Let’s get real for a second. A lot of people, especially in today’s world, like to read the words of Jesus and treat them like they’re all metaphors or symbolic stories with soft meanings. But when I read the Gospels, I don’t see a laid-back, metaphorical Jesus. I see a Jesus who was deadly serious about the Law—every letter of it. And not only did He keep it perfectly (Galatians 4:4), He actually raised the standard higher when He spoke to the people.

No Dilution- Keep it all

It bothers me when people try to dilute Jesus’s words, as if He didn’t mean what He said. He absolutely meant every word—and in fact, He was intentionally showing us that the Law wasn’t something to be taken lightly or trimmed down into manageable pieces. No, He said you better try to keep the whole thing—and not just externally, but from the heart too.

Let’s look at what Jesus said in Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV):

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

Notice that last line? Jesus didn’t say, “Well, at least you got the heart stuff right.” No—He said, “You should’ve done allof it. Both the external acts and the internal matters.” It’s heart and Law. Not one or the other.

Raised the Bar

Now let’s talk about the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17–27). This guy came up saying he had kept all the commandments. But Jesus hit him with something not even in the Ten Commandments—He said, “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor.” The man walked away sad. And Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t worry, it was just a test.” No, He meant it. The man failed—not because he broke a rule, but because his heart clung to wealth. That was still breaking the Law, just on a deeper level.

And then Peter, probably looking around and wondering how anyone could live up to this, asks Jesus, “Then who can be saved?” And what does Jesus say?

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27)

That right there is the point.

You need God

Jesus’s whole ministry—especially when it comes to the Law and the Prophets—was to show us two big truths:

1. Stop watering down the Law. Don’t turn it into a checklist that you can sort of keep and feel good about. Jesus was like, “No, you don’t get it. You’ve heard it said, ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ but I say even looking at someone with lust is adultery in your heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). He took it deeper, more impossible.
2. You can’t do it. That’s the hard pill. Jesus wasn’t exaggerating when He said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out” (Matthew 5:29). That’s not metaphor—He was showing how radically serious sin is, and how impossible it is to truly cleanse ourselves from it. He wanted us to hit the wall. To realize, “I can’t do this.”Because that’s when grace steps in.

You see, the Pharisees tried to keep the Law with their own strength. And Jesus was hardest on them—not because they were lawless, but because they were self-righteous. He even said, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). He wasn’t playing. He wanted people to realize that true righteousness—God’s standard—was way beyond human effort.

I can’t do it

Jesus wanted people to come to the place where they say, “I can’t do it.” Because that’s when the Gospel takes over. When you give up your fig leaves—just like Adam in the garden (Genesis 3:7)—and stop trying to cover yourself with your own good deeds, that’s when God steps in with His righteousness.

The Law is perfect (Psalm 19:7). But it wasn’t given to save us—it was given to show us how much we need a Savior. Paul understood this so well. After Jesus ascended, Paul became the loudest voice explaining that salvation is by grace through faith—not through works, not through self-effort (Ephesians 2:8-9). But Paul didn’t come up with this idea on his own. He got it from Jesus Himself.

In fact, Paul writes in Galatians 3:24:

“So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

Boom. That’s it. Jesus upheld the Law. He fulfilled it. And in doing so, He showed us both the beauty of the Law—and the impossibility of keeping it on our own. His message wasn’t, “Just follow your heart.” It was, “The Law is holy. God is holy. You can’t reach it on your own—but I’m here to fulfill it for you.”

So next time you read Jesus’s words, put your hand on your heart and ask: Do I see someone who is just talking about inner feelings? Or do I see a King calling people to impossible holiness—so they’ll come running to the only One who can make them righteous?

Because once you realize that, grace becomes not just amazing—but necessary.