Jesus' View of the (Old Testament) Law - Part 2

Concept 3: Jesus Teaches that the Law Is to Be Kept

“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Jesus, Matthew 5:19).

We have seen in what Jesus says that He came to fulfill the law and the prophets (found in the Old Testament) and that the law is God’s unfailing truth. Here, Jesus teaches that the law is to be kept, not disregarded. Those who uphold God’s law are considered great in God’s kingdom. Once again, we must remember that Jesus fulfills the judicial and ceremonial aspects of the law through His rule over His people (the church) and His death on the cross (the atonement for sin). The moral aspect of the law, which reflects God’s righteousness, still has bearing on God’s people. This is supported by the entire New Testament Scriptures, which reiterate, for example, all of the Ten Commandments (with the exception of keeping the Sabbath).

How the law applies to Christians today can be a confusing subject for many, but it must be remembered that the early church, which began in a Jewish context, had to deal with the issue of how to apply the law to Gentiles (non-Jews). The conclusion was that Gentiles did not have to follow ceremonial aspects of the law (such as circumcision) but did need to uphold the moral principles of the law and be sensitive to those of a Jewish background (cf. Acts 15:1–29). Therefore, it is true that Christians don’t follow laws on food or clothing, but these were seen as non-binding on those who believe in Christ. In contrast, moral issues such as homosexuality (as well as adultery and any sexual activity outside of marriage) are addressed in the New Testament, and Christians are expected to follow the same principles laid down in the Old Testament.  So Jesus expects His followers to live out the moral principles contained in God’s holy law, as will be further seen in the coming points of His sermon.

Concept 4: Jesus Exposes the Wrong Approach to the Law

            Finally, as Jesus presents His view of the law, He says, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). This would be a disconcerting thought to those of Jesus’ day, that even the scribes and Pharisees were not good enough to make it into the kingdom of heaven. They were, after all, the professional law studiers and keepers. Lloyd-Jones comments:

The average man said to himself, “Ah, there is very little hope of my ever being as good as the scribes or the Pharisees. They are outstanding; they live to be sanctified and holy. That is there profession; that is their whole aim and object in a religious, moral and spiritual sense.” But here comes our Lord [Jesus]; and He announces to these people that unless their righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees they shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Lloyd-Jones, 176)

            The people listening to Jesus must have been astounded to hear that they had to have an even greater righteousness than the scribes and Pharisees to make it to heaven. But one thing we see in the Scripture is that Jesus decimates our preconceived ideas of goodness. We think, in general, that people are good, but Jesus refers to people as “evil” and says no one is good except for God (cf. Matt. 7:11; 19:17). The problem is that many people look at righteousness like the Pharisees, who were a very religious group of people in Jesus’ day. They thought that because they followed religious teaching and were outwardly very respectable, then they were truly righteous, but Jesus gives a much different perspective (as He will demonstrate when He applies the law in the coming points of His sermon).

            Jesus’ teaching about righteousness is not concerned with how we compare to others but how we relate to God. The Pharisees tended to miss the point of the law. They followed their religion scrupulously but their hearts were far from God, and they did not reflect a concern for the things that matter most to God: faith toward God and mercy toward others (Matt. 15:7–8; 23:23) Jesus told a story that illustrates two approaches to righteousness. It’s about a Pharisee and a tax collector (who were considered very sinful because they collected money for a foreign government).

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10–14)

Notice that in Jesus’ story, the one who is justified (considered righteous before God) is not the one who appears best before others but the one who is humble before God. The law of God is not supposed to make us feel proud about how good we are but humble us as we see how bad we are. Then we are justified by God on the basis of His mercy and grace.

Righteousness by grace is echoed in the words of the popular hymn “Amazing Grace” by John Newton, which says: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. . . ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear [have reverence for God], and grace my fears relieved [because of God’s mercy]; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” This sounds like something the tax collector in Jesus’ story would say. Jesus has great news for those who recognize they are sinners—they can be saved by grace, which leads to a life of true godliness. But to those who approach the law as the scribes and Pharisees (with an attitude of self-righteousness), He offers nothing but the indictment that this supposed righteousness is not going to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Works Cited:

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1959–60).

Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.