SERMON ON THE MOUNT REFLECTION SERIES

FULFILL THE LAW : 17-20

This is the third in our series of Reflections from the Woodpile where we are exploring the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s .

In the first reflection we looked at the or declarations of blessing and how they ask us to encounter what is of true value, the expansive love and generosity of God.

In our second reflection we looked at being and how saltiness and being light, revealing to the world around us, looks like living from a place of relationship with God and allowing that relationship to transform us into people of generosity, hope and life; people of the Kingdom of God.

In this reflection we are going to take time to think about Matthew 5: 17-20, which talks about the law and how Jesus fulfils it.

READ MATTHEW 5: 17-20

These are a difficult few verses and they are challenging to wrap our heads around. It talks about how Jesus has come to fulfil the law and how we have to be holier than religious leaders if we want to enter the Kingdom of , and that we must not lead anyone in to breaking these laws.

Once again this passage does not stand in isolation from what has come before, so the beatitudes and being salt and light, leads us in to these verses.

A few things first:

What are the laws talked about here, for this I’m going to think about the . The Levitical laws that God gave to Moses are extensions of these. This is also what the Scribes and the would have recognised.

Also, when Jesus mentions the Pharisees and Scribes and their , these groups where the religious leaders and scholars of their day. They spent years learning and interpreting the scriptures (which was essentially the ).

The Scribes and the Pharisees held to an expression of the law that was bound up in strict adherence to the law. So much so that they had created lots of other laws to make sure that the didn’t break any bigs laws. However, all this law making and keeping had caused them to be more concerned with how they appeared in public rather than drawing them towards God. And in doing so they condemned anyone who wasn’t like them or couldn’t follow their host of rules. They where (not all of them) leading people to value rules keeping over connection with God.

So when Jesus says we must be holier than the holiest people we can think of to enter heaven, the challenge is impossible if we consider it from the perspective of the Scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus knows this, but he is drawing us back to God. If the Beatitudes tell us what is of value in the kingdom of God, and the verses on Salt and Light show us that a living relationship with God will reveal his kingdom to the world around us. Then these verses begin to show us what living all this out looks like.

So the Pharisees and Scribes took the law God gave Moses and added to it, to the point that they had gotten so bound up in it that publicly following it had become their primary purpose. But I want to think of the law in the context of the ten commandments, these are found in Exodus 20 and they say things like:

- You shall have no other gods before me. - Do not misuse the name of your God. - Honour your father and your mother. - Do not kill. - Do not steal.

When we look at these commandments, the first four are concerned with how we honour and love God and the next 6 are concerned with how we love and honour people and the other laws that God gave, which can be complex and difficult are built on these.

This then brings us to what Jesus says when he is asked what is the greatest commandment is.

READ : 34-40.

Jesus’ response is ‘Love the Lord your God with all of who you are and love your neighbour in a way that is sacrificial, in a way that you are selfish for them, desiring the best for them, loving generously.’

This is the law that Jesus completely fulfils, he loves God with all of who he is and he loves us so deeply that he ultimately he gave up heaven to live with us, to show us what God’s love looks like and in the truest deepest act of love he died for us so that we could have life.

Jesus, when he asks our ‘righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and pharisees’ wasn’t telling us to be more religious than the super religious people, obeying all the made up rules that they had got so caught up in. He was inviting people, us included, back to what is of true worth, placing above all else relationship with God, this is where holiness lives and life is found. And loving people as God loves, sacrificially, challenging, lovely and generous. Because this is the heart of the law.

LUKE 6: 6-10.

The religious leaders where raging because Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, but also because he had exposed the dark heart of their laws. They where not concerned with loving God or people, their laws had blinded them to what was the depth and truth of the law.

Love God with all of who you are, and in loving your neighbour are demonstrating and sharing a loving God. The challenge is ‘who is my neighbour?’ it is everyone we come in contact with, the lovely, the difficult, those we enjoy being with, those we avoid and those in real need and no need. Our challenge is to see people, every people as God sees them, as people worthy of our love, sacrifice and generosity.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

In the last reflection we took time to think about being salt and light (Matthew 5: 13-16). Has there been anything from being salt and light that has continued to stay in your mind, encourage or challenge you?

Take time to read through this weeks verses (Matthew 5: 17-20) slowly twice, asking God to speak to you through them. What are your thoughts as you read them? What stands out to you? Challenges you?

What might God be saying to you through these verses? What is your response to God?

What do you think it means for your life to love God with all your heart, mind strength and soul?

Who is your neighbour?

Our neighbour is everyone we come in contact with, the lovely, the difficult, those we enjoy being with, those we avoid and those in real need and no need. Our challenge is to see people, every people as God sees them, as people worthy of our love, sacrifice and generosity. How might you begin to love them well?

Try and learn these 3 verses this week.