Matthew 5:17-20 The Law
“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. I tell you the truth, 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. Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 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.” (Matthew 5:17-28)
This has been one of the most difficult sections for me to understand in Matthew. Heather has friends who are Messianic Jews. They practice traditional Jewish law, but also believe Jesus is Christ. (At least that is what I think they believe, if I am wrong some please correct me.) They are good people, and Joshua is going to teach us Hebrew which I am very excited about (but that is subject for another post). Anyway, knowing them has started Heather and I on a journey to discover where the laws of Moses should sit with Christians today. “Should we keep Kosher”, has been our biggest question.
As I have been readings other views on this section, I find people saying Jesus is saying that we must keep the law, while I find others saying that we don’t have to listen to Old Testament law. Who is correct? I think I have determined that both are.
Abolish Vs. Fulfill
First, I don’t think you can study these 3 verses without looking at the semantics. Jesus is saying that he has not come to abolish in the NIV and NASB. In the KJV it says “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy…” From my research I have found that abolish/destroy translated from the Greek “kataluo” which means “destroy, demolish, dismantle, do away with, abolish, annul, make invalid, repeal”. While fulfill translates from the Greek “pleroo” which means “make full; bring something to completion, finish something already begun; by deeds, a prophecy, an obligation, a promise, a law, a request, a desire, a hope, a duty, a fate, a destiny; Complete, finish, bring to an end” From here I see that Jesus is not getting rid of the laws. So, then do we need to follow the laws of Moses as Christians? It would seem so to me at this point, but we need to keep reading.
Practice and Teach the Commands
As I read verse 19, it would really appear that we should follow the laws. “Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19) It is right there in plain English. Don’t break the commandments or teach others to break them. It is looking really bleak that I will be eating sausage for breakfast tomorrow.
Righteousness
But wait, verse 20 throws a wrench in it: “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.”(Matthew 5:20) The Pharisees are the high priests. These are the guys that make sure all Jews are following the law. They are the ones that decide what the law really means. How can we possibly surpass them? I believe the answer is in the word “righteousness”. Jesus doesn’t say don’t eat this or wash that a certain way. He doesn’t say that the law must be followed to the letter. He broadens it to “righteousness”. As you read further through to the end of chapter 5, Jesus shows that it is not the robotic motions of obeying the law that are important. It is doing good things in bad situations. Not killing anyone during your life does not get you into heaven. It is mearly the anger which casts your fate. So, I believe that the Laws of Moses and the demands of the Prophets in the Old Testament are relevant today and should be followed by all Christians. However, don’t get caught up in semantics. It is the spirit of the laws that are important, not blindly doing things from muscle memory.
1 Corinthians 9
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. (1 Corinthians 9:20-21)
I don’t want to get into this too much until I am ready to discuss 1 Corinthians, but this line really caught my eye: “though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law” Christ has redefined the law so as to make it relevant to all, Jews and Gentiles alike.