Without further ado:
In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus makes three claims that drive the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. The first claim is that he came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it. The second claim is that he will properly interpret the Law, establishing a hierarchy of the least and greatest commandments. The final claim is that he will make one able to surpass the righteousness (justice) of the Pharisees and enter the kingdom of heaven.
Before showing how these claims are realized in the sermon, it is necessary to establish the hermeneutical key. This key is found in Matthew 7:7-12 and is commonly known as the Golden Rule. It states that you should treat others as you would have them treat you. This means that mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation should be aspects of our daily lives. Jesus takes this simple rule further by saying, “this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt. 7:12) This is crucial. Jesus is explaining the whole point of the Law. Loving your neighbor as yourself is the greatest commandment, and every other law culminates to this one.
To understand this better, consider the first pericope in Matthew 5:21-48. Each pericope is a group of verses arranged in a triad of three points. The first point states a traditional reading of the Law, the second explains how the targeted evil can only be contained by the Law and not resolved, and the third point is Jesus’ transforming initiative for overcoming the specific evil. So, in the case of the first pericope, found in Matthew 5:21-26, the traditional reading of the Law is, “’You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’” (Mt. 5:21) The targeted evil is murder, but it cannot be resolved because anger and hatred amongst people lead to murder and are worthy of the same punishment on their own. The third point magnificently illuminates how Jesus is re-interpreting the Law. He says that instead of bringing your brother to court, make amends with him and be reconciled to him. Show him mercy and forgiveness. The Golden Rule overrides the lesser law of taking your brother to court, thus the hierarchy of the Law is established, keeping reconciliation as the main point and goal of the Law. Every pericope is structured the same way and exemplifies Jesus’ proper interpretation of the Law.
Jesus is not preaching these things as some abstract, unobtainable virtue or perfectness. Instead, he is building and shaping a physical community that lives by his “New Law.” This community is not like the Pharisees, who carry out every minute detail of the Law without mercy, completely missing the point. They surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees by living by the Law the way it was intended, through reconciliation. The Beatitudes are proof of this, describing an eschatological picture of justice where the merciful are shown mercy, the meek inherit the earth, and the peacemakers are called sons of God. The Pharisees do not possess these attributes, but Jesus’ followers do (or are at least taught to). They are more just than the Pharisees, and “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:10)
By re-interpreting the Law and showing the people how to follow it by example, Jesus is fulfilling it. This fulfillment of the Law is embodied in the prayer Jesus prayed and taught us to pray found in Matthew 6:7-15. This prayer beckons a literal heaven on earth. It encourages us to forgive our brothers and avoid temptation. God’s name is the most exalted, and His will is what we ought to seek. This prayer is the culmination of Jesus’ “New Law” and describes a righteousness that far surpasses that of the Pharisees. Jesus fulfilled it by teaching it and living by it. It is now up to us to follow in his footsteps.
