Blog•
on October 18th, 2010•
Matthew 5:17-47
As we are taking on the section of Matthew 5:17-47, we must observe two things: First, we are entering the body of the great Sermon; Second, Jesus is making a clear effort in showing how His teaching relates to the Old Testament. It is obvious from His last beatitude that those who practice the norms of the Kingdom would enjoy great rewards in heavens and will align themselves, even in suffering, with the prophets (5:12).
Jesus Is the Fulfillment of the Old Testament – Matthew 5:17-20
This short passage is one of the most difficult texts in the whole Bible. From the reading of this section becomes clear that Jesus had a high view and esteem for the Old Testament Scriptures and He states that He did not come to abolish them; actually He emphasized their immutability down to the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In other words, Jesus doesn’t say that the Old Testament writings contain some partial truth; in John 10:35 He declared that, “the Scripture cannot be broken.”
These observations though, may create difficulties regarding the application of the Old Testament Scriptures to the life of the New Testament believer. For instance, it seems pretty clear that Jesus abolished the food laws (Mark 7:19), even though He declared that, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”! Further, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the New Testament writers clearly announced that the sacrificial system of the Old Testament was no longer necessary (Heb. 8:13; 10:1-18). Also, why Christians are not following the details of the Old Testament Laws?
Some Bible commentators (going back to Thomas Aquinas – 1225 – 1274) have attempted to divide the law in three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial, saying that the civil law has passed because the people of Israel was not formed as a nation for many centuries; the ceremonial law has disappeared because it pointed toward Jesus, who “fulfilled” it by dying on the cross, thus annulling all the Old Testament ceremonies. They continue to argue that the only law that that Jesus was referring in this passage is the eternal, never-changing moral law.
But this division of the Law is highly artificial as the laws are intermixed and difficult to categorize. For instance, the Ten Commandments, the clearest examples of so-called moral laws, present problems for the moral, civil, and ceremonial distinctions. For example is the Sabbath law moral or ceremonial? If content is the criterion, then the Sabbath law, which was clearly part of Israel’s worship system, is a ceremonial law and not a moral one. Furthermore, although many Christians claim that the Sabbath law is a moral law, practically none of them obey it. Going to church on Sunday, the first day of the week, can hardly be called obedience to the Sabbath law. Moses would not have accepted the first day of the week as a substitute for the seventh day. So there must be a different explanation to the Jesus’ words in this passage.
In Matthew 11:12-13, Jesus declares, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.” In other words, the whole Old Testament had a prophetic function pointing toward the coming Messiah, and Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament. The New Testament interprets the Old as pointing forward to Christ and all the blessings He was to bring. The sacrificial system pointed toward Jesus’ sacrifice (Heb. 9:8) and, as he explained to Cleopas and his friend, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44). “The Scriptures testify about Me,” Jesus said (John 5:39).
Moving the discussion back to the Kingdom matters (v.19), Jesus brings back the Norms of the Kingdom in sight. To enter the Kingdom is required a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, that was based on self-effort; this new righteousness is based to one’s obedience to the King. Even ranking within the Kingdom will be based on obedience to the Jesus’ commands (5:19). The righteousness Jesus was speaking about was of a prophetic nuance: “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify” (Romans 3:21).
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
http://www.amazon.com/Cost-Discipleship-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer/dp/0684815001
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by David Martyn Lloyd-Jones
http://www.amazon.com/Studies-Sermon-Mount-Martyn-Lloyd-Jones/dp/080280036X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284124840&sr=1-2
Blog•
on October 18th, 2010•
The motif that is implied in the beatitudes now becomes an explicit theme: the believer is a witness of the Kingdom of God. It is impossible to follow the norms of the Kingdom in a private way: the righteousness of the life you live will definitively attract attention, most of the time in form of opposition. The above norms of the Kingdom, practiced in a sinful world, are a major aspect of Christian witness, a witness that usually prompts persecution. Jesus introduces two metaphors to illustrate how His disciples must live their lives in such a manner that they would put a mark on the world that stands against the Kingdom of God. The action of salt is silent, pervasive, hidden, unseen; the action of light is open, seeable, and perceivable. The influence of the Christian character is to be two-fold: a silent hidden and pervasive thing reaching into the very fiber of our inner thought-life and attitudes, and it is to be open, lighting our outer life and affairs.
Salt: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13
In the ancient times salt was used primarily as a preservative for all the perishable foods, including meats. Salt also helps preserve the flavor and taste of such foods. Jesus likens His disciples to salt, implying that without their presence is His
in this world, it would turn even more rotten. In other words, Christians are a good influence having the effect of delaying moral disintegration and slowing down spiritual putrefaction of this world.
What happens when “the salt loses its saltiness”? “Saltiness” is the existential essence of salt. Some have interpreted this saying that salt cannot really lose its saltiness and implicitly, being Christian means possessing an inner and compelling necessity to witness. In other words, “A true Christian must be a Christianizing force.” However, to balance this first interpretation, it must be observed that even though salt cannot lose its saltiness, it can be adulterated, for example by being mixed let’s say with sand. When salt is being corrupted, then it cannot be used as a preservative and loses its ability to fend off corruption.
Light: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15
The second metaphor used by Jesus to describe the witness of His followers is light: the Christians are the light of the world, a world that is surrounded by thick darkness. Jesus brings in the picture two sources of light: the light from a city set on a hill and a light generated from a lamp set on a lamp-stand. Many of us have spent time camping outside and far away from the busy-ness of a city. Being far away from such a city, and being a cloudy night, you experienced perhaps the thick darkness of nature, to the point that you cannot see your own hand! However, when camping close by a city, the darkness is relived as the light from the city is reflected off the clouds, and the night is no longer quite so dark. Christians who let their light shine before men cannot be hidden, and the positive light they shed around attenuates the blackness which would otherwise be total darkness.
The second source of light is the one generated by the flickering flame of an oil lamp. When the flickering light is covered by a bowl, that light is smothered and extinguishes away. When a Christian is in a constant effort to cover-up his Christianity, the light that was lit-up in his life will eventually die away. Other translations render “bowl” as “basket” (ESV) or “bushel” (KJV). “Bushel” is the symbol of trade, of business, and the suggestion is that our affairs can easily destroy and snuff-out the light of our Christian witness when they are conducted in the spirit of this world!
The Norms of the Kingdom, worked out in the lives of those belonging to the Kingdom of God, would constitute, without exception, the witness of the Kingdom. Such Christians refuse to rob their employers by being lazy on the job or, driven by greed, to exploit their employees; they are first to offer help to their colleagues, and last in returning a mean reply; they honestly desire the advancements of the other’s interests and don’t succumb to the pressures of their environment, because they borrow their light from the true Light of the world, Jesus Christ (John 8;12).
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (5:16) – The witness- both in word and deeds – of the Christian furthers and expands the borders of the Kingdom of God, attracting non-believers to the “Father in heaven.”
