St. Matthew 5:17–26
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“You conservative Christians just pick and choose what to believe from the Bible. You’re inconsistent. You say same-sex marriage is wrong because the Bible says so, but you eat shrimp and bacon, even though God also forbids eating shellfish and pork in the Bible. You’re against abortion, but you wear clothes made from two kinds of material. You claim you care about love and mercy, but the Bible says that any sexually immoral people should be executed.”
Have you ever heard these kinds of objections? Did you know that they are technically correct? The Bible certainly says that same-sex attraction and acting on those desires is sinful. It also clearly shows that human life in the womb is a gift from God and should never be taken. And the Bible definitely teaches the love and mercy of God as well as the love and mercy we should show others.
But it’s true that the Bible also says things like: You shall not eat [pig’s] flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you… [And] anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales… is detestable to you… you shall not eat any of their flesh (Leviticus 11:8–11). And also this: You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together (Deuteronomy 22:11). And also this: If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death (Leviticus 20:10).
So, are we inconsistent? Do we keep parts of the Bible while ignoring other parts? Do we need to throw out more of the Bible? And if we are ignoring some of God’s laws, what do we do with the part we heard today from Jesus Himself: Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law (Matthew 5:18)?
So, Jesus says we can’t get rid of the Law. He said that He did not come to abolish the Law, nor will any of it be retracted—every “i” will be dotted and every “t” crossed. Then, why don’t we actually follow all of the Laws of Moses? Why are there so many rules and punishments in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that we conservative, Bible-believing Christians don’t do? And we have to have a better answer than, “Well, times change. That was then, this is now.” That kind of answer would not take the Bible seriously. That kind of answer would ultimately lead us to ignoring all of God’s Law and also doubting all of God’s Word. If we follow that kind of answer, like “things change and God doesn’t actually expect us to follow all of His laws,” then we are not really Christians.
Jesus said “Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). So, what do we do? If we want to be consistent with the Bible, does that mean we need to stop eating hot dogs and start executing adulterers? No, but if we want to be consistent with the Bible, we should start by paying close attention to Jesus’ words.
“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17–18). Jesus did not abolish God’s Law, He didn’t throw it away or contradict it. Instead, He fulfilled it, He kept it, He perfectly obeyed the Law.As a perfect Man, Jesus finally satisfied the Law’s demands. And having been satisfied, having been accomplished, the Law was fulfilled. It was finished.
This includes the totality of the Law—what we call the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. The ceremonial and civil laws of Moses were the particular laws that God gave to His particular people, Israel. These included the ceremonial laws like circumcision, clean and unclean food, regulations on clothing and garments. These also included the civil laws of the Israelite nation like capital punishment for certain crimes and sins, and rules for the protection of the poor. These laws were given by God only to Israel for the purpose of setting apart His holy people—making them different and separate from all the other nations—until the promised Savior had come.
This means that these laws reached their purpose in Jesus. Having been fulfilled by Him, they are no longer in effect, because the Christ has come and done His work. St. Paul explains how the Israelite laws are no longer binding on any people: Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ (Colossians 2:16–17). The old prophetic shadows have passed away, because the Christ, the true substance of our faith has come.
Now, if the Law has been fulfilled by Jesus, why do we still care about doing other parts of it? Why are we not allowed to steal and gossip? Why is abortion and homosexuality and any kind of sex outside of marriage wrong? Why is it still important to come to church and use God’s name properly and honor earthly authorities? Because these are a different kind of Law—what we call the moral law. These are the general, universal laws for all of humanity. These are the laws that protect God’s earthly gifts of life and marriage, possessions and reputation, as well as protecting the eternal gifts of His Name and His Word.
Maybe it should be obvious that these laws are different from the very narrowly focused laws for ancient Israel. But if there was any doubt, all we have to do is read the words of Jesus and the apostles. They reiterate the moral laws. In the same reading today, Jesus confirms the Fifth Commandment against murder, and He includes in it anger and hatred as sins as well. Jesus and the apostles teach us what God’s Law is for us, which is why we still care about sexual sins and greed, idolatry and dishonesty. This is also why we still use the Ten Commandments (even though they were given in the Old Testament) because they remain a good summary of God’s will for our lives now.
But now, if the moral law still applies, does that mean we have to do the Law in order to be saved? Jesus also says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20). How can we possibly make ourselves righteous enough? The answer is, we can’t. Then where do we get such righteousness? As we heard before, Jesus fulfilled the Law. His righteousness exceeds that of all others. And by faith in Him, He becomes our righteousness.
We are baptized, and that means we are covered in Christ’s righteousness, His perfect Law-fulfilling life is given for us. We are baptized and that makes us holy people. We are not holy by our own works, but we are holy by His works. His holy life, His holy blood, His holy death makes and keeps us as His holy people. And the only reason we now try to keep the moral law, the only reason we try to follow God’s will, is that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). We are baptized. Jesus’ death and resurrection happened to us by the water and the Word. And it still happens in us by faith in His Word. The only way we could go on living in sin is if we would be dead to God.
But because we are baptized, we are alive to God in Christ Jesus and Jesus is alive in us. Jesus is the Lord our God, who brought us out of slavery to sin and gives us a new and free life. He gives us His own life, and He gives us His own WAY of life, that we might live the way God wants us to. Jesus is what makes us holy people. And Jesus is why we care about God’s Law. We are not inconsistent. We have faith in Jesus, we belong to Him. And how we live depends all on Him.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
