“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 tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20
It is my opinion that the Sermon on the Mount is probably one of the most misunderstood out of the entire New Testament. No other passages in Scripture have been most misrepresented by preachers and theologians from every Christian denomination across the globe.
Context is always key.
When reading Scripture, it is always important to understand that the authors wrote down only what they believed to be of the greatest value and significance to the reader. I’m sure they wanted to write down more, but they knew it’d be impossible to write down every major event or happening surrounding Jesus’ life and ministry. So they stuck to the basics. Thus, it’s impossible to brush aside any small verse or phrase. You can’t brush it aside when there was deliberate intentionality in everything they wrote down.
There was no eloquent speech. No beating around the bush. Thus, you have to soak it all in very slowly and carefully, keeping in mind there were significant reasons why each detail was included. It becomes vital to address such questions as: Why did the author choose to include this information? Why is it important?
Therefore, before diving into the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5, it’s important that you have read and studied Matthew Chapters 1-4. You will not have a complete picture of Chapter 5 unless you have this background.
In Chapter 3, Matthew introduces the reader to John the Baptist. And what do we know about Jesus’ disciples? At least some of them had been followers of John before they became followers of Jesus. And so, it is very likely, many who were witnesses of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount also were aware of John’s ministry.
John preached the importance of repentance, of turning away from wicked and sinful practices, and turning instead towards practices more pleasing to God. John’s followers consisted of those who felt the inner turmoil of guilt and shame because of what they had done. They knew in their hearts that they had done wrong, but they also possessed a sincere desire to change. John preached a message of hope to these people. If they confessed their sins to God, and to those they had wronged, and committed to a lifestyle of change, God would declare them righteous.
The reader is also introduced to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. John the Baptist shockingly calls these religious leaders ‘a brood of vipers’. They are later exposed as hypocrites by Jesus, who calls them ‘whitewashed tombs’ because they valued appearances over inner motives.
This is the backdrop before the book of Matthew introduces us to the Sermon on the Mount.
As I noted before, everything written down in Scripture was done so with great care and intentionality. The reader is therefore meant to keep everything that had already been said in the previous chapters in mind as he considers what is about to happen next.
So let’s now look at these verses, one phrase at a time
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets
Why did Jesus say this? Why is it significant?
Jesus was a mind reader. He could literally read minds. There are several instances written in Scripture in which He would expose what everyone was already thinking, even those things people were too ashamed or embarrassed to say out loud. Thus, we can conclude that there were people in the crowd who were listening to Him at that very moment on the Mount of Olives who believed that Jesus did indeed intend to ‘abolish the Law’.
Now we must ask, why would anyone think that of Jesus? Who would accuse Hhim of such a thing? We know Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath by the Pharisees. Plus, he hung out with ‘sinners’. He showed mercy to those the Pharisees would have stoned. To these sticklers of the Law, it appeared Jesus was giving these people a free pass. He was telling prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers, and thieves that their sins were forgiven. In the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus was acting as if the Law had no significance. It appeared to them that Jesus was teaching something outright scandalous: that obedience to the Law was irrelevant to God and righteousness.
Here, Jesus is refuting their assumptions and accusations.
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
To Jesus’ doubters, the above statement would have been surprising. Jesus seemed to act like a rebel, doing what was ‘unclean’, touching ‘unclean’ lepers, and violating the Sabbath rules.
But to Jesus’ followers, this would have held special significance. Jesus was declaring that He meant to fulfill the Law. And if He succeeded in fulfilling the Law, then surely He was a righteous man, a man deserving of each one of God’s blessings associated with complete obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. Just a reminder, the Mosaic Covenant consisted of a series of blessings and curses based on whether or not you followed each command.
For truly I tell you,
Jesus often used the phrase, “truly, I tell you”. One way to paraphrase this statement in modern English is this: “Now, pay attention. I’m about to say something very important.”
until heaven and earth disappear,
Let’s be honest. We can’t imagine a day when heaven and earth will disappear. But we know from the Old Testament that heaven and earth will, indeed, pass away.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. – Isaiah 51:6
Around the time when the destruction of the heavens and the earth occurs, the souls of men will be resurrected and judged, either to eternal life, or to eternal destruction.
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law
In other words, not a single word from the Law will be declared insignificant or irrelevant until after every human being has been resurrected and judged, either for redemption, or eternal damnation.
until everything is accomplished.
Accomplished. This is a loaded word. There is a ‘near fulfillment’ and a ‘far fulfillment’. Right before Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross, He declared, “It is finished.” Or, “It is accomplished.” The ‘near fulfillment’ is Jesus’ perfect life in fulfillment of the Law. By this, Jesus accomplished His mission, His mission on earth to fulfill the Law. And by doing so, He earned all the merits associated with fulfilling the Law, and when He laid down His life and took it up again, He made Atonement for the sins of many.
The ’far fulfillment’ refers to the last part of Isaiah 51:6 – But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. After the Day of Judgment, there will be an eternal day of salvation for those who take refuge in Christ.
Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven
When we stand before the Lord on the day of judgment, God will judge us based on every standard God has ever communicated to us through Scripture, from the greatest tenet to the least. Therefore, it is vitally important that we are taught the Law in its entirety so that we are aware of the standard by which we will be judged.
It is important to note that Jesus is not talking about fulfillment here, as He did in His earlier statements. Here, He is talking about those who teach the Law. He is talking about those who teach others right from wrong. He is talking about God’s commands spoken in the Law and Prophets, which is godly wisdom.
The Law was given to teach us good from evil. It was to teach us what is good and right in God’s eyes, and what is not. Without the Law, we would be lost. We wouldn’t know up from down, or good from evil. Since God alone is good, he alone is qualified in defining for us what is good and what is evil. He alone is qualified to set the standard. What Jesus is saying is, every single command from God should be treated with respect and reverence, because each one was given for a reason, to instruct us in wisdom, guidance, and understanding.
but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Here, Christ is talking about both the practice and the teaching of the Law. But there is only one person who has ever been able to both practice and teach the Law with perfection, and that is Jesus, the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus is referring to Himself.
He is indeed great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
To understand what Jesus implies by this statement, we must refer to the last statement, which mentions both ‘practice’ and ‘teaching’. Great is the Son of God, because He both taught, and put into practice, every letter of the Law. But woe to the teachers who did not practice what they preached! For they will not enter the kingdom of heaven at all!
It is at this point in His Sermon that Jesus attempts to separate His teachings from the teachings of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
Jesus starts off each point with this phrase:
You have heard it said…
He is referring to the religious leaders, those who taught the Law.
To understand what Jesus says next, we must back up to what Jesus said earlier, when he talked about neglecting the ‘least’ of God’s commands.
From this point on in Matthew 5, Jesus is pointing out what these teachers had been neglecting to teach the people regarding the Law. He is not, as I have heard so many preachers claim, setting a ‘higher standard’ than what had already been written about in the Law and Prophets. That is ridiculous. Every point Jesus makes in the Sermon on the Mount can be traced to the Old Testament.
For one thing, all throughout the Old Testament, God judged people based on their innermost thoughts and motives.
Consider the following verses:
All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. – Proverbs 16:2
Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind – Psalms 26:2
I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve – Jeremiah 17:10
Do these verses not imply that God sees and judges our thoughts, as well as our actions?
Jesus, therefore, does NOT set a ‘higher standard’. He simply restates what is already implied by the Old Testament verses above, when He mentions God’s standards regarding murder and adultery.
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
We must pause here. Notice He says “I tell you”. This is significant.
The Old Testament prophets never spoke like this. All throughout the Old Testament, the prophets consistently distinguished God’s words and commands from their own by announcing, “Now listen to what the Lord says to Israel” or some similar comment. But here, Jesus is clearly taking ownership over these commands. He does not say “but the Lord says” or “but My Father says”. He says “but I tell you”. And this would have infuriated the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. He was clearly substituting “but the Lord says” with the statement “but I tell you” to draw attention to Himself as having equal authority with God. He was restating His Father’s commands as if they were His very own.
So, we see that He is restating what is already implied by what is written in the Law and Prophets. And He is stating them as if they were His very own. And we see that He intends not only to teach what the Pharisees and teachers of the Law had been neglecting to teach, but He intends also to practice and FULFILL all of God’s commands.
Now, let’s look at some other verses embedded in the Sermon on the Mount.
… if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
There is Old Testament basis for this as well. In Isaiah, God condemns empty worship. That is, he condemned Israel for celebrating their festivals and Sabbaths while acting shamefully the rest of the week: Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high – Isaiah 58:4
Obviously, God cares more about people getting along and making peace with one another than he does about following rules of fasting, worship, and prayer.
Divorce.
Ok, this is a hard one for many people. But it’s important not to avoid it just because it’s difficult to swallow. Let’s examine the verse together:
It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
When two people marry, they promise before the Lord to be faithful to one another as long as they both shall live: faithful and unwavering in fidelity, romantic love, desire, tenderness, and affection. This promise becomes a covenant promise before the Lord God Almighty, and it should not be taken lightly. Thus, any divorce based on any other reason other than adultery is inexcusable in God’s perspective. God never intended to permit divorce based on frivolous reasons.
In ancient Jewish culture, a man was permitted to divorce his wife, but a wife was not permitted to divorce her husband. Thus, when a married couple divorced, it was always initiated by the man, not the woman. Even worse, because women were not allowed to work and be self-sufficient, a woman who was given a certificate of divorce would have felt compelled to remarry as quickly as possible, for the sake of her own dignity, as well as for her very survival. But if she had been a virtuous woman, always faithful and true to her husband, but her husband rejected her anyway, she not only must live with the scars of a broken heart, but she is placed in a position she never intended to happen – choosing a new man to marry other than her first love. She becomes an adulteress against her will and the new man she marries commits adultery with her.
The bottom line is this: there are only two ways in which the marriage covenant can be broken, either by sexual infidelity or death. The death of a spouse releases a person of their marital vows to marry someone else. Also, adultery. But in God’s eyes, if you make a lifelong commitment, you better be prepared to live up to that promise. Do not take it lightly.
If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
These verses at first appear shocking. But then, if you think about it, it really shouldn’t be. I mean, who wants to suffer in eternal hell fire? What could possibly be worse than that? Who wouldn’t be willing to go through extremes if it meant preventing a fate of eternal suffering?
To paraphrase Jesus’ words, He is saying you should be willing to suffer and sacrifice anything in this life if it means preventing you from being thrown into hell. What you suffer in this life is temporary. But if you are doomed to suffer after Judgment, it will be eternal.
A pastor once told a story of a man he met who had been persecuted for his faith. The man was threatened. He was told to renounce his faith, and if he didn’t, the guards would chop off his fingers, one by one. After a finger was chopped off, he was asked to renounce his faith, but he would not. So, they moved on to the next finger, and then the next. The man ended up having no fingers left. But his interrogator had marveled in awe and wonder at the man’s resolve… and humbled himself and became converted to Christianity. That is just one example in which losing a finger or a toe for the faith in Jesus Christ can increase and magnify the kingdom of God. Not only did the man spare his own soul from the clutches of hell fire by refusing to renounce his faith, even at the cost of losing all his fingers, he gained a convert by the strength of his steadfast testimony.
Oaths
Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all… All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Preachers and theologians will talk on and on about God’s covenants and promises. But the truth is, God’s character is such that He does not need to swear an oath at all. Everything he says is the truth. His character prevents him from ever telling a lie. Therefore, if He says He’s going to do something, there’s a 100% guarantee that it will happen. Without swearing an oath or vow, you know God will accomplish whatever He says He will accomplish.
In the Old Testament, God would occasionally swear an oath or make a vow. He would swear an oath upon His own Name’s sake. That is, He would base his vow upon preserving His own perfect character.
When you read these promises, they sound almost comical. An all-powerful being whose nature is to never lie does not need to swear an oath. These oaths seem to be made for the benefit of the people who doubted God’s ability and character. For these folks, God says, “I’m staking my reputation on this: I will do everything I told you I’d accomplish.”
I’m sure you’ve encountered people who are in the habit of saying one thing and doing another. It’s frustrating. You can’t trust them.
I once hired a cleaning lady. She was a friend of a church member, so initially I gave her the benefit of the doubt. She’d promise to clean my house on a certain date, but would arrive late, and leave early, before the house was cleaned. Then, promise to come back to finish the job… and never show up. Then, she wanted to be paid in advance… but after being paid, I wouldn’t hear from her regarding her availability. Then, after finally scheduling a date and time… she wouldn’t show up at all. Then, she’d give a sob story about her car breaking down… but didn’t notify me about it until the end of the day. Then, she’d tell me she’s broke and needs cash right away to pay her bills and promises to pay me back by Wednesday. Wednesday comes and goes and all I hear are crickets. After all of this, whenever we did schedule a time, it became sadly predictable that she wouldn’t show up at all due to one reason or another. She’d tell me one sob story after another, of how she needs money right away for this immediate need or that and make a thousand promises of how she’d do anything in return, including clean my house from top to bottom.
All the while I kept wondering when she’d just be honest with me. If she was really in serious financial trouble, I was more than willing to help her. But instead of telling me the truth, and saying something like “I really need the money, and I want to pay you back, but I don’t know if I can” or “I want to do something in return but things are so crazy in my life right now I don’t know when I’ll be able to schedule a time” she’d tell one lie and make one false promise after another. The lies kept building, one after the other. Frankly, the lies and dishonesty hurt far worse than her inability to pay me back.
Lies and dishonesty will ruin a person’s reputation. And they are not from God. And the more a person is desperately compelled to persuade another person of their good intentions, the more motivated they become of making promises they’re not sure they’ll be able to keep. And the more likely they are to forget that God is listening.
Whether we know it or not, all our vows are “before God” in that God is fully aware of every promise we’ve ever made. He knows because God knows all things. And every ‘yes’ or ‘no’ that we declare before men, regarding what we will do or not do, God knows about these things as well.
So, what is Jesus’ point?
Essentially, Jesus’ point is this: God wants our honesty, faithfulness, and consistency, in everything we say and do. If our deeds don’t match what we say, we are not conforming to any of these attributes. We are not conforming to the attributes of God.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.
Why should we not resist an evil person?
In order to understand the answer to this question we need to look back to the point of the last section regarding oaths.
When we practice what we preach, when we allow our actions match our words, our reputation and character remain pure and intact. But what happens when we resist an evil person? Our own reputation becomes soured by our response.
I once had a friend in Middle School who lost her temper with me. She was one of those who walked around with a big chip on her shoulder. You could see it in her eyes and her whole demeanor, but honestly, I had no idea what was upsetting her so much. Then, one day, she just blew up like a volcano. She blasted me, saying all kinds of ugly things. And I reacted like most Middle Schoolers would. I acted on instinct. Without thinking, I blasted her in return. I returned all the ugliness right back at her. We parted ways and I wandered around the schoolyard still furious over what happened. Another friend of mine approached me later. In fact, this friend who approached me had been my best friend in all the world. Well, she heard from my other friend of what happened… but from a different point of view. She told my best friend of all the ugliness I said to her, leaving out all the rest. My best friend was floored, and my reputation had been undermined. In the eyes of my best friend, I had done a terrible thing. When I told her I had been provoked, she at least understood the whole story, but it didn’t exactly raise my reputation any. In fact, I had lowered myself to the level of the one who had provoked me. Ironically, in my efforts to resist ugliness, I had become ugly in return, and my reputation had been tarnished as a result. I had acted no differently than the world does. I had not separated myself from reacting in the same ugly manner the world does.
Fighting evil with evil simply doesn’t work. All it does is make you more and more like the evil you deplore. Your reputation becomes just as tarnished and ugly as the evil people you resist.
But what if you chose to respond differently?
In order to conform your character to the character of God, you must possess the qualities of honesty, faithfulness, consistency, kindness, and grace. But your character and integrity will be quickly tarnished if you cannot be consistently gracious or kind in the midst of trial, or when provoked by an enemy.
However, if you choose to respond with silence, submission, or even with acts of kindness, your reputation will remain pure and intact. Even your enemies won’t be able to find any fault in you. Your reputation and integrity will remain without blemish.
This is what it means to live a blameless life.
The Old Testament mentions two faithful servants who were characterized as ‘blameless’.
Genesis 6:9 – This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Job 1:1 – In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
The word blameless means to live with such high values of integrity, choosing to shy away from committing any act of evil, even in the midst of great trial, that even your enemies will speak highly of you. Don’t just submit to your enemies’ demands but go over and beyond what they ask of you. As long as their demands don’t violate God’s decrees, go the extra mile. In this way, you will win favor even among your enemies. And even if they do still choose to wag the finger, making baseless accusations, God who sees and judges all things will vindicate you and hold them into account.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Where do we see this in the Old Testament?
This is a great question! And yes, it is there, in the Old Testament.
Blameless Job prays for those who tried to corrupt his mind against God in his greatest moment of despair and weakness.
After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. – Job 42:10
Righteous Abraham prayed for Abimelek after Abimelek had taken Sarah as his wife.
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again – Gen 20:17
David, who had been running away from King Saul who was trying to chase David down and kill him, refused to take his revenge on Saul even when David had a clear opportunity to do so.
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 24:10
In all these cases, faithful men showed mercy upon those who had wronged them.
Now, imagine you were part of the crowd listening to Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount. Imagine hearing these words. Keep in mind, the religious leaders had not been instructing the Jews on these matters even though, as I have been trying to point out, they are actually self-explanatory lessons from a proper reading of the Old Testament.
Imagine what you might have felt in that moment.
I know what I would have felt. I would have felt deeply convicted. If I hadn’t had realized it before, I would have concluded just how far short from God’s standard I had actually been living my life. If I hadn’t had considered John the Baptist’s teachings on repentance before, I would have been pondering John’s ministry in that moment. I would have wondered, perhaps I, too, need to repent of my sins. I need to run into my closet and cry out to God, “Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner!”
Now, consider Jesus’ next bombshell…
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
For those in the crowd who knew and who had read carefully the Old Testament, one would have discovered how imperfect even the most faithful servants of God actually were. In fact, Ecclesiastes 7:20 says this:
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
And this is repeated by Saint Paul in Romans 3:23…
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
So how is Jesus’ command for us to be perfect relevant for us, sinners?
Jesus’ command seems to imply that it is possible to be as perfect and as holy as the Father himself. And yet Jesus says this in Mark 10:18…
“No one is good—except God alone.”
Let me stress that again… No one is good except God alone.
So, Jesus knows none of us are perfect. So, why is He commanding us to be perfect? He seems to be asking the impossible from us! That seems… unfair, doesn’t it? I mean, if we’re doomed to failure, why even try? To say the Pharisees demands were stricter than Jesus’ commands is ridiculous. The Pharisees’ demands were at least achievable. Jesus was asking for the impossible.
I repeat that again:
JESUS WAS ASKING THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Did anyone catch that when reading Matthew 5?
This is the punchline. This is the point Jesus is trying to make. In order to preach the lie that it is humanly possible to earn righteousness based on following the Law, the Pharisees had to deliberately neglect any Scriptural references that pointed to the Father’s ability to judge people’s hearts, to examine their innermost thoughts and motives, and determine if their character reflects that of the Father.
Jesus is saying,
Forget about what the Pharisees have been teaching you. They have not told you everything. If you followed every letter of the Law, and the standards set by the Prophets, you would have to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. And if you are truly honest with yourselves, your hearts should feel a great burden of conviction, since none of you are perfect. All of you are far from the perfect glory of God. I am not here to abolish the Law and Prophets, but I have come to clarify them for you. Even more, I plan to fulfill them all, from the least tenet to the greatest, since I know it is impossible for mere humans to do so.
