Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 5:17-20

You should not think it true that I came to make the Law or the Prophets invalid.  I did not come to make them invalid but rather to give true meaning to them.  For truly I say to you all: until the heavens and the earth should pass away, one iota or even the smallest stroke of letter should surely not pass away from the Law until all becomes true.  Therefore whoever should transgress against one of the least of these commandments and whoever should teach mankind in this manner, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  But whoever should both do and teach, this one will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses the greatness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you all should surely not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I am struck by the meaning of the Greek verb “plero” (πληρόω).  Here is a verb in a very memorable passage.  We are accustomed to hearing this verb translated as “to fulfill,” as in, “to fulfill the Law.”  This is certainly not wrong.  The verb actually means, “to give true or complete meaning to something.”  In other words: to do or understand something in its greatest form.  Because of this, I have chosen to translate it above as “to give true meaning to them.”  For me, whenever I have heard Jesus say, “I came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill them” I have thought that Jesus was referring to the fact that He came because the Law demands a sacrifice for sin and He was to be the ultimate sacrifice – to fulfill the Law.  But after digging into this verb I think Jesus is saying more than that.  I think Jesus is saying that what He actually came to do is to give us the example of a person who genuinely lives out the Law.  He came to bring greater meaning to the Law.  He came to take the Law out of the realm of a “list of regulations you cannot do” and elevate it to a “list of behaviors I desire to do because it genuinely leads to a closer walk with the Creator.”  Many of us perceive God’s Word in terms of the negative.  It is as if we secretly believe that God wants us to have absolutely no fun at all.  Jesus is fighting this concept.  Jesus wants to show us the beautiful and fulfillment that comes by obedience to God.  Jesus has not come to toss away some horrible heavy burden upon our lives.  He has come to show us that the burden is neither horrible nor heavy when it is done after we change our attitude and genuinely follow Him.

How do you perceive God’s Word?  Is it a restriction placed upon your life?  Is it something that brings freedom and order to chaos?  Why is understanding how you relate to God’s Word significant?

Second Thought:

I love the nuance that Jesus gives to us as He talks about transgression.  You’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Whoever breaks even the smallest part of the Law will go to Hell.”  No!  He says, “Whoever breaks the smallest part of the Law will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.”  There is a huge amount of grace there – even though it sounds mostly like a slam.  Jesus knows we cannot be perfect.  His point is not that our sin will keep us from heaven!  Jesus knows that we will sin and yet He still came to show us how to be in relationship with God.  Obviously, heaven will be filled with people who sinned in their life – and I’ll be among them!  So if Jesus is not teaching us that sin keeps us from heaven, what is He teaching us?  Jesus is teaching us that sin pulls us away from God.  Sin keeps us from being as close to God as possible.  When we sin, we are voluntarily forfeiting some proximity to God.  Because of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, our sins will not prevent us from entering into eternal life.  But our sins keep us distant from God here and now.  Our sin pushes us away from God, cause us to become lesser and lesser until we become least.  But our sin will always be conquered by Christ’s atoning sacrifice, which is why we can be least and yet still be found in the kingdom of heaven.

Is their joy in knowing that you sin will always be conquered by Christ?  How does it make you feel to understand that your sin is a voluntarily forfeit of proximity to God?

Third Thought:

So what does a godly life look like in these verses?  It is the one who does the Law and teaches others to do the same.  In other words, someone who practices what they preach.  It is the one who not only believes but who believes and obeys.  Furthermore, it is the one who believes and obeys and who invites other people into their midst to learn from them.  It is the one who is not afraid to have other people imitate them – even as flawed as any of us might actually be.  This is the person who will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Where are you on this spectrum?  Are you caught up in your sinfulness?  Are you trying to rise above it?  Are you actively allowing others into your life to see and experience your obedience so that they can learn to imitate obedience to God for themselves?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 5:21-22