Picture PerfectNäide

Where We're Going (Context of Matthew 5)

Matthew 5 ends with a statement from Jesus that is both incredibly clear and incredibly nerve-wracking: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 ESV)

Wait… what? If perfection is the standard, then we may as well quit now, right?

If that’s how you’re feeling after reading these words, you’re in good company with Jesus’ audience that day. Those listening to the Sermon on the Mount were facing political oppression, generational sin, and widespread poverty. However, if we understand Jesus’ demand for perfection correctly, it’s actually a reason for hope: As God's standard of perfection becomes clearer to us, so does our awareness of our need for a Savior.

In the “Picture Perfect” Bible study, we’re going to take a closer look at Matthew 5:17–48 and explore five dimensions of life to better understand God’s standard, how Jesus is sufficient in each area, and what our response should be:

Dimension #1: God’s Law

Dimension #2: Unaddressed Anger

Dimension #3: Healthy Marriage

Dimension #4: Developing Trust

Dimension #5: Unfair Treatment

Prayerfully, as we study Jesus’ words together, we will see how understanding His perfection helps us live lives that, though imperfect, stand out from the world and point other broken people to Him!

Dimension 1) What Does Jesus Want Us To Know About God’s Law?

1) He Fulfilled It Without Destroying It

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17 ESV)

“The Law” refers to the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai after freeing the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 20). These commandments later expanded into a larger set of standards by which God’s people were called to live. The Old Testament (largely written by “the Prophets”) is filled with examples of people trying (and failing) to fully live up to that standard. Jesus, who is God, lived approximately 33 perfect years on earth, fulfilling every aspect of the Law. His fulfillment of the Law does not abolish it, but it does change our relationship to it.

The warnings contained in the Ten Commandments about murder, adultery, lying, stealing, and the rest are certainly still applicable to Christians. However, some of the finer points of the sacrificial law that were established after Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Sinai (such as distinctions between clean and unclean animals) no longer need to be observed because Jesus served as the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins. Rather than viewing the Ten Commandments as a checklist to fulfill in order to earn God’s approval, they now become the natural choices of everyone who understands the approval purchased for them through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection!

2) It’s Still God’s Standard

“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18-19 ESV)

Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law does not mean we’re free to live in sin once we place our faith in Him. In fact, He specifically warns against the temptation to emphasize certain parts of God’s Word while ignoring others. Still, anyone who has ever tried to walk in obedience to God knows how difficult it can be. So, what should we do?

3) Jesus Helps Us Obey It

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20 ESV)

The scribes and Pharisees (powerful religious leaders) had deep knowledge of the specifics of the Law. They were trained to understand God’s standard and were responsible for ensuring that others adhered to it. Despite this, Jesus called the average listeners at the Sermon on the Mount to demonstrate a righteousness greater than that of the Pharisees. The “greater righteousness” Jesus describes comes from recognizing that He is the fulfillment of the Law. Our first responsibility is to follow Him, understanding that righteousness literally means “right standing”—referring to our position of being “in Christ” when we place our faith in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). As we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit within us empowers us to obey our Father in heaven.

Big Idea: Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly, not to abolish it but to redefine our relationship with it through faith in Him. As we follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in obedience from a place of right standing with God.

Let’s Think About This:

Question 1) What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the Law rather than abolished it, and how does that change the way we relate to God's commands today?

Question 2) In what ways do we sometimes “relax” parts of God’s Word, and why is that dangerous according to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5?

Question 3) How does understanding our righteousness as a position “in Christ” help us walk in obedience, even when we fall short?