A Deeper Law

Back to the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:17-48

'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. In truth I tell you, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved. Therefore anyone who infringes even one of hte least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.

'For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.

'You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You shall not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you, anyone who is angry with a brother will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother "Fool" will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him "Traitor" will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown in prison. In truth I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.

'You have heard how it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say this to you, if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should be your downfall, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should be your downfall, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body go to hell.

'It has also been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you, everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of an illicit marriage, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

'Again, you have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God's throne; or by earth, since that is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your own head, either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need to say is "Yes" if you mean yes, "No" if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the Evil One.

'You have heard how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer no resistance to the wicked. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if someone wishes to go to law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks you, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.

'You have heard how it was said, You will love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for He causes His sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and the wicked alike. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Do not even the gentiles to as much? You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.'

A long passage. A hard passage. One that many seem to misunderstand, I think. What is Jesus saying here?

Jesus starts off by affirming the Law that God had given to men in the Old Testament. Jesus did not come to get rid of it, but to "complete" it. What's that mean? It means that Jesus lived the Law perfectly, the way God intended. His whole life, and His death and resurrection, fulfilled all that was required! And the best part is, He did it for us!

Now here's where things get a bit tricky. There are people out there who believe that Jesus' fulfilling the Law means that that Law therefore doesn't apply to us, because we are in Christ Jesus. This view historically was known as "antinomianism" which means, basically, literally, "against the law-ism". Reading through what Jesus said above, it should be plain that antinomianism is not true, but in fact, just the opposite. But nonetheless, this viewpoint still exists within Christian circles. Only, they changed the name from the rather negative-sounding "against the law-ism" to the more spiritual sounding "Faith Alone."

But right after Jesus says, "I have not come to abolish the Law, but to complete it" (v. 17), He says two things more: First, "Whoever keeps these commandments and teaches them will be called greatest in the kingdom of Heaven," (v. 19) and second, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven" (v. 20)! Jesus very clearly points out that He expects us to live up to the standard of the Law--in fact, He goes on, and raises the bar! The next section quoted above has Jesus saying, "The Law says this, but I say, that's not good enough!" Don't murder? Darn right! Guess what: Getting angry with your brother--same thing. Don't commit adultery? Absolutely not! Guess what: lusting after someone that you aren't married to, whether they're real, or imaginary, or porn--yeah, that's adultery! On and on Jesus goes, reinterpreting the commandments, and raising the bar! I won't comment on every part, because the wonderful thing about Jesus is, He's incredibly straightforward about this!

After telling us just what is necessary to enter the kingdom of Heaven (v. 20), He concludes with these startling, sobering words: "You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (v. 48). This is the point. This is the meaning. This is the requirement.

But can any of us truly be perfect? No, not on our own. That is why Jesus came: not simply to teach us the Law, but to enable us to fulfil it. Through His own life of perfect obedience to the Father, through His sacrificial Death and Resurrection, Jesus completely fulfilled the Law, paid for the sins against the Law that we have committed, and rose again to give us His Spirit. Through the graces given through His Spirit, He makes us able to live a truly upright life. We are not instantly made perfect, but throughout our lives, we are being perfected more and more, through the Spirit within us and the Sacraments whereby we receive ever greater Grace.

Through Jesus living within us, we can do the impossible, and live for Him. On our own, it is impossible, but "there is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me" (Philippians 3:13).

God bless.