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2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel #2

JESUS TAUGHT THE TRUE MEANING OF THE LAW

Matthew 5:17-48

Key Verse 5:17

1. What do you think led people to believe that Jesus came to abolish the Law and the Prophets (17a)? In contrast, how does Jesus describe his own purpose regarding the Law and the Prophets (17b–19)? What do you think it means for our righteousness to surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (20)?
2. What does the Law say about murder (21; Ex 20:13)? What does Jesus teach about it (22)? Why do you think Jesus emphasized the importance of reconciliation before offering a gift to God (23-24)? Why might it be important to settle conflicts quickly with adversaries (25-26)?
3. How does Jesus’ teaching on adultery differ from the original commandment in the Law (27-28; Ex 20:14)? What does his teaching reveal about the seriousness of inner desires and intentions (29-30)? What insights do you gain from Jesus’ teaching on divorce (31-32)?
4. What was the purpose of making vows in the Old Testament (33; Nu 30:2)? Why might Jesus have taught against taking oaths (34-36)? How does Jesus’ teaching about simply saying “Yes” or “No” challenge our understanding of truthfulness (37)?
5. What do you understand by the phrase “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” and how does Jesus reinterpret it (38-42; Lev 24:20)? How does Jesus challenge common attitudes toward enemies (43-47)? What do you think it means to be “perfect” as the heavenly Father is perfect (48)?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel April 20, 2025

We are Perfect in Jesus

Matthew 5:17~48

Key Verse:

48: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father Is perfect.

My title for today’s message is “We are perfect in Jesus.” and key verse is v. 48. Let’s read it together. Let’s pray.

1. Structure of the Sermon on the Mount

Before diving into today’s passage, it would be helpful to understand the structure of the Sermon on the Mount. We need to begin from 4:23. Because NIV puts a subtitle here “Jesus heals the sick,” it may cause misunderstanding that these verses are mainly about J’s healing ministry. But, here Matthew summarizes J’s 2-year public ministry beautifully; that is teaching, proclaiming and healing. Please be reminded that J’s healing is also a part of teaching because it shows J’s divine power to heal us not only physically but also spiritually. When large crowds followed, J went to the Mount to teach them because teaching was J’s great priority. This is the background of the Sermon on the Mount.

Verses from 5:1 through v. 16 are the introduction of the Sermon on the Mount, which shows the characteristics of our Heavenly citizenship; the Beatitudes, and Salt and Light on the earth. And from 5:17 to 7:12 is the main body of the Sermon, which can be divided into 3 parts. Firstly, in today’s passage 5:17 to the end of ch. 5, J is teaching our right relation to Scriptures. Second part is about our right relationship to God that is dealt with in ch. 6. Third part is about right relationship to others shown in 7:1 through v. 12. And J finishes this Sermon with 4 warnings from 7:13 through 29. And He came down from the mountainside (Mt 8:1).

2. Fulfillment of the Law

Let’s read v. 17. In this verse, Jesus addressed that there was a pervasive misunderstanding about His ministry; some believed Jesus came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. Here, “the Law or the Prophets” refers to the OT. For someone who may be unfamiliar with the laws in the OT, let me brief the concept.

The laws in the Scriptures can be grouped into three main categories; moral law, ceremonial law, and civil law. The moral laws reflect God’s divine character, and outline the ethical standards for human behavior. The Ten Commandments are the best example. The second one, ceremonial laws were about the religious rituals, sacrifices, and the worship service. Animal sacrifice shown in the Leviticus is the good example; the blood of animals symbolized covering of our sin. Lastly, the civil laws were specific to the governance of Israel as a nation. These laws regulated the social, economic, and judicial system of ancient Israel as a nation. Since civil laws were tailored specifically to Israel’s historical and cultural context, they are NOT binding to us any more (but the principle of justice and equity can enlighten us till now). Regarding the ceremonial laws and moral laws, we will address from now.

Coming back to the v. 17, some may be validly confused because until chapter 5 we have not seen any conflicts between J and religious leaders. To make it short, Matthew’s gospel is not arranged in the chronological order, but in the topical order. It is generally agreed that the Sermon on the Mount was delivered in the 2^nd year of J’s public ministry. Matthew situates the Sermon on the Mount early in his gospel to underscore its foundational importance of the Christianity. So, since Israelites had seen Jesus get along with sinners and lowlifes such as tax collectors, drink wines, violate their tradition, stating that the Sabbath was made for men, even say He is greater than the temple, there were mainly TWO misunderstandings about J in relation to the OT. First misunderstanding came from a hostile group such as pharisees that J disregards and despises the OT. Second misunderstanding ironically came from J’s followers including disciples that J would institute totally new laws by tearing down the old laws. However, J proclaims that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

Then, what does it mean “to fulfill the OT”? The “fulfillment”, first of all, signifies the achievement of the prophecies in the OT. From the first promise of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15 (the Protoevangelium) to the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, the entire OT foreshadows and points toward the coming of the Messiah. Scholars estimate that the Messiah's coming is directly prophesied between 200 and 450 times in the OT. When considering indirect prophecies, the total number exceeds over 1,500 references. Jesus accomplished all that was predicted about the Messiah in the Scriptures, and J is the culmination of the prophecy and the promise.

Secondly, J’s fulfillment, refers to J’s perfect obedience to, and compliance with the laws. J, as a fully human, impeccably kept and embodied the law’s requirements by his complete obedience and sinless life. By J’s crucifixion as a sinless sacrificial lamb, the ceremonial laws were completed. He sacrificed for our sins once for all when he offered himself (Heb 7:27b), and having put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law (Ga 2:16b). Through His sacrifice, we have been made holy once for all (Heb 10:10). By the grace of J, we thankfully do not need to shed animals’ blood for our sins. Let’s read Romans 3:21~24. Because J fulfilled all the requirements of the laws and died without sin on the cross, we can be saved by faith. Hallelujah!

Thirdly, the “Fulfillment” as the image it brings up, originally means "to fill it up" or "to make full." In this context, by “to fulfill,” J meant "to reveal the deep and full significance of the laws." J came to fully reveal the complete and profound meaning of what the Laws intended and purposed. At the same time, since J is the Messiah who the OT had foreshadowed, by the fulfillment, Jesus was declaring Himself as the only authoritative and definitive interpreter of the laws. To put more simply, J is the AUTHOR of the OT. Therefore, only through Him, the moral laws which reflect God’s inherent and divine nature, can disclose their authentic meaning. This fulfillment is clearly seen in v. 21-47 as we see soon.

In v. 18 & 19, J strengthens the importance of keeping the law flawlessly. Let’s read v. 20. J said that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, our righteousness must surpass that of Pharisees and the teachers of the law. This does not mean we have to keep the laws more and better than the Pharisees, but means that in the NT era, we can be justified and saved with the surpassing righteousness of J by faith. However, this does not mean that J’s righteousness provides merely easy way to follow. For the way to Heaven is narrow and small (Mt 7:14), found by not turning aside to the right or to the left (Dt 5:32), and only a few find it. Christianity should not be inclined to the right, that is legalism of the Pharisees, nor turn to the left, that is the liberalism pervasive nowadays, because Christianity is to pursue J’s heart that is embodied profoundly in His laws as follows.

3. Application of His Fulfillment

Now, from v. 21 to 47, J contrasted the requirements of the Moses’ Law with the demands of the Gospel by presenting six antitheses.; namely, “You have heard that ~. But I tell you that~.” The phrase "You have heard" shows that the key audience of this Sermon was laypeople, since when telling religious leaders, Jesus said, "Haven’t you read that?" By the phrase “But I tell you,” J is emphasizing He is the fulfillment of the OT, and showing he is the only authority of the ultimate interpretation of the OT. By these comparisons, J is calling His disciples to a higher standard of the laws, highlighting the purpose and intention of the laws.

1. Murder, Anger, & Conflicts.

Let’s read v. 21 & 22. Here, J shockingly points out that anger is same as murder. Although anger and conflicts create a brokenness among us, isn’t J’s teaching too much, frankly? How can merely being angry be taken as seriously as murder? But, this is because the source of the murder is the anger. Indeed, when Cain failed to rule over the anger, he killed his brother Abel.

Further, I believe that anger is rooted on the JUDGMENT that the other party is wrong and evil, and WE JUDGE OTHERS because we misbelieve that we can tell good and evil LIKE GOD. This misbelief comes from, of course, our Fall, the original sin. In other words, by bearing anger against our brothers and sisters, we are regarded as SPIRITUALLY rebelling against God like Adam and Eve did, coveting God’s throne and abandoning His love for us. So, J regards anger as spiritual murder. This is clearly shown in v. 22a. Because the worldly court never deals with anger issues, the judgment J is mentioning is spiritual court by Father God. Please recall that our Lord alone is the rightful and true judge over us. That is the reason I believe the anger should be treated with the utmost seriousness. So, when you happen to feel anger, please remember that you are about to trespass God’s sovereignty, a trespass stemming from the original sin. Thus, stop there immediately.

2. Oaths & Extension of Application.

In this context, let’s read v. 34 & 37. Here, J is teaching that we should not swear an oath at all, and instead simply say ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ J’s teaching certainly does not mean we should not make any oath. If so, immigrants like us cannot become a US citizen, because in the naturalization process, we must make an oath, the allegiance to the America and the Constitution. Actually, apostle Paul also made some oaths by God as shown in Galatians 1:20. J’s true intent is that we should be honest to each other, and not be fraudulent to anyone, because at that time Israelites manipulated the oath as a tool of deceiving. So, J tells us to simply say yes or no, because anything beyond this comes from the evil one. The phrase ‘anything beyond this comes from the evil one.’ draws our attention. I believe J would be pleased if we try to apply this verse broadly in our lives. So, when we encounter a person with different opinion, or face a provoking situation, let’s just think they are wrong or right, not crossing the line because going beyond that line comes from the evil one. We are on the verge of intruding the kingdom of God, who is the only authority to judge His people.

3. Adultery & Divorce.

Let’s read v. 27 & 28. J teaches that the 7^th commandment requires not just outward faithfulness, but a higher standard - inner purity, forbidding even lustful thoughts. And J tells us to remove our eye or hand, to avoid the hell. His teaching indicates the seriousness of the lust and sexual immorality. In the last week GBS, Pastor Juan Seo asked me to address these verses with special emphasis so that the younger generation would truly understand the gravity of this sin. Yet, sexual immorality and lust are not just issues for younger people. Lust is persistent and serious challenges for people of all ages.

In these days, sexuality is increasingly approached as a matter of personal freedom and individual autonomy. Then, why should we fight against lust if we can enjoy it in the personal level and do not hurt anybody? First of all, it’s because of the lust’s function in the spiritual war. When I was younger, my friend said that lust was relatively easy sin to handle. I understood what he meant. Compared with other sins such as self-righteousness, arrogance, jealousy or bitterness, lust seems somewhat shallow, and looks like controllable or easier to overcome comparatively. However, due to its easily recognizable nature, we are deceived, and often overlook that lust is a handy tool of the darkness. In the book of “Final Quest,” Rick Joyner portrayed the evil army in the spiritual warfare. The demonic army’s main units were Pride, Self-Righteousness, Selfish Ambition, Unrighteous Judgment, and Jealousy. But notably, before the main units, there were small companies of demons named Lust, along with Bitterness and Rejection. These vanguards were sent in advance, to prepare main attack. Their task was to cause division in every level of relationship, and to make an opening and a larger breach, for the main units that were coming. Rick Joyner’s spiritual vision is acceptable because we have seen how many individuals, families, churches, and even a nation separated and collapsed because of this apparently tiny sin, sexual immorality. 1^st Peter ch. 5 says the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for a someone to devour (1Pe 5:8). But be mindful that, before the devil roars, it first sends lust to seek out our vulnerability. Therefore, be alert and watchful against lust. Devil’s major forces are looking for a moment behind that.

Secondly, the legacy of lust runs deep through generations, devastating human dignity, which is the likeness of God. When Lot chose Sodom (Ge 13:10), overlooking the devastating effects of sexual immorality, we see how miserable consequences of incest he met by his two daughters (Ge 19:31). And he became the father of Moabites and Ammonites, who were forbidden from entering the assembly of the Lord (Dt 23:3). What about Samson? What about king Daivd? What was the cause of Amnon’s rape of his sister Tamar, Absalom’s murder of Amnon, and Solomon’s idolatry, which caused Israel to split into two kingdoms? All these tragedies can be traced back to David’s sin with Bathsheba.

Lust is NEVER a tiny sin. As prophet Hosea said, lust is another word of deserting God, and it takes away our discernment (Ho 4:10b, 11). This sin hurts our soul more gravely than any other sins, and leaves deeper wakes in generations which would be harder to heal. So, against lust, J is telling us to resist to the point of shedding blood as Hebrew says (Heb 12:4).

Let’s read v. 31 & 32. J is addressing the divorce as a matter of adultery. In Deuteronomy 24:1, it is commanded that when a man divorces his wife, he must give her a certificate of divorce. This certificate served to protect a woman, providing her with a legal right to re-marry. But, afterwards, they abused this certificate as means to satisfy their sexual desires. That is why J sees a divorce as a matter of adultery.

Nowadays, they divorce basically because they do not love each other anymore, or because of personality differences. I am not sure if we can attribute this trend exactly to the adultery as J’s time. But the underlying reason does not seem to be much different from that of J’s time. The real issue of divorce in these days, isn’t the difference in personalities or fading emotion of love. The key is not the difference or fading love itself, but the fact that they do not have A BINDING POWER between them to unite them as one. Marriage is the delicate journey to become one flesh not only physically but also spiritually, by sharing our philosophy, and view of life with a spouse, which are founded on J. Younger generations! If you feel united with non-Christians or have no problem in sharing your delicate life viewpoints with a non-Christian person, and you consider that person as a spouse candidate, watch out, please. Kindly check your Christianity. Your relationship with J must be at stake. Our outlook on the life and the world CANNOT be agreed with non-Christians at all because spiritually, we do not belong to this world. Please check carefully whether you may not belong to J, and come back to Him.

As you may see, my wife, Grace and I are very different in personality; extrovert and introvert, decisive and quite much thinking. However, the reason we have been able to go through life-difficulties together, despite these differences, is that we have a binding power between us to overcome differences; that is, Jesus. When I met her, J gave me one word, and I have cherished it within my heart unspoken to anybody. You may want to hear it today, but I will not. But I pray all the unmarried young generations find a suitable co-worker in Jesus and have a faithful marriage in Him.

4. Eye for Eye

Let’s read v. 38 & 39. Here, J is mentioning the old laws about personal injury. As we are well aware, “Eye for eye” does not mean to harm the other party to the same extent, but it intends to protect victims from excessive revenge, which would be another sin. (Here, slapping the right cheek denotes emotional and physical harm; losing shirts, property damage; and being forced to go one mile, loss of freedom.) J is stressing our forgiveness and forbearance. These verses should not be interpreted as a matter of actions, but rather as a matter of the Christian spirit, which requires the mentality to act in such a way.

E. Love your Enemy.

Let’s read v. 43 & 44. J tells us to love our enemy. That’s impossible. We may be able to hold back our avenge, but cannot love enemy. When I was working in Korea, I had troubles with my supervisor, and he persecuted me. I prayed that God may punish him and bring justice in the office, because I knew he was evil. But inadmissibly, while praying, I realized J would not punish him, and further, J did not dislike him. Sometime later, I found out some reasons. Firstly, my enemy is not J’s enemy. From J’s viewpoint, there was no difference between my enemy’s sinfulness and mine. And J died on the cross for him too, because J loves him just as much as he loves me. Let’s remember that while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son (Ro 5:10). Secondly, it was to protect me from falling off from Jesus. When somebody wrongs us, their wrongdoing impacts primarily in their relationship with God first. Importantly, this spiritual principle applies to us, to victims, in the same way. If we take matters into our own hands, we end up committing our own sin, separately from their sins. And this causes us to fall off from the intimacy with God. It only pleases our archenemy, Satan. So, we should kneel down before God even in some hostile situations, trusting in His righteous judgment. Deuteronomy 32:35 says, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” The King over the universe is promising to us. Hold on tight to this promise. The prayer should be our only choice when facing enmity. J tells us to love our enemy because He loves us and does not want to lose us.

4. Be perfect as our Heavenly Father.

Let’s read v. 48. Some say v. 48 is the conclusion of the last section; from v. 43 to 47, while others think v. 48 is the conclusion of the all 6 antitheses of ch. 5. I prefer the latter opinion because I believe J is telling us to be perfect not only in love for enemies, but also in all the aspects of Scriptures. Either way, how can we be perfect as God? J came to earth because He knew we cannot be perfect. So, J’s commission seems self-contradictive.

But we accept J’s commission with the help of Mt 7:24 and Ro 13:10. Let’s read these two verses together. When I help a homeless person in his legal litigations, he said “Getting back the money from debtors, does not matter. I really appreciate your favor.” At this remark, I realized the meaning of giving a cup of cold water to one of little ones (Mt 10:42).

In the Beatitudes, unlike other 6 verses, v. 3 & 10 are written in the present tense, and these two verses are embracing other 6 verses. This suggests that we are already a citizen of Heaven on this earth, and we are called to carry out His kingdom and governance here and now. By J’s fulfillment on the cross, J laid foundation for salvation. But what kind of building will be built on that foundation is completely up to us, according to whether we put His words into practice or not. We can build a building on that foundation with gold, silver, or straw. In some cases, we may just sleep on it, and will be ashamed and fall in disgrace.

It is easy to hear J’s words and receive His grace. But living out the words in the earthly life - struggling against sins and striving to pursue J’s heart - is another level of difficulty. What we hear v. 48, is not J’s command, but His recourse; His heartfelt appeal to our heart in love. We cannot be perfect as our Father, but we can practice His words now. Let’s pray.