The Sermon on the Mount: A 21-Day Guide to the Greatest Sermon Ever PreachedSample

True Righteousness

Jesus kicked off the greatest sermon ever preached by announcing good news and God’s grace. He declared God’s blessings over the least, the last, and the lost. Then, He told us who we become when we place our trust in Him: the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Why? Because who you are determines what you do. Your activity flows from your identity. Today, we’re moving out of the introduction and into the next movement of Jesus’ message where He clarifies the heart of the Law.

“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 tell you, 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. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.” Matthew 5:17-20 NIV

He starts with a pretty blunt statement: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets …” But, what does that mean? Well, to abolish something means to throw something out or completely do away with it. And the Law and the Prophets is another name for the Old Testament. So, Jesus wants to make it clear that He did not come to throw out the Jewish Scriptures.

Why does He need to say this? Two big reasons:

1. Critics in Jesus’ day misunderstood His mission and claimed that He came to tear down the Jewish faith.

2. Christians today regularly make the same mistake and assume that the Old Testament has no relevance in our lives.

But, according to Jesus, this isn’t the case. He did “not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets … but to fulfill them.” Okay, so what does that mean? To fulfill something means to bring it to completion, to achieve something promised, or to carry out a task as required.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He brought to completion the covenant God had established with the people of Israel after delivering them from slavery in Egypt. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He achieved the promise of rescuing us from sin, repairing our relationship with God, and restoring our purpose. And He carried out the task of obeying everything God commanded perfectly.

“For truly I tell you, 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.” Matthew 5:18 NIV

When will the Old Testament law disappear? When heaven and earth disappear, and everything is accomplished. When will that be? Not until Jesus returns at the end of all things to usher in the New Creation spoken of in Revelation 21.

In the following verse, Jesus continues to drive His point home.

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly 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.” Matthew 5:19 NIV

His life, ministry, and teachings are not permission to throw out, edit, or ignore the Law God had previously established. He goes even further to say that those who ignore the smallest commands will be called least in God’s kingdom, but those who obey and teach others to do the same will be great in the eyes of God.

But, just in case we still haven’t grabbed onto His message, He says:

“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.” Matthew 5:20 NIV

It’s easy to imagine a stunned silence falling over the crowd after Jesus drops this line. Unless we are more righteous—unless we do more right by God and to others—than the most righteous people in the land, we won’t get into God’s kingdom?

What happened to all the grace and blessings that He was just talking about? This feels like a dramatic shift in tone that does not match up with what came before!

So, what’s going on here? What is Jesus trying to show us?

He is telling us, loudly and clearly, that none of us can be good enough to earn our way into God’s kingdom through our efforts. This verse is not an isolated teaching from Jesus meant to be ripped from the rest of this sermon. It can only be understood rightly within the context Jesus originally said it. This is why, when it comes to reading the Bible, we have to always remember that Jesus is King and context is everything. That means everything we read in Scripture was written to lead us to Jesus and teach us to become more like Jesus, and understanding the context—all the surrounding information that gives meaning to what we’re reading—is essential.

Just two paragraphs earlier in His sermon, Jesus told us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”Why are the poor in spirit blessed? Because they are invited into the kingdom of heaven. Where does the blessing come from? Not from their efforts or good works. The blessing is a gift from God. It’s not something we achieve by working harder or doing more. It’s something we receive when we believe in the good news of Jesus.

Later in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul explains the effect of God’s grace on our lives this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ … God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18, 21 NIV).

Any attempt to work our way into God’s favor completely misses the point of what makes the gospel such good news. But—and this is important—God’s grace is not a free ticket to live however we want. As we will learn in the days to come, Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Covenant did not lower God’s standard for our lives—it raised it. But, that’s a lesson for another day.

What did Jesus say?

Jesus did not come to throw out the Law of God or lower the standard of how we’re meant to live. Instead, He came to accomplish what God had promised, complete the Old Covenant God had established, and carry out the task of obeying everything God had commanded.

What did Jesus do?

Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus rescued us from sin, repaired our relationship with God, and restored our purpose of partnering with God in His good plans for the world.

How can I apply that to my life today?

So wait, does this mean I need to obey every command from the Old Testament?!?! The short answer is no because we are followers of Jesus living under the New Covenant that God established with all of humanity. The Old Covenant was a partnership between God and the nation of Israel. This is why context is so vital. The people Jesus was speaking to in the Sermon on the Mount were all Jewish, so Jesus didn’t add any qualifying statements like, “If you’re Jewish …” But, if we keep reading through the New Testament, specifically the Book of Acts and the letters from Paul, we see the differences in how Jewish people followed Jesus and how non-Jewish people followed Jesus.

In overly simple terms, those who were Jewish before they became Christians kept up their Jewish way of life, similar to how Jesus lived as a faithful Jew for His whole life. But, those who were not Jewish before they became Christians were specifically told not to become Jewish (to start living by the Old Testament commands).

So, what does this mean for you? If you are not Jewish, read the Old Testament commands as a beautiful source of wisdom, history, and spiritual principles that will teach you so much about God’s character and His heart for humanity. While the commands within the Old Testament may not apply directly to you, the truth found throughout is essential for understanding the full picture of what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in the world.

Let’s end this time in prayer:

Jesus, thank You so much for Your life, death, burial, and resurrection. Thank You so much that through Your actions I can now become a new person who is restored to a right relationship with You and can live out the purpose You have given me. Please help my love for You and others grow every day. I want to do my best to live out the principles behind Your laws. When I fall short, remind me of Your grace and Your mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.