Some think of Jesus as a great Jewish teacher without much of a revolution. Others see him as so revolutionary that he left Judaism behind altogether and established something quite new.
This passage shows how Jesus himself held the two together. He was indeed offering something utterly revolutionary, to which he would remain faithful; but it was, in fact, the reality towards which Israel’s whole life and tradition had pointed.
Tom Wright on [Matthew 5v13-20], Matthew for Everyone - Part 1, p39-40.
