Dismissing the Authority of the Law

The Law has great power and authority. Jesus stressed that He did not come to abolish or destroy (kataluo, from luo, meaning to loosen) when He introduced the kingdom of God. His intention was not to undo or dissolve the Law or its authority. He came to fulfill; indeed, He was the fulfillment. In fact, Jesus’ reference is to the whole of the Old Testament. Fulfilling means to cause God’s will (revealed in the Law) to be correctly obeyed and God’s promises (revealed in the Prophets) to be fully realized.

Some might think that the beatitudes were designed to replace the Law. Thus, Jesus began this section with the warning, “think not,” meaning that none should approach this subject with any judicial prejudice, such as that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20). The will and promises of God stand unaffected until everything in them is fully accomplished. When that is done, the kingdom of God will be completely implemented as revealed in Revelation 11. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, it will be announced: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders before the throne of God fell on their faces and worshiped, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name” (Revelation 11:17, 18).

The reign of God requires all His subjects to joyfully submit to His authority with absolute loving and willing obedience to all He wills. When the Bible speaks of fearing the Lord or His name, it refers to a state of mind that fully recognizes the Lord’s majesty and authority over every detail of His creatures’ lives. which requires careful and diligent obedience to His will as expressed in the Law. As King Solomon stated: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

“Therefore, whoever relaxes (luo, the same word used in verse 17, but without the preposition, kata, which makes loosing emphatic in that location) one of the least of these commandments and teaches other to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 19). If Jesus did not come to relax one of God’s standards, who thinks anyone else can relax the least commandment with impunity? What an affront to God! Yet, how many of God’s people seek to justify themselves while breaking His commandments. The Sadducees destroyed the Prophets and the Pharisees destroyed the Law. Professed followers of Jesus are prone to condemn these enemies of Christ on the one hand yet mimic them in justifying their own relaxing of His Law. They all put their own will over His will.