There are about 400 years between the last Old Testament writings and the arrival of Jesus. At best, God’s people were faithful to do what they could to live out the instruction given to them centuries while waiting for the One God promised to send to deliver His people. At worst, God’s Word was misused for personal gain and to the detriment of others. If there was anyone who could bring clarity to who God was, what His kingdom was about, and how His words were intended to be lived out, it was God’s own Son. One way Jesus did so was through the Sermon on the Mount, a collection of teachings given during His ministry to His disciples and the crowds who followed Him.
Jesus begins several of His teachings in Matthew 5 with, “You have heard that it was said…,” highlighting some well-known laws and sayings of the day. He pushes their previous understandings, saying, “But I tell you…” and upping the ante to address the deeper heart posture. The bottom line? God doesn’t just care about our outward actions; He cares about the state of our hearts.
For example, it’s not just about refraining from acting on our lust. It’s about not having lust in our hearts at all. It’s not just about refraining from killing others (easy enough). It’s about not having hateful feelings toward others at all.
To top it all off, Jesus opens these explanations by saying, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished” (v.18). This is bad news for even the most pious religious leader. If we are to be judged not only by our actions but the state of our heart, what hope do we have?
The good news is that Jesus came, not to abolish, but to fulfill the law (v.17). God saw our helpless state to meet this standard of holiness, so He sent Jesus to live a sinless life both inside and out so that whoever believes and receives Jesus as Lord would themselves be considered blameless before God.
In Christ, there is no condemnation for having fallen short of the glory of God. In Christ, there is even freedom in the transformation through the Spirit so our hearts become more like His. Praise the Lord.
❤️