Teachings of Jesus Muestra

The Spirit and the Letter In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His disciples that seeking righteousness with mercy is the essence of His Kingdom. He further instructs His disciples to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to live up to Kingdom standards. The Pharisees were meticulous rule-followers. They strove to keep the Law. They kept fast days, sought to keep themselves pure, were careful to wash their dishes, and even tithed their spices. But being hyper-focused on the letter of the Law, as the Pharisees were, disregards the profound truth about the way our motivations and perspective shape our attitudes and actions toward others. It isn’t only our actions that matter, but the motive behind them. Kingdom righteousness flows from a heart of mercy toward others. It is primarily about our inner perspective (our keeping the spirit of the Law) rather than about what we do when we know we are being watched (keeping merely the letter of the Law). Jesus highlighted the importance of a heart of mercy in His teaching about how we perceive adultery, taking oaths (making promises), divorce, and our judgment of one another. It is anger with a brother that is the root violation of righteousness (social harmony). Anger is the cause; murder is the effect. The fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the Law Jesus came to embody and fulfill, was a law of love. It springs from the inner workings of the heart. If we want to embody mercy and righteousness, a good starting point is to shift our self-talk from “What do they think of me?” and “How do I look to others?” Instead, think about what you can do to encourage others, to motivate them towards a more fruitful life. That’s what Jesus did. He wasn’t trying to measure up to His disciples’ expectations. In fact, they were astonished at the authority with which He taught. But Jesus was seeking to pull them to a higher plane of living so that they could be blessed, fulfilled in life. Jesus, help us to take our eyes off ourselves and instead practice mercy toward others.