Seeds for 05/19/2023 - Matthew 5:17-20, part 2
Scripture: 17 “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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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.
Observation: We continue in this challenging text from yesterday. I’m wrestling with Jesus’ words here, a practice I recommend. :)
Jesus alone can and does truly “fulfill” the scriptural story of Israel presented in the Hebrew Bible, “the Law and the Prophets.” Likewise, Jesus alone can and does keep the Law, and also gives Himself as an atoning sacrifice, so that “everything is accomplished.”
In the text today, we continue to see the tension of Jesus’ Sermon both demonstrating that keeping the Law is insurmountable for humans and giving us a clear vision for the high ideals of Christian living. Later in the New Testament, we will learn of the Holy Spirit, not yet poured out on the church and into the lives of individual Christians. The Spirit is God’s gift in the life of a believer and the Spirit is key to our capacity to hear and respond to this challenging teaching.
We dare not set aside our Old Testament and the godly wisdom found there. Instead we pursue it’s practice and teaching, through the lens of Jesus.
The next verse connects how we can understand this. “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” We must acknowledge, with the New Testament as a whole and in the words of a beautiful hymn, that this is only possible “dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid rock I stand.” We cannot come to God “trusting in our own righteousness.” We only come to God through the righteousness of Christ. That is justifying grace, the gift of grace that makes us right before God through pardon.
And. And sanctifying grace is Christ’s work in us through the Holy Spirit. By that work we grow in maturity and faithfulness to Him. This happens as we grow in obedience and devotion to Him. On the one hand this righteousness is not ours because it comes through the Spirit’s work. On the other hand, it is ours in the sense that we are participating with grace to progress in spiritual maturity which results in living this Christian life of righteousness.
So it is true, both that we cannot come to God in our own righteousness and that we grow in righteousness through His Spirit as we learn and practice obedience, enabled by grace.
Does your head hurt? Mine does. Best I can tell, the scriptures hold this tension in place and thus grow us “in grace and knowledge of” Him. Like a trampoline that allows us to jump higher only because it is kept taut, the tension creates a dynamism that springs us higher too.
Application:
Have you put your whole trust in His grace and His righteousness, not your own?
If so, are you growing in righteousness by your obedience and trust in Jesus and His Spirit’s work in you?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, I put my trust in your righteousness alone for salvation. Also I pray that you will work in my heart and life to produce a righteous life that honors and glorifies you. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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Whew. Much to ponder, pray over and give us humility and hope.