The Transforming Power

Biblical scholars make all kinds of comparisons between Moses and the Torah and Matthew and the gospel he wrote.  Some say that Matthew had Moses in view when he wrote his version of the gospel to a Hebrew audience.  The Torah consists of five books and Matthew's gospel is easily divided into five major sections.  There is Moses with the Ten Commandments and Jesus with the Sermon on the Mount.  And while I lack the scholarly credentials of the authorities on the Bible, it is rather obvious that regarding the Sermon on the Mount as a rendering of religious law is not a wise thing to do.   The Ten Commandments is something framed by words such as "ought..should...must"   

The law Moses wrote is centered on external behavior while the Sermon on the Mount is about choices of the heart.  And even then, it is not about choices which can be made within the framework of our determination.  The Sermon preached by Jesus is not so much about what is seen as it is about what is unseen.  The Sermon on the Mount is an impossible word unless our life has been transformed and placed under the absolute authority of the Holy Spirit.  I may choose not to steal from my neighbor, but choosing not to desire what is not mine is another matter.  

The Sermon calls us to an involuntary response which is only possible when the inner core of the soul only issues what is consistent with the Spirit of Christ.  We are not able to make such a radical choice.  Only the power of the Holy Spirit has such transforming power that our our outward life naturally and spontaneously reflects the core changes of the soul.