The Sermon on the Mount (continued)
Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.a. the Law or the Prophets - Jesus is saying that He has not come to do away with the Scriptures (the Words of God) but to fulfill all that was spoken in them. The Scriptures that He spoke about are what is called the Old Testament portion of the Bible. This was the total of revealed Scripture (God’s Word) until He, Jesus (The Word of God) came alive in the flesh. The Jews divide this Scripture (Old Testament) into three parts and it is called the Tanakh, which is an acronym formed from the first letters of the three parts: 1. Torah (“Teaching” or “the Law”), the Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). 2. N’vi’im (“Prophets”), the Historical Books (Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings), the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), the Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). 3. K’tuvim (“Writings”), the Five Scrolls (Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), the Other Writings (1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Daniel).
b. Torah law (G-d’s teaching and instruction) - is more than a divinely ordained behavior pattern for life on earth: it also describes G-d’s own “behavior pattern,” the manner in which He chooses to relate to His creation. When we order our lives after Torah’s directives, we are not only fulfilling G-d’s will—we are also emulating His “behavior,” translating the divine relationship with creation into human/physical terms. In the words of the Midrash, “G-d’s manner is not like the manner of flesh and blood. The manner of flesh and blood is that he instructs others to do, but does not do himself; G-d, however, what He Himself does, that is what He tells his people to do and observe.” (ex. 1 John 1:3-6, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”)
c. Fulfill - To be obeyed as it should be (ex. Matthew 3:13-15, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented.’”).
d. Abolish - (I did not) loosen thoroughly, (I did not) break up, (I did not) overthrow, (I did not) destroy (both literally and metaphorically), (I did not) unyoke, unharness a carriage horse or pack animal. Nor did I metaphorically overthrow, render vain, deprive of success, bring to naught God’s institutions, forms of government, laws. (Synonyms: deprive of force, annul, abrogate, discard).
e. Annul (abrogate, relaxes) - declare invalid (an official agreement, decision, or result), to "loosen" (literally or figuratively). (Synonyms: subvert (undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution) – i. e. declare (a marriage) to have had no legal existence). (Abrogate) - repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement) or evade (a responsibility or duty). (Synonyms: repudiate, revoke, repeal, rescind, overturn, overrule, override, do away with, annul, break off, invalidate, nullify, void, negate, dissolve, veto, declare null and void, discontinue).
f. Keeps (does, to do) - to make or do (I make, manufacture, construct; I do, act, cause.). (To Do) to follow some method in expressing by deeds the feelings and thoughts of the mind; universally, describing the mode of action: to act rightly, to do the law, meet its demands, (to do) the things which the law commands. (Synonyms: abide, agree, appoint, be, bear, cause, commit without any delay, exercise, fulfil, gain, hold, keep, observe, perform, provide, purpose, secure, tarry, work, yield).
g. Parallel Biblical Law definitions - ex. Matthew 28:20, “teaching them to observe all the I have commanded you,” observe: I keep, guard, observe, keep watch over, continue keeping guard over, preserve, and I have commanded: to order, command to be done, enjoin (to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition (gentle or friendly reproof, counsel or warning against fault or oversight)); ex. Deuteronomy 30:11-20, “If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you,” statutes: Divine law was first given to us encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, which were etched by the hand of God in two tablets of stone . . . When something is written, the substance of the letters that express it – the ink – remains a separate entity from the substance upon which they have been set – the parchment. On the other hand, letters engraved in stone are forged in it: the words are stone and the stone is words . . . By the same token, there is an aspect of Torah that is “inked” on our soul; we understand it, our emotions are roused by it; it becomes our “lifestyle” or even our “personality”; but it remains something additional to ourselves. But there is a dimension of Torah that is statutes, engrave in our being. There is a dimension of Torah which expresses a bond with G-d that is the very essence of a believers soul (ex. Exodus 31:18, Exodus 32:16, Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3-9).
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