Good morning,
Having laid the foundation of the message in the summary statement of the Beatitudes, Jesus now proceeds to show the superiority of His message to that of the law of Moses. He makes it clear that He had not…come to destroy the law. That is, the New Testament gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law. Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.
This week we will look at the contrast between the outward behavior demanded by the law and the inner attitude of the heart desired by God. The law versus the Spirit.
Christ on the Law (17-20)
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 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.19 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.20 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.
“Verily I say is a unique form used by Jesus throughout His preaching to draw attention to the authority of His message. Verily means “truly” or “certainly”. It is used as a designation of authoritative teaching. One jot or one tittle refers to the most minute letter and marks of the Hebrew alphabet. He explained that even the smallest statement in the law must be fulfilled.”
“Because of the seriousness of the law, Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping even the smallest details. However, in the ultimate plan of God, the law was not to become an extra burden on the souls of men. Rather than pointing the way to salvation, the law convinced men of the need of the Savior.”
“Because of the necessity of righteousness as a requirement to enter heaven, Jesus then declares that except their righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees they could not enter heaven. The significance of this is seen in the fact that the Jews of Jesus day considered these people to be the most religious in all Israel. However, their religion was largely an outward show of self-righteousness. In communicating the depths of His message, Jesus used a series of contrasts between the outward behavior demanded by the law and the inner attitude of the heart desired by God. Here we discover the practical application of genuine Christian character of true spiritual living.” (Excerpts from the Liberty Study Bible, 1988, page 1417)
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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