Matthew 5:17-20 — Sermon on the Mount
The King's Children Are Righteous
Jesus fulfills the law by revealing God's deepest intent, calling his followers to exceed Pharisaic righteousness through transformed internal attitudes that naturally produce kingdom influence.
Introduction
We noticed as we began this series, that the Sermon on the Mount is not intended to be lifted from its context and studied. Instead only in context does the Sermon make its greatest impact. Matthew has described Jesus in lofty ways. In 1:23 he is named Immanuel—God with us. In 2:10 he is seen as the king. In 3:1–3, a new kingdom is announced. In 3:17, Jesus is confirmed as God’s son. In 4:17, Jesus announces that God’s kingdom is near. In 4:18–22, he begins a new community of believers. In 4:23, he preaches the good news of the kingdom. In 4:24–25, he heals the sick.
In all these ways, Matthew has allowed us to see that Jesus is not merely a master teacher but one who is God coming to initiate a new kingdom. This Sermon begins with announcing the attitudes of the King’s children. The King’s children recognize their spiritual poverty, are meek, mourn, merciful and peacemakers. The King’s children receive the favor of the King when these attitudes are present.
According to 4:23–25, the work of Jesus in establishing his kingdom has not gone unnoticed. Nor has it gone without opposition. As a child, the king of an earthly kingdom tried to kill him. As he initiated the presence of his kingdom, the king of demonic forces tried to make him fall. And as we shall see today, the self-proclaimed kings of God’s will and intent on earth, the Pharisees, opposed him.
One of the things we talked about last week was what type of message do we want to send to those who are not part of the kingdom. Jesus declared that we are a city set on a hill. Bringing illumination to a dark world means that we are trying to reveal the kingdom in such a way that people praise God. With attitudes of meekness, mercy, and peace, we live in this world from the inside out. That is, we allow the kingdom’s attitudes to become our attitudes and then live out those attitudes in this world. The result is to bring others closer to our Father so that they can praise him just as we do. So we live from the inside out.
In our text, Jesus establishes this principle but points to himself first as the one who lives from the inside out perfectly. But he also calls us to follow him. Filled with God’s attitudes we are able to demonstrate those attitudes in the way we live. This is our picture of strength.
The Text
Jesus alludes to the opposition he is receiving in verse 17. “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.” Such a statement reflects that some believed Jesus was setting aside God’s word. In verses 17–20, Jesus has a high view of what is commonly called our Old Testament. Having stated that his people will produce works which honor God in verse 16, Jesus turns to the law for fuller explanation and illustration. The Old Testament is an expression of God’s will. Let there be no misunderstanding, Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament. He did not come to declare that the demands of the Old Testament were no longer valid, but to fulfill them. How are we to understand this statement?
Some say that what Jesus did was give a new law. That certainly is not what he says here. He clearly says that there is a connection between himself and the law. What God intended is defined in the Old Testament and summarized by Jesus in the New Testament. Love God and love your neighbor. According to verse 18, the smallest detail of the law is important to God. Why? Because the law expresses the intent and will of God.
Some say that we are no longer under the law or Old Testament and use Colossians 2:14 to prove their point because Paul says the written code was nailed to the cross. When taken in its entire context, Paul’s point is that Jesus nailed to the cross the need to prove our salvation through the keeping of human regulations. The written code or the need to keep things perfectly in order to secure one’s salvation has been nailed to the cross. In the context Paul uses our baptism as the demonstration of our salvation not as a work but as a demonstration of accepting Jesus as the fullness of the Godhead and the ruler of all powers and authorities.
Jesus is saying that he is going to fulfill the law. That is, he is going to reveal the deepest and truest meaning of the law. Not the man-given meaning, but God’s intent for the law. Every bit of God’s law is important. Jesus is going to reveal God’s fuller intent and he is also going to live out that full intent for all to see. To set the Old Testament on a shelf and to say it has no relevancy for our lives is to misunderstand the words of Jesus. When Jesus fulfills the law, then parts of the law have their full explanation in Jesus, for example sacrifices. But Jesus in verse 18 says that the smallest dot and every letter is valid.
Jesus is living at a time when those who claim to be closest to God, the Pharisees, have taken the law and reinterpreted it or added to it. They misused God’s law for their own purposes. They failed to understand the full intent of the law. They externalized the commands of God rather than having attitudes which reflected the heart of the King. For example, in Mark 7, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for holding on to the traditions of men instead of doing God’s commands. The command clearly says to honor father and mother, but the Pharisees believe by designating their wealth as Corban that they no longer have to help mom and dad. This typifies the mind of the Pharisee. Circumventing the law, so that they can do other things which appear to be godly.
Jesus says he didn’t come to give a new law or to destroy the old law. What he came to do was to reveal just how important the law. He came to give the law a full and complete meaning. He came to obey it completely and thus to show how important the law is. We see his meaning in verses 21–48 as Jesus contrasts the Pharisees’ interpretation with God’s intent. “You have heard it said, but I say…” Verses 19 and 20 is a verbal slap at the Pharisees. Jesus says unless his people exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, then the kingdom will not be theirs. The Pharisees externalized the law. Jesus came to reveal what the law internalized looked like.
Application
The difference is the reason to keep the law. For the Pharisees keeping the law was tantamount to one’s having a relationship with God. For Jesus, keeping the law was because one had a relationship with God. For the Pharisees, keeping the law was a sign of one’s spirituality. For Jesus, one kept the law because he was spiritual. The Pharisees were interested in the letter of the law. Jesus was interested in the spirit of the law as well as the letter. Jesus says his people will be interested in the spirit of the law as well. Kingdom attitudes lead to kingdom influence. Now with kingdom attitudes, kingdom people keep the law. We live from the inside out.
This section is much more about the King’s view of the law and how the King is going to demonstrate the completeness of the law. Imagine a human living the law perfectly—both the letter and the intent. But this section also calls for the King’s children to live differently. The Pharisees were perceived to be the most righteous of all. They kept the law with great intensity. But the King’s children live in such a way to exceed this law-keeping attitude. Jesus says that his followers will have kingdom attitudes first; we will live from the inside out. How do we do that?
It begins with a changing attitude. Can you imagine a kingdom where people did not look down their noses at others but acknowledge their own spiritual poverty to such a point that they weep over sin? Can you imagine a kingdom where people use their strength to assist others rather than seeking their own comfort and ease first? Can you imagine a kingdom where people want nothing more than to show mercy to those who need it? Can you imagine a kingdom where peace and harmony are sought? Can you imagine living in such a way that all you care about is that others praise God? We have gotten so used to the status quo that we can no longer envision what can be. Our attitudes lead to right action which reflect the intent of God. We work on the internal and external will follow.
Too often we concentrate on the external. We think in terms of doing the right thing. Jesus concentrated on thinking. He calls us salt and light—terms describing who we are, not what we do. When we understand who we are, then we act in ways that are consistent with salt and light. We live from the inside out. Can you imagine if as the King’s children we began to envision even fractionally what God envisions for his people in this world? It starts with attitude.
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