‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For 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. Therefore 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 practises and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For 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 NIVUK
A few weeks ago at thr time of writing, I came across an article in a newspaper, which speculated that the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, was considering stepping down from her post. I found the news to be interesting, but as only one media outlet picked the story up, and it wasn’t one with a great reputation, I dismissed it as speculation.
On 15th February 2023, a press conference was hastily convened in Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, at just an hour's notice. I can imagine the questions as journalists and photographers gathered: ‘What is she doing? Why the short notice? Is she really resigning?’
Sure enough, that’s what happened. She resigned.
As Jesus led this crowd up the mountain and began His discourse, I don’t doubt many people were wondering ‘What is He doing? Is He starting a new religion? A new state? A new nation? Or maybe just a kibbutz? What is Jesus up to?’
This state of bewilderment would likely be nothing new, and it doesn’t seem to go away either, even among His own disciples. Right until the Resurrection, they seem to be quote unconvinced over who He is and what He came to do.
These four verses are, in a sense, the introduction to what will follow. That makes them important. Because this is not mere dry, stale discussion on the minutiae of an ancient legal system that no longer exists. Neither are these the founding acts of a new religion.
No. This is Jesus teaching us what He intends to do and why He intends to do it.
There are five words here that show Jesus’ attitude towards the Old Testament law and prophets.
The first of these is fulfil. Jesus came to fulfil the requirements of the law.
There are three ways in which Jesus fulfilled the law. The first is through obedience. Jesus met all legal requirements, including those that might seem to be unjust (Matthew 17:24-27). He also met with the demands of the Royal Law (Luke 10:27; c.f. Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:14) more completely than anyone who ever walked this earth.
But He also came to fulfil the sacrificial requirements of the law that demanded blood for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22; c.f. Matthew 26:28).
And also to fulfil prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. Scholars vary on this, but conservatively they say that Jesus fulfilled 300 prophecies through His life, work, death and resurrection.
Moreover, His determination to do so is astounding. Take this one, for example:
They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
Psalms 69:21 NIVUK
Look at this:
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.
John 19:28-29 NIVUK
This wine vinegar – sour wine mixed with vinegar that was the tipple of choice for Roman soldiers – would not have been pleasant to drink. And yet there is Jesus, in indescribable pain and moments from death, fulfilling prophecy by asking for it.
Jesus didn’t come just to fulfil the law and prophets, but to accomplish them, and until He did so, the law would remain firmly and resolutely in place. Not even the accidental swish of a scribe’s pen nib would be removed from it.
But what does this mean?
It means that, having fulfilled all its requirements, Jesus closed the book on the law as a means of salvation, as Paul teaches:
Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 10:4 NIVUK
That is why, on the cross, we hear Jesus cry these words:
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30 NIVUK
What is finished?
The plan to fulfil and accomplish all that was written in the law.
That is why, when people from outside the Jewish community came to faith, they were not required to follow the whole Jewish law (Acts 15).
Why would they be? The law had been both fulfilled and accomplished.
However, it would be completely wrong to assume we can live a chaotic, anarchic life and then use Jesus as an eternal safety net. Paul is clear on that (Romans 6:1-2).
Jesus instead commends those who both practice and teach the law.
And this means what it says: we do what the law says and are able to teach it and pass it on.
James has a rather tough, but accurate, take on this:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.
James 1:22-25 NIVUK
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3:1 NIVUK
Both Jesus and James have this in the correct order. The old adage that ‘those who can, do, those who can’t, teach’ absolutely does not apply to the Word of God. We must obey first, then teach second. Otherwise we undermine the very thing we want to teach.
The last of these five words is one of the most challenging of all: surpass.
For 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 5:20 NIVUK
On the surface, this would seem to be quite straightforward and easy. After all, wasn’t Jesus scathing about the lack of righteousness in the Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 23:13-33)?
But I don’t believe this is what Jesus is talking about here.
For all they had come well and truly adrift, the one thing that Jesus could not say is they their teaching was wrong (see Matthew 23:1-3). That is because, apart from the authority they received from simply being ancestors of Levi, these men were dedicated scholars of the Word of God and knew it very well in theory. It was their practice of it that let them down.
Jesus is saying that our righteousness should exceed theirs by spending time in the Word of God to know what we should do, and then doing it.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the Sermon on the Mount is profoundly unpopular among those who want to believe in Jesus, but don’t want to follow Him or put His teachings into practice. Such people exist, but are to Christianity what a bad black and white photocopy is to the Mona Lisa.
But neither is Jesus telling His followers how to be saved. What we see here is not the path to salvation.
It’s more like this.
When I was younger, we didn’t have central heating. Our house was heated by a gas fireplace in the living room. All very romantic, but not very safe if you have young children or pets. And so we had a great wrought iron fireguard that stopped animals and little people from getting burned.
The Sermon on the Mount is like that fireguard. It stops the realities of life from burning us.
So while modern life insists on putting up neon signs, inviting us to dance barefoot on the naked flames, Jesus’ teaching keeps us safe and secure.
That is why the Law exists. That is why Jesus gives us these, often difficult, teachings.
That is why we should obey them.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, forgive me if I have used you as a Divine insurance policy – there to save me when I die, but not permitted to guide me or lead me now. Help me to recognise that you love me and keep me safe. Help me to follow You. Amen.
Questions
1. What does Jesus tell us He is going to do to the Law? Which five words describe this?
2. How can our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees or the teachers of the law? What should we do?
3. Why did God give us the law? Is it still relevant today?
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