The Point of It All

1. What might we be called to do as followers of Jesus in a dominant culture of Christianity that is often hostile toward Jesus’s narrow way
2. What does Jesus fulfilling the law look like?
3. How would you define righteousness? What might righteousness look like in our daily lives? And how can our righteousness surpass that of religious leaders, as Jesus says?
4. How might following Jesus look like honoring the law of Moses and words of the prophets? In what ways can we practice and teach those commands? In what ways might we be setting aside some of those commands?
5. How do we walk the walk of Jesus’s Kingdom of Heaven? What does it look like to “enter into the kingdom of heaven?”
6. How can we stand on the principles of Jesus’s Kingdom in our day to day lives?
7. How can we engage in “the pursuit of justice that transcends that which we can see in the present?”

• Read Matthew 5:17.
  1. What do you think Jesus means by “fulfill”?
  2. How does Jesus’ life, teachings, actions, death, and resurrection change or inform how we read the Old Testament?
• Read Matthew 5:18-19.
  1. In light of this passage, what do we do with Old Testament passages such as Leviticus 11:9-12?
  2. In what ways do we “practice” Jesus’ commands?
• Read Matthew 5:20.
  1. Righteousness here means behavior that conforms to the will of God as taught by Jesus. The Pharisees were known to be very pious—they lived well! How could our righteousness surpass that of the Pharisees?
  2. How do the teachings of Jesus shape my life?

Jesus, the one who came to show us how to stand on principle is pointing us toward practicing the principle over the pretense of principle. He’s calling us to the pursuit of justice that transcends that which we can see in the present.

How can we engage in the pursuit of justice that transcends what we can see in the present? What might that look like for us?

• What does “The Law” look like fulfilled in your day-to-day life?
• What do “The Prophets” look like fulfilled in your day-to-day life? Is there a difference?