Least Or Great In God's Kingdom?

Now, we’ve got a warning and a promise of blessing in Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

As a side light, has anyone ever said to you that we can’t rate sins – that no sin is greater than another?  And they say it with such authority that you think you must be wrong to believe otherwise, but something inside you says that molesting a child is worse than wishing you had your neighbor’s car.  Well, people may have said it, but Jesus didn’t.  It’s true, even the least sin causes us to fall short of God’s standards – but there are least sins and there are greater sins. 

Yet, even the least sins are important to God.  And whoever breaks one of the least of the commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  Called – they shall be called least by God. From God’s viewpoint He is affected by even the least sin.  What exactly does that mean – you know, I’m not really sure.  Do you need to know?  Why?  So you can determine if it’s worth it to break the law or not?  The new law is still based on the old law, but it’s motives are different.  Just as the Pharisees concentrated on the outside rather than the inside, the heart – those who followed the law before Christ, followed it for fear of consequences.  Those who follow the law after Christ, follow it simply because of love. Don’t do it and certainly don’t teach others that it’s ok.  Jesus is teaching us a higher way of life here.  Yes, we are no longer under the demands of the law as far as its penalties. But, don’t think for a moment that God sees violation of His standards any different than He did before Christ died.

Remember what Jesus said John 14:15  "If you love Me, keep My commandments. Yes, we are under grace.  Yes, God forgives us.  And – Yes, we still break the heart of God when we sin – even when we violate the least of His commandments.  On the contrary when we do even the least and teach them, we are called great in the kingdom of heaven – we bless God.  God still has rules.  He still expects us to follow them – even more so now that we have the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to do so.

To those who love Him, that is not confining.  When God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle, He gave him very specific instructions to pass on to the artisans who would complete the work.  Artisans – artisans are artistic people. They don’t like to color inside the lines.  They like to be creative.  Instructions stifle artisans.  They like to take artistic liberties.  But, they built that tabernacle exactly as God told them to – and Moses checked them to be sure. Too many believers take artistic liberties in the way they follow the Lord.  They claim that living by the law is legalism. No it’s wisdom, God’s wisdom - if they are living by God’s laws.  Legalism is living by man’s laws.

What are you like when you get that bicycle that has to be put together along with a bag of screws and bolts and a sheet of paper with line by line instructions?  Do you follow them – or do you think that’s unnecessary and put it together yourself?  What do you think when you are all done and you have 10 screws left over?  Do you allow your child to get on the bike?

The screws are the least of the parts – yet the manufacturer of that bike says they are important.  Are there areas in your life that aren’t working, where you aren’t seeing Biblical results? (notice, I said Biblical results – not the results you may think you want).  I challenge you to ask God where you took creative liberties by incorporating your own ideas, your own standards and your own wisdom.  God gives us lots of opportunities to be creative – we can paint a house or a picture any way we want to, we can decorate any way we want to, we can write, or sing or build anyway we want to.  But, when it comes to building God’s kingdom, we are not given the freedom to be creative.  Jesus is going to show us God’s pattern for kingdom living. It’s a whole lot different than the Pharisees taught.  It’s higher.  Their righteousness was all about coming up with and following their own theories.  God’s righteousness is about following His ways.

Oh, how freeing is the higher law.  How attainable is God’s righteousness compared to that of the Pharisees.  We are the salt and the light sent to influence others for the Giver of the higher law.


May 2011 be a year that you grow in your love of God's law. May you appreciate in a greater way, the fact that Jesus fulfilled its requirements, because you couldn't.