On 11-6-11, Matthew 5:17-26 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary.  This lesson is known by some as Forgiving as God’s People aka First be Reconciled.  You will find the 10-30-11 lesson directly beneath this message and/or on the right side.

Jed

Forgiving as God’s People

Or

 First be Reconciled

Matthew 5:17-26

International Sunday School Lesson

November 6, 2011

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

The first verses of today’s scripture, 17-20, are known to us as The Fulfillment of the Law.  I believe that what Jesus was saying in these 4 verses can be understood in this fashion:

1.      Straight up, He told them He was the fulfillment of everything that was written in the scriptures.  Meaning He fulfilled not only their prophecies but their spirit and intent which ultimately is visible in the law.

2.     And this spirit and intent found in God’s word would not go away but would remain.

3.     And the commandments to which He refers are not the legalistic edicts as taught through the Pharisees and teachers of the law but a manner of living a righteous life that He was about to demonstrate through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

4.     Jesus in verse 20 through a bit of hyperbole shows that this righteous way, His way, is the route to take as opposed to the pharisaical route that is not a successful path to the kingdom of heaven.

What followed was such a departure from what the teachers of the law taught in their legalistic manner that Matthew 7:28-29 tell us that the crowds who were listening to this “sermon” were amazed.

In addition to the authority Jesus projected, I believe the people perceived uniqueness in Jesus’ teaching in that they believed He introduced a new way of thinking by the things He taught.  For example, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” or “But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”   Other examples found in today’s scripture are verses 23-24 and 25-26.

What they saw as unique was in fact Jesus teaching in the consistent voice that is the Word as it reveals throughout its breadth -- God.  He is a God of Peace meaning order and Jesus demonstrates this.

Two other places in the book of Matthew leap to my mind to demonstrate this as I considered the illustrations we read for today:

Matthew 7:12

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:36-40

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If we followed the simple orderliness that is God’s way we wouldn’t need any other laws to live our lives in peace both for each other and for Him.  But God knew that we would not live this way and why the holy laws were given in the first place to clearly point out to us man’s transgressions.  In addition to man becoming aware of sin in this manner, God’s patient and beautiful plan also comes into sight.  A plan that shows God’s gift of grace as man failed to live in a righteous manner and thus points to the necessity for Christ to be the fulfillment of God’s law.

If to restate, it has been shown that man will not live in an orderly righteous manner by following the law; and because of this God has shown the necessity for Christ, how then is a holy God who requires the righteous requirements of the law satisfied?

Romans 3:21-31

Righteousness Through Faith

 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.  Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.  Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

So we see by this scripture that our reasoning is correct concerning the legalistic aspect of the law but what about that spirit and intent aspect that Jesus was talking about?  Well the same book of Romans tells us that because of that faith we just read about we are now dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  No longer slaves to sin we are slaves to righteousness and anyone that is a slave like that in time can come to live a life that demonstrates the spirit that Jesus was talking about.

For Discussion:

1.     Discuss ways that we still fall into legalistic traps.

2.     Do some believe that Jesus is teaching we should still follow all the laws?  If so discuss James 2:10.

3.     Discuss how certain scripture when misunderstood can lead to incorrect teaching

4.     Read Hebrews 10.

5.     Discuss verses 22, 24 honestly.

6.     Without discussing openly, ask people to seriously consider the relationships with which they must be reconciled.

7.     Discuss ways that people could be aided in reconciliation within your church.

8.     Discuss the situation where there are those who do not see that there is a need for reconciliation but you do.

11-13-11:  Loving as God’s People (Loving Your Enemies), Matthew 5:43-48 or 5:38-48

11-20-11:  Praying as God’s People, Matthew 6:5-15

11-27-11:  Facing Life Without Worry, Matthew 6:25-34

12-4-11:  A Blessing for All Nations, Genesis 12:1-9

12-11-11:  A Promise to Abraham, Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

12-18-11:  The Lord Provides, Genesis 22:1-2, 6-14

12-25-11:  According to the Promise, Luke 1:46-55

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved