"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
LECTIO & MEDITATIO
So far Jesus has spoken about Christian Character and Christian Influence. Now he goes on to the practical actions to reveal the Christian Character and the practical aspects of Christian Influence.
He began with righteousness. The ‘good works’ refers to works of obedience. Jesus begins the sermon with a third person (Blessed are the poor...). He continued with the second person (You are the salt…) Now he uses the first person (I say to you…)
The passage can be divided into two parts:
First Christ and the law and then the Christian and the law.
Christ came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law that He will be the Righteous One who will bring justification for the sins of the whole world so that we will all be justified for heaven. So as Christians who have been set free from the bondage of sin, we live in His righteousness and in His power we live righteous lives in this world. Sometimes it is so difficult living the righteousness of God as fallen people, that is why we continue to live in His grace and mercy, yet working hard to be sanctified daily, striving towards perfection, always improving ourselves to live for God.
CONTEMPLATIO / PRAYER
Lord Jesus, help me to live in Your righteousness and even when I fall, pick me up and sanctify me that I may continue to strive towards perfection in Your grace. Amen.
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