the ulfillment of the Law Matthew 5:20 | 1513
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, m for they will see God. n
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of
God. o 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, p for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“ Blessed are you when peo ple in sult you, q per se cute you and false ly say all kinds of evil against you be cause of me. 12 Re joice and be glad, r be cause great is your re ward in heav en, for in the same way they per se cut ed the proph ets who were be fore you. s
Salt and Light
13“ You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt los es its salt i ness, how can it be made salty again? It is no lon ger good for any thing, ex cept to be thrown out and tram pled un der foot. t
14“ You are the light of the world. u A town built on a hill can not be hid den. 15 Nei ther do peo ple light a lamp and put it un der a bowl. In stead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to ev ery one in the house. v 16 In the same way, let your
5:8 m Ps 24:3, 4 n Heb 12:14; Rev 22:4
5:9 o ver 44, 45; Ro 8:14
5:10 p 1Pe 3:14 5:11 q 1Pe 4:14
5:12 r Ac 5:41; 1Pe 4:13, 16 s Mt 23:31, 37;
Ac 7:52; 1Th 2:15
5:13 t Mk 9:50; Lk 14:34, 35
5:14 u Jn 8:12
5:15 v Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16
5:16 w Mt 9:8 5:17 x Ro 3:31 5:18 y Lk 16:17 5:19 z Jas 2:10
Mt 5:16 ❖ How can we truly let our light shine, and by our actions point others to God?
light shine be fore oth ers, that they may see your good deeds and glo ri fy w your Fa ther in heav en.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17“ Do not think that I have come to abol ish the Law or the Proph ets; I have not come to abol ish them but to ful fill them. x 18 For tru ly I tell you, un til heav en and earth dis ap pear, not the small est letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means dis ap pear from the Law un til ev ery thing is ac com plished. y 19 Therefore any one who sets aside one of the least of these com mands z and teach es oth ers ac cord ing ly will be called least in the king dom of heav en, but who ev er prac tic es and teach es these com mands will be called great in the king dom of heav en. 20 For I tell you that un less your righ teous ness sur pass es that of the Phari sees and the teach ers of the law, you will cer tain ly not en ter the king dom of heav en.
5:8 Jesus declares here that a pure heart is what produces external purity, not vice versa. Those who have set their heart on God will see God in the life and ministry of Jesus. 5:9 The theme of peace permeates the biblical record. Biblical peace is more than the absence of strife and conflict. It is a condition of human flourishing that indicates completeness and wholeness in every area of life, including one’ s relationship with God, neighbors, and nations. The true peacemakers are those who wait and work for God. 5:10 Persecution especially points to the way that the religious leaders hounded the people and excluded from their association any who did not embrace their particular brand of righteousness. Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to these oppressed people, not the religious leaders. 5:11 – 12 Jesus prepares his disciples for the time when persecution will indeed come to them. The kingdom is theirs, and in it they will truly rejoice. 5:13 The metaphor of salt and light indicates that the disciples of Jesus are themselves necessary for the welfare of the world. Imposter disciples, who simply attempt to put on the flavoring of the kingdom life, will be revealed. 5:14 – 16 Bearing the light of the gospel in both message and life will help others see that the kingdom of heaven is truly in the world, and they will glorify their heavenly Father.
5:3 – 16 The Beatitudes are expressions of Spirit- produced kingdom life, revealing to the entire world that a transformation of creation is beginning in Jesus’ disciples. That is why we are blessed if we are his disciples.
5:17 Fulfilling the law and the prophets is more than obedience( i. e., keeping the law). Jesus has come to help his disciples come to a deeper understanding of God’ s vision for kingdom living. 5:18: Jesus confirms the full authority of the Old Testament as Scripture. His view of the divine authority of Scripture extends to the actual words, even letters and parts of letters. It entails what modern theologians refer to as verbal, plenary inspiration. Scripture does not simply contain the word of God; the words of Scripture are the very word of God. 5:19“ Least” and“ great” are ways to acknowledge those who have been faithful to the revealed will of God as it is taught by Jesus. 5:20 The arrival of the kingdom of heaven produces spiritual transformation in the disciple’ s heart, which will ultimately produce transformation in the disciple’ s external ethical life.
5:17 – 20 As the disciple continues to respond obediently to the word of God taught and preached by Jesus and energized by the Spirit, the newly transformed heart directs the transformation of the person from the inside to the outside. The indwelling Spirit directs the renewing of the mind, the disciplining of the
UNCORRECTED PROOF