In a previous post I briefly mentioned exceptions to what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount.

Below, I’ll attempt to show that this is true and why it matters.

Thesis: In the New Testament, there are exceptions to several of Jesus’ teachings.

Corollary: The exceptions to Jesus’ teachings demonstrate that they are meant for everyday existence. 

On Exceptions to Jesus' Teaching

Knowing that the teachings of Jesus include exceptions is important for several reasons:

1. It helps us move beyond treating Jesus is a deliverer of banal platitudes that he never meant people to practice.
2. It provides evidence that there is not a dichotomy between taking Jesus seriously enough to do what he said and finding realistic times when those sayings do not apply (kind of like Proverbs). In fact, the dissolution of this dichotomy might be what helps some people to start putting Jesus' teachings into practice.
3. It provides evidence that the teachings are terse expressions of a way of life that was actually reasoned through by Jesus and the gospel authors rather than a pastiche of contradictory ideals.
4. It helps us avoid the trap of making the Sermon on the Mount purely religious. For instance, there are people who teach that the sole purpose of Jesus' commands is to make God's law so impossibly hard (nobody could ever practice the Sermon on the Mount) that people are forced to ask for God's grace.
5. It reminds us that Jesus himself taught that certain Old Testament regulations were being misunderstood because exceptions were not allowed in their application in his day: Sabbaths, hand washing, contact with leprous persons, etc. Thus, we might infer that Jesus' own teachings are meant to be applied as general purpose teachings that can be suspended in light of obvious exceptions.

Examples of Exceptions

Well there are two kinds of exceptions: explicit and implicit exceptions. Perhaps the most well known exception to Jesus' teaching is the exception regarding divorce. It's an instance where he explicitly says when his rule does not apply. Implicit exceptions to Jesus' teaching are made known by his own practice or by the other New Testament authors clarifying Jesus' meaning. Some exceptions are included directly in the Sermon on the Mount. Here is a preliminary list:

1. Teaching: "But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret." (Matt 6:6) Exception: "And Jesus declared [in front of everybody], 'I thank you Father..." (Matthew 11:27)
2. Teaching: "Give to the one who asks of you." (Matthew 5:42) Exception: "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.' But he answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.' (Matthew 12:38-39)
3. Teaching: "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24) Exception: " Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"  (22)  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:21-22)*
4. Teaching:  "He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." (Matthew 19:8-9) Exception: "...except for sexual immorality..." The exception to Jesus' harsh strictures of the dissolution of marriage is included in the teaching.
5. Teaching: "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18) Exception: Jesus told his disciples about his fast in the wilderness.

Conclusion

There are more exceptions to the commands in the Sermon on the Mount, but these suffice to demonstrate that the exceptions exist.

In the appendix below are some quotes that might do more justice to the issue than I can. But it should be said that if the gospel authors and the rest of the New Testament portray certain commands of Jesus as having exceptions, then it is precisely in the normal parts of our life that we’re to make those teachings work. Exceptions imply that a normal exists.

In the past I’ve written pretty extensively about the difference between rhetoric and dialectic. The distinction between the two, I think, can be quite important for understanding Scripture. Here’s a short review:

1. Dialectic is the art of using logic and facts in order to find what is true. In reference to discourse (written or spoken) it is essentially the posture of either science or exposition. It's purpose is chiefly truth.
2. Rhetoric is the art of determining what is persuasive use well as using it. It's purpose is chiefly feeling.

Dialectic can be used rhetorically and rhetoric can be made to sound like dialectic to put on an air of intelligence. In one sense, dialectic is a form of rhetoric, as it invites careful attention, dispute, and acceptance of its claims once they are determined to be based on true evidence and valid argumentation. The combinations are as variable as are human motivations.

When reading the gospels (themselves a form of rhetoric) one of the places where Jesus is pretty clear about what makes for a morally whole and upright existence is his endorsement of honoring your parents by caring for them financially:

One of the weirdest stories in the gospels is the transfiguration. Despite how strange it is though, its meaning is apparent. All three versions of the story contain God’s command to the bystanders:

1. Mat 17:5  He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
2. Mar 9:7  And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."
3. Luk 9:35  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!"

In all of these gospels, the story happens shortly after Jesus' revelation of his impending death to his friends.

In all of these gospels, Moses and Elijah (two of the biggest names in the Old Testament) are present.