October 24, 2012
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:17-20
OBSERVATIONS
1. The three sections of the Jewish Bible are the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. Jesus is not excluding the latter, but using the customary phrase ‘Law and Prophets’ in an inclusive sense for all the Jewish scriptures. Jesus describes His role as to fulfill them, to bring them to their conclusion or completion. “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44) Jesus is the realization of every promise, the fulfillment of every hope, the living embodiment of every command, the meaning behind every symbol.
2. The least of the Laws, the least in the kingdom. Do we need to practice the least of the laws, do we need to follow them literally, or do we need to follow them to Jesus, which was their purpose? “So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” (Galatians 3:24-25) When we come to Christ by faith, and allow His Spirit to transform us into His likeness, we are no longer under the Law, we have entered into it’s true meaning and purpose. In Christ, the Law IS accomplished!
3. The religious leaders were hyper-religious and hyper-righteous, how can our righteousness surpass theirs? The only way our righteousness can surpass theirs is if it is a different kind of righteousness, one that is attained by faith and not by works. I am perfectly righteous and without sin in God’s eyes when I put my confidence in Jesus and His perfect righteousness. In Christ I am justified by faith, it is just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
1. The thing that sticks in my heart today is the zeal of the religious leaders for being religious, and I hear God calling me to be zealous in humility and confidence in Him. To know, to feel, to sense deep down the depth and the breadth of my sinfulness, and my need for mercy and help. God doesn’t want me to feel bad for it’s own sake, but to know the seriousness of my condition so that I seek the help I need. By setting the religious leaders as the bar, I know that I could never get there by myself, and I turn to Jesus for help – for the forgiveness, freedom and fullness that is beyond me.
2. The zeal of religious leaders then and now is intended to spur us on towards a zeal for humility and faith in Christ. Paul describes the zeal of the Jews: “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:2-4). We are righteous in God’s eyes by humble faith, not by hard work.
3. I hear the Lord saying to me, ‘take your sin seriously, so seriously that you despair of ever fixing yourself, improving yourself through self-help. Get to the point where you despair, like Paul, so that you come to me to find rest!’ “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
God, my sin is serious, more than I realize. Help me reach this point of despair, so that I can rest in You by faith alone. May Your amazing grace teach my heart to fear, and may Your amazing grace my fears relieve!
Christians all over the place argue about which rules to follow … which ones no longer apply because we are not ‘under the law’ anymore … which are important .. which are not. I am a ‘rule follower’ by nature & I can easily get bogged down literally trying to be like the Pharisees (impossible indeed!). Reading this, I am reminded of 1st Corinthians 13: 1-4. Nothing I do matters if my heart isn’t in the right place. And if my heart IS in the right place … then I will do what matters. I am thankful for the reminder that Jesus acoomplished all, and that His grace is enough … it is scary to feel the weight of the law that is impossible to uphold!
Read on it’s own, these are very tough verses to understand and to internalize. It seems to me that we pick and choose which laws are timeless (don’t kill), and which ones we can ignore(don’t eat pork). And then we tweek the ones to fit our culture (don’t labour on the Sabbath, Saturday). In vs 18 we are told that until heaven and earth disappear… Are heaven and earth going to disappear? Or is Jesus saying never? He is saying that even the least of the commandments require our obedience until everything is accomplished. This means that everything will be accomplished. Has everything been accomplished up to now? Jesus sacrificial death on the cross has accomplished salvation for man, but we still live sinful lives dependent on His grace. We still suffer sickness, death, and the effects of sin. We are taught to not break any commandments, or to teach others to do so. He is suggesting that by teaching others to break commandments, we will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. I think these verses are instructing us to be righteous. This takes some effort. These verses do not talk about grace, and taken by themselves suggest that there is little hope to get into heaven. I cannot live a righteous life on my own.
I pray that I can take these words of Jesus seriously. I pray that through faith in Jesus, and God’s grace, that I will be deemed as righteous in God’s eyes. I pray that I will be able to obey God’s moral code for my life.
Observations:
Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He is the answer to all the requirements.
Do not negate any one of God’s laws or make laws that are not part of God’s commands.
Live God’s Word by doing His Word and teach His Word for that is what He desires. That’s is the duty of Kingdom people.
Application:
How shall I live each day – according to His Word. His Word must be my guide in all I do and say.
I am reminded of Reformation Day – October 31st – a return to the Bible for the people of God and not all the rituals man or the church had made. God’s people live by the book and not by made made rules.
Living by the Book is only a possibility through the blood of Christ. He showed us the way for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Prayer:
Jesus is the Light of the World. Help me Lord each day to walk in that Light and be a reflector – a star – of that life giving light.
The whole world was lost
In the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noonday,
His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Refrain:
Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!
No darkness have we
Who in Jesus abide;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
We walk in the light
When we follow our Guide!
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Ye dwellers in darkness
With sin blinded eyes,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Go, wash, at His bidding,
And light will arise.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
No need of the sunlight
In Heaven we’re told;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
The Lamb is the Light
In the city of gold,
The Light of the world is Jesus!