SUMMARY
The new righteousness of the kingdom does not abolish but fulfills in word and deed God’s commands already revealed in the law.
ANALYSIS
This summary statement of Jesus on the relationship of the righteousness of the kingdom and the commandments of the law is clearly programmatic for Matthew’s understanding of Jesus’ message and mission. That does not mean it is easy to understand or comprehend. It is important to see where it stands in transition in the Sermon. It comes right after the opening refrains asserting the linking of the kingdom with the promise of God’s blessing. It introduces the remainder of the Sermon that will seek to link that promise of blessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. to the ways in which that blessing is demonstrated in a wholeness that binds words and deeds together. As such, that righteousness of the kingdom fulfills God’s promises of old and also points in eschatological hope for a future that awaits the full coming of the kingdom. Such eschatological righteousness will always come as a new reality that will challenge and threaten the signs of the old order.
