuteronomy 5:17–18). The teachings of the statutes, “You shall not kill” and “You shall not commit adultery” seemed obvious. Jesus’ words investigated the humane intent of the commands, rather than their legal implications. He identified the impulse of anger with the crime of murder.
Persons can infringe on the command by showing any disregard for human life. Jesus also indicated that worship of God should cease until breaches in human relationships are addressed. Relationships stand as a higher priority than rituals of worship.
The key to understanding the commandment against adultery is the attitude of lust or inappropriate desire that gives rise to adultery. Again, the issue is disrespect for human life. When persons become sex objects within the imagination of others, their human dignity is diminished. They become things. Martin Buber described such phenomena as “I-it” relationships. The proper relationships among individuals he knew as “I-thou” relationships.
People are to be loved, communicated with and related to and not treated like things. Jesus considered this behavior so serious that He warned dismemberment would be preferable to facing God when charged with such sins.
While we should not literally cut our eyes and hands, these warnings stress the seriousness of unchecked lust.
God’s Love, and Ours (Matt. 5:43–48)
The specific saying on killing and adultery receive general reinforcement from the basic principle espoused in verses 43–48. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is not part of the Ten Commandments. Yet Jesus identified this directive along with the command to love God as the basis for understanding Scripture (Matt. 22:37–40). Further, the words “hate your enemy” never occur as a command of Scripture. This saying responds to the accepted principle that members of distinct social groups oppose other such groups. In the kingdom this is not so. God does not love this way.
If we love and pray for our enemies, we are children of the Father. He sends the good gifts of sun and rain to all peoples alike. If we love all God’s human families, we approach God’s perfection.
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