Sunday 6Ai, Epiphany 6Ai. Gospel

Introduction
Our passage for study serves as part of the introduction to Matthew's first teaching section, the section known as the Sermon on the Mount. It follows the declaration of the new Israel's covenant standing before God, 1-12, and her nature and purpose, v13-16. Jesus now examines God's perfect law.

The passage
v17. Jesus lived a liberated life, and therefore was criticized as a libertarian. Against this criticism, Jesus reaffirms the validity of the Mosaic law and its interpretation in the prophetic books of the Bible. Jesus did not come to abolish this revelation from God, but rather to "complete" it, ie. "to bring to its destined end", Davies.
v18. It is easy to suppose that with the coming of Jesus the Mosaic law is made redundant. It is, of course, necessary to discern the law, to sift matters of culture from that of the divine will. The interpretation of the law by the Old Testament prophets, and particularly that of Jesus, help us in this task. Having discerned the divine will, we need to understand that even its smallest aspect retains its validity, completely fulfilling its function of driving us toward God's grace and guiding us in the Christian life. The "smallest letter" in the Hebrew alphabet, our "i", and the "serif" or "dash", serves to illustrate that even the smallest detail of God's will is important.
v19. A believer who relaxes, sets aside or teaches against even the least of God's commandments, is acting against God's intentions and well deserves to be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. Those who endorse and who teach the law, are acting as God would have them and well deserve to be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
v20. The "Pharisees" (a lay movement of Jews dedicated to law obedience) and the "teachers of the law" (scribes, professional students and teachers of the law), maintained an outstanding law-righteousness, but their dedication was unable to secure or progress their standing before God. Membership in the kingdom of heaven requires an exceeding righteousness, an uprightness in the sight of God that is perfect. Such righteousness is not gained by doing.

Jesus and the law
Our passage for study reminds us that God's law - the commandments of the Old Testament with their interpretation in the Prophets, along with New Testament law - retains its validity in the Christian life. As Georg Strecker puts it "the law cannot and may not pass away, so that everything it demands will be realized."
The law serves two functions which need to be realized in the Christian life. The less important function, the one that Jesus is not alluding to here, is that of guiding the Christian life. The more important function is the exposing of sin to force the child of God to seek a righteousness, a perfect uprightness in the sight of God, that is not done and cannot be done, but can be received as a gift.
Jesus brings the law to its destined end, primarily as God's mechanism for exposing human sinfulness and thus opening the way for the sinner to find mercy at the foot of the cross. As Paul puts it, "the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith", Gal.3:24. The law serves to expose our state of loss before God, and therefore, our need of a saviour. Jesus completes this function of the law by demanding a "righteousness which surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees" and then fulfilling that demand in his own life.
Jesus sets out to reveal the perfection of God's law, and thus drive the sinner to the foot of the cross where they might find a righteousness freely given.

Discussion
1. In what sense does Jesus "fulfill" the law?
2. The law must stand until "everything is accomplished." What is it that is accomplished and how does the law serve this end?
3. "Practices and teaches" the law. How do we do that?
4. What is an "exceeding righteousness" and how do we get it?

Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons

Matthew