Kingdom Greatness

After commanding us not to think that He had come to destroy the Law, Jesus gave the following instruction: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:18–19).

Why would Jesus issue such strong penalties or rewards for breaking or obeying the least of the commandments? To understand this command, we must remember Jesus’ response to the lawyer who asked, “Which is the greatest commandment?” Jesus declared:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength … . And … Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:30–31).

If this is the greatest commandment, then why is so much importance placed on the least commandments? Jesus explained the relationship between the two when He stated, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

Therefore, every law, great or small, is a practical expression of how to love God and how to love others. Failing in any area and teaching others to fail in that same area is a major concern to God.

Jesus gave further warning about this matter in the next verse: “… Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

The scribes and the Pharisees focused on the letter of the Law and missed the spirit of the Law. Because they missed the point of loving others, they actually negated the laws of God. For example, the Law tells us to honor our parents. However, the Pharisees worked out a clever plan whereby they could dedicate their money to the Temple, while still using it, but tell their parents they had no money to give them. Jesus condemned this by saying:

“… Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition” (Matthew 15:6).

So, to be great in God’s kingdom, let’s begin to look at the Law through the eyes of Jesus. Let’s meditate on each command until we understand how it teaches us to love God and love others.