The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE OLD LAW AND THE NEW LIFE
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE OLD LAW AND THE NEW LIFE
Lesson Plan:
1. The Importance of God's Law (vs 17-19)
2. False Followers of the Law (v 20)
3. An Illustration: Spirit vs. Letter (vs 21-26)
Lesson Setting:
Time: Summer of A.D. 28.
Place: The Sermon on the Mount was preached on a hill west of the Sea of Galilee, perhaps the Horns of Hattin.
Inductive Study of the Lesson:
a. As to the phrase, "the law and the prophets," see Matthew 7:12; John. 1:45; Acts 24:14; Romans 3:21
b. With verse 21 compare Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17. As to the establishment of the local tribunals, the "judgments," see Deuteronomy 16:18
c. With verse 22 compare 1 John. 3:15
d. With mention here of hell, compare Matthew 5:29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark. 9:43, 45; James 3:6; 2 Kings 23:10
e. With the teaching of verse 24, compare John 14:21, 23; 15:12, 17; 1 John 4:7, 8, 20 e. Regarding justifiable wrath, see John 2:15; Ephesians 4:26
What It Means to Be a New Testament Christian Introduction: Depreciating the Old Testament in comparison with the New? – It is certainly not based on the example of Jesus. Nowhere does our Lord set off the New Testament against the Old. In His day the New Testament had not come into existence, and the Old Testament was all the written Word of God He possessed. Can one today truly follow in the steps of Jesus Christ without having a solid foundation in and understanding of the Old Testament?
What contrast did Christ make, leading to this misunderstanding? – He set off the Pharisees (false representatives of the Old Testament) against His gospel. To do this, He unfolded and interpreted the Old Testament as the Pharisees should have understood it to be. That is, He sharply distinguished religion of the spirit from religion of the letter. While it is certainly true that Christ fulfilled the Old Law and gave man a new law of love and grace, still a Christian should understand, honor, respect and constantly learn from the Old Testament. As the apostle Paul pointed out, it is a school-master, bringing us to Christ.
What does it mean to be a 'New Testament Christian?' – It means to be a believer in and follower of the New Testament, of course. But it also means to be firmly planted in the Old Testament, too. Our 'following' of Jesus Christ should be after His fashion and not after the fashion of the Pharisees. It means to have a religion of love instead of a religion of fear; a religion of helpfulness instead of a religion of suspicion and condemnation. Indeed, our lesson is virtually a study of the all-important question, "What constitutes true religion?" Let us study it under these divisions: The Importance of God's Law (vs. 17-19); False Followers of the Law (v 20); An Illustration: Spirit vs. Letter (vs 21-26)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:17-19
1. The Importance of God's Law
What was meant by "the law" and "the prophets" (v 17)? – By the law our Lord meant the original and fundamental part of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses. By the prophets our Lord meant the super added portions of the Old Testament Scriptures, which were all written by prophets, or holy men who spake in the name and under the influence of God.
What led some of Christ's hearers to think He was "destroying" the Old Testament Scriptures? – The verb means to set aside authoritatively. What freedom of mind is implied in the bare suggestion of this as a possibility! To the ordinary religious Jew the mere conception would appear a profanity. The tendency of Christ's teaching was probably already seen to be so different from that of the recognized authorities that some had formed this opinion of Him. Many of the expressions our Lord had used were not common among the Jews: either they (a) did not use them at all, (b) or not in the same sense, (b) or not in so full and strong a meaning. Add to this that worshiping God 'in spirit and in truth' must always appear a new religion to those who have hitherto known nothing but outside worship, nothing but the 'form of godliness.'
How did Christ answer the charge? – With an indignant denial "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (v 17), Those are most critical, decisive words. They declare the whole fundamental method of the Master's ministry.
How did Christ emphasize His denial? – By declaring that "heaven and earth" should "pass away" sooner than "one jot or tittle" of the law (v 18). Jot is the English contracted form of a Greek word meaning the smallest letter in that language. "In Hebrew the title was one of the smaller strokes, or twists of certain letters" (Ellicott). It is said that at one time the mistake of a hyphen for a comma in printing the tariff law of this country, changing 'fruit-plants' into 'fruit, plants,' cost the American government two million dollars.
In what additional way does Christ deny the charge? – By asserting His belief in and following of the Old Testament Scripture commandments, even the "least" of them (v 19). Verse 19 should be interpreted in light of verse 20, where being called least in the kingdom is substituted, rejected from the kingdom altogether ...
v 20 ... "ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom." When we break God's commandments, by example we of necessity ...
v 19 ... "teach men." Is not the old saying true, a picture is worth a thousand words? The same can be said of a Christian's example. Men understand God's commandments to mean whatever they see us actually doing.
In what ways did Christ fulfill the Old Testament law (v 17)? – (a) He fulfilled the moral law by showing the principles laying beneath the Mosaic commandments, connecting them not merely with surface actions, but with the inner feelings from which those actions spring. For instance, through God Moses commanded not to murder, Christ forbade the angry spirit, leading to murder. (b) Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law, which was actually a series of advance pictures of Him and His work. Thus the Passover, carried on in the Lord's Supper, was fulfilled in His death on the cross, and the Temple was fulfilled in the church of our Lord. (c) Christ fulfilled the prophets by doing all that they had foretold the Messiah would do, and by founding the kingdom of righteousness which they had foreseen and longed for. (d) In a wider sense, Christ fulfills nature, giving new meaning to the world He created. He fulfills life to all His followers. "I came," He said, "that your joy might be fulfilled." He fulfills all the desires and aspirations of men. He is, as the prophet foretold, "the desire of all nations" (Haggai 2:7). (e) Christ makes fulfillers of His followers. There are two kinds of men in the world, the 'fulfillers' and the 'destroyers.' There are some among us who call out the best from brethren everywhere, making the better parts of human life seem possible and worthwhile. There are others among us whose mission in life is to destroy; at least it seems so by their actions. It is true, sometimes the things they seek to destroy are, in fact, bad and no doubt ought to be destroyed, but nonetheless their whole life and work is for disheartening, not encouragement. What about your life? Are you using your freedom in Christ to praise good or blame bad?
Illustration: Is a sketch destroyed or fulfilled, when its outlines are filled in to make a finished picture? Does the full-blown rose destroy or fulfill the rosebud? Does the butterfly destroy or fulfill the caterpillar? Does college destroy or fulfill grammar school? Does manhood destroy or fulfill the boy?
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:20
2. False Followers of the Law
To whom did Christ point as really destroying the law? – To the very persons who charged Him with destroying it, the scribes and Pharisees.
How did they destroy the law? – By keeping the letter, which kills, and leaving out the spirit, which makes alive. By persecuting Christ, in whom the law and the prophecies were embodied. By filling their hearts so full of pride that the law could find no entrance. By insisting upon their own righteousness, a mass of trifling ceremonial laws, and thus excluding the righteousness which is of God.
How is our righteousness to exceed the scribes and Pharisees? – (a) In the first place, it must at least be so much; we must at least keep the letter of God's law, through Christ. A right heart alone is not enough. In other words, the heart is not right when the hand is wrong. (b) Believers are not to be worse in conduct, but far better than the most precise legalists. The Lord requires of us holiness, reverence, integrity, and purity, working them all in our hearts and lives. (c) We cannot gain this heart-righteousness of ourselves, but only as Christ fulfills the law for us and in us. These words in verse 20 would have been terrible and excluding if they had stood alone. When they follow 'I am come to fulfill' they are a veiled gospel, implying that by His fulfillment, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us.
What was the fundamental fault of the scribes and Pharisees? – Spiritual Insincerity. Seeking the praise of man, caring not for the praise of God. What about you? If you desire to avoid their failings, you must remember God and that nothing in life can be spiritually sincere which does not respect Him.
What is the kingdom of heaven from which such insincere professors of religion are excluded? – Christ's life of righteousness, peace and joy. Men like the scribes and Pharisees exclude themselves from it by forming for themselves a character totally unfitted to it.
Illustration: Those who will not learn the game or practice are excluded from the team. Likewise, those refusing to play are excluded from the orchestra. Why? Not because of any arbitrary decree, but because they themselves make it impossible to belong. Putting such in a uniform or putting an instrument in their hands will not make them a part of the team or orchestra.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:21-26
3. An Illustration: Spirit vs. Letter
Christ follows with five illustrations of His method of interpreting and practicing the Old Testament law, as distinguished from the method of the scribes and Pharisees. In this lesson, we will consider only the first of these illustrations.
How did the law of Moses refer to the spirit of hatred and anger? – This law "said by (to) them of old time" (v 21), had regard to the worst outward manifestation of this spirit, and commanded ...
v 21 ... "Thou shalt not kill." The scribes added, "and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment," that is, the Council of Seven, which was the local court established by the Sanhedrim in every town of Palestine (Deut. 16:18) for the trial and punishment of capital crimes. Thus the scribes limited the meaning of the law to the outward act of murder, since only that could come for trial before the tribunal.
But how did Christ unfold and interpret this command not to kill? – By forbidding anger "without a cause" (v 22) in the heart, leading to killing.
What degrees of anger does Christ recognize? – (a) Anger which does not express itself in word or act, but merely rages within. This, said Christ, should bring a man before that same "judgment" (v 21), or local tribunal, which tries murderers. (b) "Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca" (v 22). This is anger that comes to speech, though only to a meaningless sound. Augustine says a Jew told him Raca was not properly a word at all, but an interjection like Hem. And the man who commits this trivial offense (as it seems) must go before, not the provincial Seven, but the supreme Seventy, the council, the Sanhedrim that tried the most heinous offenses, giving out the severest penalties, i.e., death by stoning. (c) "Whosoever shall say, Thou fool" (v 22). The Greek word means fool, good for nothing, morally worthless. If equivalent to the Hebrew word, Moreh (as the R.V. margin implies), it means a rebel against God or against parents, the most worthless of characters. Raca expresses contempt for a man's head, i.e., 'you stupid.' Moreh expresses contempt for his heart and character, i.e., 'you scoundrel.' Such a man Christ said was in ...
v 22 ... "danger" of hell fire; literally, the Gehenna of fire. Gehenna is the Greek representative of the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, or Valley of Hinnom, a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where, after the introduction of the worship of the fire gods by Ahaz, the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to Molech. It became the common refuse place of the city, into which the bodies of criminals, carcasses of animals, and all sorts of filth were cast. From its depths and narrowness, and its fire and ascending smoke, it became the symbol of the place for the future punishment of the wicked.
How did Christ emphasize the danger of anger? – By declaring that it vitiates even worship. The offering of sacrifices was so much a part of Jewish worship that to "bring thy gift to the altar" (v 23) was equivalent to our 'going to church.' If while in this act you remember, not your anger against another, but that someone (any one) has anger against you, then you should not wait to complete the act of worship, but instead ...
v 24 ... "leave (the) gift before the altar" and rush off to bring about a reconciliation. This being accomplished, you may return and offer acceptable service to God. Here is a hint why prayer is often unavailing and worship unsatisfying. This is a New Testament illustration of the saying that has been called the culmination of the Old Testament, that 'obedience is better than sacrifice.'
What other illustration did Christ give of the danger of anger? – He imagined His hearer being led to court by someone who had a grievance against him, and He urged him to come to him before the court is reached, or else the "adversary would deliver him to the judge, and the judge" (v 25), having decided against him, would deliver him to the court officer, the sheriff, and the sheriff would cast him into the horrible debtors' prison of those days, from which he would not be released till he had paid the last farthing he owed. Farthing, in English means 'fourth thing,' and is one-fourth of a penny. Pennies were once made with a cross upon them, so that they could be broken into four parts. Farthing here is the quadrans, the fourth part of a Roman coin, worth about one quarter of a cent, the two mites of Mark 12:42.
What is the general interpretation of this little parable? – As in worldly affairs it is prudent to make up a matter with an adversary before judgment is passed, which may deliver a man to a hard and rigorous imprisonment, so reconciliation with an offended brother in this life is absolutely necessary before his wrong shall cry against us to the Great Judge, and we be cast into eternal condemnation. And this must be done quickly, while we have a chance at our injured brother, for nothing turns our life upside down as much as delay and procrastination in the performance of good works. Do you do what needs to be done each day? It is useless to think we can escape the eternal law of things. Is your spiritual life alive? What does Christ teach in this lesson about true religion? That it is not a surface matter, but must go clear through a life. It deals with forms, but far more with the realities back of forms. We must be wholly Christ's, or we are not His at all. There is no heaven with a little hell in it. No plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. In our life, Satan must go – every hair and feather.
Illustration: "If you let Christianity stop when you leave the church door, there is not much righteousness in you" (Theodore Roosevelt).
Illustration: A little girl in Ireland had been to see two Christian ladies. She could not remember their names or where they lived, but said, "I've been to see the two ladies who live next door to God." Actually, this is not a bad definition of religion.
Illustration: When it comes to serving God and others, little is a painful thing; but more takes the pain away.
