Jesus and the Old Testament

Happy Sunday! Today we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Thus far it has been easy to understand. Today it gets difficult.

Matthew 5:17-20 is fairly hard to make total sense of. I hope that I can help. I bought several of the best books available today on the sermon on the mount and each one of them approaches this section of scripture differently. Let me read the verses to you – JESUS said: 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. That day long ago on that hill, Jesus was turning the world upside down.

His words were different. His teaching was different. The crowd loved it. The religious establishment wanted to put it down.

As I said a moment ago – Jesus was turning the world upside down. I love that phrase. When Paul and Silas were assaulted in Acts 17 the religious leaders hired some thugs in Thessalonica to bring charges against Paul and Silas. This is what was said in verse 6 – THESE WHO HAVE TURNED THE WHOLE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN HAVE COME HERE TOO.

Back to the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was shaking things up. As he spoke, some likely thought that Jesus had come to wipe away what was said in the Old Testament. He was bringing something completely different.

Jesus knew what many thought and he said – DO NOT THINK THAT I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW OR THE PROPHETS; I HAVE COME NOT TO ABOLISH BUT TO FULFIL. Jesus was so different from every Rabbi and teacher of the day. The leaders did not like that Jesus treated women as equals. They hated the fact that he associated with and often ate with sinners.

Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath was unthinkable to the establishment. What Jesus is saying here is that the OLD TESTAMENT – the law and the prophets were not null and void, they were relevant. They were fulfilled in Jesus. What the people were missing is that all of the Old Testament – THE LAW – the first 5 book of Moses, and the PROPHETS, the rest of the Old Testament – all of it pointed to Jesus.

The entire point of the Old Testament is to point to Jesus. To get man a way back home to God. Bishop Ryle wrote – THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE GOSPEL IN THE BUD, THE NEW TESTAMENT IS THE GOSPEL IN THE FULL FLOWER. Jesus was not changing the Old Testament – Not one small jot or tittle – those are the smallest strokes of a pen.

Jesus was fighting against all the false interpretations of the Law that had become commonplace. In Matthew 15:6 Jesus speaks to the Pharisees about this and Jesus says – YOU HAVE MADE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD OF NO EFFECT BY YOUR TRADITION. Jesus wants us to know that the Old Testament is God’s word. Of course, the New Testament was not written when Jesus walked the earth.

But he revered the Old Testament. If you are in a church that disregards this part of the Bible – or diminishes it – they are going against the teachings of Jesus. Jesus ended this section of scripture saying – UNLESS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS EXCEEDS THAT OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, YOU WILL NEVER ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. I bet the people gasped when he said that.

Perhaps some threw their hands up and moaned WHAT HOPE DO I HAVE. Jesus was pointing out that the Pharisees and Scribes were counting on their outward appearance. He wanted the crowd to be righteous on the inside. It is interesting that when this sermon began Jesus said – BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT – The pharisees and scribes were not that at all.