WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday July 7, 2019
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JESUS
TEACHES ABOUT FULFILLING THE LAW
(Righteousness
is light-shining which leads to rule-following)
(Matthew
5:13-20)
After
JESUS delivered HIS instructions on what the attitude of a Christian should be like,
HE moves on to instruct on what “the role of a Christian” should be in their relationship
within the world. The Christian has to have an impact on the world that,
demonstrated through their behavior, manifests to the world, that “Christianity
really does produce the best men and women”.
Here in verses 13-16, JESUS uses “salt” and
“light” to illustrate HIS point. The Christian, through their public and
private behavior, has to create “a thirst” in other for more information about
how they can also live a better life through a relationship with JESUS. Like salt
creates a thirst for water in us, so the lifestyle of a Christian must create a
thirst in others for the “living water” that can only be found in CHRIST JESUS.
The Christian, also like salt, has to “preserve”
the lives of others, through their teachings about CHRIST, first, in their own
homes, and then, in their communities and abroad, if that be their calling. People
everywhere are perishing from the lack of knowledge about GOD. The Word of GOD
is the “cure” for what ails us spiritually, and it will “preserve” our lives if
we “do” what we read. And the more we read and practice it, the “thirstier” we
become for more knowledge
A Christian must also be a “light” or beacon
that shines and serves to help direct others into the safety that can only be
found in CHRIST, our LORD and SAVIOR. Those that are “lost” in the world must
be able to see our “light of hope” shining through the darkness of their
existence, exposing to them, a path, that it far better than “the path to
destruction” that they are currently on.
In verses 17-20 JESUS rejects the false
charges of HIS religious critics, namely the Scribes and Pharisees, that, HE
was seeking to abolish GOD’s laws and the writings of the prophets with HIS
teachings. Here JESUS expresses HIS total allegiance to the writings and laws
of the Old Testament, and in fact, just like the Mosaic Law itself, HIS
teachings were aimed at appealing to the human spirit, exposing any behavioral
habits that were contrary to GOD’s Will. HE sought to reveal those human
attitudes, moral deficiencies, and motives that must be transformed, if we are
to shape and harmonize our lives into a form and symphony that is pleasing to
the eyes and ears of GOD.
Time and time again, JESUS violated what
the Jewish hierarchy called “our laws”. For instance, HE did not observe the
silly “hand-washing” ritual that their law required, nor did HE refrain from
performing HIS miraculous healings on the Sabbath Days. Sadly, in the end,
JESUS was crucified, in part, as a law-breaker, because HIS rebellious acts
defied the authority of the Scribes and Pharisees, and rendered their man-made
rules and regulations worthless.
The expression, “The Law”, was used by the
Jewish religious leaders in four different ways. First, and perhaps, foremost,
it meant “The Ten Commandments”. Secondly, it was used to describe the entire
“Pentateuch” (the first five books of the Holy Bible). In fact, the word
“Pentateuch” by definition means “the five Rolls”, or, “Scrolls”. These five
law books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) which, are
accredited to Moses as the author, were, to them, the most important part of
Scriptures.
Thirdly, the Jewish leaders liked to use the
phrase, “The Law and the Prophets”, which meant, “the whole of Scriptures”. To them
it was a comprehensive description of the entire Old Testament as they knew it
at that time. And finally, and most commonly, they referred to the terms, “Oral
Laws”, or “Scribal Laws”, which were more about them, than about GOD. It was
these scribal laws that so infuriated JESUS (and later the Apostle Paul), that
HE utterly condemned them for creating them.
The Jewish scribes insisted that, out of GOD’s
Law, it was possible to deduce a rule and regulation for every possible
situation in life. And so they set about the business of dedicating their lives
to reducing GOD’s great principles of law, down to literally thousands of rules
and regulations, and then, they compelled the people of Israel to adhere to
them.
One of the results of their tampering with
GOD’s Word was that, all manner of minor physical endeavors became classified
as “work” that could not be engaged in on the Sabbath Day. For instance, they
defined work as lifting any weight greater than that of a dried fig, a swallow of
milk, or ink enough to write two alphabets. To carry anything above these
weights on the Sabbath was considered by them to be a burden, and thereby, a
violation of GOD’s Law.
It was the Scribes who came up with these
silly rules and regulations, and the Pharisees who enforced them. And so, to
the strict orthodox Jew of the first century, serving GOD became a matter of
them striving to keep these thousands of legalistic and very petty man-made
laws, instead of just adhering to GOD’s Law, and GOD’s Law only.
Here in this passage, JESUS makes it clear
that HE doesn’t have a problem with Moses’ writings, nor the writings of the
prophets. HE says that it is those laws that HE came to uphold, defend, and
fulfill. It was the laws of the Scribes and Pharisees, the false teachers, whom
JESUS had a problem with.
JESUS tells these wicked leaders in verse
19 that, “If you break the smallest
commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the
Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys GOD’s Laws and teaches others to do the
same will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (NLT).
Now focusing on this statement it sounds
like maybe a false teacher can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. However, there
is “mercy” and “forgiveness” in this statement that is reserved for all sinners,
as JESUS also came to be a propitiation for the repentant sinner’s iniquities. And
so the Kingdom of Heaven, because of JESUS’ sacrifice on the cross at Golgotha,
becomes the home of “all former sinners (everyone)” who comes to CHRIST, earnestly
repenting and requesting forgiveness. Even false teachers who repent can enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven, but with less rewards.
We know this because in the follow-up statement
by JESUS in verse 20, HE warns that, “Unless
you obey GOD better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do,
you can’t enter into the Kingdom of Heaven at all” (NLT). Most of the Scribes
and Pharisees were extremely prideful and very unlikely to humble themselves,
admit their wrongdoing, and repent and come to JESUS’ way of thinking. And so,
by their own actions, they were making it impossible for themselves, to enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven. They had become sort of “a standard or model of
what NOT to do” if you are going to be a follower, or, “child of GOD”, who will
inherit the richness of the Kingdom of GOD.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D, Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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