Matthew 5:17-20
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever 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 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.”
Okay, so if we ever felt like we were seesawing between the gospel and the law, it’s probably now. I mean, yesterday we heard Jesus straight out pronounce and promise that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. No exceptions. And today we hear him say that we need to toe the line of the law completely and that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees – the folks in Jesus’ day most concerned with following the law – we’re doomed. No exceptions.
Or is that what Jesus is saying? I wonder.
Here’s what strikes me. Jesus says he has come to fulfill, not abolish, the law. He goes on to say that whoever breaks the commandments – even the least of them – will be the least in the kingdom. And whoever keeps them will be called greatest. But notice that all of them – those who break the law and those who keep it – are in the kingdom. Which makes me wonder if whether our being in the kingdom isn’t, ultimately, about whether we follow the law or not.
And that would be a startling thought. Most of us, I think, tend to think about God primarily as a rule-giver and therefore conclude that our place in God’s kingdom is established according to how well we keep those rules.
But what if that’s not the case? What if we are made citizens of the kingdom by divine fiat? What if, that is, God simply names us as God’s children and heirs, simply invites us into the realm of heaven, simply makes us members of God’s kingdom…all out of sheer grace? What if, to reference Jesus’ earlier words, God doesn’t just make it possible for us to be salt and light, and doesn’t even provide us with the instructions to become salt and light, but instead just declares that we are salt and light.
I think that means, at the least, that the law was never intended to serve as the means by which we enter the kingdom.
What, then, is the law for? Well, maybe the law provides us with an outline of what kingdom life looks like. Maybe it’s not the entrance exam to get into the kingdom but instead the map of how to live once you’re already in.
So maybe, then, Jesus came to fulfill the law precisely in the sense that he reorients us to its true nature – guiding us to live as members of the kingdom rather than enabling us to become them.
What, then, of the righteousness of the Pharisees that Jesus talks about? Well, perhaps Jesus is saying that if you’re determined to use the law as requirement rather than gift, then you’d better be prepared to keep it perfectly. That is, perhaps Jesus’ words here aren’t threat, but warning – if you’re going to play by the rules of the law, you’re going to lose by the rules of the law. Perhaps Jesus is introducing – or really, re-introducing – us to the fact that entrance into the kingdom is by grace and that the law was intended as a gift that doesn’t convey our identity as God’s children but instead helps us live into it.
If so, then we’re back to where we started: you are the salt of the earth and light of the world, so let your light shine…!
Prayer: Dear God, let us receive our identity as your children and members of the kingdom as a gift of grace, and let us look to the law to help us live that way, loving others as you have first loved us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus was the messiah, the awaited fullfillment of the OT. The Jews awaited him and hoped that he would accomblish a new covenant with God. Philip the apostle was sure: „We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth“ (John 1,45): the messiah. On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus spoke to Moses (law) and Elijah (prophets) about the fullfillment of the OT in Jerusalem. God told the disciples not to worship the Law and the Prophets any longer. They should only listen to Jesus: This is my Son (…) Listen to him“. On then cross Jesus said: „It´s finished“ – he has accomblished everything to install the new covenant. On the way to Emmaus he assured: He has fullfilled Moses and the Prophets and accomblished what God wanted! Jesus said about fullfilling the OT: „These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.“ The Jews believed: The law could only pass away as a whole, not one jot or one tittle shall pass. Only when a new covenant begins the old passes away as a whole. Oh Glory days: “the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious”, but “if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious” (2 Cor 3): the new covenant, the Law of Christ: “Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal 6,2) the “new commandment”: “That ye love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13).
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Rom 13)