Sermon on the Mount
“It all comes down to this”
Here is one of those parts in the Bible that have you wanting to quietly turn the page and just keep on reading as if it had never been there. The reasons can be because:
"I just don't get it. What's with this talk about the "Law and the Prophets"?"
"I think I get it - does it mean I have to obey the "Law and the Prophets?""
What we know as the "Old Testament" is referred to differently by the Hebrews. They do not refer to it as the "Old Testament" but to the different parts of it:
the Law; the Prophets (or the Writings); the Psalms…
They were the Bible of the day. It was the Word of God to the people of God at the time of Christ. Thing is - and to generalise - we as Christians probably tend to look at these parts of scripture rather negatively. Particularly the parts described as the "Law." We read about very detailed requirements in books such as Exodus and Leviticus - and literally thank God that we have not been required to live and worship that way. We read about what they were and weren't allowed to do on the Sabbath; about how they were to treat skin rashes; offer sacrifices; what they were allowed to eat; what they were allowed to wear. There seems to be a law for absolutely everything in life.
Everything!! Absolutely everything.
The Old Testament law can be broken into three areas:
- Moral - the 10 Commandments are a classic example of this
- Spiritual - how God was to be worshipped and a relationship with Him conducted
- Social - how they were to together as a nation; how crimes were dealt with; diseases etc
It is fair to say that our understanding of the New Testament's take on the "Law" is that we are under grace, and not the "Law." And we are greatly relieved about that. And then, throw into the mix the fact that rabbi's and Pharisees in Jesus' day even had a "law" about how to keep the "Law." They would have explanations, definitions and commentaries about how you were to obey the things that were contained in the Law. It is all very burdensome and wearisome. And now we begin reading the wonderful words of the Sermon on the Mount. And having read the comforting and empowering words of the Beatitudes; and the inspirational and energising commission that we are the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world"; we suddenly have this "clanger" of a statement by Jesus that He has not come to abolish all these detailed, demanding, confusing, irrelevant bits of the Bible known as the Law and the Prophets.
Not only does He not intend to abolish them, but to fulfil them. Apparently in all matters. Not the smallest stoke of the pen will disappear until it is accomplished. (There was a story in Jesus' time about the smallest stroke in the Hebrew language - the yôd. The story went that when Sarai's name was changed to Sarah, the yôd was removed. Generations cried out until Moses changed Oshea's name to Joshua - and it was returned to scripture.) And then, then, He goes on to give a warning about not attending to the least of the commandments.
(The greatest commandment was considered honouring parents ( Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16); the least was about the bird's nest (Deut 22:6-7 )).
And He links it to some kind of status in the Kingdom. And just to really make our day - Jesus finishes by saying that our righteousness needs to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. All very troubling.
Now one luxury we do not have, is to sit back and wipe our brow and say "Whatever this is about, it's obvious that Jesus has it covered and there's nothing here I need to concern myself with. Now…where's the TV guide?" It is here in the Sermon on the Mount because within it there is a message for His disciples. For those who first heard it; for us who now hear it. Here are two important things for us to absorb about these verses, so that we can continue to read and embrace the Sermon on the Mount.
1. The Law was God's Grace
For Jesus, and Jews of His day, the Law was a gracious covenant from God. The Jews considered it as the greatest gift from God. They were once slaves in Egypt and God rescued them and gifted them the Law, by which they could know how they could worship Him and live under His blessing. They loved the Law. It was the "Good News" or "Gospel" of the Exodus. It highlighted the righteousness of God. It showed the sinfulness of humanity. It was holy, good and just. The Law revealed the nature of God. At it's heart was the character of God. His powerful, holy, merciful and just nature.
2. The Law is "Prophetic"
By "prophetic" I do not mean "foretelling" - that is that it predicted the future. Although it most certainly pointed to Christ.
By "prophetic" I mean "forthtelling" - it contains a way of life.
Jesus interpreted the Law prophetically.For instance, this meant that when Jesus is asked questions like what is the greatest commandment; He answered
"One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,' and 'to love one's neighbor as oneself,'-this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question." (Mark 12:28-34, NRSV)
To love God and to love your neighbour are the greatest commandments. Greater than the parts of the law about offerings and sacrifices. On these two commandments - all the Law and Prophets hang, Jesus said. Centuries before God had spoken through the prophet Micah:
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8, NIV)
Jesus' prophetic approach to the Law meant that the emphasis was on the heart issues. The kind of thing Jeremiah and Ezekiel had talked about. A new Law written on people's hearts; a heart of flesh given for a heart of stone.
The Gospel of Matthew is heavy on "fulfilment." From the moment of his telling about the birth of Jesus, he would often use the phrase "And this was to fulfil…" (e.g. Matt 1:22, 2:15, 17; 4:14; ) His life fulfilled prophecies that had been "foretelling"; His teaching fulfilled the prophetic flavour of the Law through His "forthtelling." Fulfilment of the Law is especially and particularly "Jesus." For us to live accordingly is to be "Christlike." He has fulfilled the letter and spirit of the Law in Himself and through His obedient and holy life. He fulfils the Law by His teaching - insofar as His teaching enshrines the pulsating heart of the Law.
Love.
His is a "quality" fulfilment of the Law. And Jesus stands at the intersection of what we know as the Old Testament and the New Testament. He fulfils the Law and His teaching now points ahead. We do not obey the Law to the letter (i.e. we do not obey and are not bound by its specific stipulations) - but we obey its intent and spirit. It revealed the righteousness of God and love of God. As one commentator put it:
"The law pointed forward to Jesus and His teaching; so it is properly obeyed by obeying His word…ranking in the kingdom turns on the degree of [obedience] to Jesus' teaching as that teaching fulfils Old Testament revelation. His teaching, toward which Old Testament pointed, must be obeyed."
And in terms of the Sermon on the Mount - His Word is "coming" pure and simple. The very next block of teaching is about anger, and promises, relationships with the opposite sex, and retaliation and revenge. Will we "fulfil" the Law when we are angry? Or when we make a promise? Or when confronted with sexual attraction? Or if we have been wronged and have a chance to get even?
Jesus fulfilled the Law. He advanced and unpacked that by talking about its enduring nature. Romans puts it like this:
"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:8-10, NRSV)
Love.
Sometimes when in a Christian setting - the mention of the "love" can cause the eyes to glaze over. We've heard it so many times before. And in every way possible. "God is love." "We must love." "Love one another." We hear it; but its impact is dulled for many of us. But here - in Matt 5 - it is the essence of this very tricky passage of scripture. The fulfilment of the Law by Jesus - is because He loves and calls us to live accordingly. So that we too will fulfil the Law.
This past week I attended a wedding. And God spoke unexpectedly about this very issue. At one point in the ceremony 1 Cor 13 was read. However, it was read differently. When the person went up to read I sat there expecting the reading to start, where it normally does, someway through the chapter ("Love is…"; and finish where it normally does in weddings - with "Love never fails."
But it didn't. It started at the beginning of chapter 13 and went right to the end.
And so it began - " If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. " (1 Corinthians 13, NIV)
As it was read, the scales fell off my eyes and I began to see and hear God. It was like hearing these words for the first time. "If I gave all I had to the poor - but have not love - it's all for nothing!" "If I was to be martyred - by being burnt - but have not love - it's all for nothing!" I had just finished a major assignment that week and now heard the words "That even if I pass this qualification - but have not love - it's pointless!" My mind began to go back over events and how I have been living - and the phrase "but have not love" echoed through those memories and reflections. And I realised to my shame how little I have loved!
The next day I prayed and went over 1 Cor 13 many times - with the phrase "but have not love" as the grid in my reflections. It was arduous. I read scripture and the passages about God's love. Passages like 1 John 4; and Rom 5, Rom 8. And 1 Cor 13… It was convicting, unpleasant, revelatory, humbling, and there was a burden with it. In fact - there was more than a passing sense of "awfulness" to contemplate standing before God on the day of judgement and discover much of what I might have considered worthy - would count for nothing because it was not done in love.
To possibly see many of my works pass through the flames of judgement and for few, if any, to come out the other side. Later I went to bed for the night. There was a mixture of thoughts and feelings. The lightness of revelation; the heaviness of what was revealed. The challenge of "what's next?" "What can I do about it?" Memories of so many conversations, actions, work - that "had not love." I closed my eyes in the dark to go to sleep - and then my cell phone went. I had a text. It was 10pm and a friend sent a text which said "Hi Geoff. Hope everything is going well. Remember God is for you." I responded with thanks and asked what had prompted this. His response was "Evening prayers. Just thinking of you." And in the midst of so much in my heart - God had touched my heart with love. Encouraged me even as He was convicting me and taking me to task. Such is the God of love. And the friend who sent the text? He fulfilled the Law.
Presented By: Rev. Geoff New