Matthew 5, Matthew 5:13-20. Matthew documents one of Jesus’ most famous sermons in all of Scripture, the sermon on the mount. Jesus has already taught those gathered regarding the character of those who have true faith and righteousness (Matthew 5:1-12). These characteristics are known as the beatitudes, meaning that they are the attitudes manifest in the lives of those who have true faith. The religious culture of Jesus’ day upheld a superficial religion simply based on a person’s outward actions without taking a person’s heart into consideration. Jesus placed a strong emphasis on the heart, which reveals the true person.
Jesus knew that if the people listening would demonstrate the attitudes of true faith, they would have a major impact on the culture around them. With this in mind, Jesus taught them that they should be “salt” and “light” to the world. Salt creates thirst. In a spiritual sense, Jesus called His followers the salt of the earth because their message and distinct lifestyle would create a thirst in others to walk in the same direction (5:13). However, if Jesus’ followers failed to demonstrate true faith through their actions and attitudes, they would become useless, something that Jesus obviously warned against. When Jesus called His followers the “light of the world,” (5:14-15) He was challenging them to allow their actions and attitudes (good works) to bring glory and fame to God (5:16).
Jesus’ message was very distinct from the message of the religious leaders. The religious leaders prided themselves in their obedience to the Old Testament law and even the man-made laws they had added, but Jesus wanted them to realize that true religion begins with the heart and then moves to the hands and feet. The religious leaders had confused this. Jesus had not come to create a competing system with the law, as the religious leaders had accused Him, but His eventual death and resurrection would provide the righteousness necessary for believers to obey God’s commands and enable them to live in the power of the Holy Spirit (5:17-20).
Dear God, help others to be drawn to You by the way I live my life.
At the end what do you mean by Gods commands. And do you think that following OT law is necessary to do in the since of obedience.
There is a definite distinction between the moral and ceremonial law. The OT moral law(such as 10 commandments) is still in play today; however, the ceremonial law is not. Attempts to obey a set of rules only exposes our inability to keep the law and pushes us toward our need for Christ. When our faith in Christ is ignited, the Holy Spirit enters in and gives us the power to obey the moral law if we will daily submit ourselves to Him.