Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus: the fulfillment of scripture [Listen]

All of human history points to an event that happened 2,000 years ago when Jesus secured God’s vision for all those he would rescue. Jesus made this plain to all who attended the gathering that Matthew referenced in his gospel.

“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. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I would like to mention four things that Jesus said here:

First – Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law.

Some understand this primarily as Jesus being the reality of the imagery in the Old Testament (priest, sacrifice, etc.), and thus doing away with the need maintain certain practices. This is good and proper, but not complete. I think the meaning here is much deeper. Jesus being the fulfillment of the Law carries with it the idea of breathing life into all of the Old Testament, fully living out the intention of the Scriptures, giving the intended understanding to God’s word.

In order to understand the Old Testament correctly we can look at Jesus. We can understand all of Scripture by looking at through the person of Jesus.

Second – Jesus said that nothing will disappear from the Law until all of Scripture has been accomplished.

Here too I think we sometimes interpret this to fit our own purposes or theological views. God, in his sovereignty and timing, will move every bit of Scripture to its intended meaning. In the meantime there is nothing in Scripture that is not profitable; nothing that should be eliminated.

Third – Jesus said, “…whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Since every bit of Scripture is profitable, all of Scripture should be practiced and taught – no exceptions! We should look at this like the Psalmist:

• “My delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law I meditate day and night.” – Ps 1:2
• “Your ordinances God, are more precious than gold…they are sweeter than honey.” – Ps 19:10
• “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” – Ps 119:92-93
• “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” – Ps 119:97

Fourth – Jesus said, “…unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees…”

It’s vitally important that we understand two things here:

First – We must move to holy thought and action. As those who have the Holy Spirit living in us God is moving us toward a Christ-dependent life that does not cherish what this world has to offer but, rather, we actively cherish Jesus above anything else. The result of this God-given reorientation from self to God is that we can also realize the reality of sin’s death (Jesus killed sin for us).

Romans 6:22 – But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Second – While God’s victory over sin produces people moving toward holiness, good deeds or a holy lifestyle cannot save you. Jesus saves you – the result of that rescue is holiness. You can NEVER be righteous enough to save yourself. JESUS IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. God sees the merit of Jesus when he looks at those who receive him by faith.

Romans 10:1-4 – Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Phil 3:8-9 – I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

No doubt the religious leaders of the day were offended by Jesus’ words. He alone defined the true meaning of Scripture – not them. He was saying that the one who follows him will, and must, have a righteousness that surpasses theirs.