You may have noticed that the Sermon on the Mount is a pivot point between the old Mosaic covenant and the new covenant. What is the essence of this change in covenant?
I think it would be fair to say that it is a change from following RULES to applying the deeper PRINCIPLES behind the rules. Ultimately it’s about having God’s LAW written on our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
And this is what Jesus came teaching. The ways of the kingdom of God, where kingdom citizens have the perfect law of righteousness in their hearts. A law which supercedes the laws of Moses because it is straight from the heart of God WITHOUT any acceptance of compromise with the fallen nature.
You may think “surely the law of Moses did not compromise with the fallen nature”, but Jesus tells us that it did.Under Mosaic law in Deuteronomy 24 it says that a man could write his wife a certificate of divorce, and yet Jesus says in Mark 10:5 that it was because of the hardness of their heart that God allowed this, but that from the beginning it was not so – that what God has joined together man should not separate.
In other words, although this was allowed under the Mosaic covenant, it did not reflect God’s perfect way.Let’s read the actual words in Matthew 5. Jesus says:
“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32)
So Christians, as citizens of Christ’s kingdom, really do follow a HIGHER law than that of Moses when it comes to marriage. A law that is aligned with God’s heart and HIS perfect way, just as things were in the beginning before the fall.
And just as Jesus in the new covenant teaches a transition from an imperfect Mosaic law concerning marriage, to a new kingdom teaching which reflects the true heart of the Father on the matter, so also he also does the same concerning war.
He starts by saying:“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (Matthew 5:43)
When the Jews were told to Love their neighbor in Leviticus 19:18, the application was limited to their “brother”. In other words to their fellow Jews. Now later in the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus greatly expands on this original concept of neighbor.
But now, in Matthew, he takes them from loving their fellow Israelites and hating their enemies to the perfect ways of God when he teaches, saying to them:“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even tax collectors and sinners do the same? (Matthew 5:44-46)
Just as with marriage, he shows us the kingdom way, the Father’s perfect way…the New Covenant way.And why does he direct us towards this new, vastly higher, indeed this perfect, law?
Because under the New Covenant we are no longer servants, but sons. Children of God’s household. Fellow heirs with Christ. So because we are no longer servants but sons we are called to take on the very nature of the father… not just to follow a set of rules as a servant does.
We are to love our enemies that we may be sons of our Father who is in heaven, just as the verse says.
Besides, unlike the Jews under the Mosaic covenant, the new covenant is nationless. Jesus knew that the citizens of his kingdom would come from ALL nations.
Now, I’ve based quite a bit so far on the Sermon on the Mount, so I really need to address the fact that some theologians in effect write-off the whole Sermon on the Mount. They do this by saying that it was for the Millennial Kingdom which was to be ushered in at that time ONLY IF Israel accepted Messiah; but that because of Israel’s national rejection of Messiah both the Millennial Kingdom AND it’s kingdom principles were put on hold.
Now, it’s true to say that the ushering in of the Millennial Kingdom could in a way be seen as being put on hold; but the principles? I don’t think so.Let’s look at what Jesus said concerning the coming of the kingdom that he was preaching:
In Luke 17 it says:
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
It’s completely clear isn’t it?Jesus knew the kingdom would not be ushered in straight away in its complete and visible form, but that the kingdom of God would start in the hearts of believers.
Thus it’s obvious that the principles were also meant to start in the lives of the kingdom people; who are the pilgrim citizens of a kingdom in mystery – a kingdom that exists only in its people for now (though will be materially established on the earth at some future point).
However, clear as this really is, in a bid to separate themselves from the high calling of kingdom citizenship, Christians throughout many ages have sought to intellectually distance their doctrines from Christ’s kingdom teachings. Only “radicals” and “non-conformists” have sought to be kingdom citizens amongst a fallen world right here and now.