Christ Fulfills the Law

October 21, 2025

Theological Summary

Key insights and takeaways from the text.

Matthew 5:17-20 provides a foundational understanding of Jesus' relationship to the Old Testament Law and Prophets, declaring that he came not to abolish but to fulfill them. This means Jesus perfectly embodies the divine intent of the Law, brings its moral demands to their fullest expression, and ultimately completes its prophetic promises. For Christians today, this passage affirms the enduring truth and relevance of God's revelation in the Old Testament, demonstrating that Jesus' mission is a continuation and culmination of God's redemptive plan, rather than a complete repudiation of what came before. It highlights the unity of God's Word across both testaments.

Scripture

Matthew 5:17-20

Old Testament Connections

Deuteronomy 18:18 (NIV)
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him."

Deuteronomy 18:18 prophesies a prophet like Moses who will speak God's words with divine authority. Jesus fulfills this by declaring he came not to abolish the Law and Prophets but to fulfill them, demonstrating his role as the promised prophet who perfectly embodies and interprets God's commands.

Jeremiah 31:33 (NIV)
"“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Jeremiah 31:33 foreshadows the internal transformation of the Law that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:17-20. Jesus' declaration that he came to fulfill the Law, demanding a righteousness that surpasses external adherence, points to the New Covenant where God's law is written on the hearts of believers, enabling true, internal obedience.

A Moment of Prayer

A prayer inspired by today's topic.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled every jot and tittle of Your holy law. We confess our own inability to live up to Your righteous standards, and we are so grateful that Christ's obedience is credited to us. May we walk in the freedom and grace His perfect life and sacrifice provide, always seeking to honor Him in all we do. Thank You for this incredible gift of salvation through His complete work on our behalf.

Historical Context

The world behind the Word.

The scripture from Matthew 5:17-20 is a pivotal declaration by Jesus, situated within the Sermon on the Mount, and must be understood within the complex tapestry of first-century Judea and the evolving identity of early Christianity. Authorship is traditionally ascribed to Matthew, one of Jesus's apostles. However, modern biblical scholarship suggests the Gospel of Matthew was more likely composed anonymously by a Hellenistic Jewish Christian scribe or community, possibly in Antioch, Syria, or another urban center in the Roman East. This author was highly educated in Jewish scripture and tradition, meticulously presenting Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. The intended audience was primarily a community of Jewish Christians, or those deeply rooted in Jewish culture, grappling with how their new faith in Jesus related to their ancestral traditions and the enduring validity of the Mosaic Law. The Gospel aims to persuade them that Jesus's teachings uphold and deepen, rather than abolish, the Law and the Prophets.The Gospel of Matthew is generally dated between 80-90 CE, a crucial period after the catastrophic destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. This event profoundly reshaped the political and religious landscape of Judaism. Prior to 70 CE, the Jewish people lived under Roman occupation, experiencing significant political and social tensions, heavy taxation, and periodic revolts. The destruction of the Temple crushed Jewish nationalistic hopes and led to the demise of the Sadducean priestly class. In its aftermath, the Pharisees, with their emphasis on Torah study, synagogue worship, and the application of the Law to daily life for all Jews, rose to become the dominant interpretive authority, shaping what would become Rabbinic Judaism. The Matthean community, as Jewish Christians, found themselves navigating a rapidly changing religious environment, distinguishing themselves from both the nascent Rabbinic Judaism and nascent Gentile Christianity.The cultural and religious landscape was defined by Second Temple Judaism (before 70 CE) and its subsequent evolution. The Law (Torah) and the Prophets constituted the foundational scriptures, revered as God's eternal revelation. Jesus's insistence that he came "not to abolish them but to fulfill them" directly addresses the centrality of these texts and Jewish concerns about new teachings. The meticulous reference to "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen" underscores the profound respect for every detail of the Torah, a reverence shared by all devout Jews, especially the Pharisees. The "Pharisees and the teachers of the law" (scribes) were the religious experts and leaders of the day. While often depicted as antagonists in the Gospels, they were respected figures known for their rigorous adherence to the Law. Jesus's call for his disciples' righteousness to "surpass that of the Pharisees" was not an indictment of their zeal, but a challenge to move beyond superficial observance to a deeper, heart-transformed obedience to God's will, emphasizing interior motivation and ethical action over mere external performance. Geographically, while the events of Jesus's ministry occurred in Galilee and Judea, particularly Jerusalem, the Gospel's composition likely took place in a city like Antioch, where a vibrant mix of Jewish and Gentile populations fostered the need to clarify the relationship between Jewish law and the teachings of Jesus for a diverse, yet predominantly Jewish-Christian, community seeking to understand its identity within the broader Roman world.