Rev. Dustin Beck, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Warda, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 5:38-48.
Jesus continues to sharpen the focus concerning the Law. The sort of love to which He calls His disciples is not found anywhere else in the world. The default position for people is to take revenge when they have been wronged; the principle, “an eye for an eye,” limited such revenge from getting out of control. Jesus calls His disciples away from such retaliation. Rather than returning evil for evil, Jesus teaches us His disciples to return love for evil. This does not overturn the call Christians have in their vocation to love and protect their neighbors. Rather, Jesus calls us toward that same love that He showed to those who did evil to Him, willingly going to the cross for the very people who put Him there. This call reaches its climax as Jesus startles those who hold to worldly wisdom as He says: “Love your enemies.” This is the love that God has for us sinners in Christ, and it is the love that shows itself forth from those who are in Christ. As Jesus’ disciples exercise this love, they show themselves to be children of their heavenly Father who has loved them first. In Christ’s call to be perfect in the same way God is, the Law drives us back toward the righteousness of Christ that has been bestowed upon us freely by grace, so that the Holy Spirit begins to bring forth His fruit in our lives.
“All Righteousness Fulfilled” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that digs into the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike as the fulfillment of God’s saving words and acts throughout the Old Testament. As the Christ in the line of David and Abraham, Jesus is the promised King who comes to bring sinners from every nation to live under His gracious reign.
