I. Introduction

A. In the first lesson on the Sermon on the Mount we saw that the key word for understanding Jesus' teaching is "different."

B. This is going to become more apparent as we continue our study.

C. In this lesson we are going to be looking at two passages.

1. In the first Jesus explained his relationship with the Old Testament.

2. In the second we will see an example of how Jesus expanded and made the commandments more comprehensive.


II. Obeying God's laws (5:17–20)

A. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus used expressions like "I say to you..." and "I tell you...".

1. These were phrases that denoted authority.

2. The rabbis did not teach in this way. They would always refer to some previous authority (e.g., "Moses wrote..." or "Rabbi Joshua ben Ephraim wrote...").

3. Jesus use of authority must have come as a surprise. (Mark 1:27 indicates that the people were amazed by Jesus' authority.)

4. Because Jesus spoke with such authority, some of his listeners must have wondered how he looked at the OT.

B. Jesus did not come to abolish the law.

1. Jesus was Jewish and lived under the OT.

2. Jesus did conflict with the "oral law" or "traditions of men" (e.g., washing of hands and healing on the Sabbath), but not with God's law.


C. Jesus came to fulfill the law—to complete God's plan for redeeming mankind.

1. We see this in the OT prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

2. Jesus was also the fulfillment of the OT system of sacrifice.

a. For 1500 years the Jewish people had sacrificed animals day after day, week after week, and year after year.

b. Thousands of animals had been sacrificed and all of them pointed toward a final sacrifice.

c. Remember John the Baptist's words: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).

E. The death of Jesus did bring a new law or new covenant.

1. Paul wrote that "Christ is the end of the law" (Rom. 10:4).

2. That does not mean, however, that we do not need to obey God's law.

F. In verses 18–19 Jesus makes clear his attitude toward the law.

1. Jesus noted the continuance of God's law. Even though there is a new covenant, it is still God's covenant.

2. Jesus also emphasized keeping all of God's commands.

G. Jesus' comment in verse 20 must have come as a shock.

1. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were the religious leaders and would have been considered "the epitome of righteousness." (ZIBBC, 1:38)

2. The religious leaders based their "righteousness" on keeping rules and the outward appearance rather than the inner, spiritual aspects of righteousness.


III. Jesus' first example of applying God's laws (5:21–26)

A. Here in chapter 5 we see examples of Jesus' teaching that show us that God's laws are more than just rule-keeping. The first of these deals with the command to not commit murder.


B. Murder and hate (5:21–22).

1. "You have heard it said...But I tell you..." was a formula that Jesus used in his illustrations.

a. Jesus' listeners knew the commandments, but they could not have been ready for what followed.

b. In each case Jesus spoke with authority and went far beyond their understanding of what the commandments meant.

2. First of all, Jesus said that anger toward another person can be as serious as taking the person's life.

a. "The word Christ used for anger was the one for slow meditative anger, the anger we nurse to keep alive. It was the kind of anger that plots to get even, to get back." (H. Robinson, p. 132)

b. Jesus also spoke of name-calling and words like raca ("stupid" or "idiot") and "fool" that meant morally and spiritually corrupt.

c. Jesus was not talking about joking or kidding; he was talking about a hate-filled put-down expressed in anger.

d. Murder is a terrible wrong, but so are anger, hatred, and a desire to harm others.

3. Not all anger is wrong. Jesus himself became angry at times.

a. Anger against sin or injustice, for example, is not wrong, as long as it is not directed at the person.

c. We should be angry with someone who produces pornography, sells drugs, or abuses another person, but we should not attack them personally. ("Hate the sin, love the sinner.")

B. Don't let grudges and disagreements keep you from serving God (5:23–24).

1. Jesus used two examples to illustrate how damaged relationships caused by anger and ill feelings must be repaired.

2. The first of these is an example in the context of worship.

3. To help understand this example we can just paraphrase it in modern language: "If you are going into the auditorium to worship and remember that there is a problem between you and someone else..."

C. Settle disagreements quickly (5:25–26).

1. This second example comes from a Gentile legal context, but the point is the same. We should settle differences quickly before they become a more serious problem.

D. Jesus used these examples to show that we need to do whatever we can to restore relationships and bring about reconciliation.

E. Whenever we know that something is wrong, we need to take care of it rather than letting it fester. Anger, grudges, bad-feelings toward others—these are all wrong, just as wrong as taking another person's life.

IV. Conclusion

A. Jesus came to fulfill the old law.

B. In doing so, he also gave us a new law.

C. One of the most complete expressions of this new law is found here in the Sermon on the Mount.