Lesson 6 - Matt. 5:17-22, 43-45 - I CAME TO FULFILL THE LAW
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Matt. 5:1-12, we studied the Sermon on the Mount, starting with the Beatitudes. Jesus left the crowds and went up on the mountain to teach His disciples, which not only included the twelve, but a larger group that was following Him. The key to understanding all the Beatitudes was the poverty of spirit expressed in verse 2: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It meant that only a person who understands his or her poverty spirit-that they admit their personal unworthiness to stand in God's presence, so that they must depend completely on God for His mercy and grace to enter the kingdom of heaven. Such people are (1) those who 'mourn' (repent) for their own sins and are grieved by sins of their nation; (2) they are 'gentle,' free of arrogance and hatred of others; (3) they 'hunger for righteousness,' being completely devoted to God and His will; (4) they are 'merciful,' feeling compassion for others rather than being judgmental; (5) they are 'pure heart,' morally as good on the inside as they are on the outside; (6) they are 'peacemakers' who actively work at making peace with God and man; (7) they are people who endure persecution in order to do what is right in God's eyes; and (8) they are people who 'rejoice' in the mist of persecution because they keep their eyes fixed on their 'reward in heaven.'
This week, in Matt. 5:17-22, 43-45, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus will explain that He did not come to "abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill" them" (v. 17). His purpose was not to discard the Law and the prophets, but to accomplish the purpose for which the Law was given. A cornerstone of Jesus' teaching is that man cannot earn salvation, since we can never be good enough. In the lesson text, using overstatement, Jesus declares that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, a person must be even more righteous than the Pharisees and scribes-which was the Jewish culture's 'gold standard' in those times. This was vitally important to clarify since these religious leaders fundamentally misunderstood what righteous living and good works in practical application. Jesus will explain the true meaning of the faithful living out of the commandments and the righteousness of the Law as it is interpreted by Him.
Read Matthew 5:17-20 - I CAME NOT TO ABOLISH BUT TO FULFILL THE LAW
17 "Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
v. 17a: "Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;" - The Law consisted of the five books of the Pentateuch; and the Prophets, major and minor, were chosen by God to speak for Him-to deliver His words of judgment and grace. Together they symbolized the whole will of God. Both were intended to guide the people's faithfulness so that they could live within the will of God and enjoy His blessings. The Jewish Rabbis, however, had added to the law the Mishnah and the Talmud, which were commentaries that contained thousands of rules that defined acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Jesus respected the Law but had little tolerance for the profusion of rules generated by the scribes; and these rules would be a major source of much of the conflict between Christ and the scribes and the Pharisees.
v. 17b: "I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill." - With this phrase, Jesus introduces His interpretation of OT Scripture. He states up front that He came, not to abolish it but to fulfill it. His purpose was to reveal the true meaning and application of OT Scripture. The Jewish people focused on these Scriptures, but their observance was flawed. They often went through the rituals without applying the proper spirit (or attitudes and intents) behind it. Jesus, the Word incarnate, embodied the Law perfectly by fulfilling it at its deepest level of meaning.
v. 18: "For truly I say to you," - This is the first occurrence of "truly I say to you" in Matthew. It puts us on notice that what follows will be extremely important-to pay very close attention to His words.
v. 18b: "until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!" - "The heavens and earth" refer to the totality of creation. The "smallest stoke or letter" refers to the tiniest scribe marks in the Hebrew alphabet. What Jesus is saying is that He upheld all of the OT down to its most minute details. So, Jesus as the Word incarnate, will preserve the Law until heaven and earth pass away, a metaphor for the end of time.
v. 19: "Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - The Jewish rabbis had graded the OT commands between those they believed to be more authoritative or less authoritative-the heavy and the light. Jesus corrected this view; he taught that all were equally authoritative. What if one decided to keep all the laws except "You shall have no other gods before Me?" (Ex. 20:2). Failing to keep that one would unravel all the rest, yes? Thus, Jesus does not offer us the option of championing some commandments and ignoring others. If Jesus is truly the Lord of our lives, we must guide our lives by the totality of His teachings. We must make Jesus' teachings the North Star of all our spiritual understanding. The terms "least" and "great" also indicate differing ranks within the Messianic kingdom-some individuals will have higher standing. Everyone will not be equal.
v. 20: "For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." - The phrase, "I say to you" is a claim of highest authority. The unbalanced views of the scribes and Pharisees led them to accept some scriptural injunctions and to reject others, resulting in selective obedience that produced only superficial righteousness. That form of righteousness, Jesus declared, would not be sufficient for admission into the kingdom of heaven. Their greatest failure was their spiritual pride: they claimed to honor God, while much of their effort was actually self-glorification.
Read Matt. 5:21-22 - EVERYONE WHO IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Note: In the next two verses, the underlying theme is that sin involves far more than just physical harm or actions; it also includes personal thoughts and attitudes.
v. 21: "You have heard that the ancients were told, ''YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'" - In v. 20, Jesus seemed to set what seemed like an impossibly high standard for entering the kingdom of heaven-righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees. This allows Jesus to expand His discussion on the connection between sins of action and sins of attitude. For most all of us, ''YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER,' the penalty for which is death (Ex. 20:13) as adjudicated by "the court," is a comparatively easy standard to obey, but Jesus connects it to Lev. 19:17, which states, "You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may certainly rebuke your neighbor, but you are not to incur sin because of him"(i.e., hate him as a result of it). Thus, God's intent behind this commandment reaches far beyond not killing people to the deepest level of our conscious thoughts and attitudes about others.
v. 22a: But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;" - In this verse, Jesus will explain to His listeners how the 'righteousness' of their spiritual leaders-the scribes and Pharisees-is not enough to earn admission to heaven. It's because they superficially teach the law of Moses without any inner change of heart. In contrast to that, Jesus is now teaching them God's intent-the only true standard-behind the commandments of the Law. In particular, Christ is pointing out that unrighteous attitudes and thoughts, while not exactly the same as unrighteous actions, are still seen by God as sins that deserve judgment.
v. 22b: "and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell." - Here, Jesus cites two examples of a sinful state of mind, absent physical retaliation. He rates telling someone they are "good-for-nothing" or berates them as a "fool" (Gk. moré, lit. moron) will not only be guilty before the "supreme court"-God-but "guilty enough" to be judged for it and sent "into the fiery hell." In this context "his brother" refers to a fellow believer, a family member, or a close friend or associate-people who would be deeply wounded by such hateful speech.
Read Matt. 5:43-45 - LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Note: In vv. 38-41 (skipped) Jesus gave specific examples of people whom we might characterize as our "enemies, e.g., those who injure us, strike us, sue us, or use force to compel us. It's where God says not to retaliate but turn the other cheek (v. 39).
v. 43: "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' - This phrase is found nowhere in the OT. It's a saying or a corollary added by the rabbis, not Moses. It's stems from natural human instincts, not God. What the OT Scripture does say is the reverse: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the lord" (Lev. 19:18). God did on occasion command Israel to destroy certain enemies, but His purpose was not hatred, but to prevent contamination by their pagan religions and practices (see, Num. 31:7; Deut. 7:2; 13:15; 20:17; Josh. 10:20; 1 Sam. 5:3).
v. 44: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," - Using the plural case of "enemies," Jesus extends the command "love" to all people, even those we might have good reasons to hate. While this is a shockingly simple command to understand, it's a very difficult one to put into actual practice. The word used for "love" (Gk. agapaó [ag-ap-ah'-o]), describes a conscious decision rather than a feeling. It commands us to swallow our pride and remove our anger. It means accepting God's will in our lives and putting it into practice by God's power, not ours. It's what enables us to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile. Because we live in a world opposed to God, we are certain to acquire a lot of enemies; yet, Jesus commands us to purposefully respond to them in love, trusting that God will protect us by transforming them into friends. So ask yourself, who are your enemies. Who hates or despises you? According to Jesus, it doesn't matter who was wrong in the first place. He commands us to pray for those who hate or dislike us for any reason.
v. 45a: "so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;" - An active demonstration of agapé love on our part might transform our enemy into becoming our fiend. That's a nice thought, but we need to remember that exercising agapé love isn't a clever device used to improve our situation, but focuses instead on helping our enemy to improve his or her situation. As an added inducement, Jesus promises us that loving our enemies, doing good for them, is something for which our "Father...in heaven" will reward us as His "sons" (or daughters). Matthew is a case in point: as a tax gatherer for the Roman authorities, he was among the most despised people in Israel, but the love of Jesus Christ had the effect of completely transforming him into a new person.
v. 45b: for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." - We see this principle at work every day. The sun does not give light to the righteous farmer and deny it to his unrighteous neighbor. God's rain does not respect property lines. Some hardworking, honest, and kind people become highly successful, while others like them struggle to survive. Some immoral and disreputable people get rich and manage to live long, healthy lives. On a worldly level, we might conclude that there is no justice; however, God has (and will use) eternity to render the final justice.
APPLICATION-A Proper View of Scripture
1. Christian believers must recognize Christ as the fulfillment of all Scripture. In our text, Jesus demonstrated that His purpose was to reveal the true meaning of Old Testament Scripture. (Note that the New Testament was yet to be written.) Jesus, as the Word incarnate (John 1:1), embodied the OT Law perfectly by fulfilling it at its ultimate and deepest levels of meaning.
2. Christian believers must recognize Christ's authority to interpret and apply Scripture. Even though Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets (v. 17), He has the authority to interpret it and accomplish the purposes for which the Law was given. As the apostle John said, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
3. Christian believers must recognize that Christ is the only true standard in Scripture. In the text (v. 22), Jesus clarified that unrighteous attitudes and thoughts were just as sinful as physical actions and would be subject to God's judgment. Then in vv. 43-45, He moved the bar even higher by commanding that we should love our enemies and even pray for those who persecute us. The word Jesus used for "love" (Gk. agapaó [ag-ap-ah'-o]), describes a conscious decision rather than a feeling. It orders us to swallow our pride and remove our anger. To do this means accepting God's will in our lives and putting it into practice by God's power, not ours. So, Jesus commands us to purposefully respond to our enemies in love, trusting that God will protect us by transforming them into friends. So ask yourself, who are your enemies. Who hates or despises you? According to Jesus, it doesn't matter who was wrong in the first place.
