The Fulfillment of the Law
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Matthew 5:17-20
17. "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
This Advent season, we’re studying secular vs. spiritual preparation for Christmas. It has been quite thought-provoking and challenges one to examine life from a bit different perspective: the birth of Christ without the perspective of the Cross!
At first, it seemed near impossible to imagine! It may seem odd, then that I would focus on a New Testament scripture reading this morning. But in these verses, Jesus tells us that we must go deeper than we have before—certainly deeper than the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Jesus wants us to examine, discover, and then live by, a new understanding of the law. After all, it is God’s law and not man’s!
Jesus refers to our “Old Testament” in verses 17 & 18. He tells us that the old ways are not bad; the old interpretations are not wrong. Where the problem lies is in making adherence to these laws our sole purpose for being. Measuring our lives by man-made interpretations falls short of the full intent of God ever reaching down from heaven and inspiring the prophets to share His word. Determining our worthiness and deservedness by how strictly we follow the rituals and customs established by man, falls short of the real point of the laws in the first place!
God sent his word to various men and women throughout the ages. They shared the divinely inspired message with us, in obedience and faith. Somewhere along the line we distorted the message and tried to shape and reshape it into something manageable and measurable by earthly means. But God cannot be contained within the pages of a book! His message cannot be fully captured in words alone! Grace cannot be confined! Faith cannot be defined!
God cannot be limited! That’s what Christ was saying. Don’t think so small! Don’t make God so human. Adherence to the law becomes secondary to accepting the reason the law was established in the first place! Faith gives us the innate desire to follow the law—because love, kindness, gentleness, peace, all become the natural outpourings of inviting God into our hearts and into our lives.
Even without the cross, we should have faith enough to make “the law” unnecessary! God alone should have been enough for us to “get it!” But in His wisdom and His mercy, He offered us more—He gave us all—everything! He sacrificed Himself so that once and for all, for eternity and beyond, we would have a way to be saved in spite of ourselves.
This holiday season I hope you’ll thank God for the faith of the prophets, for the wisdom of His plans, and for His Son—born to a young girl 2000 years ago.
Mary
