Christ And The Law - Matthew 5:17-18 Series

Matthew 5:17 "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. 18 I tell you the truth, 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. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same 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. 20 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.

Introduction

Jesus’ message seemed anti-law

There was a buzz going around Judea that this miracle worker – this one John the Baptist said was the Messiah – was anti-Bible. People were wondering if He was a liberal. The Bible experts of the day were the Scribes and Pharisees, and Jesus seemed to butt heads with them every time He talked. He seemed to be ready to discard all the ancient traditions.

He would say things like, “You have heard it was said” and then go on to quote a verse from the Bible, and then say, “But I say unto you” and give them something very different from what they had always been taught. There really was something about Jesus’ message that seemed to be abolishing the Law. (They referred to the Bible as “the Law,” or “the Law and the Prophets.) This is a question that not only dogged Jesus but anyone who preached Jesus’ message. When Stephen was on trial for preaching Jesus’ message they accused him of speaking against the Law in Acts 6:11-14. When they brought Paul up on charges before Gallio:

Acts 18:13 "This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."

Paul knew his teaching sounded that way – that is why he even brought the question up himself.

Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

He had to say that because he knew it sounded like he was nullifying the law. What was it about Jesus’ message that made it seem so anti-Bible?

Jesus was saying things nobody had ever said before – and so they wondered if this was revolution or reform? Revolution throws out all the old ideas and turns to new ideas. Reform does the opposite – it restores things back to the way they used to be. So was Jesus involved in revolution or reform? Whichever it was, He was certainly making some radical changes. He told Jews they could eat unclean foods. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but not long before Jesus’ time was one of the high points of Jewish devotion to God during the Maccabean period. And the thing that was so great about that time – the thing that is praised even in Scripture in Hebrews 11, was when the Maccabees willingly submitted to torture and death rather than eat a piece of pork. They were right to do that – that is how important the kosher laws were in Old Testament times. But now Jesus arrives on the scene and one day just declared all foods clean (Mk.7:19). One day Jesus just stood up and said, “You know that whole clean and unclean system of kosher foods established in the Law of Moses that has defined the Jewish nation for the past 1500 years? It’s cancelled. Eat whatever you want now – have a ham sandwich – knock yourselves out.” So He totally disagrees with all the Bible experts. He is saying, “You have always been taught this, but I say unto you…,” His message seems to abolish or nullify the Law, He breaks the Sabbath rules, He does not fast, He does not do the hand washing rituals, and He throws out one of the most fundamental defining elements of the entire Jewish religion without even batting an eye. So it is no surprise that there was a buzz going around Judea that this guy who is supposed to be the Messiah is anti-Bible; anti-law and the prophets; anti-Old Testament.

So before Jesus goes any further in this sermon – before He gets to the part where He starts saying, “You have heard it was said…but I say unto you…” – He is going to address this whole question of exactly where He stands with regard to the Law of God – the Bible. Remember, the Sermon on the Mount is a sermon about righteousness in the Messiah’s kingdom. The Messiah has arrived, He is setting up His kingdom, and this is what righteousness looks like in this kingdom. So even apart from the questions about Jesus’ commitment to the Law, obviously He is going to have to bring the issue of the Law up so we know what role Scripture plays in living a righteous life in this kingdom. What are the rules in this kingdom? Are they the same as they always have been, or is there a new set of rules? That is the question at hand, and that is the question Jesus is going to answer right now.