Today's Reading: Matthew 5:17-26

Daily Lectionary: Judges 6:25-40; Acts 15:6-21

"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)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. But the Pharisees weren't villains who twisted fancy mustaches. They were men who thought family mattered. They stood for morality and the good of their people. They supported their church. They were the upright people you'd expect to see standing against the darkness of the day. They were the ones building something that would last another generation. But that wasn't enough. Their temple was torn down. Not one stone stood upon the other. Everything they fought for wasn't enough, not for this world, and not for the next. If doing better is the goal, they didn't do enough.

It cuts deeper than the outward actions. It's about the heart. Hate is murder. Lust is adultery. If your identity is found in the Law, you're lost. If this is about what you do or feel, it's not enough. That's why Jesus starts by saying, "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." The Law still stands, but the Law is fulfilled in Him. Your identity isn't from the Law, but is found in the Gospel. You are righteous.

This identity lets you face the fullness of the Law without fear. You don't need to downplay it or excuse it. You don't need to justify yourself by abolishing the parts that would make you look like a sinner. Your sins are forgiven. You are in Christ. When the Son of God calls you holy and forgiven, the Law can't give you an identity. You don't need to work around the Law. Jesus fulfills it for you. The more you relax the Law to flee from what it would call you, the more you try to not need Jesus.

If we could fulfill the Law perfectly, it wouldn't be that hard. To relax the Law is to point away from Jesus. To see the Law fulfilled and not relaxed one iota is to see Jesus. To teach the Law fully is to teach Jesus. To call on you to actually strive to do the same is to hope in Jesus. Be not afraid of your failure or your sin. Christ has fulfilled the Law. Christ has won your forgiveness. This is just who you are now. Righteous. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch