THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS
Matthew 5:17-20
2.12.17
SUMMARY
When Jesus says, “You have heard it said...but I say to you...” he is in no way attempting to
revise or replace prior, biblical truth. Rather, he is reclaiming the proper interpretation of
biblical truth. Here, he confronts the erroneous scribes and Pharisees, who had “relaxed’
”the law of God to make it more manageable, and to give themselves the illusion of moral
leverage over those who failed to measure up to their false traditions. In saying that our
righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, then, Jesus is not only inviting
us to repent of our sins but also of our (false) righteousness. We do this, first, by centering
our lives around all of Scripture, versus relaxing its words. As we read the Bible, we must
allow it to read us. We must not revise it, but rather invite it to revise us—especially those
parts of us, our thoughts and words and deeds, that are incongruent with his ways, which
are higher than ours. We, the clay, are never in a position to correct or stand in judgment
over the Lord, the potter. Furthermore, if we reject any part of Scripture, we presume to reject
the ver y thing upon which Jesus based his entire life. Second, we must dismiss our inner
Pharisee, that part of us that seeks to manage Scripture versus allowing Scripture to lead
us to its point and destination, which is Jesus himself. And, when Scripture leads us away from
self-sufficiency for our supposed keeping of the law, or from self-loathing for our failure to
keep it, into the presence and care of Jesus instead—we find ourselves becoming
un-burdened instead of burdened. For Jesus, and Jesus alone, represents the fulfillment of
the law for us. As we place our faith in him, his righteousness is given to us freely. Being
united with him, ever ything that is true of Jesus as a law-keeper, the Lord now treats us as if
these things are true of us also. “All you need is nothing. All you need is need.”
QUOTES AND THOUGHTS FROM THE SERMON
“Are you sifting thru (the Bible), deciding what you like and what you don’ t like, or are you
letting it sift through you, deciding what it doesn’ t like and what it does like? Which is it?
...Either it ’s an authority over you, or you are an authority over it. If there’s anything you
dislike about it, it means you’ve put yourself in a position to judge any verse.”
- Tim Keller
“It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it ’s the parts that I
do understand.”
- Mark Twain
“Let your religion be less of a theor y and more of a love affair.”
- GK Chesterton
Buddha’s dying words were, “Strive without ceasing.” Jesus’ dying words were, “It is finished.”
Give me Jesus.
“The Kingdom of God belongs to people who aren’t tr ying to look good or impress
anybody, even themselves. They are not plotting how they can call attention to themselves,
worr ying about how their actions will be interpreted or wondering if they will get gold stars
for their behavior...The child (of God) doesn’t have to struggle to get himself in a good
position...he doesn’t have to craft ingenious ways of explaining his position...he doesn’t
have to create a pretty face for himself; he doesn’t have to achieve any state of spiritual
feeling or intellectual understanding. All he has to do is happily accept the cookies, the
gift of the kingdom.”
- Brennan Manning
GROUP QUESTIONS
From the sermon or your direct reading of Matthew 5:17-20, share something that surprises,
encourages, or challenges you.
Which of the “Quotes and Thoughts from the Sermon” (see above) surprises, encourages, or
challenges you the most…and why?
In what ways does your “inner Pharisee” manifest the most? What would it look like
practically for you to dismiss your inner Pharisee, and to experience Jesus, and Jesus alone,
as your true net worth, your true “metric for life?”
What did George Whitefield mean when he said that we must learn not only to repent of
our sins, but to repent of our righteousness also? What would it look like for you to repent
of your righteousness?
How might the following Scriptures, taken together with Matthew 5:17-20, help us further
understand the teaching of Jesus about true righteousness?
Genesis 15:6
Psalm 27:1-2
Matthew 11:28-30
C LO S E I N P R AY E R
Consider using Psalm 27:1-2 as the basis of your prayer.
2 Corinthians 5:21