Matthew 5:17–20

The Old Testament teaching today

Jesus explained about the OT Law in our own situations. He showed us how we should understand it. He explained how we can know its meaning.

People often discuss this passage. They very often understand it wrongly too. So, it is vital to study it well. Then we can be sure about what it means.

Jesus said that his teaching agreed with the whole of the OT. This was what he told those who listened to him (Read verses 17–18). But, the teaching of the religious leaders was very different. Jesus said that their teaching did not agree with the OT (Read verses 19–20).

We need to know what the Jews meant by ‘the Law’. It referred to the laws that were in the first 5 books of our Bible. These are Genesis to Deuteronomy. The ‘ Prophets’ meant the next group of books. They are the books of Joshua to 2 Kings. (But Jews do not include Ruth in this section.) This group also includes Isaiah to Malachi (but not Daniel). The other books of the OT were called ‘the Writings’.

However, the words ‘Law and Prophets’ usually apply to the whole of the OT. This was how Jesus used the words here. So, he taught that he would never destroy any of the OT teachings. He said, ‘I came to give full meaning to what it taught.’ He was not adding to them. He was not putting anything in their place. So, Jesus claimed two things. First, the whole of the OT spoke about him. Second, he completely obeyed all of the OT.

Jesus spoke Aramaic. The OT was in Aramaic and Hebrew. Both these languages have the same alphabet. Jesus spoke about the smallest letter of the alphabet. He also spoke about the smallest part of a letter (verse 18). In this way, Jesus taught that he would not change any of the OT. There has been much discussion on one word. This word is ‘until’ in verse 18. But, the word just emphasises something that is permanent. Jesus taught that the OT is permanent. Its basic lessons do not change.

Jesus explained the meaning of ‘righteousness’ (to be and to do what is right).

In verses 19-20, Jesus answered another question. It was, ‘What is real righteousness?’ There were two groups of religious teachers. There were the teachers of the Law (the scribes). Also there were the Pharisees. To them, it was most important to obey all the OT Law. This was what they taught. They wanted to obey all of God’s laws. Jesus knew this (This explains his words in verse 19).

But, they did not understand two big things about the OT Law.

• First, it emphasised ceremonies. To obey God’s Law on the outside of themselves was most important to them. They did not tell people to obey God because they loved him. This was the reason for what Jesus said in verse 20. Real ‘righteousness’ is greater than the righteousness of these men.

· Also, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees added many rules. This meant that they never noticed great lessons in the OT. Sometimes, they even denied these truths. Jesus discussed this particular bad habit in detail. He did this is in verses 21–48.

In these verses, Jesus taught about standards. There was the standard of ‘righteousness’ in the OT. God would accept men and women by this standard only. There was the standard of behaviour. God expected this standard from citizens of his kingdom.

Jesus knew that nobody could obey all the Law (That is, no person except himself could obey it all. Read verses 17–18). That was the reason that he became a man (Read 1:21). There was a problem with the two groups of religious teachers. They thought that they could do things that would please God. And God would accept them because of what they did. Jesus’ teaching showed that this was not true. Nobody could ever do all that God requires. Nobody could ever obey all God’s laws. But God looks for people who love him. They ask for his help to obey his Law.

Questions

• Do you have the same interest as Jesus had in the OT? If you do not, what is the reason for this? Decide to read at least a part of each OT book. Then, write a plan to do this in the next 12 months.
• Should our churches teach the laws of the OT? Or, should they teach Jesus’ own way of life and behaviour? What are the differences?
• Think about the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. In what way are non-Christians like them? Do they understand the Law in a similar way? Explain this. Do you think that people in your church are like this too?

How to understand Matthew 5:21–48

Jesus made 4 main points in this section of his sermon (talk).

• Jesus emphasised the moral principles of the OT laws. They will always be God’s standards for man.
• Jesus taught something about the OT laws. They were not a complete list of rules. God never meant that they should be like that. They were examples. They showed how God’s desires applied to specific situations. People must know how to use the principles of the OT in their lives. This was what God intended the laws to do. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees did not understand this. They concentrated on the laws themselves. So, they forgot the great principles of the Law.
• Jesus pointed out something. The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees had not understood it. It was to do with how they obeyed the Law. It included three things. There were motives (why we do something). There were desires. Also, there were intentions.
• Jesus showed something else. The OT laws were usually things that people should not do. But, God wanted people to think about the good things that they should do instead. The teachers and the Pharisees did not notice this at all.

Notice the first verse of each new section in 5:21–48. It begins with the same words. ‘You know what our people heard long ago… . But, I tell you…’. Jesus was comparing two ways to think about the laws. First, there were the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. They explained the OT Law in a certain way. Second, there was Jesus. He was going to give people the real meaning of the OT laws.