(Text and Audio)
Title: Every Jot and Tittle
Last week we were in Romans 2, essentially preparing ourselves for what we are studying today as we move back into our discourse through Matthew. Remember that as we looked at last week’s message from Paul concerning the Law, we came away with a few things to remember:
- The Law exists to reveal sin
- God wants us to know what is righteous and acceptable, that’s why the Law was given.
- The standard by which we are measured is not how well we keep the Law, but if we claim Jesus as our savior.
Taking those thoughts forward to today’s message, we will be able to see a great deal more about the power of Jesus’ words as he begins to talk to the masses concerning what his mission is, and what it is not.
Today, we are going to school with Jesus. The AU students will feel right at home, the rest of us…we may have to dust off our books and take ourselves back a few years.
(read/pray)
- Jesus’ Syllabus
Let’s begin today by looking at the very specific terms by which Jesus defines what his mission is here on earth, and, as importantly, what his mission is not. When Jesus says “Law and Prophets” that was a first century way for Jews to mean the entire Old Testament. It would have been a very familiar phrase to Jesus’ Jewish audience and they would have easily known what he was talking about.
So Jesus’ first claim is that he did not come to destroy the Law or Prophets, but rather to fulfill them. What, specifically, is Jesus claiming here? Simply put, Jesus is saying that his mission does not alter, replace, or nullify the Law’s commands in any way. Instead, Jesus will reveal the Law’s true intentions and purposes in this: the Law, and the Prophets, both point to the Messiah.
In other words, the Law’s purpose is two fold:
- It shows the people the reality of their own sin.
- Therefore, it shows them the need for a savior. (It can’t be done on your own!)
- What makes a passing grade?
At this point, I’m of the belief that Jesus’ audience is still very much with him, following his teaching and saying, “Okay, I get it, the Law has shown me my sin, and therefore, yeah, I admit, I need help, I need a savior.”
But then Jesus leaves them breathless when he shows what the margin for error is, or is not.
(read 18/19)
We talk academically about getting a passing grade. AU students, does AU still offer pass/fail designations on classes?
(story of my accounting class senior year, ditching the final)
The very next thing that Jesus speaks to in verse 18 speaks to the extent of the Law that must be fulfilled. Is God’s plan of righteousness on a pass/fail scale?
In a way, yes, it actually is. But here’s the catch: If you get a perfect grade, you pass. If you miss even on jot or tittle, you fail.
Wow. Ouch.
(Explain what a jot an title is…)
So a passing grade is perfection, and grants heaven. Anything else is a failing grade, and grants Hell.
That’s a rough professor, amen! And what do you think this did to Jesus’ audience? They went from following him, to now realizing just how steep the cost is, and Jesus isn’t even done yet, we still have one more verse to go!
- How many questions are on the test?
(read v. 20)
So, if I tell you that my class is pass fail, and then I say passing is perfection, and failing is anything less, but then I tell you there is only one test, and only one question on the test, and it’s a true or false question, you’re probably thinking, “Okay, I’ve got a 50/50 shot, maybe I’ll go for it.”
But let’s change that test. Let’s say there is a test every hour, of every day, seven days a week, for the rest of your life. The number of tests and questions you will face in your lifetime numbers literally in the trillions. And as soon as you miss even one question, you are doomed to fail this test. How many of you are rushing to sign up for this class?
Well, it doesn’t’ matter if you sign up for this class. You are already presently enrolled. You don’t have a choice. Atheists, Agnostics, people from other religions try to get out of class by saying, “I’m not taking that Christianity class.”
It just doesn’t work that way. We are all in that class. So we better have a plan. Or, better yet, we better know someone who has a plan.
What’s the scariest word in verse 20?
Exceeds.
This people were commoners. Many of them were illiterate, poor, uneducated, and Jesus is standing there telling them that their righteousness needed to exceed that of the scribes (Jewish lawyers of the Law) and the Pharisees (Super Jews who’s lives were dedicated to practicing and teaching the Law).
I will say this many times in the coming weeks: Jesus is one amazing teacher. Put yourself in the shoes of the first century Jew. You are on the mount, listening to this Rabbi, and he’s just told you that unless you are more righteous than the most righteous men you have ever seen you are doomed.
You think Jesus had his audience on the edge of their seat? You think they were leaning in to make sure they didn’t miss a single word of what Jesus was going to say next? You think they were taking any of this lightly?
No. They were dialed in.
And what comes next? Jesus begins his discourse of properly explaining the Law. In the coming weeks we will be looking at several sections of scripture where Jesus says, “You have heard it said that….but I tell you…”
Chapters 5-8 are all one big sermon by Jesus, and this is him wrapping up his introduction. He has his audience right there, clinging desperately to every single word. What he is saying is not just interesting to them, it’s a matter of life and death. He’s painted a picture where there seems to be no hope for the inevitable death that awaits them, but he’s still talking, he’s still teaching, so there must be some conclusion, there must be some way out.
And there is. And it’s right in front of them.
So it was for Jesus’ audience 2000 years ago. So it is for us right now.