On the cross the Lord has borne the curse of the law for us. Since we have received life by accepting the Lord’s work on the cross, we should also walk according to the Lord’s commands on the mount in our living on earth. Some people say that what the Lord spoke on the mount was all law and no grace. Therefore, they conclude that the teaching on the mount was for the Jews only. There is evidence which proves the error of this school of thought. (1) We cannot reasonably push all the hard requirements onto the Jews and leave the easy ones for ourselves. Can God, who gave less power and grace to the Jews, require more from them? Can the same God, who has given more power and grace to us, require less from us? (2) Matthew 5:1-2 clearly say that the Lord was speaking to the disciples. If anyone says that the disciples refer to the Jews, there is at least one verse in the Bible that says that they are Christians (Acts 11:26). However, there is no verse in the Bible that says, “the disciples are the Jews”; nor is there the term “Jewish disciples.” Once we become disciples, there is no longer a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. (3) Matthew 28:19 and 20 say, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” When we preach the gospel, we also need to teach people to keep the Lord’s teachings, which include the Lord’s teaching on the mount. It is true that the teaching on the mount is difficult, but we cannot push all the difficult matters onto the Jews. John 14:26 says, “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and remind you of all the things which I have said to you.” We need to pay attention to the last phrase. The things that the Lord said include not only believing in the Lord Jesus and receiving eternal life, but also the Lord’s commandments. The work of the Holy Spirit is to cause man to obey what the Lord has commanded. The disciples were not only commissioned to preach the gospel; they were also commissioned to teach people to obey the Lord’s teachings.

Matthew 5:18 says, “For truly I say to you, Until heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one serif shall by no means pass away from the law until all come to pass.” “One iota” refers to the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and “one serif” refers to the diacritical marks in the Hebrew alphabet. One iota and one serif refer to the smallest parts of the language. To fulfill all the iotas and serifs is to fulfill all things. Heaven and earth will pass away only when each iota and each serif of the law is fulfilled.

Verse 17 speaks about the law and the prophets, while verse 18 speaks only about the law. Why is this so? It is because the law only goes as far as the end of the millennial kingdom, while the prophets cover eternity (Isaiah once spoke about the new heaven and new earth). If we say that heaven and earth will pass away only when all that the prophets have spoken is fulfilled, are we not reversing the order of the record in Revelation? Our Lord’s word is very precise; He did not say too much or too little. The Lord said that heaven and earth could pass away only when each iota and each serif of the law was fulfilled. Therefore, we can see how honorable the law is.

The word “therefore” in verse 19 is a continuation of what has been said in the preceding text. What do the “commandments” in verse 19 refer to? They refer to the law in the preceding text, not the teaching on the mount, since the word “these” in “these commandments” clearly refers to the law in the preceding text.

There are two kinds of laws: one is the ceremonial law, and the other is the moral law. For example, the way to offer the sacrifices is a ceremonial law, while the way to treat people and things is a moral law. The moral laws are much more important than the ceremonial laws. When the Lord was on the earth, He had His ways of dealing with both kinds of law.

Matthew 22:37 through 40 says, “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 9:13 says, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” The Lord shows us that the moral laws are more important than any other laws. Matthew 23:23 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you give a tenth of the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law-justice and mercy and faithfulness. But these you should have done and not neglected the others.” Here the Lord shows us that the laws differ in importance. Some people were very thorough in observing the rituals, yet the Lord still reproached them. Paying tithes of mint, anise, and cummin, not weaving wool and linen together, not using goat’s milk to boil the kid, and so forth are all lesser commandments.

Matthew 5:19 says, “Therefore whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever practices and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.” This shows us the great responsibilities that are upon those who minister God’s Word. Whosoever breaks the least item among these commandments in his conduct and teaches others to break them (rather than to keep them), shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens. Many wrong teachings are often produced by wrong conduct. For example, some people may regard baptism as being unimportant. Then they may say, “Why be bothered with baptism”? They are determined not to be baptized. Later, when others ask them about the matter of baptism, they make up a set of doctrines about not being baptized. Because they have such a wrong conduct, they come up with such a wrong teaching. The Lord said that these people will be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens.
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