Matthew 5:17-20
Relativity is the trend of today’s society. It is not a new trend because in the days of Noah
everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. Relativism springs from the belief that there
is no absolute truth. When people feel
like they can believe whatever they want they will also behave however they want. When there is not standard for truth, there
is no standard for right and wrong.
Jesus was often criticized for and accused of breaking the Law. He wants to make it perfectly clear that this
accusation was false. The problem was
that the religious leaders and interpreters of the Law throughout the years had
added so many things to the Law and made so many different regulations about
the Law that it was almost unrecognizable.
Jesus was not concerned about man’s rules, regulations and rituals. He was concerned with the true Law of
Scripture. He tells us three important
truths about the Law of God found in the Word of God.
THE PERMANENCE OF THE LAW: Jesus had not come to abolish the
Law as some accused Him of trying to do because He did not observe the Sabbath
in the same way that the Pharisees demanded from their own interpretations of
the Law. Instead, Jesus had come to
fulfill the Law. By fulfilling the Law;
Jesus meant that He was living in accordance with the Law as well as completing
the requirements of the Law in order to redeem those who were condemned by the
Law. The very presence of Jesus on earth
was to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. Jesus affirms that not even the smallest part
of the Law would pass away without in being fulfilled. There is a permanent standard of truth as
well as right and wrong that is revealed in the Word of God. Certain rituals were established by God in
the Old Testament in order to prepare His people for the arrival of
Messiah. Once Jesus had arrived and
given Himself as a sacrifice for sin; the purpose of these had been fulfilled
making these rituals unnecessary. Jesus
was not abolishing the Law but fulfilling it.
THE PRIORITY OF THE LAW: Jesus made it clear that living in accordance
with the Law of Scripture and teaching others to do the same was the priority
for our lives. Those who claimed that
the Law had no meaning or authority over their lives and encouraged others to
ignore the Law as well would have no place in the kingdom of God. Those who lived in submission to the standards
of God reveled in God’s Word and encouraged others to do the same would be
given great honor in the kingdom of God.
Recognizing the authority of God’s Word and placing our will in
submission to the Scriptures has eternal consequences. Since the truth of God’s Word is permanent,
the keeping of God’s Word must be the priority of our lives. Our first concern must be with obeying the
Word of God. Our second concern should
be helping others to obey the Word of God.
Jesus was not talking about a legalistic approach that was full of
pride, hypocrisy and self-righteousness.
Jesus calls us to humbly obey God’s Word and set an example for others
to follow and then encouraging others in love to live the same way.
THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW: The purpose of the Law was to reveal
the moral requirements of God and the character of God. His standard for righteousness is revealed in
the Law. The purpose of the Law was not
to be able to save men from their sin but to reveal to men the fact that they
are sinners in need of a Savior. The
Pharisees were generally seen as being radical adherents to the Law. They held themselves up as the standard to
which others should strive to achieve.
Jesus makes it very clear that they were not even close to attaining the
heart of the Law. God requires a
righteousness of man that far exceeds what the Pharisees claimed to be the
standard. They were only concerned with
external appearances but their hearts were full of pride and a lack of love for
God and others. They did not even
practice what they taught. The purpose
of the Law was not to save us but to reveal our need of a Savior. That does not means we don’t need to worry
about following the Law; it just means we don’t need to be condemned because of
our failures. The purpose of the Law is
to provide a standard to which all of us should seek to abide and to promote
faith in Christ because we all realize our failure to keep that perfect
standard.
APPLICATION: Recognize the authority of God’s Word in our
lives as the permanent standard for right and wrong. Make obedience to the Word of God the
greatest priority of our lives.
Encourage others to live in obedience to God’s Word through our examples
and our exhortations. Humbly recognize
our failures and use them to fill our hearts with praise, gratitude and faith
in the work of Jesus on our behalf.
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