Matthew 5:17 has been explained by many in the Hebrew Roots/Messianic/Church of God groups to say that Jesus is stating here that He didn’t come to destroy the law BUT to make it more binding, more expansive, more Spiritual. The explanation of “fulfil” was to make the law more full, greater than ever. And, then verse 16 was used to prove that, as the law was going to be around as long as there was heaven and earth. But, much is overlooked and misunderstood in that explanation.
Only recently did I begin to understand what Jesus was saying. In the past I accepted the basic explanation as outlined above. It has been extremely helpful in coming to understand this passage knowing and understanding the various covenants spoken of in the Bible. Let’s go through this and understand.
He states, “Don’t think that I have come to destroy, or abolish, the law” Our first question has to be, “When He says ‘law’ what is He referring to?” “The law” is used throughout the Gospels and the Epistles in referring to the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses as it is often called. He is speaking of the covenant that was made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. So, He says that He didn’t come from the Father to destroy, abolish, do away with, this covenant OR, He continues, the prophets. The law and the prophets is the Old Covenant and the Prophets or the prophetic writings, i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. The word “and” ties these two things together. When He states that He came to fulfil that word has to mean the same thing for both. IF he came to make the law more binding, more expansive, etc. it has to mean the same thing regarding the prophets. How would one make the prophets more binding, expansive, etc.? Although the word “fulfil” can mean to fill full in some usages the primary meaning (and as most Bible scholars understand in referring to the prophets) is to accomplish.
Let us read it that way. “Think not that I am come to destroy (abolish, do away with) the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to accomplish.” Over and over again in the book of Matthew and the other Gospels we see it stated that various things that were done by Jesus or to Him fulfilled various prophecies. Just check out a few: Matt. 1:22-23; Matt: 2:15, 17; Matt. : 4:14; Matt. 8:17; Matt. 12:17; and I could go on and on. “Fulfilled” definitely means “accomplished.” Likewise we must understand Matt. 5:17 to be saying that He came to accomplish the law. What does that mean? Remember “the law” is speaking of the Old Covenant. A covenant is a contract, an agreement. What were the terms of the covenant made at Sinai? “Keep the commandments and receive good, break the commandments and receive death!” No one ever kept those commandments and ALL had come under the penalty of death.
Jesus was stating that He, the Son of God, came to obey all of those commandments. And, although He did not earn the death penalty He came to die in our stead, in our place. By keeping the commandments and suffering the death penalty He totally accomplished the conditions of the covenant.
Maybe an example will help us understand. Let us say that I am a painter of murals. I enter into a contract, a covenant, with the city to paint a mural in city hall. The conditions are spelled out, i.e. the subject matter, the size of the mural, the location, the time frame in which it is to be done, the payment for the job, etc. Once the mural is painted according to the conditions spelled out and payment is made the covenant is fulfilled. No longer is there a contract or covenant. But, let us throw in another circumstance. Part way through the painting of the mural a state representative comes in and states that there is something in the contract/covenant that is against state law. The contract is voided by the court. The covenant is ‘destroyed.’
But, that was not the situation with the Old Covenant we are reading of in Matt. 5:17. Jesus says that He hasn’t been sent by the Father to void the contract/covenant. Instead He has come to fulfil, accomplish the requirements of the contract/covenant–He met all the requirements as no one else had ever done and also paid the penalty that had been required by all that had not kept them. We know from reading the Bible account He did keep all of the commands. And, we know that He was crucified taking our place. His final words, just a heartbeat away from His death, were “It is finished!” (John 19:30) He fulfilled all of the covenant.
“But, what about the next verse?” you may be asking. Didn’t He say that the law would be around, no part of it passing away, as long as there was a heaven and an earth? Let’s look at what He said. “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” He is restating what He had just stated in verse 17. He did not come to destroy, abolish, make void even the smallest part of the law, but to fulfil the conditions. Perhaps you noticed that there are two “tills” used in this verse. It appears that we have an “either/or” statement being made. Let’s look at it that way for a moment. “For verily I say unto you, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till ( until) EITHER heaven and earth pass, OR till (until) all be fulfilled.” None of the law was made void or abolished BUT He did fulfil the conditions and requirements of that covenant. Once fulfilled, as in our painting of the mural example, there is no longer a covenant or contract.
Some will look at verse 19 and tell us that it states that we must keep and teach others all of the commandments that were contained in that covenant. Does it? He states, “Whosoever therefore (therefore means ‘in light of what I have just stated’) shall break one of these (He is preparing to state ‘these’ commandments. He isn’t saying ‘the commandments’ of the old covenant.) least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” What was the result, the penalty, for breaking and teaching others to break the commandments of the old covenant? Right, it was death. But, He says here that even if someone breaks one of ‘these’ commandments he will still be in the kingdom of heaven, but may be ‘least’. This appears to be the same thing Paul speaks of in 1 Cor. 3:11-15. Notice in particular verse 15 where he is speaking of the one who has built with wood, hay and stubble, i.e. the works of the flesh. “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
We won’t take the time here to go through all of the ‘commandments’ Jesus details through the rest of chapter 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew, BUT we do see that they all fall under the great commandment of love. He sums up what He has been going through in chapter 7 and verse 12. “Therefore (again in light of what I have been showing you) all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” The golden rule, as it has been called, loving your brother, is what He is showing that the law and the prophets was truly all about. The ‘ commandment’ He gave, as recorded in John 15:12 and 17, is to love one another, as, in like manner, He loves us. You can read the entire passage.
There are a lot of other passages, especially in Paul’s writings, that tell us that we are no longer under the Old Covenant. One verse that just recently came to my attention is Gal. 3:19. Paul states that the law, the Old Covenant, was added to what was in existence, i.e. the covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham, etc. It did not change them but was a totally additional covenant. But, what I want to draw your attention to is the phrase “til the seed should come...” The Old Covenant was never intended to last forever but only until Jesus came and fulfilled the conditions.
There is still an area that needs to be addressed before we conclude this study. And that is the belief that many hold that many of those items included within the Law of Moses, the Old Covenant, would be required of people living after Jesus returns, within the period referred to as “the Millennium.” For instance, many will cite Ezekiel’s prophecy regarding another temple being built and animal sacrifices being offered. The prophecy in Zechariah regarding people coming up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles is often mentioned.
Let us understand this. We won’t turn and quote the numerous Scriptures here for time and space, but you can look them up. The writer of the book of Hebrews explains in detail that Jesus was the ultimate Sacrifice and that the animal sacrifices, which were a shadow or picture of that sacrifice, were no longer needed or necessary. It states that there was a change in the priesthood, that no longer were there physical priests gong to even be in place to do such sacrifices. Actually, if one were to do animal sacrifices it would be a slap in the face to Jesus and His Father. It would be saying, “Your sacrifice wasn’t sufficient, that wasn’t enough, I don’t believe it to be true when it states that “now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.’ (Heb. 9:26)
Hebrews 10:1 states that “the law,” referring to that old covenant made at Mt. Sinai, had a “shadow” of the good things to come. And, specifically here it mentions the sacrifices. Paul, in Colossians 2:16-17, mentions shadows as well. Notice the items included, “meat and drink,” i.e. sacrifices, “holyday,” “new moon,” or of the “sabbath days.” When Jesus came He was “the body” mentioned in verse 17. The shadows no longer are needed. We have Him.
Now, perhaps we can see clearly what He meant when He said He came to fulfil, accomplish, the law and the prophets. Prophecies that were made for latter times are no longer in effect. With His coming and His fulfillment of the need for sacrifices–His was the ultimate sacrifice, with His making us the temple, with Him now indwelling or tabernacling with us, there is no longer a need for a physical building and there is no need to go up to Jerusalem to “keep” the Feast of Tabernacles. Those prophecies have been fulfilled, accomplished. There is no need to hold to shadows, we have Jesus. He has accomplished, fulfilled the law and the prophets.
Garry D. Pifer 4/3/17 Revision 2/4/19
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