Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5.13-20

The first part of this passage is about the disciple being by his very nature a witness in the world, by being the light, the salt, and the city on the hill. This is all about being different in a bland, dark, and dangerous world. The Old Testament idea of God as light and illumination has now passed on into the One who fulfills the promises: God made flesh, and through Him to the disciples.

This is possible because it is all about Jesus. Jesus identifies Himself as the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament system. This is a radical even an insane statement for a Jew unless that person were the reason for the Old Testament’s existence. Understanding “why” of the Old Testament gives the reason that not one part passes away. The purpose of the Old Testament was not to give legal righteousness or even a moral code. The purpose was to prepare for the one who was to come. The problem with discarding the Old Testament is not that it erodes morality. That maybe true. The problem of discounting the Old Testament is it dishonors the preparation for the Messiah. The person who does so is a small or low impact disciple (v. 19).

But even the small disciple is better than the legalist who sees the Old Testament in terms of his salvation by personal righteousness. The legalist is good so the people can see how good he is. The disciple is good so the people will see how good God is.

Consider it this way; there are three persons to consider. The first person has the higher righteousness of loving God and uses the Old Testament to assist them in their love of God. The second person seeks the Messiah but has failed to understand the Old Testament. The third person is attempting to use the Old Testament to achieve self-righteousness. We need to think about which of these three kinds of people we are.

"Lord rule over my thoughts, words, and actions today in such a way that people will honor You because in me they have come close to You. AMEN"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matthew 1:1-17

Matthew 1:1-17 Matthew begins with a “book of the beginnings”. Jesus will be presented by Matthew as the new beginning or the new creation. The language in this passage is reflective of other ‘beginnings’ specifically Genesis 2:4 and 5:1. Matthew moves from Abraham to Jesus but notes critical mile markers or turning points. First is Abraham the true embodiment of what it means to be Jewish. Second is David the Great whose descendant would be called the “son of David”. This title will be a major Messianic title in the book of Mathew. Third the exile from which Israel would need a rescue. This picture of exile and rescue would find their ultimate fulfillment in the Christ. In these three cycles Matthew is more interested in communicating the great truth of who Jesus was and what He would do than providing a genealogical record. The cycles have run their course and the time has come for the new beginning. The promise made to Abraham is finally being fulfilled, but in a most unexpected way
Read more

Matthew 5:1-13

Matthew 5:1-13 This with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount is about the life of a disciple. Blessed is a poor translation rather we should use “fortunate” or better yet “enviable”. “Your life is enviable when….” These are often eschatological statements. This is not civic or moral law for societies at large. They are rather statement of kingdom citizenship. “Poor in spirit” meaning to humbly put their trust in God. The kingdom belongs to them because they are God’s people. “Those who mourn” are those whose life, from this world’s perspective, is not a happy life because of their loyalty to God. They are to be envied because God will work it out in the end. “The meek” are those who do not throw their weight around. They rely on God to give them what is their due. God gives what the world can never take. Meekness is not merely a matter of social justice or personal moral righteousness but a relationship with God that is unclouded by disobedience. “To hunger and thirst after righteousne
Read more

Matthew 4:17-25

Matthew 4:17-25 Jesus began preaching about the kingdom and immediately started calling disciples. Making disciples is apparently pretty important for Jesus and for his ministry purposes, but is apparently of little value to the contemporary American church. What does it mean to make a disciple? To be a disciple means to follow. It is certainly more than to listen of a weekly sermon. It is time together with the Master consistently in order to hear the teachings of the Master. Often the disciples had Jesus to themselves and in these times they discussed in detail his public teaching. Going out and repeating the process is a part of being a disciple. The disciples Jesus called were evidently successful in their trades. Entering into poverty for the kingdom is an excellent trade off. Three aspects of Jesus‘ ministry are mentioned in this passage. First, teaching in the synagogues would have been the exposition of Scripture. Those who would follow Jesus must be a people who know the Word
Read more