(Matt Koerber)
Matthew 5:17-37 “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 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. 19 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. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
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On Sunday morning we covered the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. In it, Jesus blessed the disciples, but introduced the upside down nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. For example, the “poor in spirit” are blessed, the “persecuted” should rejoice. It was argued that the reason it is good to be poor in spirit is that this puts us in a very good place to depend on God and receive the grace that Jesus offers. After all, Jesus would go on to say that he did not come to call people who think they are spiritually healthy, but those that know their need for a spiritual physician (Matt 9:12.)
If we keep that in mind, this next part of the Sermon on the Mount makes more sense. Jesus begins this section by announcing that he has come to fulfill the Law. Everyone in his audience would have understood this to be a reference to the Law of Moses. Looking back at the commands given to Moses, Christian theologians would go on to recognize several functions, but for our purposes we will be thinking of the 10 Commandments.
The New Testament interaction with the Law of Moses is pretty complex and there is a short footnote below which offers a little more background*. Sometimes Christian oversimply things, thinking that the Old Testament had a bunch of rules which were really hard, and then the New Testament offers grace and the rules are taken away. If we started from this vantage point, it would be surprising what Jesus says next in the Sermon on the Mount. After describing the ongoing importance of God’s Law, Jesus references several commands (found in the Ten Commandments) and interprets them in a way that is deeper and more pressing.
First, Jesus references the sixth commandment (“You Shall Not Murder.”) Jesus applies this, not only to actual physical murder, but to an attitude of the heart in which we hate our brother and wish him harm. Next, Jesus references the seventh commandment (“You Shall Not Commit Adultery”.) Again Jesus warns against a far deeper concern. He teaches that we break the commandment when we cultivate lust in our heart. One doesn’t need to be physically involved to break this command. Third, Jesus expands this discussion to include divorce. This seems to be a subset of adultery. The Old Testament had a pretty permissive posture on adultery, which we will explore again in Matthew 19. By contrast, Jesus restores the original intention for marriage and eliminates easy divorce. Finally, he looks at the ninth commandment (“You Shall Not Lie.”) Apparently, there was a practice of using elaborate oaths to skirt the boundaries of truthfulness.
So, what is going on here? First of all, we need to acknowledge that there are some really thorny questions that arise in each of these sections. Questions about what is means to “cut off your hand if it causes sin”, whether Christians should take oaths, or what Jesus means when he warns against marriage to an unjustly divorced person. It is beyond the scope of this blog to answer each question here, but I would suggest that a good study Bible would be helpful. Or you can just ask Josiah during Sunday School. :)
Each of those questions can become less intimidating when we recognize the main purpose. Jesus is strengthening the Law to heighten our knowledge of sin. This increases our need for repentance and our appreciation for his free grace. It also guides us in a life of continual dependence upon God’s spirit as we grow in grace. We don’t expect to do any of these things perfectly – in this life. But we encounter the depth of the Gospel profoundly when we understand the true nature of sin. In the meantime, God’s Spirit works through our repentance so that we can grow in grace.
* Reformed Theology organizes the Law of Moses into three categories. Each of these categories impact Christians differently. Some parts, which are called the “Ceremonial Law” point to the sacrificial ministry of Jesus and prepare people to receive him. These parts are no longer binding on Christians because Jesus has completed their purpose. This includes things like the Passover sacrifices or Kosher food regulations (Mark 7:19, Col 2:16-17.) Other parts were clearly related to the civil governance of Israel as a nation state. Because the people of God are no longer gathered into one nation, but are spread among all nations, these laws no longer direct our behavior. (Though they could be wise principles to learn from.) Finally, there is part of the Law which we still engage with, even after Jesus fulfilled it. We call this the “Moral Law” and because it reflects the character of God and his deep purposes for us, it is not surprising that these principles continue to guide our behavior. The best summary of this is found in the 10 Commandments, which are repeated and affirmed by New Testament authors.