17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 5:17-20
This is a passage that often confuses people and is regularly misunderstood. There are so many misleading sentences:
- “I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets…”
- “Not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear…”
- “Unless your righteousness is better (greater) than the Scribes and Pharisees…”
At first glance it sounds like Jesus is on one hand telling us that we don’t need to follow the Jewish laws and then tells us that we will miss the Kingdom of Heaven if we don’t follow a very strict and heavy religiosity. Which is it?
The first part of the puzzle is to recognise that when Jesus says ‘the Law and the Prophets’ he is referring to the whole of the Old Testament and not just the laws or rules found in the Torah (the first five books). In this sermon, Jesus is reading from the Hebrew Scriptures and he presents a vision for an upside down life, governed by love and not greed or self-interest. The Hebrew Scriptures tell the story of the fall of humanity and the ongoing rescue of God for his people. He guides them and guards them. He teaches slaves how to be human again. Through the prophets he promises to rescue them fully from oppression so that they could be His people fully and completely.
Jesus’ vision is that this life that God has for us is not just about obeying rules but is more. This is what the Scribes and Pharisees represent. They were rule-followers who followed every command to the tiniest detail. These rules were designed to protect Israel from sin and suffering but Jesus wants his followers to see that God’s intention was not that they would simply stop sinning but that they would start loving. They would be a people who reflected God to the world.
For example, the law says to “not murder” and we can think that we have completed it if we simply hold our temper when someone irritates us. However, Jesus says that if we want to “fulfil” that teaching, we need to move from the abstinence of sin into the presence of love. To not kill is to partially fulfil the law, it is to stop. To love your enemy is to fulfil it, it is to change direction. To keep the Sabbath is to partially fulfill the law. To love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength is to fulfil it. We do not move from the negative to the neutral but to the positive.
So, Jesus is not commenting in this passage about the religious systems of the Jews or their ceremonies. He is not trying to abolish the Old Testament laws. He is speaking about the heart of his vision - that we must shine with love and good deeds. This is where the Old Testament was leading us and this is what God wants for us.
