Strength Made Perfect by Imperfection - Matthew 5.43-48

As Jesus preaches through the Sermon on the Mount, He adds more weight to what it means to be His disciple. He began with the Beatitudes. To this He added the weight of being salt and light. To this, He added the weight of having our righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees – the top religious leaders in Israel. Following this, Jesus added more weight by issuing what has come to be known as the six antitheses – a series of instructions in which Jesus contrasts what the people were told the Law says, versus what He says is its original intent. Each contrast begins with Jesus saying, “You have heard it said, … but I say to you.”