December 14, 2008 (Matthew 5:43-6:4)

I’ve been making a big deal out of the fact that Matthew has a high view of the Mosaic Law. Consequently, I feel I should address a potential misunderstanding in today’s reading.

In 5:43-44a, Jesus says: You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say, love your enemies!” What the heck does this mean? Doesn’t this sound like Jesus is saying, “Moses taught one thing…but I’m here to teach something else”? Perhaps not. Here are a couple of points to consider.

First, notice how Jesus prefaced the Sermon on the Mount in 5:17-19,
Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Whatever He meant in 5:44, it’s hard for me to believe that Jesus is doing exactly what He said He wasn’t going to do!

Second, Jesus didn’t say, “The Law of Moses says ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” but rather “You have heard that the Law of Moses says…” When we actually turn to Leviticus 19:18, however, we find that all Moses said was, “Love your neighbor.” It was later people (i.e., the Pharisees and “teachers of religious law”) who had added what they felt was “surely implied” by the command (i.e., “hate your enemy.”) I maintain that this wasn’t really a case of Jesus vs. Moses. It was Jesus vs. the Pharisees. He was saying, “You have been taught that the Law of Moses meant one thing; but I’m here to tell you that the ‘experts’ are wrong. Here’s what Moses’ Law is really all about…”

So what are 21st century Christians to take away from this? At least two things occur to me. First, we need to be cautious about over-playing the “Jesus-came-to-obliterate-the-Law-of-Moses-and-replace-it-with-something-completely-and-totally-different” card. That is NOT what Christ said (look at 5:17-19 again). Second, we should take warning from the Pharisees’ error, and be VERY cautious about binding on others whatever we think is implied by some particular passage. I don’t doubt that many Pharisees did so with pure intentions; But their pure intentions did not stop them from being wrong. Nor did it stop them from causing a lot of other people to sin, or be given over to heartache and despair. We should all think for ourselves when studying God’s Word…and we should let Him speak for Himself. If He left something unsaid…sometimes we just need to listen to the silence.

-- Justin

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