Holy Boldness

religious conformity to tradition apart from an internal alignment of the heart. Therein, He exposed the sect of the Pharisees, religious leaders of Judah, who were obsessed with appearances but had no true commitment to the righteousness which was in the law. The pharisaical misunder standing of the law was rooted in the absence of the fear of the Lord . That is why Jesus warned the people that one’s expression of righteousness must move beyond the scribes and the Pharisees. Because the Pharisees sought the favor of man , not the favor of God, they were not concerned with getting things right in the eyes of God but only in winning influence and control over men. After His opening statement about the law and prophets, Jesus gave a series of examples of moral precepts that were widely accepted as recognized articulations of the faith. Six times Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…” (Matthew 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43) and then contrasted popular understanding of familiar OT scriptures with His own conviction about matters of the law. In so doing, Jesus was asserting himself as a new authority of truth. It is astounding the kind of truth claims Jesus made. Jesus was bucking centuries of tradition. Had He not carried himself with an extraordinary demeanor of authority, He would have gotten Himself killed very quickly. In the remaining verses of chapter 5, Jesus not only challenged popular understandings of the law but seemed to apply the law beyond its original intent. In summary, Jesus’ comments on the law were as follows… 1. The law said, “No murder”. I say, “No anger.” 2. The law said, “No adultery.” I say, “No lustful thought.” 3. The law said, “Divorce on certain conditions.” I say, “No Divorce unless there has been adultery”. 4. The law said, “No false swearing.” I say, “No swearing at all.” 5. The Law said, “Eye for an eye.” I say, “No retaliation at all.” 6. The Law said, “Love your neighbor.” I say, “Love your enemy .” 16 Jesus announced a new order and a new understanding of the Law of Moses. He was bringing the law to fulfillment which meant that

16 Adapted from A.M. Hunter, A Pattern for Life: An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount pp. 44, 45

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