Daily Devotional For Saturday, September 14, 2024
You can pat yourself on the back. You made it to the wonderful weekend. As the band. Chicago sang: It’s Saturday, (not) in the park, unless you want to go there this weekend in all the rain we are going to get. We are making our way through the greatest and most famous sermon ever – Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. We have finished The Beatitudes and now we are looking at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17-20:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. (18) For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (19) Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (NASB).
Jesus was a master teacher and no one up to Jesus nor after Jesus has been able to espouse truth so clearly, convincingly or challengingly because He was and is the Truth. In a culture that touted rules, rituals and regulations as well as traditions and the Temple, Jesus did not mince words. The religious leaders twisted God’s Word and truth in order to levy power over the people. Afraid that people might read God’s Word for themselves, they added to it and lauded their additions and self-centered interpretations for one reason – control. With boldness, Jesus denounced them as hypocrites, white-washed tombs and snakes.
The Jewish people had been taught and conditioned to believe that only the religious leaders could teach them the truth of God’s Word. So, when Jesus called them out, they felt threatened by Him and His boldness. So, there would be no misunderstanding, Jesus made it clear in Matthew 5:17, that He did not come to abolish God’s Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. Just in case they missed it, Jesus used some humor to stress this in Matthew 5:18 by referring to “the smallest letter or stroke” shall not pass from the Law.
New Testament Greek scholar Archibald T. Robinson adds some insight on this:
“Literally, it says, “not one iota or one horn.” The iota was the smallest Greek vowel, sometimes even located beneath another letter. The “horn” probably referred to a tiny mark like a hook or tail that distinguished one letter from another, as in the case of the Hebrew letters yod (י) and waw (ו), or daleth (ד) and resh (ר)” (Source: A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures, p. 43).
Jesus made a play on words in verse 19 when He said that “whoever annuls” the “least of these commandments” will be the “least in the kingdom of heaven.” This means as pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this:
“Jesus Himself would fulfill God’s Word doctrinally, ethically, prophetically, and personally. He would live its laws and interpret its words as God originally intended. He would fulfill its prophecies and promises as predicted” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Matthew 1-15,” Vol. 1A, p. 98).
Jesus would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven but He would not live up to the man-made rules by the religious leaders. His righteousness would exceed the pathetic self-righteousness of the religious leaders. So, what made Jesus’ righteousness different? It is the same righteousness that makes ours too. Pastor and author John Stott writes this:
“Christian righteousness is greater than pharisaic righteousness because it is deeper, being a righteousness of the heart.… Pharisees were content with an external and formal obedience, a rigid conformity to the letter of the law.… The righteousness which is pleasing to him is an inward righteousness of mind and motive” (Source: John Stott, The Message of the Sermon On The Mount – Matthew 5-7, p. 75).
And for the rest of chapter 5, Jesus demonstrates and exhibits six examples of the “deeper righteousness” that God expects from us. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll highlights these for us (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Matthew 1-15,” Vol. 1A, p. 99).
- Murder (Matthew 5:21-26)
- Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30)
- Divorce (Matthew 5:31-32)
- Oaths (Matthew 5:33-37)
- Retaliation (Matthew 5:38-42)
- Love (Matthew 5:43-48)
"For each of these six topics Jesus repeated a phrase, “You have heard – meaning from the religious leaders – “but I say to you . . .”(referring to the correct interpretation). What Jesus does here is shift the emphasis from eternal observable only acts to the internal unobservable attitudes. So, when it came to the Old Testament Law, there were 3 parts or aspects to it that Jesus came to fulfill. I am grateful for New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton for breaking this down for us (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 89).
- The ceremonial law that related to Israel’s worship. See Leviticus 1:2-3 as an example of this. The purpose of these laws were to point to Jesus and after Jesus’ death and Resurrection, these laws were no longer necessary. This is why Christians do not follow all these ceremonial laws, but we do follow their object – to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
- The civil law that applied to everyday living for Jesus. An example of this is Deuteronomy 24:10-11. As Christians we do not follow these either, but we do apply their intent – a trust until they are violated.
- The moral law, which would be like The Ten Commandments. The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today. Jesus obeyed the moral law completely and expects his followers to do the same.
To go back to Matthew 5:17, notice the first 3 words by Jesus, “Do not think . . .” It seems that the current religious leaders were already spreading misinformation about Jesus and He takes this time to set the record straight. Jesus makes sure those listening know He has no plans to abolish, annul, minimize, overturn or lower the standards set by God in the Old Testament Law. Instead, He plans to reveal in Matthew 5 how God’s Law was not just limited to visible acts, but to invisible attitudes of the heart. Sin starts in the heart before it comes out in our actions.
Questions To Consider
- Would you say that your faith is more about rules, rituals, regulations and traditions? If you say “No,” how much of what you do in your faith is because of the rules, rituals, regulations and traditions?
- Are you a dot the “i” and cross the “t” type person? Why or why not?
- Based on what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18, do you think Jesus was being legalistic? Why or why not?
- Jesus came to fulfill the 3 aspects of the Law: the ceremonial, the civil and the moral. Which of these do you think was the most challenging for Jesus to fulfill? Which is most challenging to you to fulfill like Jesus and why?
- What religious misinformation or false Christian teaching have you experienced and how did it influence your life? What have you done since and why?
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I don’t want to do what I do because it is a rule, or based on some ritual or regulation, but because of my personal relationship to You. Thank You that You came to fulfill the Law and the prophecies about You in the prophetic books. I want to obey You out of love and gratitude, not because it is an Old Testament law or do it grudgingly. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly