Lent 2020 Day 21

Scripture Reading

Matthew 5:17-20

The Sermon on the Mount from which these verses come from has been a source of constant controversy in terms of interpretation throughout the history of Christianity. The meaning of these verses is important because it helps to determine one's view of Jesus as Messiah and the role of the Law in the life of a Christian. 

Jesus' use of the Law and the Prophets applies to the entire Old Testament. He emphatically states that he has not come to tear down or do away with the Old Testament but to fulfill it. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament in several ways: 1)he was the fulfillment of the promises of god to Israel, 2)he was the fulfillment of the prophecy that referred to the coming Messiah who would save God's children, 3)he lived a perfect life, never sinning, so he was the only person to ever keep all of the Law (there were only 613 commandments and restrictions). 

So then the questions for us as Christians in the year 2020 trying to be obedient to God and live out our faith is "What role does the Old Testament Law play in our spiritual journey?" Obviously since Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament and kept all of the Law then it must have some role in our lives. Jesus tells us in these verses that as believers we are to keep the commandments and teach others to keep them as well. Then we read that unless our righteousness surpasses the pharisees we won't inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. In his death on the cross, Jesus has become our righteousness. He has made us right with God. He had kept the sum of the Law and the Prophets so that we don't have to in order to be declared right with God. As Christians the Holy Spirit dwells in us so that we are able to keep the Law not as a way of obtaining our salvation or earning favor with God, but as evidence of the change that has taken place in our heart when we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. The comparison of the righteousness of the pharisees refers to the danger of only keeping the Law externally rather than allowing the truth of the Gospel to change us from the inside out. It is the same as going through the motions of church and Christianity, because that is what is expected of us. The real challenge for us is for our hearts to be softened towards the things of God. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Christ who fulfilled the Law for me. Help me to live my life in such a way that the people around me see Jesus, not me. May my keeping of the Law be motivated by gratitude for my salvation rather than legalism. Amen.