“17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks 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” Matthew 5:17-20.
In Matt 5:17–48, we find perhaps the most extensive treatment on the relationship between Jesus and the Torah in all four Gospels. Jesus lays the foundational principles for His relationship with the Old Covenant law in these verses above, then follows them with examples that vividly illustrate the heights to which His disciples are called (5:21–48). Jesus speaks of the law and the prophets, a reference to the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures (see 7:12; 22:40). In saying that He has come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them, Jesus claims to realize all that the Old Testament anticipated.
When Jesus says I have come to fulfill the Torah (5:17) He is bringing Old Testament expectations to fulfillment. Jesus is saying that He — Himself — is the fulfillment of the Torah. When Jesus declares that “the law prophesied” (11:13), He is implying that the law, like the prophets, pointed ahead to a future fulfillment, who is Jesus the messiah. Jesus fulfills the law and prophets through his entire life, death, and resurrection. , as Matthew’s fulfillment quotations indicate.
Jesus also brings the law to fulfillment in His teachings, by showing the kind of life to which the law ultimately pointed (5:17). “For I tell you” (“Amen, amen, I say to you…”) is Jesus’ way of solemnly introducing an authoritative statement. It is used thirty-one times in Matthew. Here, it introduces Jesus’ teaching about the law’s — the Torah’s — enduring validity. Jesus sees Himself and His teaching as being in continuity with Israel’s religious heritage. As 5:21–48 will make clear, Jesus is the authoritative interpreter of the Torah, the one who reveals what the law was ultimately directed to.
So the law itself is not abolished but its role changes as Christ brings forth its deeper meaning in His life and in his teachings. It is in this sense that the smallest letter of the law remains until heaven and earth pass away and until all things have taken place. The law retains its status as God’s revealed Word, and one must continue to teach and obey these commandments (5:19). But all humanity must now follow the law in light of Christ’s authoritative interpretation (5:20). This means that you and me, and the disciples of Christ, must follow Christ’s interpretation and understanding of the law. We must all pursue a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
In terms of external obedience to the law’s regulations, the scribes and Pharisees were known as model followers of the Torah. But Jesus is teaching us to embrace a total interior and exterior obedience to God, a complete self-giving to our neighbor, that carries the thrust and intention of the Torah to its God-willed conclusion. So in Jesus Christ the standard of righteousness demanded of disciples — of all followers of Christ — that we go beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees. The Torah, the Law, the Word of God requires much more than external conformity to the law’s regulations.
Jesus calls His followers to wholehearted trust and obedience toward the heavenly Father that radiates God’s love to the world. Jesus says: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” Matthew 5:48.
“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” Matthew 19:21.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:1-2.
“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” James 1:4.
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