Matthew 5:17-20

The crowd here were expecting like a battle rally to go to war against their oppressors. But Jesus' message was topsy-turvy and unexpected. He spoke of the character transformation that a Christian would undergo with the Spirit.

Unchanging law

Jesus makes it clear that He is not there to remove the old law of the covenant. Whilst His message may have been topsy-turvy, He wasn't fundamentally changing what it means to live under God. God's standards and holiness had not changed. We are still held accountable for living under the law of God, as Jesus summed up as loving God with all that we have, and loving others above ourselves. To approach God we still must be holy.

Fulfilling the law

But we are not to be despondant! Jesus does not remove the law, but He fulfills it. All the law and prophecy were always there to be fulfilled by Him. Whilst this claim was outrageous, Jesus had the right to make it as God Himself. With our hindsight we can see the ultimate fulfillment as Jesus suffered and died, then rose again to do just that. Jesus lived the perfect life under that law, yet was punished despite that. The law demands punishment for sin and Jesus filled the requirement. His credentials as the son of God made that sacrifice worthy to fulfill the law for all of our sins, past and future.

Fulfilled in us

It is not just for us that Jesus fulfills the law. He fulfills it in us. We are made righteous in the sight of the law (God) so our sin is no longer remembered.

Spirituality vs Religiousness

For the rest of the sermon, Jesus uses this to draw a contrast between the Christian, who is filled with the Spirit and righteousness of God, and the religious zealot (like the Pharisees).

These 2 paths might look similar in their adherence to the law, but the Pharisees were doing it out of their own strength and pride, but the Christian does so out of the Spirit working within them, and for the glory of God and the furthering of His kingdom. The Christian responds to the grace of Jesus in obedience, out of faith.

This passage condemns two errors that we are quite prone to. There is the error of external religion, doing things out of pride and our own appearance. Then there is the error of lawlessness. It can be tempting to continue sinning once you have accepted Jesus' grace. The law still very much stands, and although there is now grace when we slip up despite our attempts, we must keep it and rely on the Holy Spirit within us to guide and encourage us as we do it.