The Floor vs. the Ceiling | The Gospels | Matthew 5:17–26
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Why does the host compare parenting apologies to the biblical “floor and ceiling” of a command?
Welcome to 10-Minute Bible Talks,
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I'm Patrick Miller. As a parent of young kids, I spend a lot of time refereeing arguments. I don't want this to be true, and I remind my kids regularly that this is not my full-time job. They can work it out on their own. But for them, working things out usually means getting into fistfights or yelling horrific things at each other. So if you feel my pain, you're not alone. Parenting can be a beast. But what I find most difficult aren't the fights. It's the apologies. It's actually not hard to get my kids to say, I'm sorry. When I tell them to do it, they do it. There's just one problem. Their apologies are rarely sincere. I'm sorry, Oliver, slam door.
What does Jesus mean when He says He came to fulfill, not abolish, the Law?
I'm sorry, Iris, stomping downstairs. Of course, we've talked a lot about the meaning of apologies, and I've told them that they don't have any value if they aren't sincere, but my kids aren't terribly interested in sincerity. So I can make them say the words, but despite my best efforts, I can't make them mean it. And of course, we adults aren't much better. We're better actors, but I know we've all made insincere apologies. Inside, we're still raging. We're thinking, I'm just saying sorry so I can move on, so I can get you off my back. Now, I don't share all this to talk about sincere repentance, as important as that is. Instead, I want to introduce a concept called the floor and the ceiling of a command, because it's incredibly relevant if you want to understand Jesus's teachings about anger in today's episode and lust in tomorrow's episode.
So let's just take a command I've given my kids. You must apologize. The floor of the command is brute force obedience. It's just saying the words, I'm sorry. Technically, when they say those words, they are obeying. But what's the ceiling of the command?
How does the “floor vs. ceiling” concept explain the difference between the letter and the spirit of the sixth commandment?
Well, it's the full intent, the full meaning of the command. In other words, it's saying I'm sorry and really meaning it. It's saying I'm sorry and recognizing I said something mean to you and that was wrong and I don't feel good about it now, but I wanna heal our relationship and make it right. The floor of a command is the minimum. The ceiling of a command is its full intent, its full application, its full meaning. In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he walks through a number of the Ten Commandments, but in a way we might not expect. His message is not simply, you must obey these commandments. Instead, his message is, you think God wants the floor of the law, but God wants the ceiling. Let's pick up in Matthew 5, verse 17.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Now let's pause here for a moment. Jesus was accused by religious leaders of telling people not to follow the law. Why did they say this? Well, it's because he loved sinners and tax collectors and prostitutes and he ate with them.
Why does Jesus expand the command “You shall not murder” to include anger and insulting language?
And so all the religious people said, you don't care about the law at all. But Jesus tells them something surprising. He says, I care more about the law than you do. I'm more serious about the law than you are. Jesus continues, verse 18, for truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the smallest stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Therefore, whoever sets aside one of the least of these commandments and teaches others accordingly will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Do you see Jesus emphasizing his point? He's saying you must be more righteous than the most righteous people you know. Why is that? Well, it's because the Pharisees, they only cared about the floor of the law, the bare minimum, but God cares about the ceiling of the law, the whole thing.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Why does the host compare parenting apologies to the biblical “floor and ceiling” of a command?
0:00–0:50
2
What does Jesus mean when He says He came to fulfill, not abolish, the Law?
0:50–1:53
3
How does the “floor vs. ceiling” concept explain the difference between the letter and the spirit of the sixth commandment?
1:53–2:56
4
Why does Jesus expand the command “You shall not murder” to include anger and insulting language?
2:56–4:09
5
How can we evaluate whether we’re living at the floor or the ceiling of God’s law in our own hearts?
4:09–5:06
6
What is the role of Christ’s perfect fulfillment of both the floor and the ceiling of the Law?
5:06–6:07
7
What practical steps does the host suggest for responding to the call to receive Christ’s righteousness?
6:07–8:18
Speakers
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