¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-20

Dear God, the “Law” in interesting. What do we mean by “Law”? Jesus uses this as a set up to start going into the higher standard you have for murder and adultery than even the Pharisees had. But when we read this today in 21st-Century American churches I would imagine a good majority of Evangelical Christians would first think of LGBTQ+ issues. They would look at verse 19 and say that some people are trying to set aside that command and water it down. But there is so much more! It’s like being worried about the emotional health of children by worrying about 2% issue of the books of questionable content in the library instead of looking at the other 98% of things that are attacking our children (and us as adults).

So, again, it is easy for me to sit and think–and judge–other Christians for how they are approaching this, and another to look inward and consider how I might be setting aside your commands.

I’m in the middle of reading an interesting book by A.J. Jacobs that I’ve mentioned in these prayers before called The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. It’s been a great look at taking every command you gave in the Old and New Testaments, whether through Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, or the Apostles, and do his best to live by each one. Some of it is extreme. Some of it is impossible. But some of it is so good and so healthy. I’m a third of the way through it right now, and I am fascinated to see how it will end. Who will this agnostic Jewish man become after spending a year within your sphere of influence.

Father, I don’t want to set aside any of your commands or the Prophets. In fact, one of Jacobs’s pastoral advisors through this process encourages him to focus on the Prophets, which I should probably do more. I also don’t want to miss what you might have for me through the teachings of Jesus because I am so myopic on being legalistic. Help me to sink into this today. Help me to consider it. Help me to stew on it a little. Help this passage to soak into my soul. And it’s not so I can be great in your kingdom after this life. It is just so I can be pleasing to you, my life will be worth something to your kingdom, and I might become the man you have for me to be. And thank you for the grace, Jesus, as I fail and struggle to know you. And thank you for the comfort, guidance, and counsel, Holy Spirit, as I move through each day.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen