Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  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.  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 5:17-20 

 

Currently the lectionary is going through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." 

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible comments here that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in three ways:  first, by performing God's will in all its fullness; second, by transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30); third,  by declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He was about to deliver to them; and finally by granting righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold.

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  Assuredly (in Greek, Amen) means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible says.  Jesus uses this term here as a solemn affirmation, a form of oath.  Throughout His preaching, Jesus has used this word at the beginning of certain proclamations, rather than at the end.  My study Bible calls this unique and authoritative; He declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (iota in Greek) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain letters in Hebrew.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching here in the Sermon on the Mount, the gospel of the Kingdom.  All is fulfilled refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ to come.

"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."  My study Bible comments that righteousness  according to the Law is a unified whole.  It notes that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered to be a violation of the whole Law.  

"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."   Righteousness that leads to salvation has to exceed that of the Pharisees as theirs was an outward and works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation includes all of who we are.  As my study Bible describes it, this righteousness is a salvation which includes the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  

In terms of the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, my study Bible points us to Romans 1:17 and 3:36.  In the first, St. Paul teaches this righteousness of Christ as one that is "revealed from faith to faith," and cites from Habakkuk 2:4, "The just shall live by faith."  My study Bible says that this combination used by St. Paul in Romans 1:17 ties together -- as Christ is doing first in the Sermon on the Mount -- both Old and New Testaments.  "The just shall live by faith" is the most often internally quoted passage in the entire Bible.  This cements the centrality of faithful living -- a faith that runs thoroughly within us -- as the key to the fullness of righteousness.  "From faith to faith" indicates that as we receive Christ through faith, then we must live by faith.  My study Bible says that in both Old and New Testaments, humanity has always participated in God's righteousness on the basis of faith.  Faith is more than belief; it is a way of life, from the inside to the outside -- and this constitutes what is understood as "purity," unadulterated by anything else.  My study Bible says that the faithful actively participate in God's righteousness through both belief and obedience.  In turn, this living by faith in Christ is meant to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7; 15:13).   So, therefore, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets happens through this kind of faith.  That is, faith not merely as an assertion of intellectual belief, but as a life really turned over to Christ, so that we are thoroughly participating in that life which He brought into the world and lived faithfully as the "first fruits" for us.  As Christ became Incarnate, so He lived the life of obedience to the Father as a human being, and transfigured human life for all time, even ascending into heaven, merging both.  As we seek to participate, then, in Christ's life, we in turn are meant to be transfigured, a process which is steeped in mystery, as it includes the mercy and grace of God working in us, as we cooperate with our own obedience, faith, and love of God.  The desire to serve God which we will find in our hearts serves as a kind of engine for this process, a fire that drives us to  be open to God's guidance, to an instinctive love and need within ourselves, and to be healed by God in all the many ways we need it and the world needs it.  This is a love that works in our depths, and it is also a love that is "in action."  Like Christ, when we feel compassion to help others, to serve community, to give a good word, to heal -- in all of these activities prompted by love of God and neighbor we may participate in this active love.  This is righteousness, an active love and obedience lived in faith.  The desire to know God is likely the deepest desire human beings have in our souls.  It is my belief that many hungers and thirsts for other things are simply distractions and covers for this truly deep need for God's love, healing, and communion with our Creator.  For it is there we truly find ourselves, our lives, our purpose -- and the light that leads to that fulfillment which eternally beckons us forward.  That place is the kingdom of heaven where we wish to dwell, to truly live, at all times.  This needs our active seeking and cooperation and engagement, a true faith of righteousness.