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