In Matthew 5, Jesus said that he ‘didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.’  One significant way that he accomplishes this is by writing the law of God on our hearts (the intention of God’s law all along).  God’s law has always been about love: love for God and for one another.  Jesus turns the outward acts of obedience or disobedience to God’s law inside out – metaphorically and literally.  For example, each of the 10 commandments describes the center of a bullseye.  Yet there is a scope that surrounds this bullseye that describe it more broadly and more fully.  The Bullseye describes an outward action to refrain from.  But the scope of the command is aimed at the heart.

Jesus now goes on to illustrate this in a couple of ways.  He uses the command “Do not murder’ and ‘Do not commit adultery’ to illustrate his point.  Many people can say they haven’t murdered (killed) someone and therefore would conclude they have obeyed God’s command.  Yet Jesus goes on to say that the scope and intention of this law is the heart.  He likens ‘murder’ to that of holding a grudge or hating someone.

And this broadens and deepens our understanding of the purpose of God’s law.  Over the next two weeks, we will explore together what Jesus has to say about these two commands.  How will these teachings of Jesus impact us?

Deeply I hope… In these things Jesus invites us, “Follow Me.”

See you Sunday!

Pastor Mark