17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.19Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)
Thoughts: There are those who think that Jesus came to stop the law. But Jesus actually emphasized that the law should be obeyed not on the outside but from the heart. Jesus shows His basic concern is not about the surface but the interior. He accused the Pharisees- law abiding citizens to a t- that they were whitewashed walls- rotten wood that is painted over to look good (Mt. 23:27) or some translate it "whitewashed tombs"- which look nice but inside is full of what is dead.
Jesus did not say it is okay to murder now that He is here. In fact, He asks us to repent and believe. He says to even be angry or call cutting names is to break this commandment. Jesus looks at the heart- not the surface. Similarly with laws about adultery, Jesus says when we lust from our hearts we break this command.
Galatians 6:2 (cf. 1 Cor. 9:21) speaks of "The Law of Christ." Most believe this refers to Christ's answer that the greatest commandment is "to love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." The command of love is a command of the heart.
Those who wish to change the commandments or say they no longer apply should be careful of this passage, for Jesus (yes Jesus meek and mild) has a warning. If we set these commands aside and teach others to do so too may make it to heaven, but they will be least in the kingdom.
Luther taught that we are not saved by obeying the Law, but it is nonetheless useful in that it convicts us of our sin- showing our need for the cross and grace, and restrains us from being worse. John Calvin added that the Law also can serve as a guide to lead us in making decisions and going in a direction that pleases God.
Our outside legalistic righteousness will not begin to exceed the Pharisees who had an intricate system for keeping the law- on the surface. But righteousness is not just a surface matter. It is a matter of the heart. Our hearts are changed by God's Spirit- God's grace and presence working in us. The Law is good and helpful, but it is not how we get to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus never called the Law bad. He didn't add to the burden of the Law. But He transformed the Law saying it is from the heart that we obey. We will see a good bit of that in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.
So look at your heart and make sure God is ruling there. Ask yourself if you are willing to submit your heart to God- loving Him with your heart, soul, mind and strength. Then ask if you are willing to let that live from you by loving neighbor more than self. In our very divisive world where so many are unfriended for different points of view- and we don't want to hear anything but our viewpoint- let us love our neighbor- even those who look differently, act differently, or believe differently from us.
Prayer: Lord, give me grace that I might love you more and more this day. May your true righteousness rule in my heart and shine from my lips and my actions today.
To see a communion homily on this passage, click here.
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