Blogging through the Sermon on the Mount: [Intro] ... [previous: You are the light of the world]

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 tell you, 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. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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 5:17-20

Many of Jesus’ early listeners would have concluded that he was speaking in riddles with these words. On the one hand, Jesus says that, “whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” On the other, we are also told that, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The problem here is that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were all about practicing and teaching these commands. And yet, says Jesus, these same command-practicers and command-teachers won’t even cross the threshold of the kingdom! But, simultaneously, command-practicers and command-teachers “will be called great” in the kingdom.

A possible escape from this conundrum, of course, is to conclude that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were “doing it wrong.” That is, their “brand” of practice and teaching was somehow inappropriate or lacking. Perhaps their emphasis or application was in error. Clearly, the words of Jesus represent a challenge for anyone wishing to enter the kingdom of heaven. After all, how can we, human as we are, not be equally susceptible to the failures of the Pharisees and the teacher of the law!

Becoming Pharisees seems to be a recurring historical phenomenon. No matter how pure a group’s theology or practice, in only a few generations the words that once conveyed truth become distorted and the actions that once demonstrated purity are brandished with arrogance. And there seems to be a “trap” in it all: the strategy that we are inclined to adopt in order to avoid becoming Pharisees -- that is, distancing ourselves from anyone “doing it wrong” -- might, in fact, be the very thing that drives us to become Pharisees! Lord, have mercy!

In the thinking of our culture, there might be no escape from this “trap”. But those listening to Jesus would have likely understood a rescue in his words. By saying that he is the fulfillment of the law, Jesus is signaling that his listeners can align themselves with law-fulfillment by their allegiance, commitment and obedience to him -- or, in the language of the day, their faith in him. No wonder the Pharisees and the teachers of the law didn’t make the cut! Their rejection of Jesus represents their failure.

May we receive the grace to avoid the mistake of thinking that Jesus, “didn’t mean what he was plainly saying.” As Brandon Crowe writes,

If we don’t want to make the mistake of the Pharisees, we must wrestle both with the depths of God’s law in our daily lives and with our need for Jesus.

[next instalment: murder and anger]

blogging through that Sermon -- Law Fulfillment

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