Keeping the Law of Love

Intro:

If you were to skip to the end of the Sermon on the Mount you would notice an interesting addendum in chapter 7 vs 28.

Matthew 7:28–29 NET

When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

There was clearly something about the way Jesus taught that hit different for people than what they were used to hearing about God from the religious professionals around them. If you continue on into the narratives in Matthew you’ll see tense moments between Jesus and the religious teachers and it wasn’t just for Jesus. There were many teachers rising up with a perspective on how God would work to bring freedom for the Jews in this tense cultural moment. So those religious leaders who had given a life time to preserving the scriptures had good reason to be wary of newcomers to scene.

Tensions in Perspective

Jesus is living and teaching in a Jewish context under the imperial authority of Rome. Official laws belong to Rome and its government. The Jews, who understand themselves to be governed by the Mosiac laws have had to adapt their understanding of how to follow them to their present realities. The various groups within Judiasm: Saducees, Pharisees & Scribes, Essenes had different ways of using the law to forward the cause of the Jewish people. And of course there were struggles about which way was more faithful to God.

Jesus enters into this world with this unique power and a teaching that draws attention and immediately all the other religious leaders are on guard to see whether he is friend or threat. They are watching for clues. Sometimes a little ridiculously as they pop up out of no where in a grain field or at a dinner party. Talk about small town life where everyone is in one another’s business!

Jesus distinguished himself at a young age as someone who valued and studied the scriptures. We have the account in Luke of him at 12 getting lost in Jerusalem and found again in the temple asking big questions of the leading scholars and growing in knowledge of the scriptures throughout his life. So as he comes on the scene as a teacher he begins his teaching in Matthew 5 with some clear statements clarifying his relationship to the Hebrew Scriptures.

A more complete law

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So first - Jesus clarifies his relationship to the law - perhaps to lay to rest the fears of the Pharisees who see him as a distrupter.

He has NOT come to abolish, Tim Mackies translates this “dismantle” the law. He isn’t launching a new religion, he isn’t presenting a new political party. What he is doing is in aid of and under the authority of what God has already revealed to the Jews in the Scriptures - both the Law and the Prophets (which actually is significant for the Pharisees as the Saducees only deemed the Torah - the first 5 books of our bible - as authoritative and that was part of their conflict).

He compares the steadfastness and eternal nature of God’s law to the heaven and the earth. Time passes, Kingdoms rise and fall, people live and die but the sky and the earth remain the same. So it is with the law. The Creator of the sky and the earth is also the creator of the law and his word will not fail - even if the sky and earth did.

He notes the intentionality of the law as a writing guided by God’s Spirit: “not an iota, not a dot will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Jesus has a high view of scripture. The terms “iota & dot” refer to the tiny markings in Hebrew that nuance letters and words - most languages have them. In English they are the dots on the i and the cross on the T - in french they are the accent agu and accent grave - they are the smallest markings but without them the meaning and sound of the language is changed.

So Jesus is saying - what I’m doing isn’t changing what has been written - each nuance is there for a reason. He knows and trusts scripture. In his day, as in ours, there were groups who were attempting to re-interpret ancient words for present day living and in doing so pronoucing certain texts invalid or no longer important.

This is just their culture - this was long ago - we don’t think that way now etc.

And its true that there are many things in the Bible that have culture bound realities to them - but Jesus’ is saying - there is meaning and purpose there still.

And sometimes that takes a bit of reflection and sitting with God asking questions, and learning the larger scope and purposes of the scriptures and its context to parse out the truth. But what we can’t do - and what Jesus didn’t do - is just brush over it glibly and assume there is nothing there for us anymore.

Every itoa and dot matters -

And Jesus says he has come to fulfill them.

There are some matters of the law that actually do change because of what Jesus did.

Isaac & the bacon story

Because food laws are part of the purity laws - laws intended to help people deliniate between what is holy and what is not holy. They are fully realised in Christ - it’s a law he has fulfilled and therefore what Hebrews calls “the shadow of the law” (the symbol pointing to the true meaning of being set apart for God) doesn’t need to be practiced any more.

And in Christ we have a new way to holiness:

Hebrews 10:19–20 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

And actually, much of the book of Hebrews is spent parsing out what aspects of the law are fufilled in Christ - going through in detail the requirements of temple worship, the sacrificial system and the many ways the Mosaic law describes presenting ourselves to a holy God and it demonstrates how Jesus has completed that on our behalf.

“I have not come to abolish the law…but to fulfill it.

All that to say - the bible is one, cohesive story unfolding and each part plays a role. Viewing scripture as Jesus does means holding the parts we don’t understand before him with an openness to learn.

Warning

Matthew 5:19 ESV

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

This is both a pat on the back for those teachers of the law who value passing on what God has gifted the Jews in the Scriptures. And it’s also a warning to be cautious and careful about how they pass that on. There is a stewardship - especially for those who teach to do their best to reflect God’s purposes and not their own. This happens partly through learning and diligence in study - which the Pharisees were pros at. But it also happens partly through sitting under the teaching of the Spirit - in prayer, listening to God, being patient, seeking disernment.

Jesus reassures his disciples as he prepares to leave that The Holy Spirit is given for this purpose.

John 16:12–14 ESV

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Jesus continues to teach us by the Holy Spirit even today - so each of us as we learn to slow down and listen can access wisdom from God. But whether we have the diligence and patience to listen in our frantic distracted world is the real question.

No teacher will perfectly reflect God - we are all like children still growing up under the Father’s care but I do believe God brings blessing through our faithfullness as we partner with Him - in whatever ways He invites.

Greater Righteousness

So He commends the faithfullness of teachers of the law - and warns them to be diligent and then immediately deflates them.

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

So - whatever Jesus is bringing it is more than the Pharisees and experts in the law (Scribes) - the pastors and theologians of the day have brought in the past. This rebuke puts them in a position of either offense leading to pride or a curious humility - ready to learn. (Which is the choice Jesus’ words present to each of us.)

I really appreciated the Bible project conversation on this word “righteousness” - as I think we already talked about how it can sometimes be viewed as just some sort of giant, cosmic, list of right and wrong. And there is a bit of truth to that. The law clearly lays out a way of life, particularly life in community, where there is good and evil, wrong and right and righteousness is about aligning with right.

But it’s more than a philosophical checklist. The word righteousness is relationally connected - it’s more like “doing right by people”.

And so a lot of the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees will happen over this.

The question of whether the way they are “doing righteousness” actually does right by people. Is it resulting in the wholeness in relationship with God and with one another that is the heart of the law?

As we head into next week we’ll see Jesus go through a list of laws and kind of add a relational “twist” that challenges them to think differently about their hearts in relation to their obedience.

“You have heard it said: Do not murder” - but I say anyone angry with a brother is subject to judgement.

“you have heard it said: Do not commit adultery” - but I say if you look at a woman lustfully you’ve committed adultery in your heart.

Provocative and challenging and that’s the purpose. But Jesus will take the law - accept and endorse its truth - but bring further light to God’s heart and relational intent for life in community. Or life in the Kingdom of God - which is how he talked about the community of God’s people.

Baby vs. Doll

The tension between Jesus and some of the religious leaders became a disconnect between the words of the law and its ultimate purpose - that the life of God would live in His people through the way they lived and that it would be a witness of the goodness of God to the rest of the world.

The law disconnected from nurturing community missed the mark.

- The image that came to mind for me was of God entrusting his people with a charge to care for and nurture his baby.

Somewhere the people became secondary to the law and when the baby became fussy they swapped it out for a doll.

The doll was far superior in behaviour to the people but the whole point of nuture at all was the thriving of the baby.

So the Pharisees could rock that doll all day and night and they still couldn’t accomplish God’s purposes.

The Law is for People

This is the tension between Jesus’ understanding of the law and the Pharisees:

In chapter 9 Jesus will tell the paralytic: “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” The religious leaders accuse him of blasphemy for assuming he has the authority to forgive sin on behalf of God.

Shortly after he’s eating dinner with friends and the Pharisees confront him: “Why does you teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Still later he and his disciples are walking through a field picking grain by hand to snack on. The Pharisees accuse: “Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath...

The accusation of Sabbath breaking came up a lot: In another instance a man with a withered hand came for help and Jesus healed him on the Sabbath.

For each of the accusations of breaking the law Jesus responds in a way that indicates he understands the flourishing of people under God’s leadership to be the real center of the law.

Matthew 9:5–6 ESV

For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

Matthew 9:12–13 ESV

But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 12:7–8 ESV

And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

And in Mark’s version: “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.”

And where the healing of the man with the withered hand is concerned:

Matthew 12:11–13 ESV

He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.

This stinging retort - demonstrating for them that with just a little common sense about the kind of humane treatment they would give to an animal in distress they could see that it is impossible that the correct understanding of Gods law would be about excluding others from fellowship with God. As one commentator said: Jesus wanted them to see that right outside their door were tax collectors and prostitutes who might be interested in knowing that there was a God who would heal and restore and have a relationship with them if only they could create a community that would welcome them.

Jesus is always in trouble with Pharisees for welcoming “sinners” and its not because he doesn’t care about sin. We will see next week that he has some pretty intense feelings about how dangerous sin in our hearts can become. But as the scripture earlier quoted he saw the law as a prescription to heal the sick. He saw the human under the sinful behaviour and invited them, through him, to live into the image of God they were created to be.

Conclusion

So…as I reflected on this the challenge was that I saw that while Jesus has a high view of scripture He never divorces it from community.

Knowing truth - behaving “right” is not valuable unless it is applied to the way we live together.

Perfecting religious works doesn’t produce life change.

For me personally, it was a reminder that outside of community - the tug and pull of being obedient to Jesus with people who challenge us and who evoke feelings in us - without that we aren’t fufilling the purpose of the law at all.

It’s easy to become isolated in life and in faith.

To never have spiritual conversations

To never be challenged by the faith or prayer of another.

I think if there’s a space we need to grow in as a church its this: increasing life in community to