Jesus and the Law
Sermon Recap
We are in the 4th week of our preaching series on the Sermon on the Mount, the longest sermon of Jesus in the gospel writings.
Jesus is teaching his new disciples what His kingdom is like and what it means to enter into it. We are here, now, learning from Jesus in the exact same way. We want these words of Jesus to shape our imagination and reignite our vision for what is good.
After the opening beatitudes and some pointed statements of identity (you are salt, you are light), Jesus opens up his perspective on the Law. The rest of Matthew 5 gives us 6 case studies, culminating in Jesus’ eyebrow-raising conclusion in vs 48, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Here’s the point of this week’s sermon: when Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) – He meant it. And we actually really want him to mean it. And if He does mean it, it is really, really good news.
Jesus said that he didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Not to tear it down, but to “fill it full”, giving a full picture of it. The idea we sometimes have that Jesus was all about grace and therefore against the law is a false idea, and dangerous. In truth, Jesus speaks of the law as a deeply good thing, essential to human life.
In the OT, the Hebrew word for law is “Torah.” Torah didn’t primarily refer to a system of rules, but rather to instruction or guidance. It was gift. We might even say that just as we understand that Jesus reveals the heart of God to us, so the Torah, rightly understood, always was meant do point to that exact same heart.
Jesus comes to make fully visible for us all that the law was always pointing toward.
Understanding verse 20 takes a little bit of work. We think of righteousness as a kind of moral purity, or perfect rule keeping. As used in the Bible, it is better understood as “right-relatedness” – to God, to others, to creation itself. It includes all our relationships – as mother, brother, friend, neighbor, co-worker, etc. It is love wisely applied in all these complex places, demonstrating God’s intentions in them.
The Pharisees are often portrayed as cartoonish villains in our preaching. But they were men who prized and studied the Scriptures, who believed that individuals ought to make a personal commitment to believing and obeying them, who committed themselves to acts of piety because of them. In so many ways, they share values that we would now name as “evangelical.”
In their time, the Pharisees were widely regarded as religious, devout people. So it was shocking to hear Jesus say to his disciples that their righteousness would have to exceed that of the Pharisees if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. What is Jesus saying?
The “kingdom of heaven” isn’t another realm, a place we go to when we die. The kingdom is about God’s active rule, his reigning over His people. In the words of Dallas Willard, it is where what God wants to be done is actually being done. Wherever God’s desires are being realized, that is the kingdom.
Over time, the Pharisees had replaced the humble pursuit of genuine righteousness with a corrupting posture of religious performance. And then demanded others consider them righteous for it.
When Jesus opposes them – as He often does in Matthew’s gospel – He is not opposing the law. He is calling his disciples into a way of being that is so much richer and fuller than ego or fear-driven performance. He is calling us into the reality of God’s kingdom, a way of being where what is taught is authentically practiced out of joy and delight. Into a way of being where we do good works that glorify the Father, because the Father is at work inside of us. He is creating the humility and integrity that naturally produces the right-relatedness He desires for us.
He is calling his disciples into a kingdom that is deeper than appearances, deeper than mere sin management. A way of being that is full and free and alive.
Entering Conversation
1. Reflect back on what you heard in this sermon, or on the thoughts that have come afterwards. What stood out to you, either because it was new/interesting, or because you felt like the Spirit directed your attention to it?
2. What might it look like to respond in some way to what you heard? (NB – this is where community can be helpful. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with what we heard, but others can help us identify ways of responding. Feel free to help each other, graciously and gently, listening for what the Spirit may be prompting.)
3. Close this time with prayer, inviting God to continue the conversation with you through the week.
Practice for the Week
At the end of the sermon, David invited us into the practice of Examen as a way of saying yes to our discipleship to Jesus daily. It is a simple way to slow down and learn to recognize God’s presence in your actual life. The Examen is a daily prayer practice often done at the end of day. It moves through 5 steps:
1. Presence. (Recognize and welcome God’s presence as you pray)
2. Gratitude (Ask God to bring to mind things from that day that you can give thanks for)
3. Review (Invite the Spirit to review the day with you. Where did you experience God’s presence? Where did you experience love? Where did you love others?)
4. Sorrow (Invite the Spirit to review the day with you, asking other questions now. What might you need to confess? Was there sin? Was there grief? Do you need to ask for forgiveness?)
5. Grace (Where do you need God to speak to you about your day? Where do you need to invite His grace and guidance for the coming day?)
It might be helpful to do this practice with a journal, which will allow you look back over time and better track how God has been leading you or providing for you.