17 “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law of the prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to bring them to their intended goal.18 Truly I tell you: As long as heaven and earth last, not the slightest aspect of the law will fail until everything has been accomplished. 19 Whoever, therefore, breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, this person shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no way enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
“Towing The Line?”
In some small towns, it is normal for the volunteer fire departments phone to be answered by the policeman which is on the job that day, who would in turn sound the fire whistle to rally the volunteers to duty. In one small town on one Saturday morning the chief of police, had just come on duty when the fire department phone rang. He picked up the phone and said, “Fire Department.” A voice on the other end of the line frantically said, “Send the Fire truck” Then the caller immediately slammed the phone down. The chief stood their stunned, not knowing what to do. In a few moments the phone rang again. Quickly he picked up the phone again and said, ”Fire Department.” Again the voice cried, “Send the fire truck!” And again the caller immediately hung up. Realizing that someone’s house was possibly at stake, the chief rushed outside and scanned the sky to see if he could see smoke, and therefore send the fire trucks in that direction. While outside he also devised a plan as to how to keep the caller from hanging up so quickly if they called back. Sure enough the phone rang again and he went running inside. Picking up the phone he quickly asked, “where’s the fire?” The person on the other end screamed, “In the kitchen,” and slammed down the phone again.[1]
Have you ever had those times when you just could not get across to someone the message of your heart? Or maybe someone has tried to help you grasp some finer point of life, but no matter how hard you listened you just could not understand fully what he or she were trying to communicate to you?
Sometimes, like our preceding story, the affects of our communication attempts gone awry are often comical and yet in some extraordinary cases the inability to understand can be fatal. For instance in the intensity of a hospital trauma center one miss-step cued by not hearing correctly or not saying clearly or not processing completely what ones intentions are can have devastating effects.
Thus was this concern for the land and people of Israel as Jesus prompted them to reconsider their ideas, understandings and most important, their applications about Kingdom living. God had given His perfect law for life in the covenant community, which he called into being through Moses and the Prophets and yet somehow between the giving and the receiving, and the years in-between, the transmission had become jumbled and at times unintelligible.
With the Sermon on the Mount and its accompanying challenges, it can be argued, that with these ideas Jesus was beginning to perform essentially, a delicate surgery that had to do with the ultimate health of God’s chosen people. Understanding what it meant to be a child of God and the discipleship that it demanded required a profound awakening for God’s people. The core of what Jesus had begun to explain in the beatitudes was an attitude of spirit that ushered in a life of righteous living. He equated the essence of this existence as being salt and light in the world around them.
However as we listen to today’s message it is evident, for the people to be and function as Salt and Light, they would have to understand more completely the relationship between what they understood of the Law (The Torah or Ten Commandments) and this New Righteousness which Jesus was calling them too.
Thus Jesus proclaims in chapter 5 verse 17, “Do not think I have come to destroy the Law of the prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to bring them to their intended goal.” Many translations have here the word “fulfill” which has as its’ root meaning the idea of bringing something to completion. It could be equated to something like pouring your first cup of coffee in the morning if you are a coffee drinker and enjoying as I do “Sweet and Low” and cream in your coffee. Once coffee is poured into the cup it has not been completed until I add the final touch. There is nothing wrong with the cup or the coffee itself it just isn’t complete until I add the final ingredients. Jesus proclaims that his own ministry is not separate or in conflict with the teachings of their Hebrew scripture either (Our Old Testament). Rather Jesus confirms them when ho goes on to say, “Truly I say to you as long as heaven and earth last, not the slightest aspect of the law will fail until everything has been accomplished.” Some have translated these words as, “not one jot or tittle would be removed”, which would have had a profound meaning for those who heard what he was saying that day. For in that day many people had experience with the work of the scribe. The scribe was employed to copy important documents down and to keep accurate records. In the Hebrew language it was originally scored in consonants only. The Scribe would review the words however and add what is called “vowel points”. These dots and dashes would inform the reader the correct pronunciation of the words. When you think about the whole of the Old Testament and the Law of Moses and the Prophets these marks could possibly represent thousands of entries. And Jesus says that not one of them will be removed. What does he mean? Jesus was trying to make a point. The Law as it came from God to Moses and the prophets was perfect and therefore a relevant guide to their obedience as a disciple of Christ.
Possibly as the disciples heard these claims and contemplated there meaning an unsettling silence swept over them that day. Could they have misunderstood what the Lord had said about grace? And if not, was it even possible to achieve such a high standard?
When I envision the scene before us I am reminded of those moments in life when something really significant is said or done and the meaning and implication just sort of hits you square between the eyes. The impact is so great that the information just freezes you for a moment.
Several years ago in the presidential debates between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale a question came from the television reporter who was mediating the debates. The question was something like, “President Reagan it has been said that age may be a factor over the next four years.” Asked, as he knew he would be, about his age, which had become an issue as a result of the first debate, Reagan humorously remarked, "I refuse to make my opponent's youth and inexperience an issue in this campaign." The crowd roared. So did Mondale, who smiled. Within hours as the exchange was repeated through various media outlets the words seemed to strike a deep chord within the larger publics mind. Many political pun dents suggested that with a few words President Reagan was able to define the importance of experience in what can arguably considered one of the most important Jobs in the world.
As Jesus defined a picture of the law and its completeness in Him the result was equally significant. The impact of such an understanding would have serious implications for the disciples as they tried to assimilate its relevance for themselves and how they understood God’s grace.
Are the commandments (The Big Ten) still relevant to the “Good News” gospel of grace in our contemporary world? Jesus says that they will never fail until the plan of God is completed. Based on this we must assume that not only are the commandments relevant for the life and faith of a follower of Christ in a post modern world, but that upon receiving God’s grace we as believers have an even greater duty and opportunity to be inspired to greater heights in trying to learn and apply God’s law, especially when we fall short, which we all do. Jesus urged the disciples and all those that were listening as well as us today that they/we were to consider the standard set by those Jews who were most concerned with keeping God’s laws’ and commandments and then surpass that standard. The ethical and moral implications set forth were significant and important as they are in the church today.
So often it seems in our modern context when we consider the road before us the climb seems unattainable. Some I am sure that day barely heard what the Lord was saying as they signed on the team roster only later in the middle of some life crisis recognized the seriousness of their promise. Others to be sure heard clearly what the Lord was saying and moved to the front of the altar with fear and trembling in their hearts as they set forth on the climb of their lives. And still others listened intently and upon hearing turned slowly and retreated back to where they had come not ready to sacrifice the stuff of the world for the stuff of God. Jesus sets the standard for discipleship in following Him incredibly high. It is high because the one from whom it came is Holy and Righteous and loves us so much that He wants us to know that Sin is serious business and we must treat it as such. But in that same breath the completion or fulfillment of this high standard can only be approached by what Paul called the “author and perfector of our faith.” Jesus is the one who comes and protects us when we do fail. The Lord catches us and sustains us and most importantly encourages us and brings to completion our desire to want to continue the climb once again until all the things of His Father are completed. Receiving God’s grace in the complete sacrifice of His only begotten Son must inspire and motivate us to a valiant effort in Keeping God’s Laws. To do this allows us to discover the difference and the reality of living humbly before God in such a way that transforms the very core of who we are.
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.[2]
Let us too strive to approach our daily struggles with faith rather than fear knowing that the safety net of God’s grace always challenges us to be bold in our walk with Him!