- The Permanence of the Scripture 圣经的永恒性 (5:17-19)
The Law and the Prophets represent the Old Testament, the only written Scripture at the time of Jesus. Abolish (Kataluō) means to utterly overthrow or destroy; the same word is used of the destruction of the Temple (Matt. 24:2). Jesus said he come not to abolish but to accomplish. Accomplished (ginomai) has the meaning of becoming or taking place. Jesus came to ensure the Scripture is fulfilled or become a reality.
律法和先知指的就是旧约，它是耶稣时代唯一的书面经文。废掉（Kataluō）之意是完全推翻或销毁；这词也用于圣殿的拆毁（太24:2）。耶稣说祂来不是要废掉，乃是要成全。成全（ginomai）指的是成就或使之发生。耶稣降临的目的是要确保圣经得应验，成为事实。
- The Purpose of the Scripture 圣经的目的 (5:20)
In saying “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven (5:20)” Pharisaism tends to soften the law’s demands by focusing only on external obedience. However, Jesus was calling His disciples to a deeper, more radical holiness than that of the Pharisees. In the verses that follow, Jesus unpacks the full moral significance of the law, and shows that the righteousness the law calls for an internal conformity to the spirit of the law, rather than mere external compliance to the letter. It is a matter of the heart as much as the behavior. On the other hand, if they seriously obey the law from the heart, they will realize that they cannot fulfill the law. The purpose of the Law is to point out that we all are helpless and incapable of achieve righteousness on our own. It points us to Christ who not only save us from our sins but imputed His righteousness to us (2 Cor. 5:21).
圣经既然提出：“你们的义若不胜於文士和法利赛人的义，断不能进天国”（5:20），这表示法利赛主义倾向于重视表面的服从罢了，这反而降低了律法的要求。然而，耶稣呼召众门徒要拥有比法利赛人更深、更实的圣洁。在下半段的经文中，耶稣为我们讲解律法的全面道德意义，并显示这义所要求的是从心里顺服律法的精意，不是凭着字句。它更在乎的是内心的转变，而不是外在的服从。另一方面，如果他们确实认真地从心里顺从律法，他们会发觉自己根本无法达到律法的要求。律法的作用是要指出我们都是无助的，也不可能凭自己的能力称义。它指向着基督——祂不仅救我们脱离罪，还使我们在祂里面成为神的义（林后5:21）。
Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告
- Jesus places high priority on the Scripture. As we saw in Matt 4:1-11 He used Scripture to fend off every temptation. Can you do that? Pray that we have highest regard for the Word of God, and we are so familiar with the Scripture that we can fend off all temptation by the Word of God.
耶稣高度重视圣经。如我们在马太福音4:1-11看到，祂运用圣经来抵挡各样的试探。你能做到吗？求主让我们对神的话有最高的尊崇，也使我们能熟悉圣经，并用它来抵挡各样的试探。
- Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away but not an iota, not a dot of the law will pass away until all is accomplished. Pray that we study the Word of God diligently even the meaning of each word and the grammar of each sentence must be carefully studied and obeyed.
耶稣说，就是到天地都废去了，律法的一点一画也不能废去，都要成全。求主让我们能努力学习神的话，认真钻研每个字的含义及句子的语法，并服从遵行。
- Jesus points out that he does not only want us to fulfill the law outwardly, but he also wants us to obey the law inwardly. Pray that our obedience comes from our hearts.
