Sermon on the Mount: Surpassing Righteousness
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Sermon on the Mount – Surpassing Righteousness
Matthew 5:17-20
17 “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.
1. Introduction – The SM is made up a whole bunch of different sections…but each section fits together into a cohesive whole.
a. I said at the beginning of this series that as we make our way into each section, we are going to pause and look at the big picture of each section…
i. And then we would break them down so we can understand the individual parts. We understand the basic overall flow, so that we can better understand the parts that make up the whole.
1. Today we come to the section of the Sermon where Jesus teaches about the Law.
a. He teaches on anger, lust, divorce, making oaths, retaliation, and a love for our enemies.
i. All of these are written about in the OT – but over time, the laws were reinterpreted by Israel’s religious leaders.
ii. They were reinterpreted in order to meet the standards of the religious leaders, not God’s standards.
1. So in this section before us – Jesus re-reinterprets the Law…and he shows his followers once again what life is like in the kingdom of God.
b. But before Jesus dives into teaching about the Law…he first gives an introduction.
i. In vv.17-20, the verses we’ll study today, Jesus explains 2 things.
1. First, in vv.17-18, Jesus outlines HIS relationship to the Law and Prophets.
a. And in vv.19-20, Jesus outlines what his follower’s relationship to the Law and Prophets should be.
c. So this is what we’re going to look at this morning.
i. I’m going to set the scene for the next 6 or so week…
1. We’ll look broadly today at the 6 aspects of the Law that Jesus highlights in vv.21-48.
a. We’ll how each section is similarly structured. We’ll discuss the structure this week so that next week we can simply dive right in to the content.
i. And after we look broadly at vv.21-48, we’ll look at Jesus introductory words in vv.17-20.
b. Why does Jesus teach on the Law? Why does he reinterpret it? What was going so wrong?
i. Being the Son of God – what is his relationship to the Law?
1. Those questions are answered in vv.17-18.
a. And how are Jesus’ followers to understand and interpret the Law and Prophets?
i. How are we to live in light of them?
2. Those questions are answered in vv.18-20.
2. Hear God’s Word – Matthew 5:17-20.
2. Structure - Before we look at those verses in depth, I first what to introduce you to this section as a whole.
a. We’ll notice in your Bible that as chapter 5 continues there are 6 different headings.
i. Each heading represents a new section…a different Law that Jesus is seeking correct.
1. He speaks about these Laws because they were being misinterpreted in his day…and continue to be misinterpreted in our day.
a. There are 6 different sections that close chapter 5. I have just mentioned them – anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and loving our enemies.
b. And as we look broadly at each section – what I want you notice is that each section has a similar structure.
i. Each section beings with “You have heard it said…”
1. And what we have to realize about this statement is that in each of these cases Jesus isn’t seeking to reinterpret the OT.
a. That’s what I mean when I say “Law and Prophets.” That was the way the ancient Israelites referred to the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures – the OT.
i. When Jesus said, “You’ve heard that it was said…” he isn’t setting out to change the OT.
ii. He is setting out to correct false teaching that was taking in place in day…that took place before he started his public ministry.
1. Yes, what he says in each of these sections is mentioned somewhere in the OT…but I want you to look at 5:43. Yes, love for your neighbour is in the OT…but v.43 gives us a clue that Jesus isn’t reimaging the OT – or seeking to unhitch his followers from the teachings of the OT…
a. He’s correcting false teaching of his day…”hate your enemies” that phrase is nowhere to be found in the OT. But that is what was being taught in Jesus’ day…taught before Jesus’ day.
iii. So in this section of the SM – Jesus is showing his followers what their righteousness is to look like – as opposed to the righteousness of the religious leaders.
1. Jesus starts…you have heard it said…not in the OT, but by your religious leaders…you have heard it said…
a. And then Jesus continues…and he goes on to say…”But I say to you…”
i. And what I want you to notice about this statement is Jesus’ authority.
2. His interpretation of the Law isn’t based on what this rabbi taught or that rabbi said or this commentator wrote or this historian theorized.
a. Jesus’ authority lies in himself…but I say to you…through my own power…because of who he is and where he came from…
i. Jesus anchors what he says purely on his authority as the Son of God.
c. And to close each teaching section, Jesus adds some commentary, some explanation, and a few warnings and solutions.
i. So over the next few weeks, the structure of each section will dictate the structure of each message.
1. We’ll see what the teachers of Jesus’ day were saying…
a. We’ll see how Jesus set out to correct that teaching…we’ll see the practical guidance Jesus gave to his followers in order for them to live righteous lives.
3. Jesus and the Law – But before Jesus dives into teaching about the Law…
a. Jesus first establishes his relationship to it.
i. Not only does Jesus establish his relationship to the Law…he also talks about its enduring nature.
1. But before we look at the important words of this passage…we need to figure out what Jesus means by “Law and Prophets>”
a. Commonly, when we refer to the biblical Law, we are referring to the books of Moses – the first 5 books of the Bible.
i. And when we refer to the Prophets, we think of Isaiah-Malachi.
ii. But when Jesus speaks of the Law and Prophets – he isn’t simply talking about those 2 sections of the OT…he is referring to the entire OT.
1. The Law, the books of history, the wisdom literature, and the major and minor prophets.
a. So here, Jesus is establishing his relationship to the entire OT.
iii. And this is something important for us to think about.
1. Remember – the OT was Jesus’ Bible. The NT wasn’t written yet….wouldn’t be written until after his ascension.
a. So when Jesus was a teenager, and his parents left him behind in Jerusalem, and they found him the temple talking with the religious leaders…
i. They were discussing the OT.
2. For us today, we have a hard time figuring out what to do with the OT.
a. The laws confuse us…do we need to follow them? Yes we do, more on that in weeks to come.
i. The wards disturb us. The poetry makes us feel uncomfortable…and the prophets sometimes frighten us.
iv. However, maybe we would come to a different understanding of the OT…and a deeper appreciation for it…if we saw it as and referred to it as “Jesus’ Bible.”
1. Perhaps you’ve noticed that when we study books of the Bible, we alternate between the OT and the NT.
a. Esther, Revelation, Malachi, 2 Corinthians, Joel, the Sermon on the Mount.
i. This is done intentionally so that we look at the whole Canon of Scripture…so we as 21st century Christians understand our relationship to the whole Bible – OT and NT.
b. So now that we’ve figured out what Jesus means by “Law and Prophets…”
i. I want us to look at 2 key words that Jesus uses to describe his relationship to the OT.
1. The first is the word ‘abolish.’ Or more specifically…not abolish.
i. Jesus starts off this section by saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and Prophets.
1. Now, why would Jesus start out this way?
ii. Well, there’s a very good reason…and it’s because people thought that he did come to do just that.
1. You see, Jesus was completely different than the religious elites of his day.
a. Even early on in his ministry he was at odds with them. He healed on the Sabbath, his disciples picked corn on the Sabbath.
i. Early on in his ministry Jesus hung around people of ill-reputed.
1. He ate with tax collectors, touched sick people…allowed women and children to be near him.
2. And the religious establishment of his day thought that if Jesus did all of those crazy things…with what seemed like reckless abandon…then he would probably do away with the Hebrew Scriptures too!
a. So right off the bat Jesus sets out to make a correction…He sets the record straight in regard to his relationship to the Law…to the OT.
c. Jesus says…Not abolish…not do away with…but fulfill…which is the other important words in this section.
i. Far from coming to destroy the OT…far form voiding or annulling it…Jesus says he’s come to do just the opposite.
1. Jesus came…and here is one of those times when Jesus tells us specifically why he came to earth.
a. He came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
i. He came to preach good news to captive…recovery of sight to the blind…
1. Jesus came so that we might have life and life to the fullest…
a. Jesus came to testify to the truth.
ii. And here Jesus says, I have come to bring fulfillment to the words of the Law and Prophets.
1. In other words…Jesus doesn’t see his life and ministry in terms of opposition to the OT…
a. But in terms of bringing to fruition that towards which it points.
i. The prophecies are about him…the signs and meals and celebrations…they are all types, the point to their fulfillment in Jesus life, death and resurrection.
iii. In fact, far from abolishing the OT – Jesus firmly roots the OT in the lives of his followers.
1. He speaks about its enduring nature. Not a scribble or a mark of punctuation will fade from it.
a. The KJV famously says, ‘a jot and tittle…” The translation new read this morning says, “not one iota, not a dot…” Iota is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet…the Greek letter ‘i.’
i. If this was said today we would probably say, “Not the dot of an “I” or the cross of a “T” will pass away.
iv. So before Jesus teaches about the OT, he first establishes his relationship to it…NOT abolish, but fulfill.
1. And that can really help us in our understanding and interpretation of the OT…they are all about Jesus; it points us to him.
4. Our Relationship – And having established his relationship to the OT – Jesus tells his followers what their relationship should look like.
a. He says in v.19 – that no one should minimize the standards of the Law. No good teacher will seek to release Jesus’ followers from following the OT.
i. Here’s why Jesus said this…this is exactly what the Pharisees were doing.
1. Yes, they were accusing Jesus of abolishing the Hebrew Scriptures…but in reality…
a. They were reinterpreting them to fit their standards and criteria.
i. They lessened the divorce laws to include any and every whim of a husband who wanted a divorce…instead of a OT mandate of marital infidelity.
1. And there are many more examples we’ll look at in future weeks.
ii. The religious leaders were leading the people astray with their pseudo-righteousness.
1. They were leading people astray by not teaching the exacting standards of God’s Word…instead watering it down…and doing the very thing they accused Jesus of doing.
a. Jesus warns that not a dot of an I or the cross of T will pass away until all things are made new…
i. So in the meantime, we must make sure we are reading, studying, and teaching the whole Bible.
b. An then in v.20, we have a famous saying – it is really the thesis statement, the main point, of the entire SM.
i. And it deals with the subject of righteousness…a theme that we’ve looked at before.
1. Righteousness is the great theme of the SM.
a. Jesus teaches his followers what true righteousness is and what it looks like.
i. We are to hunger and thirst after it. We will be persecuted for it.
1. We are to seek it first…
a. We are righteousness when we give in secret, pray in our closets…
i. When we lay up treasures in heaven…
b. When we turn the other cheek, when we aren’t worrying about tomorrow….
i. We are righteous when we build our lives on the proper foundation.
ii. And the whole content of the SM points back to this verse. The righteousness that Jesus describes in this sermon is completely different than the righteousness the religious leaders claimed to have.
1. Jesus uses the word ‘exceeds’ here…And to his original audience, this would be an impossible task.
a. The Pharisees prided themselves on keeping the laws all the time…all 365 of them.
i. They were outwardly righteous…but as Jesus said…they were rotten on the inside…white washed tombs.
2. They concentrated on outer righteousness – thinking that their outward cleanliness would lead to inner righteousness.
a. And that just isn’t the case.
iii. Jesus tells his followers that their righteousness must be qualitatively and quantitatively different than the example set by the religious leaders.
1. Instead of relying on ourselves, our deeds, our works, our ability to keep laws and rules…
a. Our righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees…not because they kept 240 laws and we can keep 242 laws…
i. Our righteousness surpasses their because it doesn’t start with us at all.
c. Our righteousness starts with a changed heart…a poor in spirit attitude…our righteousness comes not from ourselves…but from the Holy Spirit living in us, moving in us, and working in us.
i. Left to ourselves, we are wholly unable to attain righteousness…left to ourselves we are completely incapable of keeping Goad’s Laws…
1. But since God’s Law is now written on our hearts and not tablets of stone…since it has been internalized in us…
a. Since it starts with the power of the Holy Spirit giving us the desire to obey that which we can’t on our own…
i. We are now able to walk in righteousness…and righteousness that far exceeds that of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.
d. And we keep God’s laws…not because we have to in order to receive salvation…we do so out of a loving response to the love, grace and mercy that God has showered on us.
i. And after giving his followers this instruction towards righteousness…
1. Jesus launches in to show them what this kind of righteousness looks like…
a. And we’ll take the first step on that journey next time.