WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
THE WEIRDEST LAWS IN EVERY STATE
The United States is a large, vibrant and diverse country in which states and even cities have the power to pass their own laws. This makes sense in many cases because life is different from the East Coast to the West Coast and what needs to be regulated in Alaska is different than in Florida.
However, because states and cities are given legal leeway, that's led to some pretty outrageous laws getting on the books. Sometimes, they are not really enforced, but no one has bothered to repeal or undo them. Here are a few of the weirdest state laws in our nation:
ALASKA
In 1913, the mayor and city council of Fairbanks, Alaska, had had enough of the antics of bartender Pete Buckholtz and his pet moose. Buckholtz refused to stop bringing his oversized pet to work at the local saloon. To prevent the animal from coming inside, officials crafted an ordinance declaring that moose weren't allowed on city sidewalks, effectively prohibiting the moose from walking on the sidewalk and into the bar or other businesses.
ARKANSAS
There is a legal code in Arkansas that explains how the state's name should be pronounced. While it's not technically illegal or punishable to say it wrong with a hard "s" at the end of the state's name, Arkansas is legally supposed to be pronounced "Ar-kan-saw."
CONNECTICUT
There are plenty of wacky things that are banned in the U.S., but folks in Connecticut are persnickety about their pickles. According to one of Connecticut's former food and drug commissioners, one of the tests used to determine whether or not a pickle was legally fit for human consumption was that if you drop it 1 foot, it should bounce.
IDAHO
The city of Pocatello, Idaho, has embraced its identity as the "U.S. Smile Capital" after the mayor passed an ordinance in 1948 making it illegal not to smile. The "Smile Ordinance" was passed to jokingly boost morale after exceptionally severe winter weather. The law unintentionally remained on the books until it was rediscovered and became a source of pride for Pocatello.
ILLINOIS
The city of Galesburg, Illinois, likes things nice and simple, even its bike riding. The city has an ordinance banning bike riders from removing both hands from the handlebars or feet from the pedals or engaging in "any acrobatic or fancy riding on any street."
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Multiple towns in New Hampshire have made it illegal to have a picnic in a cemetery. If you want to dine with the deceased, you're better off enjoying a meal at the most haunted hotels in America.
WASHINGTON STATE
In 1991, Whatcom County, Washington, declared itself an official Sasquatch Protection and Refuge Area. That means if a resident does come across a mythical Bigfoot, they are not to kill or harm it.
WASHINGTON D.C.
Washington, D.C., is a must-visit destination for history buffs because many of its iconic, historic landmarks are free to visit. However, visitors are not free to bust a move. Demonstrations are prohibited at the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and other parks in the National Capital Region. "Demonstrations" include expressive dancing or other entertainment that attracts a crowd of onlookers.
Rarely are any of these laws enforced. Not seriously. When it comes to following the law, we all actually break it every day without knowing it. At least some kind of law. Today we continue with the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus takes his famous sermon in a bit of a different direction.
Every bit of Jesus’ previous statements have been about the life and attitudes of his followers. How a disciple might act. What a believer seeks in his or her life. Today, Jesus makes some statements about himself and his purpose here on earth. Let’s read our passage this morning and get into what Jesus is saying.
MATTHEW 5:17-20
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. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus, as he is preaching some of these principles of a faithful disciple, is looking intently into the eyes of the people he is preaching to. These are committed Jews, some being part of the teaching and law keeping class, as well as Gentile people. They are hearing beatitudes and parables about how to live that are stepping on the proverbial toes of what many of them already knew to be true—some going beyond the basics and getting a bit more difficult.
The beatitudes expounded beyond what they were taught as the keepers of the law and the Pharisees and the scribes had taught these external law-keeping principles to tithe the right amount and to look righteous in the ways they had ordained. There were 248 regulations that the law lined out as well as 365 prohibitions about what they were NOT allowed to do. These regulations and punishments were written to fence in and protect the law. And now Jesus is going beyond them.
Jesus tells the people,
“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” (Matthew 5:17). This passage can be a bit confusing. What does Jesus mean by this statement? Let’s get into this and flesh it out.
What does Jesus mean by fulfill?
FULFILL
The Greek word here is pleroo (play-ro’-o)
This word means to render full, to complete. To be filled up to the brim, not wanting any more. This is to render perfect, to accomplish and carry out.
When Jesus says he has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, he is saying he IS the embodiment of what those laws and prophets were written and spoken about. Jesus was always the end result of those laws. Jesus was always the end result of the prophecies.
Something we need to keep in mind is that many times, when we read this passage, people pit the word “abolish” not against the word “fulfill,” but they pit abolish against the words “keep” or “continue.” This isn’t abolish vs. keep. This is abolish vs. fulfill. Jesus is NOT saying that he has come so that they did not have to continue or keep the law or the prophets anymore. Quite a difference.
The Scriptures find their fulfillment, their intended goal and purpose, in the life and ministry of Jesus. He is the one to whom they point. He is the one they predict and anticipate.
JOHN 5:39
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.
I like how James Boice puts it:
“The Bible is about Jesus and he is its fulfillment in all ways. He fulfills the moral law by his obedience, the prophecies by the specifics of his life, and the sacrificial system by his once-and-for-all atonement.” – The Gospel of Matthew, 2006.
Let’s go on into more of what Jesus says in this part of his Sermon:
“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).
Jesus said that until heaven and earth pass away, every bit of the law and prophets will still be in effect. Have you ever thought about that? We, as followers of God would still be required to continue this sacrificial system, except for Jesus’ fulfillment. Not an iota, not a dot. In the Greek language these are the smallest letter and markings one could make. What Jesus is saying is that even a stroke of the pen doesn’t pass away.
Jesus isn’t speaking against observing all the requirements of the Law but the shallow way of keeping laws the way the Pharisees did: externally, to gain merit before God, while breaking these laws in their hearts. The Pharisees ignored the spirit of the Law.
The Pharisees did everything they could to look superior to everyone in their righteousness while their hearts were not focused on serving God, but themselves. And Jesus calls this out in verse 20.
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
What was Jesus saying about the Pharisees? Was he pointing to the Pharisees as the example to follow? Their righteousness was so great, you should follow them and only if you exceed their righteousness you can enter heaven?
No, this is a dig at the Pharisees by Jesus. You will enter the kingdom of heaven by exceeding their righteousness of which there was very little. If you just have a little bit of righteousness, you will exceed theirs. The Pharisees believed they had superior righteousness. Look at the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector:
LUKE 18:9-13
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
This parable used a real-life example of what Pharisees often acted like. This is the attitude of most Pharisees. Thank you, God that I am not evil like everyone else. I fast, I tithe, I do everything you say. Thank you that I am not like this tax collector over here. The tax collector just wanted to be one of God’s children, dearly loved. He acknowledged that his obedience was lacking.
Notice how much in just the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has mentioned righteousness? Hunger and thirst for righteousness…persecuted for righteousness’ sake…now the righteousness of the Pharisees.
Righteousness is what Jesus wants us all to desire. And for the people, they did want that. But they were given bad examples of what righteousness looked like.
What is this Superior Righteousness that exceeds a Pharisee? What does it look like? I have 4 examples:
1. Superior righteousness focuses on the spirit of the law rather than merely the letter.
The Pharisees would only give God the exact thing He asked for. Not more. Sometimes less if they could find a loophole. Jesus’ disciples would not interpret the law permissively seeking loopholes. The Law said not to work on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had subcategories of what you were allowed to do on the Sabbath and not do. Everything from how many steps were you permitted on the Sabbath. Could someone write something on a piece of paper? Yes, but only a certain number of letters. It went from this to all kinds of subsections: what did you have to do if you exceeded your allotment of steps but you have to get to your bed and it's going to take a few more? It got this ridiculous.
A. This exceeding righteousness should be evident in our attitudes. How we treat people, how we behave, how we love others, how we act as parents and as neighbors. Our attitude should show that we have an internal righteousness that is because of Jesus.
2. Superior righteousness focuses on internal matters rather than external matters.
Jesus’ disciples were more concerned about moral purity of their hearts rather than on the ritual purity of their hands.
B. This exceeding righteousness should be evident in our desires. Whose approval are you seeking? Are you wanting your neighbor to like you? How are you going about that? Are you hoping the community likes your business model and diversity hiring practices? Or do you build a business and hire based on your value of Jesus? Are you looking for the government to accept you? Are you seeking the approval of a subset of people within the community? Or are you seeking God’s approval?
3. Superior righteousness focuses on more important matters of the law rather than minor points of the law.
Jesus’ disciples were more concerned about matters of justice, mercy, and faith than about tithing tiny herbs of their gardens or how much work to do on the Sabbath.
C. This exceeding righteousness should be evident in our ambitions. What are you looking for in the future? Are you looking for achievement in your abilities? Well, is this in line with what God wants for you?
4. Superior righteousness focuses upon living out divine character rather than merely keeping divine commands.
Jesus’ disciples wanted to be people who had characteristic lives of a follower of Jesus, rather than being worshiped for their acts in the roads. Scribes and Pharisees, for as much grief as we give them, were seen and given honor by everyone. They were truly seen as men of God and were treated as such. But the commands are easy to keep when there is a list of them. But having a heart that wants to not just keep commands, but to be truly a person of honor who naturally keeps God’s commands because he or she loves Him is different. Look at the Rich Young Ruler:
MARK 10:17-22
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This young man had been keeping the Law. In every respect, he looked good to many people. But Jesus saw what was missing: his heart. Your heart loves that you have all this wealth and that you really don’t need God. If you didn’t have God nothing would change. You tithe because it doesn’t impact your life. Do this: get rid of all of it and follow me. Jesus said you want what is good? Follow me. And he couldn’t do it.
D. This exceeding righteousness should be evident in our relationships. What are you doing in raising your family? Your kids? How do your family members see your relationship with Jesus? Do they see that you care about the love of God for them?
Charles Spurgeon once said, “The gospel is not a reward for health. But a medicine for sickness.”
If you are healthy, you don’t need good news. But if you are sick, this good news would be medicine for an unhealthy soul. The cure to a disease of death.
CONCLUSION
How is your righteousness? Are you obeying the commands of Jesus? Are you doing it to be right or to be righteous? Are you doing it to look superior to the proverbial tax collector next door or are you doing it to grow in wisdom and in spirit and in truth because of the love of Jesus? Do the people around you revere you because you follow every command in scripture (which we know that no one can do perfectly) or do they revere you because they see mercy, kindness, and love in your heart?
INVITATION
