"Not to Abolish but to Fulfill"

Today's Reading

Read Matthew 5:17-20: "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. 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."

Then read Romans 10:4: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Reflection

This passage is the hinge of the entire Sermon on the Mount. Everything that follows — the six antitheses ("You have heard that it was said... but I say to you") — depends on understanding what Jesus means by "fulfill."

Jesus is not abolishing the Old Testament law. He says so explicitly. But He is not merely repeating it either. He is fulfilling it — bringing it to its intended completion, revealing its deepest meaning, showing what it was always driving toward.

N.T. Wright captures this:

"Jesus is not contradicting the Torah. He is filling it to the brim — showing what it was always pointing to. The law was a signpost; Jesus is the destination."

The law said "do not murder." Jesus will say: the anger that leads to murder is itself the problem. The law said "do not commit adultery." Jesus will say: the lust that leads to adultery is itself the problem. He is not raising the bar higher to make obedience impossible. He is going to the root — to the heart — where the law was always meant to reach.

This is why Jesus says your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees were meticulous about the external requirements of the law. They tithed their spices. They washed their hands. They counted their steps on the Sabbath. But Jesus is after a different kind of righteousness — not less rigorous than the Pharisees' but deeper. A righteousness that transforms not just behavior but motivation, not just actions but the heart from which actions spring.

Bonhoeffer explains:

"Jesus does not set himself against the law of Moses but surpasses it. His righteousness goes deeper than that of the Pharisees — not less than the law demands, but infinitely more."

Paul's statement in Romans 10:4 that "Christ is the end of the law" uses a word (telos) that means both "goal" and "termination." Christ is the goal the law was always pointing toward. In Him, the law reaches its destination.

Going Deeper

Over the next two days, we will walk through the six antitheses where Jesus demonstrates what fulfillment looks like in practice. Before we do, consider the revolutionary claim Jesus is making. He is not one more teacher interpreting Moses. He is the one Moses was writing about. The law finds its meaning in Him. This is either the most arrogant claim ever made — or the most important truth ever spoken.