Surpassing the Law (5:17-20)
“Do not think that I came to abolish (destroy, loosen) the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish (destroy, loosen) but to fulfill (fill). For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls (relaxes, loosens) 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.
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
As if introducing an idea of a radical, new Kingdom that goes against everything that the world seems to value and reward wasn’t striking enough, Jesus brings up Scripture. But what He is saying is, “Despite the new way of looking at life I am introducing; I am not doing away with the true old way. Just your way of interpreting it.”
Jesus is introducing a new covenant; the one we see in the New Testament. It was foreshadowed in the Old Testament writings in places like Jeremiah, where God said He would write His law on His people’s hearts. But what Jesus tells His followers here is that the new is not abolishing the old, it is taking the next step. The Old Testament is still valid and in force, it just was never enough to save anyone. For, as Jesus says, to enter God’s Kingdom under the Law, you must fulfill it completely. That is why Jesus says you must surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to get a passing grade. You must be 100% perfect.
It is an impossible feat. (See the first part of the sermon.)
However, even though we are relying on faith and grace for our citizenship, Jesus does mean that the Law is still in force. He did not come to destroy the Law. The word He uses here also can mean to loosen or to lighten, so He isn’t even softening it. If anything, His vision of Kingdom behavior is harder from a human perspective. And when He talks about people annulling the smallest part of the Old Testament, He again uses another word that can be translated as “loosen.” But what Jesus is getting at here is not a claim that we have to be even more hard-nosed legalists than the Pharisees. He is saying that we need to see the spirit—the principles—seen in the Law.
Instead of legalistically checking off rules and avoiding infractions, citizens of the Kingdom internalize the spirit of the Law and live by that spirit: love. And Jesus goes on to explain what that looks like with examples…
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
As if introducing an idea of a radical, new Kingdom that goes against everything that the world seems to value and reward wasn’t striking enough, Jesus brings up Scripture. But what He is saying is, “Despite the new way of looking at life I am introducing; I am not doing away with the true old way. Just your way of interpreting it.”
Jesus is introducing a new covenant; the one we see in the New Testament. It was foreshadowed in the Old Testament writings in places like Jeremiah, where God said He would write His law on His people’s hearts. But what Jesus tells His followers here is that the new is not abolishing the old, it is taking the next step. The Old Testament is still valid and in force, it just was never enough to save anyone. For, as Jesus says, to enter God’s Kingdom under the Law, you must fulfill it completely. That is why Jesus says you must surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to get a passing grade. You must be 100% perfect.
It is an impossible feat. (See the first part of the sermon.)
However, even though we are relying on faith and grace for our citizenship, Jesus does mean that the Law is still in force. He did not come to destroy the Law. The word He uses here also can mean to loosen or to lighten, so He isn’t even softening it. If anything, His vision of Kingdom behavior is harder from a human perspective. And when He talks about people annulling the smallest part of the Old Testament, He again uses another word that can be translated as “loosen.” But what Jesus is getting at here is not a claim that we have to be even more hard-nosed legalists than the Pharisees. He is saying that we need to see the spirit—the principles—seen in the Law.
Instead of legalistically checking off rules and avoiding infractions, citizens of the Kingdom internalize the spirit of the Law and live by that spirit: love. And Jesus goes on to explain what that looks like with examples…
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