Jesus condemned whoever sets aside the least of God’s commands. Let’s examine Jesus’ commentary on the law in the sermon on the mount and understand the spirit of the law.
You ARE Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 CEB)
Jesus said, his disciples ARE salt and light of the world. Let’s be what we already are. Salt preserves and tastes good. Light brightens a dark planet and doesn’t hide. What must be seen? Our good deeds must be seen and our motive must be to glorify God, not ourselves. We can SAY that we have faith, but faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
Law not Abolished
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20 KJV)
The law and prophets means the Old Testament. Have heaven and earth passed away? There are more ancient copies of the Bible than any other book in history, making it the most reliable ancient document in existence. The Bible is the most historically accurate document in human history.
Jesus endorses the entire Old Testament, including all 613 commandments. Jesus taught how Christians obey the law better than the Pharisees did, in the spirit.
The letter of the law kills (2 Corinthians 3:6) and there is a righteousness by faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3, 9; James 2:23). For example, circumcision is not of the flesh but the heart (Romans 2:29) and love fulfills the whole law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14).
The letter of the law is legalism. The spirit of the law is love. The law teaches us much, but it is only a shadow of things to come. The cross is the reality. Love in action fulfills the law, all of it.
Let’s begin to understand some details of this as the law’s author instructs us.
Murder
“... I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:22 NASB)
Jesus angrily turned over the money-changers’ tables (Matthew 21:12-13), and was angry with the Pharisees’ hard hearts (Mark 3:1-5) without sin (Ephesians 4:26-27). Unrighteous anger (Proverbs 15:18) is discerned by what comes out of our mouths, lies, false accusation, hateful words, verbal abuse. The opposite of murder is to reconcile or settle matters.
Adultery
“... I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28 NIV)
The letter of a law leaves loopholes. Jesus addressed the spirit of the law. Lust can lead to adultery. Exaggerating to make the point, Jesus suggested self-mutilation, a sin. He meant: take drastic steps to avoid adultery.
What about divorce? Jesus’ exception is sexual immorality of any kind and later inspired Paul to add, if the unbeliever departs (1 Corinthians 7:15-17). The general principle is: easy divorce is not God’s way.
Bearing False Witness
Foolish and superstitious oaths don’t guarantee truth. Simply answer yes or no.
“Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37 NLT)
Ever felt like you are never good enough? Let’s face it! We’ve all been verbally abusive, lustful and broken promises. But it doesn’t end there. Take it to God. It’s over, forgiven! Don’t live in the failures of the past, but in the forgiven life of the people of Christ.
Religious Exhibitionism
Let’s explore our motives in public acts. Jesus said to let our light shine so that others may see our good deeds and glorify God (Matthew 5:16), but then he said,
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1 NKJV)
Is there a contradiction? The key is our motive. Is our purpose to show off or give God the glory? He said the same about prayer and fasting.
Model Prayer
There is absolutely nothing wrong with praying the Lord’s Prayer by rote, as long as we are sincere and realize that it is a model covering topics for deeper personal prayer. Let’s not forget Jesus’ instructions:
“Therefore, you should pray like this… “ (Matthew 6:9a HCSB)
Wealth
Society worships wealth. Jesus taught the opposite, to give to the needy, pay generous wages, and make fair business deals. Do we use money as a tool for good, or do we worship it as an idol?
“You can’t serve both God and Mammon.” (Matthew 6:24b WEB)
If we tend to worry about finances, let’s learn to be inspired by God’s amazing provision for birds and flowers.
“Look at the birds of the sky… Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow…” (Matthew 6:26-28 HCSB)
What should our number one priority be?
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
Rest
Where can we find true rest for our souls? Do we find true rest on a letter-of-the-law Sabbath day, in a literal promised land, or in Jesus and in eternity? Let’s look at the only rest command in the entire New Testament.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NKJV)
Our permanent Sabbath rest is in Jesus in our eternal promised land (Hebrews 3-4). Letter of the law Sabbath-keeping people under Moses and Joshua did not enter true rest. We enter a true Sabbath rest through believing.
“Only people who have faith will enter the place of rest. It is just as the Scriptures say, ‘God became angry and told the people, “You will never enter my place of rest!” ’ God said this, even though everything has been ready from the time of creation.” (Hebrews 4:3 CEV).
So, a rest remains even for Sabbath-keeping people (Hebrews 4:9). A day off is a good thing, but only Jesus can give what a day of rest cannot.
Jesus teaches us to apply every jot and tittle of the law in spirit, because the letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). Will you have a change of heart and mind and believe the good news of God’s reign? You decide!
