You are found guilty! You will pay all you owe to the last penny! The gavel comes down hard- the verdict is in- you and I are guilty as charged! “For the wages of sin is death….” Romans 3:23. You and I are sinners; you and I are guilty as charged- Satan stands ready to accuse each of us. Job 1 reads, “One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.”
In Matthew Jesus is speaking to a large crowd and teaching them the truth of the Kingdom of God and at the end of chapter 5 we read about the justice of God and His mercy. Trying to balance these principals can be difficult when you don’t truly understand the love and character of God and His Son Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 5:17-20, (Living Bible) “Don’t misunderstand why I have come—it isn’t to cancel the laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them and to make them all come true. 18 With all the earnestness I have I say: Every law in the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved. 19 And so if anyone breaks the least commandment and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” 20 “But I warn you—unless your goodness is greater than that of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, you can’t get into the Kingdom of Heaven at all!”
Jesus wants us- you and me and all people to understand that He didn’t come to throw the law away- to cancel the 10 commandments or even all the warnings of the prophets- but to be the fulfillment of them. What does that mean- Jesus came to not erase the law and its punishment, but to redeem the sinners. To pay the price of our sin- through His death.
God’s justice and mercy can seem incompatible. After all, justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for wrongdoing, and mercy is all about pardon and compassion for an offender. However, these two attributes of God do in fact form a unity within His character.
Jesus wants us to see that being His follower isn’t going to be ‘easier’ He is requiring an entire heart change! To be changed from the inside out. To go the extra mile, to recognize that lust leads us down the wrong road long before adultery takes place. He corrects our foolish notion that we can treat people right while we hate them. He dispenses the idea that it is ok to hate some, to hold grudges, to obey the letter of the law without obeying the heart of the law. That’s why the Pharisees and people of Israel failed so much- that’s why we fail so much when we try to follow the list, the rules, without truly having a heart change that allows for mercy and grace!
Without God’s mercy and grace- we would be hopeless. There would be no hope of living a ‘good life’ despite all our rules and work to follow them. The Bible showcases the fact that God is merciful, but it also reveals that He is just and will one day dispense justice on the sin of the world.
Forgiveness is the bridge between justice and mercy, allowing for the restoration of relationships and the healing of wounds. Justice, then, isn't solely about punishment, but also about restoration and reconciliation. It's through the connection between justice and redemption that God's ultimate plan for justice and mercy is revealed in the Bible.
Near the end of chapter 5 it reads, “The law of Moses; that was the law of the people of Israel. This was the law that the Lord had commanded them to obey when they came out of Egypt and became their own nation. They were to be a nation of one God and His law. Jesus knew his audience and wanted them to recognize and identify the law and the consequences of disobedience.
Verse 38 says, the law of Moses says; an eye for an eye and hit back. But the new way was a total contradiction- if you are ordered to carry a burden for a mile- carry it two. If you are slapped on the right cheek- give them your left, if someone needs your shirt- give them your coat! Jesus says- we are changing the way we look at the ‘law.’ The law is still good- but now we have the law of the love of God. We have the joy of suffering with and for Christ. We are in pursuit of a better way- laying our rights down to further the cause of Christ. We are to choose love, not hatred. We are to choose mercy, not punishment.
I am a sinner saved by grace. I sinned, I made bad choices, I hurt the cause of Christ- but instead of hanging me out to dry- Christ redeemed me- he paid the price for my sin and ransomed me. I am saved by His blood. I am saved by His sacrifice on the cross.
I was His enemy- yet He loved me. He took my place, and He was good to me even when I was evil! As Jesus lived that out for my life- I am also to live that out daily in my own life- to love my enemy, to be friendly to those that are different from me- As a daughter of the King, as a daughter of Christ- with His spirit living in me- I too am to give mercy- to be long suffering, to forgive and to love even my enemy! I am to be perfect- holy- as my Father in heaven is. AND I can- because He lives in me!!! You and I can be perfect in the sight of God because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Even though you don’t deserve it- even though you deserve to die in your sins- God made a way through His Son Jesus Christ- to become pure and holy through the blood shed on the cross of us!
Have you taken that step- are you still holding on to the law to save you? LET IT GO!!! The law cannot save you- the law is there to show you that you are a sinner.
Go to Jesus, Receive His forgiveness and begin a new life.
