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Matthew 5:17-20 (Jesus and the law)

INTRODUCTION: We are continuing in our study on the Sermon on the Mount, and today we begin a new section where Jesus begins to teach us about the law. In the Beatitudes Jesus taught us about a Christian’s character. In the salt and light section Jesus taught us about a Christian’s influence. Here in this new section Jesus teaches us about a Christian’s righteousness. And in so doing he drives us back to the Old Testament, back to the Law and the Prophets and their relation to us today. (Read Matthew 5:17-20 and pray.)

What do you think about the Old Testament? Which do you read more, the Old Testament or the New? Is the Old Testament still important today? Some people say we can do away with the Old Testament, that the Old Testament is full of law, and Jesus came to replace the law with the gospel.

And it’s true, Jesus came preaching the gospel. But that does not mean we can simply set aside the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a big part of your Bible. There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament and only 260 chapters in the New. When you break it down into actual verses and words, over three-fourths of the Bible is in the Old Testament.

Perhaps the best way to determine the value of the Old Testament is to see how Jesus viewed it. What did Jesus say about the Old Testament and the law? Granted Jesus’ teaching was different from the teachers of his day. He taught with authority, and he seemed to set aside many of their traditions. But was Jesus setting aside the Old Testament law? Those are some of the questions we will answer today as we look at a Christian’s righteousness and Jesus’ view of the law.

I. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets (17)

The first thing we learn from our passage is that Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Look at verse 17 where Jesus says: “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.” (Matthew 5:17)

The phrase “the Law and the Prophets” is simply shorthand for the whole Old Testament. Sometimes it was called the Law, the Writings and the Prophets; sometimes the Law and the Prophets, sometimes just the Law, and sometimes just the Prophets.

Jesus came preaching a new message about the Kingdom of God. Did this mean that he was setting aside the Old Testament? Jesus’ words in verse 17 answer that question with a resounding, “No!” Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them.

That is a mysterious phrase, isn’t it – “Jesus came.” It means that Jesus came from somewhere else, and that he came on a mission. He describes that mission in various ways throughout the gospels but here he sums it up as saying he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

You cannot set Jesus against the Old Testament, because Jesus was for the Old Testament, not against it. Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament but to fulfill it. So how did he do this? In what ways did Christ fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures?

   A. He fulfilled the demands of the law:

First of all he fulfilled the demands of the law. And he did this in two ways – by his life, and by his death and resurrection.

      1) He lived a perfect life of obedience to the law (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law by his life because he lived a perfect life in obedience to the law. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus may have set aside some of the traditions of the day, but he never set aside God’s commands in the Old Testament. He lived a perfect life of unswerving obedience to God’s perfect and holy law.

      2) He took the law’s punishment for our sin (Galatians 3:13)

Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law by his death and resurrection because he took the law’s punishment for our sin. Galatians 3:13 says: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” (Galatians 3:13)

The law’s demands were pretty simple – keep it or die. Jesus kept it, so he didn’t have to die. None of us kept it, so we all deserved to die. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law for us, so we don’t need to die. Jesus fulfilled the demands of the law when he died for us, taking the law’s punishment for our sin. And he demonstrated that the price had been paid when he rose again from the dead. So that’s the first way Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures – he fulfilled the demands of the law.

   B. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies:

Secondly, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. After his resurrection Jesus met his disciples on the road to Emmaus and he told them: “‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27) Beginning with the book of Genesis, Jesus took them through the Old Testament showing them how the Scriptures all pointed to him.

Jesus told the Jewish people of his day: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40) In other words the entire Old Testament pointed forward to Christ. James Boice writes: “It is stated as plainly as it can be stated. If you reject the Bible, you will reject Jesus Christ. If you believe the Bible, you will accept him. He is the subject of it.” The whole Bible is about Jesus.

   C. He revealed the true meaning of the law:

How did Jesus fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures? He fulfilled the demands of the law. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. And then thirdly, he revealed the true meaning of the law.

Jesus uses an interesting phrase throughout Matthew chapter 5. Again and again Jesus says the words, “But I tell you.” He would quote the common interpretation of the Old Testament, and then he would say: “But I tell you.” J. A Bengel points out that whereas the prophets said, “Thus saith the Lord…” and the apostles said, “It is written…” only Jesus says, “But I tell you…” As John Stott writes: “His purpose [was] not to change the law, still less to annul it, but ‘to reveal the full depth of meaning that it was intended to hold.’” Jesus revealed the true meaning of the law which had to do with your heart and your motivations, not just your outward behavior.

The apostle Paul reflected Jesus’ teaching when he wrote: “The commandments … are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:9-10) Notice that the commandments are not replaced by this rule but summed up. We love our neighbor not by ignoring God’s commands but by keeping them.

Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament in all of its parts. He fulfilled the demands of the law. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. He revealed the true meaning of the law. That’s our first point from this passage. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets.

II. Jesus affirmed the continuing authority of the law (18-19)

Secondly, Jesus affirmed the continuing authority of the law. Look at verse 18 where Jesus says: “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.” (Matt 5:18)

If we learned from verse 17 that Jesus did not come to destroy God’s Word but to fulfill it, we learn from verse 18 that nothing can destroy God’s Word. Jesus begins verse 18 with the words, “I tell you the truth,” which is the strongest positive statement possible. And when he says nothing will “by any means” disappear he uses the strongest negative statement possible. Jesus held the very highest view of the Old Testament Scriptures and their authority.

   A. The word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:13)

There are three things we learn about God’s word from verses 18-19. First of all the word of God stands forever. Jesus said that God’s word is more permanent than the created world around you. Why? Because God’s word came first. It was God’s word that created the world. The world is dependent on God’s Word, not vice versa.

Isaiah 40:8 says: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) The law is an expression of God’s righteous character; therefore it is permanent and unchanging. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

And when heaven and earth do pass away, what does the Bible tell us then? 2 Peter 3:13: “We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13) And so God’s perfect righteousness as revealed in the law continues even into the new heaven and earth. The word of God stands forever.

   B. Every part matters (2 Timothy 3:16)

Secondly, every part matters. Jesus said, “Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18)

The “smallest letter” was the Hebrew letter ‘yodh.’ You can see what it looks like if you turn to Psalm 119:73 in your Bible. (page ) There’s the Hebrew letter ‘yodh’ at the beginning of that section. Pretty tiny letter, isn’t it?

The “least stroke of a pen” refers to a tiny stroke that differentiated one letter from another. You can see an example of this if you turn to Psalm 119:81 and look at the Hebrew letter ‘kaf’ at the beginning of that section. Now hold your place and turn to Psalm 119:9. Compare the ‘bet’ right before verse 9 with the ‘kaf’ right before verse 81. Do you see the difference? It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? The only difference is the tiniest stroke of a pen on the ‘bet’ on the lower right hand corner of the letter.

And yet that tiny stroke is what makes the difference between the Hebrew letter b and k. Does it matter whether you use a b or a k in a word? Absolutely! It’s the difference between bin and kin, beep and keep, bite and kite. It could change the whole meaning of a sentence.

What is Jesus saying about the law? Every part matters from the smallest letter to the least stroke of a pen. Or as Francis W. Beare put it: “The law remains in force to the last dot on the last ‘i’.”

James Boice writes: “We must remember that Jesus Christ was the author of Scripture during the Old Testament period, that subsequent to that he was the one who came and lived on earth to fulfill it, and then that he inspired the New Testament writers to interpret correctly the things he had already done.”

Every part matters. 2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Or as Jesus said in John 10:35: “Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35)

What was Jesus’ view on Scripture? God’s Word is absolutely reliable and true – all of it. The Old Testament is just as important as the New. You can’t have one without the other. You cannot remove the Old Testament and have the full revelation of God. You don’t get to pick and choose which commands you like. Every part matters.

   C. We must practice and teach all of it (Matthew 28:19-20; John 14:15)

The word of God stands forever. Every part matters. And thirdly, therefore we must practice and teach all of it. Verse 18 teaches us the law’s authority. Now verse 19 teaches us that we must obey the law. Look at verse 19 where Jesus says: “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.” (Matthew 5:19)

Jesus says there are no “little” commands in Scripture. Even breaking the “least” command can disqualify you for the kingdom. The word translated “breaking” here refers not so much to an isolated instance, but rather in relaxing the requirement, doing away with the commandment, changing what God has said in his word.

Notice the close connection between breaking and teaching. Once you start breaking God’s commands, you will teach others to do the same. And when you teach others to break God’s commands, you will certainly be breaking God’s commands yourself. I like what Fredrick Bruner says about this verse: “If we belittle Scripture, we will ourselves become little in the kingdom.”

Now if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, then Jesus says you should practice and teach these commands. Notice Jesus’ emphasis on practice and teaching. Jesus says not only should you practice what you preach, but you should teach what you practice. He says the same thing later on in the Great Commission. “Go and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The question often comes up, what about the civil and ceremonial laws in the Old Testament? Are we still supposed to keep those today? The civil laws separated Israel from the nations around them and provided specific applications of Biblical principles for the nation of Israel. What about the laws having to do with the temple and the sacrifices? The ceremonial laws pointed forward to Christ. They were fulfilled in his death on the cross, so we no longer keep those laws today. But that does not mean that they do not continue to have lasting significance. John Calvin writes about the ceremonial laws: “It is only their practice that was abrogated; their significance was actually given more confirmation.”

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15) Once again, we don’t get to pick and choose which commands to follow. If we love Christ, we will seek to keep all his commands. If Jesus came not to destroy God’s law but to uphold and fulfill it, how much more must we as his followers practice and teach all of God’s commands.

Jesus loved the Old Testament, and he upheld its authority in the strongest of terms. 1) The word of God stands forever. 2) Every part matters. 3) We must practice and teach all of it. Jesus confirmed the continuing authority of the law.

III. Jesus proclaimed the need for a greater righteousness (20)

So far we have looked at two main truths from this passage of Scripture: 1) Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. 2) Jesus confirmed the continuing authority of the law. And now we come to the third main teaching in this passage: 3) Jesus proclaimed the need for a greater righteousness. Look at verse 20 with me: “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.” (Matthew 5:20)

This verse would have dropped like a bombshell on Jesus’ listeners. You have to understand, when it came to righteousness, the scribes and the Pharisees were considered superstars in this area. They were the Billy Grahams and Mother Teresas of their day. The people had an actual saying back in that time: “If only two men could enter heaven, one would be a scribe and the other a Pharisee.” If anyone was righteous enough to enter heaven, it had to be the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

   A. The righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law:

But here in verse 20 Jesus says that even their righteousness was not enough. There were three things wrong with the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and we find all three of them in Matthew 23.

      1) was self-serving (Matthew 23:5-7)

First of all, their righteousness was self-serving. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:5-7: “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’” (Matthew 23:5-7) They were not being righteous out of love for God but out of show for men. Their righteousness was not God-directed but self-serving.

      2) was partial (Matthew 23:23)

Secondly, their righteousness was partial, not complete. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:23: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23) They were not obeying all of God’s law, only the parts that mattered to them.

      3) was external only (Matthew 23:25-28)

Thirdly, their righteousness was external only. Look at Jesus words in Matthew 23:25-28: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:25-28) God demands righteousness in your heart, and their righteousness was external only.

   B. The greater righteousness:

The truth is our own righteousness can never get us into heaven, because we can never obey God’s law perfectly. We need a greater righteousness to enter the kingdom of heaven. Let me share with you four things the Bible tells us about this greater righteousness.

      1) was testified to by the law and prophets (Romans 3:21)

First of all, it was testified to by the law and prophets. We read in Romans 3:21: “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” (Romans 3:21) Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets which testified to this greater righteousness he would bring. So how do you obtain this greater righteousness?

      2) is credited to us by faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9)

That brings us to our second point. This greater righteousness is credited to us by faith in Christ. Look at Paul’s words in Philippians 3:9: “… not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” (Philippians 3:9)

This has to do with your justification. Even though we are sinners, we are given a righteous standing before God in Christ. Christ’s righteousness is credited to us by faith.

      3) is worked in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:4)

Thirdly, this greater righteousness is worked in us by the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8:4: “…that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)

This has to do with your sanctification. In other words, we are not only given righteous standing before God, but God is working out Christ’s righteousness in us by the Holy Spirit.

      4) will get you into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20)

And then the fourth thing you need to know about this greater righteousness: it is the only type of righteousness that will get you into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus ends with a warning: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

This has to do with your glorification – your entrance into heaven after you die. When Jesus says, “you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven,” he uses that strongest negative statement possible in the Greek once again. As James Boice once said: “Hell is full of human righteousness.” Without this greater righteousness, Jesus is saying you don’t have a chance.

Do you want a righteousness that surpasses the Pharisees and the teachers of the law? God offers it to you through Jesus Christ. Romans 10:4 says: “Christ is the end of the law [that is, the fulfillment of the law] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)

CONCLUSION: Today’s application is a simple one for all of us. If you believe in Jesus, then you will believe what he said about Scripture. And you believe what Jesus said about Scripture, then you will be a person of this book. You will read it; you will learn it; you will study it; you will treasure it; you will practice it and teach it to others. It will be your sole authority and guide for all of life. You will not pick and choose but rather believe and obey.

Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Jesus affirmed the continuing authority of the law. Jesus proclaimed the need for a greater righteousness. And it’s all right here in God’s holy word.

© Ray Fowler

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