the highest form of worship

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Psalm 84; Matthew 5:17-20


“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.”
(Matthew 5:17)

Jesus is a teacher. In this initial discipleship sermon he gets to the heart of the teacher/ disciple relationship. It’s all about God’s Word – learning it, living it. Here Jesus is using rabbinic language to both define his role and to be clear about his Bible (our “Old” Testament).

First, he’s saying “I have not come to misinterpret the Law or the Prophets, but to interpret them rightly so that you may apply them appropriately.” One rabbi would accuse another if he disagreed with his interpretation by saying “You’re abolishing the Law!” The other would defend himself saying, “No, I’m fulfilling the Law!” The point was if you misinterpret Scripture, then you essentially abolish it because you will not and cannot act according to God’s design and desire. Correspondingly, if you correctly interpret Scripture you fulfill it because you can live out God’s will expressed in the Scripture.

In saying this, Jesus is both claiming to be the Teacher / Sage / Rabbi one must follow into Life, but he’s also saying that his Bible, the Law and the Prophets, remain valid and essential for kingdom living – and that it is fulfilled in him. He says explicitly, "until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." He’s not saying that the Law and the Prophets are ended, but that he will show us what the end of them were always to be… him. (We’ll talk more about this another time, but note it and pray about it if the Old Testament has kind of a foreign or irrelevant book for you.)

The Scriptures were so very important to the Jews of Jesus' day. They would study them carefully, argue about them, and turn them again and again (like a diamond with different facets and beauty and light). They wanted to know God, and what he was like, and what he expected. Study was the highest form of worship. This is reflected in Jesus' honoring the Scriptures in this passage

So again, we’re hearing Jesus say, essentially, “Follow me, learn from me, live like me – I will teach you and show you what God has been after all along, what his will is for you and for his world. I will lead you into the truth, and model it for you. Give yourself to learning and living God’s way, God’s truth, God’s life.”

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for showing the way and being the way. I will follow you.