By Adam Hanna, Director of Development
Unattainably Attainable: Matthew 5:17-48
How do we follow Jesus—not just sincerely, but fully? What does faithfulness look like across fragmented cultures, shifting moral tides, and the pull of self-made truth? Can the way of Christ remain uncompromised when convenience, comfort, and cultural compatibility are often mistaken for spiritual maturity?
You may have heard these questions before. Or maybe, they’re just now forming. Either way, they matter. Whether you’re a brand-new believer or a long-walking saint, rich or scraping by, from the city or the margins—the ache is the same: how do we walk the narrow way, when the world insists on widening it?
These aren’t questions of doubt, they’re questions of desire. And perhaps the clarity we’re looking for begins not in louder answers, but in listening again—to the deeper invitation echoing from the pages of Jesus’ own words. Jesus certainly taught a weighty, lengthy sermon on a Galilean mountain in Matthew 5. It contains the most concentrated portion of His words in all of Scripture. In this sermon we have eternity inviting us into a Kingdom not of this world.
Can you imagine being there? Jew or Gentile, you’ve come to hear this Jewish rabbi (teacher) who heals the sick but isn’t exactly like a Pharisee or Sadducee. His approach, manner, and way of teaching are different. He begins saying things in this sermon that are beautiful and captivating (verses 1-14). But then, He turns His message into something harder to hear. Suddenly, this man who drew you in with kind deeds and words says things that start to accost the priests. You start looking around at them to see their reactions; maybe even to base how you feel off of it. Even so, you want to hear where Jesus is going with this.
Matthew 5:17-48 presents teachings that both confront the religious norms of His day and, at first glance, seem to contradict the Old Testament (OT). Jesus begins this section by pointing out that He did not come to abolish the OT Law, but to fulfill it. This would have been shocking to hear. The audacity of this man to say He came to do this would have put the leaders and the people on edge, upsetting some, intriguing others. He continues with His most shocking statement, declaring, “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.”
His hearers of the sermon would have been crushed, or at least even more alarmed. He’s got their attention because, to them, the scribes and Pharisees were the holiest people of the day; so how could one be more righteous than them? He continues, adding to the pile with more startling statements:
“The anger in your heart is just as liable to judgment as murder.”
“If you lust after someone it’s just as condemning as adultery.”
“Divorce (except for marital unfaithfulness) leads to adultery.”
“Extra promises and hollow words come from a place of evil.”
“Retaliation isn’t part of my Kingdom.”
“Don’t hate your enemies, love them.”
“Be perfect, just as God is perfect.”
Shocked, gutted, grieved, angered—these feelings may very well have been what an ancient Israelite felt hearing these things. These sayings weren’t just new laws or rules; they sounded even stricter than what the scribes and Pharisees taught. How could someone live up to these standards? What person can follow such things with perfection? You, as the reader here, might even feel certain ways about what Jesus says.
These sayings all started with, “You’ve heard that it was said…” Jesus is referencing both parts of the Law and what modern scribes and Pharisees were teaching during Jesus’ day. These sayings, paired with those callbacks and callouts, gave the newer teachings a platform to spring from, but also, to reveal the flaws in how the religious leaders were interpreting Scripture.
All of the older teachings contradicted the heart of the Law, while trying to fulfill the letter of the Law—but as Jesus said earlier, He had come to fulfill both the letter and the heart of the Law. Jesus was revealing to them why they had missed out on so much of this life, even while following the letter of the Law. Their teachers had shifted the meaning around to accommodate their sinful nature.
“You shall not murder…but harboring hate, hurling insults, and name calling can be overlooked because it’s not like you murdered someone…Adultery might get you stoned, but as long as you keep it in your pants and in your head we can all get along… You can divorce and remarry as many times as you like for nearly any reason—the covenant you made before God is breakable. What He said in the Law isn’t really what He meant. You only need this piece of paper to prove it… You can’t swear by something and also be lying about it just to make your point, but as long as you’re honest, you can make as large or grandiose of a promise as you want! The bigger, the more it must be true… Sure, pay back anyone who wrongs you. They deserve it worse than they dished it out. Nationalism first! Everyone else is last and evil!”
These were the types of sentiments the religious leaders were permitting. Jesus was contradicting their allowances by revealing that these practices aren’t what God had in mind. For some hearers, all of this felt unattainable. But those who wanted to be His true followers, may have had a moment of clarity—a spark that said, “If He has come to be the fulfillment, maybe He’s showing us what it means to be a citizen of His Kingdom. There’s a deeper draw here to something I’m longing for—a collective of people sold out to purity, holiness, righteousness, obedience, love (for myself and others), and to live like God wants us to.”
Following Jesus requires a greater righteousness. This is the crux of His entire sermon. Sinless perfection has never been attainable. That is why Jesus came—that is why He fulfilled the Law. It was never our job to attain the unattainable. To be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect is unattainable on our own. Jesus provided a way for us to be made new, and through our conscious decisions to follow Him, we can attain what has been unattainable.
If Jesus were giving this sermon today, what would He say here? What things would He draw out of the way we live our lives—individually, as the Church, as a society, and as humanity? Could we bear to listen? Maybe He has surfaced something in your heart.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. You only have today, so walk and talk with words and deeds that are of that greater righteousness.
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