A friend asked me me today, “How do you renconcile Matt 5:17-19 in regards to all the Levitical laws and OT teachings of ritualistic behavior?”
The first thing we should do is look at the Scripture in context:
Matthew 5:17-20(TNIV)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is such a great question because there is much contrast between the Old and New Testaments. Let’s first look at verse 17 and 18.
The first thing I would do is ask myself, “What was the intent of God in spelling out these things, ‘the Law’ ?” I believe God’s intent was much like our intent in teaching our children. To impart wisdom that would help them “in the way that they should go” so that they might be fulfilled in life. What is the definition of that fulfilled life, I believe that it is to love God and to love others. So, what I am really trying to say here is that as we have built a relationship with the living God, through Jesus Christ, a daily relationship in which we see God as or Father, and we feel His love and can see His footprints beside us each day, and as we gain the ability to love others and to be loved…..we achieve the ultimate fulfillment in life and for eternity.
The LAB Comentary put’s it this way, “God gave moral and ceremonial laws to help people love him with all their hearts and minds. Throughout Israel’s history, however, these laws had been often misquoted and misapplied. By Jesus’ time, religious leaders had turned God’s laws into a confusing mass of rules. When Jesus talked about a new way to understand the law, he was trying to bring people back to its original purpose. Jesus did not speak against the law itself, but against the abuses and excesses to which it had been subjected.”
It’s interesting to me that the Greek word translated as “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 is, “pleroo” [play-ro-o]. This word has fuller meaning of, “to complete”, to “bring to realization”, and to “render perfect”. Now here is what I find interesting. Jesus came to “fulfill” the Law. Jesus was made perfect in His suffering on the Cross. In his suffering, the will of God was fulfilled in that we, as His children might be saved and have a new life. The Greek word translated as “perfect” in Hebrews 2:10 is “teleioo” [tel-i-o-o] which has a fuller meaning of “to fulfill”, “to make perfect” or “complete”.
This same concept of “fullfillment” of the Law is present in the perfection of Jesus as our Savior. Simply put, Jesus came to put the heart back into the Law.
Look at Hebrews 2:10 (TNIV)
“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” [Jesus’ suffering on the cross].
Let’s next look at verse 20 to further explore what Jesus is saying:
Matthew 5:20 (TNIV)
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The verses we are looking at are a part of a larger work called the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount begins with Jesus talking about the blessing of having the right heart attitudes. These eight attitudes that Jesus tells us about are called “The Beatitudes”. If we live the Beatitudes, these attitudes in our heart, or inner being–the Ten Commandments will be NO problem and our “standard of righteousness” WILL exceed that of those who live by the letter of the law.
As followers of Christ, our goal is that our “doing right” is based on the heart. Remember the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” and “Blessed are the pure in heart”? As we apply these attitudes to our heart, our righteousness will surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in Jesus day. Our goal is to live in peace and harmony, in love and committment to God and others. Ours is a DEEPER righteouness. We should not be content with simply obeying the letter of God’s Law. Jesus is telling us that to live full and fullfilling lives, we must have an inward righteousness of MIND and MOTIVE. Because God looks at our heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 (TNIV)
….The Lord does not look at the things human beings look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Luke 16:15 (TNIV) [this is Jesus speaking]
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts….
The key, I believe, to understanding all that God has been trying to impart to us from the beginning is that He wants our hearts. There is much more to add to this if you are interested. Verses 18, 19 and 20 (which I touched on) are pretty deep. The key to their understanding is to understand the true meaning of “the Kingdom of Heaven”.
I would like to say, thank you for giving me the understanding about Jesus fulfilling the Law. Very interesting to read, so now that I can share this topic to my small group next Tuesday. Thank you so much for the understanding, you are truly blessed and truly anointed.
Thank you for visiting LaleoCafe Miriam 🙂 God bless!
Pingback: More like guidelines anyway… « Kierkegaurd
Pingback: More like guidelines anyway… | Kierkegaurd