Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church Bible study
Ledgewood, New Jersey
September 3, 1995
Matthew 5:17-20
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MAT 5:17 "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.
MAT 5:18 I tell you the truth, 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.
MAT 5:19 Anyone who 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
MAT 5:20 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.
MAT 13:52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has
been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house
who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
I. Keeping up with traditions.
A. Weddings traditions: Something old, something new.
1) Old tradition of wedding dress shows in Ledgewood Baptist.
2) Continuity with past is important.
B. Bible traditions: Old and New Testament.
1) Many are in a fog as to what they mean.
2) Obvious differences: OT is long, lots of dry history and
mildew instructions. Lots of bloodshed, too.
3) Often we cannot see the forests for the trees.
II. Why there are two parts in our Bible.
A. A testament is a covenant.
1) Sort of a one-way contract, the one God has with us.
B. Old and New doesn't mean God changed the rules.
How does Matthew deal with the Old Testament law?
There are five approaches:
1. Matthew thought the OT law was no longer valid.
(Either Jesus brought a new Torah or fulfilled the old.)
2. Jesus thought the law was no longer valid, but Matthew rejudaized him.
3. For Matthew, the law was only partially valid. Some commands set aside.
* 4. The law is completely valid.
* 5. The law reveals God's purpose when interpreted by a specific
hermeneutical key.
Author likes last two choices. To Matthew, the proper understanding of the
law is attained through a "prophetic" reading of it that sees love and mercy
as its real focus. Jesus disregarded the holiness code (some would say he
abolished it) and focused on the mercy code. Matthew 8 & 9 emphasize Jesus
reaching out to the impure and sinners. True righteousness is characterized
by love, just as the two greatest commands of the OT focus on love.
All eight occurrences of "law" in Matthew are linked to the prophetic
writings. The law cannot be understood apart from the prophets. Some laws
are more important, especially those focusing on justice and mercy. Others
are concessions (Deut 24:1), with God's true intent shown elsewhere -Gen 2:24.
Matthew 5:17-20
"Fulfilling the law" means Jesus affirms it (cf. Rom 13:8, Gal 5:14). A
literalistic or atomistic interpretation of the law is unacceptable. Note the
temptation accounts, where Jesus subordinates the word of God quoted by Satan
with a more important quote. Individual texts must be placed within the
larger framework of the whole of Scripture.
Matthew 5:21-48 "The Antitheses"
The prohibition of oaths does not set aside the OT law, but limits people to
truth. Concerning "an eye for an eye" Jesus redirects the law to focus on the
ultimate concern of the law, the love command. Whereas the lex talionis is
concerned with legal rights, Jesus' teaching about the kingdom asks that
people give up rights and legal satisfaction in favor of love and mercy. The
question repeatedly is, "What is the law really about?" Matthew's answer is
"love and mercy."
Matthew 15:1-20
Matthew doesn't have Jesus setting aside the food laws (as Mark 7:15,19 does).
Matthew focuses only on eating with unwashed hands.
Is Matthew Legalistic?
Matthew 23:2-3,23 and 24:20 suggest a conformity of Jesus to the law that is
hard to imagine, but is actually hyperbole. Jesus does not reject the
teachers of the law but their illegitimate interpretations. He is against
legalism.
Christology and the Law
Usually Christ and the law are contrasted but Matthew doesn't see Jesus and
the law as antithetical. But the law is no longer the center of gravity -
Jesus is. He is the one to whom the Scriptures point. Disciples gather in
his name, not around the law (18:20).
"Matthew's teaching on the law is surprising. Through an equal focus on the
prophets he presents Jesus as having brought about a shift in paradigms so
that the law is not organized around ideas of separation and purity but around
love, mercy, and justice."
#2352
1) Both emphasize grace - God's free love to us.
2) Both emphasize faith - our response to God's love.
3) Hand in hand with faith is moral obedience.
4) These themes are played out in historical stories, poems
and prophecies.
C. The difference is that the New fine-tunes the Old.
1) God's love comes into sharper focus with Jesus.
2) Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice.
III. You ignore the Old Testament at your peril.
A. Early Christian heretics attacked the OT.
1) Marcion cut out the OT and NT books that seemed too
influenced by it.
2) He was excommunicated.
B. Jesus clearly teaches the value of the OT.
1) He quotes it.
2) He gives full authority to it in doctrine and history.
3) Those who minimize it are lousy Christians. Matt 5:19f
4) He says the purpose of the OT is to prepare the way
for Jesus, and should lead people to him.
5) The OT has treasures just like the NT. Matt 13:52
IV. We need the whole Bible.
A. Many Christians are naked, completely ignorant of Bible.
1) People can't read anything deeper than People magazine.
2) We are not disciplined enough to study heavy issues.
3) We are only attracted to literature that makes us feel
good RIGHT NOW.
AUTHOR: Paul Minear, Quoted By Martin Marty
PAGE: 27 DATE: 88/10/07 Typist: ENTERED: 88/10/27
ILLUSTRATION:
Many pastors approach the Bible like American tourists in Asia - they
stay at Western hotels, eat hamburgers, use American Express to buy trinkets.
This way there is a minimum of culture shock. The illusion of travel, without
its risk - or profit. But it destroys the integrity and independence of that
other world. Likewise, just hitting the high spots and well-known passages of
Scripture is not enough. The hearers must assimilate to the culture of the
Bible, not vice-versa.
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B. Knowledge of the Scripture equips us for spiritual battle.
1) Familiarity with whole Bible gives us comfort in times of
need.
2) It shakes us up when we get too cozy with our culture.
a) (Condemnation of lust, racism, oppression, greed)
3) It reveals God's inmost thoughts to us.
: A TV news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida filming the
widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew. In one scene, amid the
devastation and debris stood one house on its foundation. The owner was
cleaning up the yard when a reporter approached him.
"Sir, why is your house the only one still standing?" asked the reporter.
"How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?"
"I built this house myself," the man replied. "I also built it according to
the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2x6 roof trusses,
I used 2x6 roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to code
could withstand a hurricane. I did, and it did. I suppose no one else
around here followed the code."
When the sun is shining and the skies are blue, building our lives on
something other than the guidelines in God's Word can be tempting. But
there's a hurricane coming - for everyone.
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C. Application to our church.
1) Regular Bible reading necessary.
2) Sunday School, especially for adults.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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