The Perfect Substitute :: Matthew 5:17-26

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[Jesus said:] Do not think that I came to invalidate the Law or the Prophets. I came not to invalidate but to fulfill (v 17).

[Introduction]

When we talk about the Gospel, it is good, right, and salutary that we focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means for you. Why ... you may ask ... is it so important for me to remind you some 70 times a year that there is no other Gospel than this ... Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and he was buried, and he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and he was seen ... (1 Cor 15:3-5a)? 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the answer is quite simple. This is the centerpiece of the Gospel that the Law and the Prophets foretold and Christ fulfilled.

The fact that Jesus was pierced for your transgressions and bruised for your iniquities means you won’t be. Because Jesus shed his blood in accord with the Law, you are forgiven. Because Jesus was forsaken by our Heavenly Father in accord with the Psalms, you are remembered. Because Jesus died on a cross and was buried in accord with the Prophets, your sins died with him. Because Jesus rested on the Sabbath and then was raised on the Third Day, in accord with both the Law and the Prophets, you have eternal life. These are central fulfillments of the Law and the Prophets.

1.

God has forgiven your sins and cleansed you from all unrighteousness. Through his perfect life and death, God has reconciled himself to you. He didn’t wait for you to say confess your sins. He forgave you and continues to wipe your slate clean. He withholds his anger for your sin. And thanks be to God, blessed are you. He has done all of that for you ... because you are still unable to make atonement for yourselves and to reconcile yourself to God. In fact, we are still unable to provide even one sacrifice that will redeem us from one sin, let alone for the 10 thousand talents of debt each one of us actually owes (Mt 18:21-35). 

Our sin is absolute filth. We are idolatrous, adulterous, covetous, greedy, hateful. We don’t remember why we came to the Divine Service, let alone why God would serve us here at Trinity. We are not honorable. Everything we touch becomes filthy, and the stench of just one of our sins ... even those you think are the least ... produces a repulsive, foul odor that physically offends God. As the Psalmist says, there is no health in my bones because of my sin. ... My wounds stink and fester (Ps 38). But though y’all were dead in your sin and trespasses, Christ handed himself over on our behalf, a whole burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to God (Lev 1:9, Eph 5:2) through his active and passive righteousness that fulfills the Law and the Prophets. 

2.  

When I talk about Christ’s passive righteousness, what I mean is, his unquestioning submission to authority ... his complete surrender to the Will of God (Lk 22:42).

He became just like you and me (Hb 2:17). He became conscious of our guilt that was imputed (or laid upon) to him. He who knew no sin assumed sin on our behalf (2 Cor 5:21). The Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all (Is 53:6). Therefore, Jesus became a curse for us (Gal 3:13) and received the penalty for all sin, iniquity, and transgression for all people of all time. 

As True God and True Man, Jesus could have called more than twelve legions of angels to his side when Judas led a mob to arrest him. But he didn’t. He passively allowed his arrest (Mt 26:52-53). He could have defended himself against the false accusations he faced in front of the Sanhedrin. But he didn’t. He passively allowed us to slander him (1 Pt 1:23). He could have easily convinced Pilate to set him free. In fact, Pilate practically begged Jesus to give him a reason. But Jesus didn’t. He passively remained silent like a spotless lamb (Jn 19:10). And after he was nailed to the cross, he could have saved himself (Mk 15:30). But the creator of heaven and earth didn’t. He became obedient to death, even death of the cross (Pp 2:8). 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the wages of sin is death (Rm 6:23). Therefore the spotless, blameless Lamb of God died for you. He received the consequences of your sin without resistance. And on account of the bloody suffering and death of Jesus, your sins have been forgiven. ... Your debt has been paid. ... You have been given a clean slate. ... And on account of your trust in this Word of God, you have been declared righteous apart from the Law, by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

This is now your righteousness that is received only in faith. And it happened to you.

3.

So shall we go on sinning that grace may increase? By no means! (Rm 6:1)

There is another aspect of Christ’s passion that made this possible. ... And that is his active righteousness, which also is yours in Christ. In Matthew 5:17, during his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks some of the most liberating words in scripture. He declares: Do not think that I came to invalidate the Law or the Prophets. I came not to invalidate but to fulfill.

BY LIVING IN ACTIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS, JESUS WAS ABLE TO BE THE PERFECT SUBSTITUTE FOR YOU SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE, TOO

4.

When we look at God’s commandments, too often we see a mountain of Law that we’ve never been able to climb. Exodus 20 in particular shows us how righteous God really is and how unrighteous we really are. But Jesus has climbed that mountain in our stead. 

From his conception by the Holy Spirit and birth through the Virgin Mary until his final breath, Jesus did what no other human being has ever done: He kept the Law perfectly. True God and True Man was actively righteous. Immanuel didn’t just obey rules ... like we think we do. He embodied all that is good. He knew only one God. He didn’t set himself above others. He didn’t devote himself to the temples of victory in his living room. He didn’t misuse his name, which means YHWH saves. In fact he did save. He remembered the Sabbath day by sanctifying our graves after completing his work of redemption on the cross. When he was tempted by the devil, he resisted perfectly. He didn’t hate his brothers, even when they hated him and sought to get rid of him. As he did with the adulterous woman, he did not judge or condemn you. When he saw us hungering and hurting, he did something about it ... feeding and nourishing us with all he had (Jn 6:5-11) ... caring for every need of the body. When he saw us mourning the death of our brother, he wept for us (Jn 11:35). And when we nailed him to the cross, he pleaded for our forgiveness (Jn 18:34). 

Jesus, who fulfilled all righteousness in his baptism, lived the life of perfect, active righteousness so that he could stand under the weight of God’s judgment as our perfect substitute. He is our righteousness.

5.

And now you can enjoy the two kinds of righteousness Christ has shared with you.

As Paul said in our epistle, because you died in your baptism, your sins are now gone and your new life has sprung forth. Good works will therefore follow. The life of Christ is your life (Gal 2:20). He has made you holy and righteous in his sight. 

So let your light shine forth as Jesus urged immediately before our reading. Help and support each other in every physical need. Show respect to one another so that others may see your good works. Share with one another. Speak forgiveness instead of blame with one another. Let your kindness be louder than anger. Put the best construction on all you say and do. Christ has sanctified you for this holy living, cleansing you with the washing of water with the word so that your righteousness does indeed exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees and you can celebrate the feast that has no end (v 20; Lk 15:32; Mt 22:9-10).

[Conclusion]

If you have come here today feeling weary from trying to prove yourself ... if you have come weighed down by the guilt of your failures ... if you have come harboring resentment ... if you have come looking for peace that surpasses all human understanding, then listen closely to the words of Christ, receive his tangible means of grace, and rest in his peace forgiven and free. By fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, Christ has made all this possible for you ... in Jesus’ name.

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