His Absolute Authority
- (Matthew 7:21-23) - “Not every man that says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but he that is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name did many works of power? And then will I confess to them: Never have I acknowledged you! Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!”
- (Matthew 7:24-27) - “Therefore, everyone who hears my words, these ones, and does them will be likened to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the streams came, and the winds blew, and rushed against that house, and it fell not; for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these my words and does them not will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the streams came, and the winds blew and lashed against that house, and it fell, and its fall was great.”
And in his concluding remarks, the “words” that must be heeded and performed to avoid his rejection are the ones declared by him in his sermon given on the mount that very day, and all of them without exception.
Thus, anyone who desires to enter his kingdom must live a life characterized by humility, hunger for righteousness, mercy to others, pure hearts, avoidance of retaliation, peacemaking, honest communications, and a willingness to endure unjust suffering for his sake - (Matthew 5:3-12).
His disciple must be a light illuminating this darkened world. Not only is the disciple forbidden to kill he must not harbor any anger towards another man or woman, period. Instead, he must make reconciliation with the offended party his top priority - (Matthew 5:13-26).
The disciple must not lust after someone who is not his spouse, but instead, he must uphold a lifelong commitment to his own wife. Rather than swear oaths, the believer must speak plain and true words - Let your “yea be yea, and nay, nay” - (Matthew 5:27-37).
To inherit the kingdom, it is necessary to eschew retaliation and violence. His disciples are summoned to love, pray for, and do good to their “enemies.” By showing mercy to opponents, they emulate God and become “complete” just as the “Father in the heavens” - (Matthew 5:44-48).
Hard path - Tiedemann on Unsplash |
Jesus did not distinguish between “private” vengeance and collective retaliation, and he did NOT include exception clauses for retaliation carried out at the behest of the State or society. His disciples are called to something higher than the world’s way of doing things. The man who seeks loopholes in his words does not have the mind of a disciple and risks rejection along with the “lawless” before his court.
And believers must not do works of righteousness to attain the applause of others. Hypocrisy is incompatible with discipleship. The disciple must center his life on the “Kingdom of God” and “lay up treasures in heaven” rather than in the present evil age. Heirs of the kingdom “cannot serve two masters.” Allegiance to Jesus must be absolute - (Matthew 6:1-24).
His disciple must not judge or condemn others. Judgment is the prerogative of God, period. Instead, he must treat others as he wishes to be treated, and in this way, he will “fulfill the law and the prophets” - (Matthew 7:1-6).
The disciple must stay on the narrow path and avoid the popular and “broad” roads of this age. At all times, he must watch for and avoid false prophets. They can be discerned by their fruits - (Matthew 7:7-20).
Much is at stake in how we respond to these words of Jesus. Men and women that do not hear and do them will be cast into outer darkness. Therefore, it is exceedingly unwise to ignore his words, selectively choose which ones to obey or not, or create loopholes by which we avoid obeying his commandments.
The Sermon on the Mount is an “instruction manual” for how his disciples must live in this fallen age, regardless of the values, demands, and expectations of the surrounding society. Loyalty to his kingdom must take precedence over all other allegiances. Jesus conformed his life to this program in his ministry, trial, and execution, a pattern of self-sacrificial service we are summoned to emulate. And most certainly, he was no hypocrite.
This does not mean that following his teachings and example is easy. In places, his Sermon on the Mount is quite challenging, and over the centuries, many theologians, pastors, and Bible students have worked diligently to water down and domesticate those more troubling sayings. For them, the category of “lawlessness” is quite apt.
By claiming that “only he who hears these words of mine and does them will enter the Kingdom, Jesus claimed ultimate authority for his teachings, authority that exceeds even the “law” and what was written in the “prophets.” We ignore, modify, twist or disobey his words at our own very great peril.
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