“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.” (Matthew 5:17)
“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:3-6)
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4, 5)
When we read the beatitudes it is easy to see it as another “list” of rules or requirements that are impossible to keep. Once again we are set up for failure. “I cannot possibly measure up to this description of a disciple of Jesus”. Many will even say that this is a description of the believer after they get to heaven. It is a lofty goal and one day, when we all get to heaven, we will be like this. It is true that Jesus is talking about the citizens of the Kingdom, but He is referring to the character traits and blessings of the believer now…today!
The disciples were also overwhelmed by these words and Jesus reassured them that He had come to fulfill the Law and to empower them to do what they could not do on their own. “Yes,” Jesus is saying, “I know you fall short of these principles…I know you are weak, but I came so that you might be reconciled to God and transformed by MY power that lives in you. The Scripture says that He came at just the right time according to God’s plan. Jesus’ death on the cross is the fulfillment of our salvation.
The Cross. The cross is the fulfillment of the Law. It is the answer our frustration with our shortcomings…How can an imperfect…sinful…rebellious…self-centered people have fellowship with a Holy…Righteous…Perfect God?
The Cross. The death of Jesus on the cross.
Today, as we remember the final hours before the crucifixion, hear these words from the Apostle Paul,
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses…God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13, 14).
Believer, it is not up to you alone. The beatitudes become possible because of Jesus and the forgiveness that has been made available through His death on the cross.