The Law, Phylacteries, and Righteousness

In this sermon, we explore Jesus' statements concerning the Law, His interpretation and fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and the need for our righteousness to exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. We tease out the implications of what Jesus is saying in relation to the Jewish tradition, we talk about having large phylacteries (what are those you might ask?), and we explore how our righteousness can increase. Jesus is setting us up for the rest of the Sermon on the Mount and what He is sharing here will help us in our exploration for the rest of the series.