Doing Good Doesn't Make You Good.
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· 2 viewsIn his teaching on the Law, Jesus upholds the validity of the Law while declaring it's inability to save.
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“Doing Good Doesn’t Make You Good”
“Doing Good Doesn’t Make You Good”
Welcome
Introduction
Treadmill illustration
“Trying so hard, yet getting nowhere.”
Byung-Chul Han, a prominent German philosopher, attributes our fatigued society to what he calls “a culture of positivity.”
“He suggests that the reason why we so often feel exhausted and fatigued is because we are surrounded by a culture of positivity. At work, watching TV at home or surfing the web, we are inundated by not-so-subtle messages of what we can do. Han quotes the example of the “Yes We Can” slogan from the Obama campaign. “Yes We Can” exudes positivity by suggesting that all we need to do is try harder and that there may be no limits to what we could achieve.”
In my own walk with God, I’ve seen that principle at work so often as it relates to sin. To echo Paul, “I do what I don’t want to do and don’t do what I want to do. I don’t do the good I want, but the evil I don’t want, I keep on doing.” No matter how hard I try, sin is with me.
A tired Christianity
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
We feel like we’ve got to measure up. We feel like we have to do everything right in order for God to love and accept us. We only feel loved so long as we can perform.
No matter how hard I try, sin is with me. I’m not sure how you go about coping with the fact that you, in your default, natural position are a sinner.
How about you? How do you cope with the fact that you, in your default, natural position are a sinner.
Maybe you find yourself beaten and battered by the ever-present reality that you are not the way you’re supposed to be. You spend your days trying to fix yourself. You believe that all of your inadequacies can be cured with a little more effort, some extra safeguards, a change of scenery, and some new habits.
Or maybe you find yourself caught in this cycle of always trying to put the best foot forward. You highlight all of your strengths but hide all of your weaknesses. You rationalize your struggles away and minimize your sins, as you try to convince others that you’re not that bad.
More often than we’d like to admit, we approach sin with a fight or flight mentality. Either we believe that we can fix our heart issues or we do everything we can to cover them up. If you find yourself in either one of those camps, we’ve got a very good message for you - a message of grace, hope, and freedom.
If you find yourself in either one of those camps, we’ve got a very good message for you - a message of grace, hope, and freedom.
If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to . In our passage this morning, Jesus refutes the idea that he came to do away with the Law. He declares the longevity and the goodness of the Law. Nevertheless, he decries its inability to save. As we study this morning’s text together, I want to impress upon you one truth, one liberating message - that is, doing good doesn’t make you good.
Reading
“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.
Prayer
Prayer
MIT: “Doing good doesn’t make you good.”
Exposition
Background
This morning’s text lies at the very heart of the Sermon on the Mount. For those familiar with Jesus’ sermon, you know that here he’s teaching his followers on the character of the Kingdom - that is, how to live with God as King. Throughout the sermon, Jesus repeatedly contrasts two types of people. We see this more clearly in Luke’s account of the sermon in , where Jesus issues a woe for every blessed.
Blessed are the poor… Woe to you who are rich
Blessed are the hungry… Woe to you who are full.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the contrast is more subtle. Here, Jesus condemns the self-righteous, hypocritical, and externally religious. He speaks against those who were very good at making themselves look good, but could not keep 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.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets
Throughout his ministry, Jesus encountered 2 types of people: those who wanted him to set aside the Law and those who accused him of setting aside the law.
There were some who knew they could not keep up with the Law’s demands and would have loved for Jesus to have set aside the Law.
And there were those who despised Jesus and often accused him of violating the law.
Jesus, however, rejects that idea, when he says I have not come to abolish but to fulfill.
In order to understand this passage properly, it’s important to recognize the difference between these two words, abolish and fulfill.
Abolish literally means to tear down, annul, or destroy. Figuratively, it carries the idea of “setting aside.” So Jesus says, I have not come to set aside the Law, as though it were void.
Instead, Jesus says he has come to fulfill the Law. The word, πληρόω, means to fill up what is lacking in something, or to complete that thing. It’s not the completion of a task, but rather it’s that Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire “You complete me” type of completion. Let me illustrate the difference.
Glass of water illustration.
Imagine we were sitting in a restaurant and I asked the waiter, “Could you fill my glass?” He then begins to fill my glass with water. I say, “All the way to the top, please.” And so he fills the glass all the way to the top with water. Imagine, once he’s finished filling the glass to the full, I say to him, “Take the glass away. I don’t want the glass. It’s of no value anymore.” How insane would that be?
Take the glass away. I don’t want the glass anymore. It’s of no value anymore.
When Jesus said he came to fulfill the law, he was saying that he was filling up what was lacking in the Law. He was bringing about what the Law sought to accomplish.
How crazy insane would that be?
In order to understand what Jesus meant when he says he has come to fulfill the Law, we need to understand the ways in which the Law was lacking.
Before God gave the Law to Israel, he said, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,’ ().
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how vI bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be wmy treasured possession among all peoples, for xall the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a ykingdom of priests and za holy nation.’
God gave the Law to Israel, to show them how to live as the people of God. They were to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. They were to obey God and, through their obedience, serve as a living apologetic for who God is and what He wants for a world that does not know him.
Yet, immediately after God gives the Law, we see Israel’s gross idolatry. In response, God gave Israel more laws to obey. If you continue throughout what the Jews call the Torah, what we call the Pentateuch - that is, the first five books of the Bible - you will see this cycle of law-giving and law-breaking and more law-giving, and more law-breaking.
v , ; ;
w ; ; ; ; ;
x ch. 9:29; ; ; ; ;
y , ; ; ;
z ; ; ; ; ; ;
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .
This is perhaps why Paul says in :
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The Law makes us aware of our sin, but it can never help us fix our sin. The same sentiment is echoed toward the end of Deuteronomy. foretells Israel’s disobedience, idolatry, and spiritual adultery. They will reap for themselves the covenant curses. But , we not only see the promise of the LORD’s covenant mercy, but also a promise of circumcision. Israel had been circumcised outwardly, but this time, the LORD would circumcise them inwardly. reads:
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The root of their sin wasn’t the law, but their hearts. Thus God had promised them a change in heart, so that they might love God and live in faithful obedience. In similar fashion, the prophets pointed toward a new covenant, a day when the LORD would replace their hearts of stone with a heart of flesh, when He would write the Law on their hearts and put His spirit within them. Jesus’ life and ministry marked the beginning of this new covenant.
We declare with the apostle Paul, :
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
Again, in , Paul says:
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
There were those who saw the Law as a burden more than blessing.
The law, the books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, was Scripture par excellence for the Jews, and they examined it with minute thoroughness. They discovered, for example, that there are 613 commandments in this part of Scripture (248 positive and 365 negative), and this opened up wonderful possibilities for those of a legalistic turn of mind.
The law, the books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, was Scripture par excellence for the Jews, and they examined it with minute thoroughness. They discovered, for example, that there are 613 commandments in this part of Scripture (248 positive and 365 negative), and this opened up wonderful possibilities for those of a legalistic turn of mind.
Abolish
Literally tear down, annul, destroy. Figuratively, to set aside.
Figuratively, to set aside.
Law or the prophets
Generally speaking, this would refer to the entire OT. The Law and the Prophets give instruction on what it means to be the people of God.
Law reveals the character of God and what he desires for his people.
The Law and the Prophets give instruction on what it means to be the people of God.
The Law may seem like it’s oppressive, but God has given it to us for our good.
Tim Keller Fish example
Refers to the purpose of Jesus’ mission.
Jesus had more than just a teaching ministry - he had a ministry of redemption.
“Based on the usage in the Hellenistic and Jewish parallels, the readers of that day would initially have more likely thought of Jesus’ practice rather than of his teaching.” Ulrich Luz
πληρῶσαι
Based on the usage in the Hellenistic and Jewish parallels, the readers of that day would initially have more likely thought of Jesus’ practice rather than of his teaching
Based on the usage in the Hellenistic and Jewish parallels, the readers of that day would initially have more likely thought of Jesus’ practice rather than of his teaching
Based on the usage in the Hellenistic and Jewish parallels, the readers of that day would initially have more likely thought of Jesus’ practice rather than of his teaching
πληρωσαι
complete, fill to the full, bring to intended goal or meaning.
How does fulfilling the Law and the Prophets correspond to Jesus’ ministry of redemption?
“Fulfilling the law and prophets fully and comprehensively is Jesus’ special mission. Verse 17* also contains a christological element,67 even if Matthew is not thinking of Jesus’ death and resurrection.” Ulrich Luz
fulfilling the law and prophets fully and comprehensively is Jesus’ special mission. Verse 17* also contains a christological element,67 even if Matthew is not thinking of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
In fulfilling the law, Jesus does not alter, replace, or nullify the former commands; rather, He establishes their true intent and purpose in His teaching and accomplishes them in His obedient life. The Law, as well as the Prophets, points forward to Christ.”
“His statement that ‘Christ is the end of the law’2 does not mean that we are now free to disobey it, for the opposite is the case.3 It means rather that acceptance with God is not through obedience to the law but through faith in Christ,
His statement that ‘Christ is the end of the law’2 does not mean that we are now free to disobey it, for the opposite is the case.3 It means rather that acceptance with God is not through obedience to the law but through faith in Christ,
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.
This verse, more than anything, points toward the temporal function of the Law. Until Heaven and Earth pass away is not, as some believe Jesus’ way of saying that the law is eternal.
Now, God’s law is eternal. I’m not denying that. We could cite a number of verses here, but I love how describes the Law’s eternal goodness.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
Is this a way of saying that the Law will never pass away
As a declaration of who God is and what he wants for his people, the law is everlasting. If it should be described as perfect, then it cannot change. What Jesus is saying here is that the Law
But the Mosaic law has only a temporal function.
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
The word Paul uses here in Galatians is the Greek word, παιδαγωγός. In ancient times, this word referred more to a tutor or a guide than a guardian.
The law was given to reveal sin, to show us our inadequacies, and to uncover our need for a righteousness that lies outside of ourselves. The law, in other words, was given to point us to Jesus.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
And the law will remain functionally useful, so long as we continue to sin. But there will come a day when we don’t need the law to show us our sin. There will come a day when we will find ourselves perfectly conformed to God’s law, embodying all that he wants and intended for us to be. There will come a day when we bear his image perfectly, when the perishable puts on the imperishable, when sin has been put to death forever. This is what Jesus means when he refers to the Law’s temporal function.
When Jesus says not one dot, not one iota will pass away, he is affirming the smallest and most seemingly insignificant aspects of the Law
Not an iota, not a dthe smallest or, better yet, even the most seemingly insignificant aspects of the Law, which will remain until all is accomplished.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Not an iota, not a dot
Jesus affirms even the smallest or, better yet, even the most seemingly insignificant aspects of the Law, which will remain until all is accomplished.
“The law, the books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, was Scripture par excellence for the Jews, and they examined it with minute thoroughness. They discovered, for example, that there are 613 commandments in this part of Scripture (248 positive and 365 negative), and this opened up wonderful possibilities for those of a legalistic turn of mind.” Leon Morris
no iota and stroke of the Torah will fall away. “Iota” is a mere line, the simplest letter of the Greek alphabet. “Stroke” (κεραία) is something proverbially small, like an accent or a breathing mark. The validity of the Torah is solemnly affirmed without any qualification.”
Until all is accomplished
To be sure, Jesus is not setting aside any aspect of the law, but in turn affirms the validity of the Law, the validity of these 613 commands without qualification.
Is Jesus referring to the end of the Age? To the end of his earthly ministry? To the coming of the Spirit?
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 phrase, “Least of these commandments” reflects the tradition of organizing the commands of the Torah by importance.
“ The “least of these commandments” reflects a typical Jewish view of a hierarchy or ranking of God’s priorities in the Torah, which Jesus himself elsewhere endorses (e.g., 23:23) even as he challenges some of the Pharisees’ and scribes’ priorities.” Blomberg
As an example, the Jews were not only supposed to tithe their income, but also their crops. The Jews would have tithed even the smallest of spices and herbs, like mint, dill, and cumin.
Surely, there would have been the temptation to relax the law’s demands. With 613 commandments, the Law was impossible to follow.
But Jesus does not relax the commands. He not only affirms the validity of law and it’s 613 commands when he says that not one dot, not one iota will pass away, but if actually read the rest of this chapter, you’ll notice that he intensifies the law.
Immediately following this passage, we’re given 6 iterations of the Law, where Jesus says, “You have heard it said… but I say to you...”
Jesus does not relax the law in the slightest, but instead reveals how the Law was intended to put our heart issues on display.
“ The Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the Pharisees as “seekers after smooth things” because they accommodated and compromised the law to fit the realities of life. Such accommodation removed awareness of the need for grace and dependence on God. In the following verses, Jesus restores the true nature of God’s law as demanding total and radical holiness. Jesus demands a deeper obedience, not disregard of God’s commands.” RC Sproul
The Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the Pharisees as “seekers after smooth things” because they accommodated and compromised the law to fit the realities of life. Such accommodation removed awareness of the need for grace and dependence on God. In the following verses, Jesus restores the true nature of God’s law as demanding total and radical holiness. Jesus demands a deeper obedience, not disregard of God’s commands.
Least of these commandments
Reflects the tradition of classifying the Law’s commands by importance
The “least of these commandments” reflects a typical Jewish view of a hierarchy or ranking of God’s priorities in the Torah, which Jesus himself elsewhere endorses (e.g., 23:23) even as he challenges some of the Pharisees’ and scribes’ priorities.
There was a tendency to set aside the insignificant commands, to devote greater attention to the more significant commands.
The “least of these commandments” reflects a typical Jewish view of a hierarchy or ranking of God’s priorities in the Torah, which Jesus himself elsewhere endorses (e.g., 23:23) even as he challenges some of the Pharisees’ and scribes’ priorities.
Indeed, Jesus would have affirmed with , which reads:
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
What does our refusal to obey certain commands say about our relationship to God?
“even one of the least of these commandments, precisely because it is a commandment of God the King, is important. To relax it—i.e. to loosen its hold on our conscience and its authority in our life—is an offence to God whose law it is.” John Stott
even one of the least of these commandments, precisely because it is a commandment of God the King, is important. To relax it—i.e. to loosen its hold on our conscience and its authority in our life—is an offence to God whose law it is.
even one of the least of these commandments, precisely because it is a commandment of God the King, is important. To relax it—i.e. to loosen its hold on our conscience and its authority in our life—is an offence to God whose law it is.
“God does not allow his servants to embrace his prohibition against murder while rejecting his teaching about adultery or fornication. To refuse his right to rule any of one’s ethics or behavior is to deny God’s lordship.” Keener
God does not allow his servants to embrace his prohibition against murder while rejecting his teaching about adultery or fornication. To refuse his right to rule any of one’s ethics or behavior is to deny God’s lordship.
God does not allow his servants to embrace his prohibition against murder while rejecting his teaching about adultery or fornication. To refuse his right to rule any of one’s ethics or behavior is to deny God’s lordship.
What are we to make of this distinction between the least and the greatest?
Is this in terms of salvation or reward?
Regardless, why would you ever want to be considered the least?
Law reveals the character of God and what he desires for his people.
The Law may seem like it’s oppressive, but God has given it to us for our good.
Tim Keller Fish example
“In fulfilling the law, Jesus does not alter, replace, or nullify the former commands; rather, He establishes their true intent and purpose in His teaching and accomplishes them in His obedient life. The Law, as well as the Prophets, points forward to Christ.” RC Sproul
.
Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus now turns his attention to the most religious people of the day. These were known for their strict adherence to the Law.
Fact about scribes and pharisees
You will not enter the Kingdom of heaven
Jesus is declaring the righteous requirement goes beyond what can be accomplished through obeying the surface-level requirements of the Mosaic law.
Our inability to be perfect does not deny our call to perfection. Rather, it reveals our need for a perfection that lies outside of what we can accomplish.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Conclusion
Closing Prayer