This part of the book is so very interesting. It tackles the whole concept of the law, which is in the Old Testament. Jesus says that He's not abolishing the law; it still applies! Wait, what?!? But check it out for yourself. He didn't stutter.
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"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.
Matthew 5.17-20 (NRSV)
Notes from my HarperCollins Study Bible
- Jesus' teachings are not against Jewish law.
- Tiny marks ( iota) = letter or stroke of a letter.
- Correlation between present behaviour and God's final judgment.
A Christian's righteousness: Christ, the Christian, and the law.
- Two parts: Christ and the law. Christians and the law.
Christ and the law.
- He didn't come to abolish the old Testament.
- Jesus also didn't come to endorse the law/prophets; He came to fulfill them.
- plērōsai (to fulfill) = "to fill"
His sayings were no repeal of the former, but a drawing out and filling up of them. (Chrysostom)
- Old Testament = doctrinal teaching.
- "Torah" = revealed instruction.
- Only a partial revelation.
- Old Testament = predictive prophecy.
- Looks forward to the Messiah.
- Anticipation.
- Jesus' death fulfilled the ceremonial system of the Old Testament, and so the ceremonies were no longer needed.
- Old Testament = ethical precepts (moral law of God).
- Often misunderstood and disobeyed.
- Jesus obeyed; He adds nothing, He just obeys.
- Jesus also explained obedience and goes deep; true obedience isn't shallow or superficial, born of a desire to look like you're doing everything right.
- He reveals the full depth of meaning.
The attitude of Jesus to the Old Testament was not one of destruction and of discontinuity, but rather of a constructive, organic continuity. (p.72)
- The law still applies to us, it wasn't abolished at all. The greatest commandments are about love, and all the law and the prophets depend on them.
- Faith in Christ is most important, and the law and our obedience to it is our witness to that faith.
- The law applies until the heaven and the earth pass away, as that is when it will be fulfilled.
The Christian and the law.
- We must obey and teach others to obey.
- Greatness is based on obedience.
- We must do better than the scribes and the Pharisees; it's about attitude and behaviour both.
- 248 commandments, 365 prohibitions.
- Spirit writes God's law on our hearts; this should affect our attitude and help us conform to it.
- Deep obedience, not more.
- Antitheses come next; who is Jesus comparing Himself to? Need to know this or we get confused.
- Not comparing Himself to Moses; that would mean contradicting the law, and the literally just said He came to fulfill it!
- Actually a comparison to the scribes and Pharisees; rather than contradicting the law, He is giving the correct interpretation.
- Substance.
- Appear to come from Mosaic law but they are distorted.
- Introductory formula.
- What you've heard isn't what's there.
- Context.
- Jesus just said the law applies.
- Jesus' attitude toward the Old Testament.
- The scriptures used to defeat temptation came from the Old Testament.
- Reverent submission to the written word in behaviour and in mission.
- Pit Jesus against the scribes, which puts up Christian righteousness in contrast to pharisaical righteousness.
- The scribes and Pharisees were trying to make the law less challenging, more relaxed, more manageable, and less exacting.
- They found Torah both a yoke and a burden (p.79). So they restricted the commandments and extended the permissions.
- Jesus returned everything to its roots.
I'm curious to go through the antitheses now, because I want to know what laws specifically we're talking about here. Is it all of Leviticus or just the Ten? And what about specifics, like domestic violence etc.?
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I really think that all of the law is summed up in the two greatest commandments. If you love God with everything you are, you will naturally follow all of the specific God-related commandments. And if you love others as you love yourself, you will naturally follow all of the specific interpersonal commandments. Yes, we need some guidance for some of them, but I'm also pretty sure that most of those 248 commandments and 365 prohibitions are meant to be clarifications of the Big Ten, and when we get into the antitheses you'll see how that works. So stay tuned. It's getting interesting.
Peace & Blessings.
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